Demonstrating Multi-layered MAS in Control of Offshore Oil and Gas Production

The background for our research is oil and gas production at marginal (i.e. small in total oil and gas volume) fields in the Danish sector of the North Sea, as described in our work [1]. The DONG Energy E&P operated production platform Siri is used as demonstration case. From a production perspective marginal fields are very challenging since they mature more rapidly, i.e. in the range of months, than larger fields that mature in the range of years. Furthermore, marginal fields may typically go through the full life-cycle from installation to abandonment in less than a decade. As a consequence of the rapid maturing, the production software systems of marginal fields have to be revised frequently. Simply applying the same relatively fixed production software systems as of today would result in suboptimal production. The application of a relatively fixed production software system is further challenged by the fact that the growing global request for oil and gas advances technological achievements which allow marginal fields to evolve beyond their original abandonment point.