How One Texas Producer Used Technology to Combat Labor Shortages

When labor shortages started to affect their ability to bring more wells online, this Texas producer realized it was time for a change.

Their traditional approach was holding them back. Due to the challenging production environment and manual measurement practices, two operations staff needed two full days to complete their rounds of 37 wells. With this time-consuming practice of visiting each site to collect measurement information and check on the site, the producer was unable to increase their well count and develop new drilling opportunities. Efficiencies were needed if they wanted to add to their drilling program without trying to find additional staff in a tough hiring market.

Solution

Working with Zedi, the producer implemented remote well monitoring and was able to address the immediate challenges brought on by labor shortages. By adding remote well monitoring equipment to their field along with a web-based data management platform, the producer was able to add more wells to the workload of their existing staff, freeing up their time to perform the additional duties necessary to bring more wells on line.

How

The producer implemented a radio network connected to existing electronic flow measurement (EFM) hardware at their sites. The radio network transmits data from the EFM equipment to Zedi Access, Zedi's web-based platform. Whether at the field office or on a mobile device, Operations can log in and view important data and graphs about their sites and determine which sites require immediate attention and which do not. Pumpers can then prioritize their activities, eliminating unnecessary well visits and travel time, and quickly react to urgent well situations. Without remote visibility to a well, a well could be shut down for days before the next scheduled visit. In addition, with Zedi Access, field staff can take control with an alarm notification system that immediately notifies them of downtime. The producer was able to instantly increase the number of sites each operator could handle.

Impact

Simply put, with remote well monitoring technology, this producer could do more with less and free their resources to expand their drill program. Their projected savings from investing in remote well monitoring are as follows:

• The producer will save $7000/year in fuel costs by reducing unnecessary trips to the well site.
• By moving away from a monthly manual data collection model, they will have additional cost savings while gaining greater visibility into their field.
• By remotely monitoring their wells, the producer can dramatically increase well to staff ratios, allowing a single pumper to easily manage 50 wells.
• By reducing the required trips to site, those pumpers will be at reduced risk imposed by the terrain, climate, and wildlife.

With remote well monitoring from Zedi, the producer was able to find the efficiencies necessary to meet these challenges head on and expand their programs.