Oil and Gas Midstream Software: Maximizing Efficiency

ComboCurve: What is ComboCurve to operators looking for oil and gas midstream software?

Allyson: From a midstream perspective, ComboCurve is a production and producer analytics tool. It gives you a realistic view of current gathering volumes, and what they will look like in the future. This, in turn, allows for better financial or operational planning that is closer to reality.

One of the biggest challenges companies face with oil and gas midstream software is getting a realistic view of gathering volumes. By nature, they do not operate producing wells. In this environment, current and future production numbers become difficult to divine. But this information is vital for planning and analyzing assets.

Some producers are overly optimistic about volume estimates because they want to keep excess equipment in place for maximum takeaway capacity. This can lead to over-investment in unnecessary infrastructure. With ComboCurve, leaders can ensure their planning and decisions are based on realistic expectations rather than hopeful guesses.

Oil and Gas Midstream Software: Identifying Trends

ComboCurve: In preparing to talk to you, we saw a story that Energy Transfer was purchasing Lotus Midstream. The story included a map of both company’s pipeline systems throughout West Texas. It got us thinking, you could use ComboCurve’s oil and gas midstream software to import pipeline shape files. With that data, you could see where production is trending, right?

Allyson: Yes, after importing shape files, you can set a custom radius around your pipelines. Then you bring in existing producing wells to forecast production in specific areas. This allows you to examine forecasts, create type curves, and assess your pipeline or gathering system’s capabilities. By determining the excess capacity in the coming years and anticipating future production trends, you can strategically plan upcoming projects and allocate resources effectively.

ComboCurve: It sounds like ComboCurve helps midstream companies see things from the producer’s perspective.

Allyson: By forecasting existing PDPs, you can gain insight into a producer’s projected production for the next 5 to 10 years. From there, you can run sensitivities based on the producer’s projections, adjusting for potential optimism or conservatism in their estimates. With “Combos”, you can visualize various scenarios and hedge against headwinds. The right oil and gas midstream software helps you identify collapsing prices or delayed drill schedules become a problem. Ultimately, the comprehensive approach allows you to make more informed economic decisions before committing capital to further development.

Playing Your Cards Close to the Vest

ComboCurve: Why not use a consultant to do all these things?

Allyson: A lot of people definitely do. There are several benefits to keeping things in-house, especially in the early stages of a project. When a strategic initiative is at the inception phase, confidentially and timing are critical. By keeping evaluations internal, you ensure confidentiality. You can prioritize the timing of the evaluation to meet internal deadlines. In the end, efficient oil and gas midstream software keeps analysis in-house, limits cost, saves time, and increases confidentiality.

ComboCurve: How does ComboCurve help you convince stakeholders or executive teams to approve your recommendations?

Allyson: ComboCurve gives you ways to integrate multiple operators’ production forecasts, existing production data, and more, all within a single project. This provides an integrated view of how a basin could be developed within a single oil and gas midstream software platform. You can layer in various sensitivities, such as timing, price outlook, and economics, then run all the calculations in one place. You can then present a robust set of options to board members, executive teams, or other decision-makers and stakeholders. This thorough analysis gives them greater confidence in the decision-making process. It ensures you carefully considered a portfolio of options before committing to a specific course of action.

ComboCurve: There is much more both of us could say, but we will leave it there for now. Thanks for sitting down with us.

Allyson: My pleasure.

Behind the Scenes

Allyson Kidwell is a Petroleum Engineer with over 16 years of experience managing projects across the world, utilizing Lean and Agile methodologies to drive continuous improvement throughout organizations. At ComboCurve Allyson serves as Vice President of Customer Success. She uses oil and gas midstream software to transform customer goals into bottom line improvements and results. Allyson comes to ComboCurve with experience in reservoir, petroleum, and production engineering as well as field development.