The oil and gas industry is facing unprecedented challenges in managing subsurface pressures as produced water volumes continue to surge. According to the latest B3 Insight Permian Basin data and research, produced water volumes in the Permian Basin alone are projected to increase more than 30% by 2028. As operators continue to inject billions of barrels of water into subsurface formations every year, rising formation pressures are putting wells at risk of failure, escalating operational costs, and threatening the viability of critical infrastructure.
Amidst these challenges, B3 Insight has introduced the Subsurface Interval Pressure (SIP) solution—a game-changing innovation that provides the industry’s most trusted comprehensive datasets, actionable insights, and predictive analytics to help operators mitigate risks and optimize their subsurface pressure management strategies.
The Challenge of Managing Subsurface Pressures
Surging formation pressures risk well failures, operational bottlenecks, and infrastructure damage. With saltwater disposal (SWD) capacity dwindling in regions like the Permian Basin, operators must proactively monitor and manage subsurface pressure to prevent costly setbacks.
Traditional methods of pressure management are no longer sufficient in today’s dynamic operational environment. Delayed responses to pressure changes can lead to blowouts, casing deformations, and costly non-productive time (NPT). The industry needs a new approach—and that’s where SIP comes in.
SIP: The Solution
SIP is a machine-learning-powered solution designed to provide basin-wide formation pressure estimations for oil and gas operators. By leveraging artificial intelligence, the industry’s most trusted datasets, and known bottomhole pressure measurements, SIP derives pressure gradient maps through time that allow operators to visualize subsurface pressures across large areas and make informed decisions about well designs, completions, and water injection strategies.
Resolving Key Challenges
- Data Update Frequency: SIP continuously consumes volume and pressure, giving operators the most up-to-date, and most accurate, estimation of formation pressure across an entire basin. This means that operators no longer need to rely on outdated or incomplete pressure data—they have the tools to accurately see what’s happening in subsurface injection intervals.
- How it helps: This visibility enables operators to predict subsurface conditions, preventing blowouts, wellbore failures, and other costly incidents.
- Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning: SIP doesn’t just report the data—it learns from it. Using advanced machine learning algorithms, SIP analyzes historical and current pressure data to provide predictive insights that forecast future pressure trends. SIP is trained on hundreds of known bottomhole pressure measurements.
- How it helps: Operators can anticipate risks before they happen, adjust water injection rates, and make decisions that reduce non-productive time (NPT), lower OPEX, and improve overall operational efficiency.
- Comprehensive Pressure Gradient Mapping: With SIP, operators gain access to trusted, comprehensive, pressure gradient maps that provide visualization of subsurface pressures over time and space. These maps are generated using a combination of surface injection pressure data, known downhole measurements, and other variables that affect subsurface conditions.
- How it helps: By understanding pressure differentials across the basin, operators can optimize their well placements, design safer completions, and proactively manage pressure zones to avoid issues like casing deformations or formation fractures.
- Risk Mitigation: Rising formation pressures are a serious risk to oil and gas operations. With Salt Water Disposal (SWD) capacity dwindling in regions like the Permian Basin, operators need tools that provide early warnings of pressure buildups. SIP delivers just that—early detection of high-pressure zones that could compromise well integrity.
- How it helps: SIP allows operators to proactively adjust their operations, ensuring that wells remain safe and operational, even in high-pressure areas. By preventing well failures and blowouts, SIP helps operators avoid costly downtime and regulatory fines.
Seamless Integration with Existing Platforms
SIP is designed to integrate effortlessly into existing water management and operational platforms. This means that current users of OilfieldH2O, for example, can add SIP as a tool without disrupting their current workflows.
How it helps: Operators can immediately benefit from SIP’s trusted data by utilizing the API direct connect, without having to overhaul their existing systems. This seamless integration reduces the learning curve and maximizes the efficiency of adopting SIP into daily operations.
SIP in Action
SIP is already making waves in the industry, with leading oil and gas operators including major publicly traded, blue chip, E&P companies adopting SIP to manage subsurface pressures across the Permian Basin. These companies trust SIP to deliver the deep insights they need to maintain their competitive edge, optimize their well designs, and prevent costly failures.
If the biggest players in the oil and gas industry are using SIP to gain visibility into subsurface formation pressure, it’s clear that this solution is setting the standard for a new approach to pressure modeling.
SIP: The Future of Pressure Management
The future of subsurface pressure management demands innovative, data-driven solutions. As SWD capacities shrink and water injection volumes grow, operators must adapt to avoid operational bottlenecks and well failures. SIP is designed to meet these evolving challenges, providing the real-time intelligence operators need to stay ahead.
According to the latest B3 Permian Basin Whitepaper, by 2029, pressure buildup in critical areas like the Delaware Basin could pose significant risks. Without SIP, operators risk operational delays and regulatory issues.
Delivering Value to Operators
- Cost Savings: By optimizing water disposal strategies and avoiding high-pressure zones, operators can significantly reduce their CAPEX and OPEX.
- Operational Efficiency: SIP reduces non-productive time (NPT) by allowing operators to identify and mitigate risks before they cause downtime.
- Regulatory Compliance: With SIP’s real-time monitoring, operators can stay compliant with regulatory guidelines, particularly in regions facing scrutiny over injection pressures and potential environmental impacts.
- Future-Proofing Operations: As regulatory landscapes evolve and environmental concerns intensify, SIP positions operators to adapt quickly and continue operations safely and profitably.
- Budgeting Future Expenses: by understanding pressure conditions and the rate of pressure change operators have the foresight to accurately budge drilling AFEs, preventing underestimations and added expenses.
Conclusion
The oil and gas industry is at a turning point, where managing subsurface pressure with precision and foresight is essential for maintaining operational efficiency and safety. SIP delivers the near real-time data, predictive analytics, and comprehensive insights operators need to stay ahead.
To illustrate the power of SIP’s capabilities, we’ve created a study conducted with B3’s proprietary data. As shallow formations in the Permian and other US basins fill up and pressurize, the ability to dispose of produced water and drill production wells through pressurized zones becomes more challenging. This comprehensive study explores these changes in pressure and their implications, offering critical data for industry professionals. Learn how reduced permitted surface pressure allowances affect disposal wells in high-pressure areas and stay ahead of new regulations.
Click here to download the study.
Don’t wait for pressure to rise beyond control—take proactive steps today. Discover how SIP can revolutionize your subsurface pressure management strategy and position your company for long-term success.