Process-related systems and methods

A process development system for use in predicting operation of an oil/gas field which comprises a plurality of wells and has a plurality of process variables, the system comprising:

• an event identification module which is operative to test process variables from within a data set against predetermined criteria to identify one or more events, wherein each event is a condition relating to one or more process variables and at least one event represents a continuous time period during which one or more process variables satisfy a predetermined criteria, with the at least one event having assigned start and end times;
• an event association module which is operative, for each identified event, to determine whether the event is a cause event or an effect event and an association with one or more other events;
• and
• an event control module which is operative, in response to input of one or more process variables, to provide a control indication which identifies one or more events, and, for each identified event, identifies the event as one of a cause event or an effect event and the one or more associated other events as effect events for a cause event or cause events for an effect event.

A process control method for use in controlling operation of an oil/gas field which comprises a plurality of wells and has a plurality of process variables, the method comprising the steps of:

• logging from the oil/gas field one or more process variables;
• testing process variables from within a data set against predetermined criteria to identify one or more events;
• identifying whether the logged process variables satisfy one or more events, wherein each event is a condition relating to one or more process variables for the oil/gas field and at least one event represents a continuous time period during which one or more process variables satisfy a predetermined criteria, with the at least one event having assigned start and end times;
• for each identified event, determining whether the event is a cause event or an effect event and an association with one or more other events;
• and
• providing a control indication in response to each identified event, where the control indication identifies the event as one of a cause event or an effect event and the one or more associated other events as effect events for a cause event or cause events for an effect event.

A process development method for use in predicting operation of an oil/gas field which comprises a plurality of wells and has a plurality of process variables, the method comprising the steps of:

• testing process variables from within a data set against predetermined criteria to identify one or more events, wherein each event is a condition relating to one or more process variables and at least one event represents a continuous time period during which one or more process variables satisfy a predetermined criteria, with the at least one event having assigned start and end times;
• for each identified event, determining whether the event is a cause event or an effect event, and an association with one or more other events;
• and
• in response to input of one or more process variables, providing a control indication which identifies one or more events, and, for each identified event, identifies the event as one of a cause event or an effect event and the one or more associated other events as effect events for a cause event or cause events for an effect event.