This is a past event
A bid for an Oil and Gas Innovation Centre (OGIC), which the University of Aberdeen was a major partner in preparing, has secured £10.6m in funding from the Scottish Funding Council.
Members of staff will be able to learn more about the centre at a presentation next week, delivered by Paul de Leeuw, interim Chair of the Innovation Centre.
The presentation will be followed by a discussion.
Anyone who would like to attend, should email anne.warrander@abdn.ac.uk to book a place.
Please see below for background information.
Background
A very broad range of new innovation project opportunities arise through the newly funded Oil & Gas Innovation Centre (OGIC) that will likely extend across a range of Colleges and Schools. These opportunities may well be of interest to researchers who have not previously worked with the Oil and Gas sector (see short summary of priority areas below).
The first call for innovation proposals is anticipated Quarter 3 2014. After start-up, an annual leveraged spend of c. £4million per annum is targeted, which is likely to increase significantly over time depending on the success of the Innovation Centre.
Both smaller, short term projects (circa £40k, 3 months) and larger, longer term projects (circa £300k, 18 months) will be supported. All projects will be focused on providing innovative solutions to specific industry requirements, and conducted in collaboration with an industry partner/s.
This open session will hopefully provide you with a “heads up” on project types, and time scales, and application processes that will help lead to successful project applications.
Brief summary of the priority areas identified by OGIC as requiring innovation
1. Subsea – including Subsea Tie Backs, Separation, Injection and Metering.
Subsea technology in offshore Oil and Gas production requires specialised equipment which must be reliable enough to endure extreme conditions, safe guard the environment, and make the exploitation of the subsea hydrocarbons economically feasible.
Opportunities for innovation include research on high strength materials for subsea pipelines, improved communications, power technology, autonomous systems and interrogation methods.
2. Seismic and Reservoir Characterization – including subsurface imaging.
A typical reservoir characterisation project uses seismic data and well data which are subject to continuous processes of transformation, calibration and interpretation. The challenge is to find effective ways of analysing large amounts of complex data rapidly and convert this information into useable intelligence.
Opportunities for innovation include applying the extensive knowledge that exists within Scottish HEIs to the design of tools, software and processes.
3. Asset integrity and life extension.
A large portion of the infrastructure in the UKCS was designed for operational lives of 20-30 years. Improved recovery and new discoveries has meant that the use of these facilities needs to be extended beyond their design lives.
Opportunities for innovation in asset integrity include better manipulation of sensor information, improved systems level understanding, advanced reliability modelling, improvements in sensors, improved understanding of remaining asset life and better life cycle modelling.
4. Decommissioning.
Decommissioning programmes are regulated by DECC which requires detailed descriptions of the methods that will be used.
Opportunities for innovation include improved engineering management processes, front end engineering design for decommissioning studies, development of better environmental monitoring and management techniques, skills development, improved cost-effective cutting and removal techniques, cement plugging for well abandonment, repurposing of Oil and Gas assets and HSE research. There is also need to develop Best Practice Guidelines and training material.
5. Enhanced Oil Recovery.
Innovation will be a crucial driver of maximum oil recovery and long-term sustainability.
The challenge is therefore to drive up recovery rates through technological and project management innovation.
Innovation opportunities exist in nanotechnology, chemical engineering, EOR delivery in operational fields, planning for EOR operations, materials science.
6. Production Optimisation.
Maximising economic recovery from reservoirs involves understanding the behaviour of the reservoir and operating wells and process plant optimally (typically for a flow regime for which they were not designed).
Innovation opportunities exist in seismic history matching, 4D seismic, microseismic, intelligent well technology, wellbore integrity, formation damage, sand control, pressure/temperature control, monitoring and flow assurance.
7. Well Construction, Drilling and Completions including High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT): Equipment, materials, nanotechnology, downhole power generation, remote monitoring and actuation materials/nanotechnology and monitoring.
Innovation opportunities exist in HPHT rig manufacture, HPHT materials, HPHT flow in porous media, electronic packaging and manufacturing techniques.
8. Shale gas exploitation. The challenge of gas recovery is to maximise the contact area between a well-bore and the reservoir. This is currently achieved by drilling more wells, using horizontal wells and making extensive use of hydraulic fracturing to open up flow paths to the well-bore.
The challenges fall into three key areas:
· Environmental Impact
· Maximising reservoir-well contact
· Delineation
Innovation opportunities exist in reservoir model development, increased understanding of UK shales, offshore shale gas development and production optimisation from shale reservoirs.
9. Health, Safety, Environment and Project Management which apply to all aspects of supply chain delivery. Health and safety and is an important part of any industry, but particularly so in the offshore sector, which is classed as a major hazards industry. Reducing the number of dangerous occurrences, injuries and hydrocarbon releases remains a top priority and is a key focus of the industry’s absolute commitment to continually improving process safety standards. Project Management approaches are distinctive in the Oil and Gas industry and UKCS extraction has provided a range of invaluable insights and innovations in project management which have a value around the world. As the area moves to maturity new approaches will be needed which will be transferable to other global markets.
- Venue
- King's Conference Centre