Academy of Graduate Studies Tripoli – Libya School of
Engineering and Applied Science Petroleum
And chemistry department
Research Proposal for Master’s Degree
Experimental Analysis of Non-Productive Time (NPT) Causes and
Mitigation Strategies in Onshore Workover Operations: A Case Study of
Amal Field
Prepared by:
Osamah Mohamed Saeidah
Student ID: 21540493
1- Introduction
Non-Productive Time (NPT) represents a significant and challenge in the oil and gas industry,
particularly in workover operations where time efficiency directly impacts on production
Restoration and operational costs. The Workover process is an expensive investment and
requires a very high cost. One of the factors that determine the cost efficiency of Workover is
reducing the Non-Productive Time (NPT) or downtime. Downtime is an undesirable outcome in
any operation. The higher the NPT the more expensive the Workover costs resulting in
substantial financial losses and operational inefficiencies, in some cases the well may need to be
shut down as a result of high operational expenses. There are many factors that causes NPT
include natural factors, technical factors, time spend on fishing operation, human resources, and
availability of equipment.
Workover optimization is becoming increasingly challenging and important key factor in
reducing Non-Productive Time /NPT. For this reason, this study will examine the NPT in the
Workover project undertaken in six oil wells at Amal Field with its diverse wells portfolio and
comprehensive operational data, provides an ideal case study for examining NPT causes and
developing effective mitigation strategies.
This study focuses on analyzing non-productive time (NPT) during Workover operations in the
Amal Field using a risk management process to map the risk level also conducting an
experimental analysis of workover operations across six oil wells in this field.
The goal is to identify patterns, quantify impacts, and develop field-specific solutions to
minimize Risk Management, NPT For each category and determine the causes of the largest
contribution to NPT. Also this research can be used as reference material in reducing NPT to
create more efficient workover operations in Amal oil field. By Addressing and well planning all
these issues will implementing the workover projects as a planned and enhance wells life
productivity.
2- Problem Statement
Despite technological advancements and operational improvements in the oil and gas industry,
workover operations continue to experience significant non-productive time (NPT), with
industry averages suggesting that 20-40% of operational time may be classified as nonproductive. This inefficiency translates to millions of dollars in direct costs and lost production
opportunities NPT not only increases operational costs but also extends project timelines,
impacting overall profitability.
In the Amal Oil Field that operated by Harouge oil operation Company, recurring NPT issues
during Workover operations, preliminary data indicates NPT issues related to well integrity
problems, sand ingress, well bore instability equipment failures, human Errors and management
challenges, completion types especially with the variety of artificial lifting systems used in the
production in amal field.
3- Research Objectives
Main objective:
To analyze the cause of Non-Productive Time (NPT) at Amal Field and develop practical
mitigation strategies using experimental and risk-based approaches.
Specific objectives:
1. Evaluate the impact of advanced real-time monitoring technologies on minimizing
Non-Productive Time (NPT) during oil produced activities, particularly in
Workover operations.
2. Identifying the root causes of the Non-Productive Time in Amal Field workover
operations.
3. Analyzing the NPT occurring in the six oil wells by using software tools such as
(landmark, OpenWells software or Excel sheet) and compare the results between
excel and software.
4. Develop and validate a comprehensive framework for reducing NPT with an
emphasis on proactive planning, decision-making processes, and minimize
operational waiting time.
5. Evaluate the efficacy of current mitigation practices employed at Amal Field.
6. Defining which activity that more falls and most affected into Non-Productive
Time.
7. Find out the risk level for each NPT category in drilling operations in the Amal
Field.
8. Find out the causes of the largest contribution to NPT in the NPT category with the
highest level.
9. Provide recommendations based on analysis to reduce NPT.
10. Formulate field-specific recommendations for technical, procedural, and
interventions to reduce NPT in the Amal Field and similar operational in the
future.
4- Research Significance
1. The economic significance of the research is substantial, given the high costs
associated with NPT in workover operations:
1.1
Cost Reduction.
2.1
Production Enhancement.
3.1
Resource Optimization.
2. The importance of this research that aim to identify the key factors that have a
major impact on operational delays and rising workover costs, thus it contributes
to increasing rates of Key performance indicators (KPI) and also by addressing
these critical issues, the study seeks to support both theoretical advancements in
understanding Non-Productive Time (NPT) dynamics and practical improvements
for workover engineers striving to enhance operational efficiency.
3. The finding will enhance the theoretical understanding of NPT, Being able to
analyze the problems in industrial sector and learn how to solve it using acquired
knowledge.
4. Being able to improve problem identification regarding to NPT, especially in
Workover Company.
For the company:
1. One of the main significant of this research is to identify the weaknesses facing
workover management and the company, enabling it to take appropriate
corrective actions and achieve continuous improvements in the performance and
operational efficiency.
2. Enhance the company performance indicators (KPI) by reducing workover delays
and associated costs.
3. To improve reaction toward unexpected NPT problem equipment related in oil
workover operation.
5- Research Methodology
To achieve the stated objectives the following methodology steps will be implemented:
5.1. Data Collection:
Collect daily workover reports data for six wells in amal field, then daily and
weekly costs, contract labor costs and equipment rental costs and develop an NPT
classification based on the daily workover report data obtained.
5.2. Data Analysis:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
Calculate total NPT per category and breakdown the results.
Calculate total operation time and analysis the cost per every category.
Calculating probability.
Evaluate the workover rigs utilization rate for six wells.
Create a risk matrix, Risk measurement.
Pareto Chart.
Mitigation Recommendation.
Results comparative with excel sheet and software tools such as ((landmark,
OpenWells software)
i. Develop mitigation recommendations related to the analysis results obtained
to reduce NPT during drilling operations.
Note:
a. All analyses will be conducted using appropriate statistical software/excel
sheet with results presented in clear visualizations to facilitate interpretation of
the data.
b. The data will be collected and analyzed from the time of start operation to the
released time of the each well.
6- The Limitations of the study
This research will focus specifically on workover operations in the Amal Field, analyzing data
from six wells that have undergone workover activities. The study will encompass all categories
of NPT identified in the field data, including well integrity problems, stuck pipe incidents,
packer issues, equipment failures, human errors, incorrect decisions, management issues, and
other operational waiting factors. The temporal scope of the analysis will be limited to the period
covered by the available field data. And the findings will be most directly applicable to the Amal
Field and fields with similar characteristics.
7- Systematic writing
Writing this study was based on the rules of scientific writing in accordance with the Systematics
as follows:
Chapter I Introduction
This chapter contains a preliminary description of research Activities, on the background of the
problem, formulation of the problem, the objectives to be achieved, the benefits of research and
systematic writing.
Chapter II Literature Review
This chapter elaborates on the theories of reference books and journals as well as the results of
previous research related to the research problem which is used as reference for problem solving.
Chapter III Research Methodology
It contains the description of the framework, the research object to be studied and the methods
used in the study.
Chapter IV Collection and Processing Data
It contains the data obtained during the research and how to analyze the data. Data processing
result is displayed either in the form of tables and graphs. What is meant by processing the data
also includes analysis of the results obtained. In this section is a reference to the discussion of the
results.
Chapter V Discussion
It contains discussion on the results of data processing that have been performed in research.
Compatibility with the objectives of research so as to produce a recommendation.
Chapter VI Conclusions and Recommendations
It contains the conclusion of the analysis and any recommendations or suggestions on the results
based on potential identified problems during the study, so it needs to be assessed in the future
studies.
8- Timeline
The research will be conducted over a period of 5 months due to the most of data available from
the field.
9- References
1. The Mitigation of Risk Management: Non-Productive Time Analysis on Drilling Operations
in ZY Field Muhammad Ariyon 1*, Bobby Rahman1, Ellyan Sastraningsih 2, Anthony
Mayes3-research article Accepted: May 22, 2024.
2. Munusamy, B. R. A/L. (2023). Development of Drilling Non-Productive Time Reduction
Framework Using Lean Six Sigma Methodology for Buntal Exploration Wells. Universiti
Teknologi Malaysia.
3. Springer. (2021). Integrating risk management concepts into the drilling non-productive time
reduction. Journal of Petroleum Exploration and Production Technology. Retrieved from
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13202-020-01059-0
4. Urbanowski, R. (2010). Rig NPT: the ugly truth. Drilling Contractor. Retrieved
https://drillingcontractor.org/rig-npt-the-ugly-truth-6795
from
5. Urbanowski, R. (2016). Reducing NPT of Rigs Operation through Competency
Improvement.
Society
of
Petroleum
Engineers.
Retrieved
from
https://onepetro.org/SPEBERG/proceedings.
6. Reducing Non-Productive Time (NPT) In the Seven Well Drilling Project on the North
Beach of Java from Pt Multi Jaya Tehnik OCTOBER 2020.