Paper: Robert D. Kiker, Petroleum Technology Transfer Council-Texas-Permian Basin

This paper will report the results of a survey of the field methods that oil and gas operators are using to capture and transmit daily field production. The objective of the survey was to: (1) accumulate information on the techniques/methods operators in the Permian Basin were using to collect, record and transmit daily production (oil, gas, water) and other associated operational data; and (2) determine if the methods employed correlated with size of the operator and/or location (remote or centralized). The survey was conducted by interviewing office and field personnel, and other contact methods. The results show that there is a "mix" of methods being used by the operators surveyed. The method tends to be a result of the needs or the philosophies of the operators, the status of mergers, and buy-outs (who is the surviving entity) with new systems being tried, and communications between field and office personnel.