AUTOMATION & SAFET Y
TOP: The Automation and Safety Systems panel session at the 2022 IADC Advanced Rig Technology Conference on 31 August
in Austin, Texas, included (from left): Mark Anderson, Ensign Energy Services (moderator); Don Bartusiak, Collaborative Sys-
tems Integration; Rafael Guedes de Carvalho, Schlumberger; Dale Bradford, Murphy Oil; and Andy Westlake, Seadrill (modera-
tor). BOTTOM LEFT: Disciplined alarm rationalization has helped Murphy Oil cut its alarm in the Eagle Ford from 10,000-plus a
week to approximately 100, Mr Bradford said. BOTTOM RIGHT: Validation of data quality is critical so that automation systems
do not lead to false alarms, which erode human trust in the systems, according to Mr Carvalho.
To help build trust, there also needs to be
a balance between generating sophisticat-
ed analytics and presenting those through
an interface in an easy way for the user to
understand. Finding better ways to com-
municate what the machine is actually
doing could help get buy-in from the drill-
er, Mr Carvalho said. “Trust only comes
from understanding.”
Addressing multi-vendor
challenges Contributing to potential distrust of
automation is that, even on a single rig,
there may be a variety of different sys-
tems that were not designed to commu-
nicate with each other, Mr Carvalho said.
Fellow panelist Don Bartusiak, President
of Collaborative Systems Integration and
Co-Chair of the Open Process Automation
Forum, asserted that the closed, propri-
etary nature of control and information-
56 using systems is a root cause of many of
the asset owner’s pain points in multiple
industry sectors.
“I know from first-hand conversations
with drillers you guys have a particularly
acute problem in terms of the number of
different companies that are performing
work or providing services on those rigs.
So if every company that wants to use a
control system or any information-using
system brings a closed proprietary solu-
tion, you’re going to have a problem,” he
said. One initiative that could aid integra-
tion of automated systems in a multi-
vendor environment is the Open Process
Automation Standard, facilitated by The
Open Group, which is working to transi-
tion the process control industry away
from proprietary solutions toward a stan-
dards-based, open, secure, interoperable
process control architecture.
“Just because we use the phrase ‘open’
does not mean we’re asking anyone to give
valuable intellectual property away,” Mr
Bartusiak said. “The whole point of it is
about standardizing the interfaces between
the components that make up the system.”
“This should influence what this com-
munity is thinking about in terms of what
the future of automation looks like in your
world.” Mr Bartusiak pointed to the Institute
of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
networking standards as one example of
industries achieving a common goal for
interoperability. “Take Wi-Fi for example. How much
economic value has been created by that
industry standard that has allowed solu-
tions providers to bring products to the
marketplace and how big that pie has
grown,” he said, calling it a “compelling
case for openness.” DC
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022 • DRILLING CONTRACTOR