Real-Time Monitoring
Real-time monitoring is the backbone of a digital oilfield. It replaces periodic manual readings with continuous, automated data acquisition from sensors installed at the wellhead, downhole, in pipelines, and across surface facilities.
What Gets Monitored?
Pressure
Wellhead pressure (WHP), tubing head pressure (THP), casing pressure, and downhole flowing pressure - critical for understanding well deliverability and reservoir behaviour
Temperature
Wellhead and downhole temperature readings indicate fluid properties, gas lift performance, and can detect issues like hydrate formation or wax deposition
Flow Rates
Oil, gas, and water flow rates measured by multiphase flow meters, test separators, or virtual metering software to track production in real time
Equipment Health
Vibration, motor current, pump intake pressure, and other parameters from ESPs, compressors, and rotating equipment that indicate operational health
How Data Flows from Well to Screen
Sensor captures data
A pressure transmitter at the wellhead records flowing tubing head pressure every 10 seconds
RTU collects and transmits
A Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) at the well pad aggregates sensor signals and transmits via radio, satellite, or cellular network to the SCADA master
Data historian stores the data
Systems like OSIsoft PI or Honeywell PHD store time-series data with high resolution and make it available for trending, reporting, and analytics
Dashboard displays to engineers
Production engineers view live readings, trends, and alerts on dashboards in the operations centre or on mobile devices in the field
Use Case: Saudi Aramco's Intelligent Field
Saudi Aramco has deployed over 150,000 sensors across its fields as part of its Intelligent Field programme. Data from downhole gauges, wellhead instruments, and surface facilities streams to control centres in Dhahran. This real-time visibility allows engineers to monitor thousands of wells simultaneously, detect anomalies within minutes, and remotely adjust well parameters - reducing the need for field visits in harsh desert environments and improving production response times from days to minutes.