A system-theoretic approach to oil and gas assurance programs

Chevron, one of the world's leading integrated energy companies, faces new challenges as it aggressively pursues digital innovation and acceleration. Oil and gas well construction, in particular, will continue to incorporate automation to enhance capabilities and gain a competitive advantage. These changes to the technology landscape will fundamentally alter the nature of well construction and the interactions pertaining to well design, operation, and maintenance. WellSafe, Chevron's well control assurance program, was created to ensure process safety hazards are controlled and to prevent large-scale incidents. Since its inception in 2015, WellSafe has brought incremental improvements. To continuously adapt and keep pace with the ongoing digital transformation, WellSafe must use systems engineering principles, methods, and tools to improve in the face of a changing environment. System-Theoretic Accident Models and Processes (STAMP) and System-Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA) developed by MIT's Nancy Leveson help assess WellSafe and uncover opportunities to improve. This thesis analyzes the WellSafe assurance program and generates system requirements based on causal factors that impact the efficacy of the program. This, in turn, helps identify safe system boundaries and constraints that must be enforced to achieve system safety. This thesis demonstrates the value of STPA as an integrated analysis method and offers specific recommendations to improve the WellSafe program.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering and Management Program

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2020

Author dc:creator

• Baylor, Brandon S. (Brandon Scott)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Nancy G. Leveson.

• Engineering and Management Program.
• System Design and Management Program.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses may be protected by copyright. Please reuse MIT thesis content according to the MIT Libraries Permissions Policy, which is available through the URL provided.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/132801

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/132801