In recommending that there should be more collaborative links and joint ventures in UK energy research, the Office of Science and Technology foresight panel cited PSTI as a successful example of a collaborative model which might provide relevant experience for other parts of the energy industry.
As part of its objective to continually improve co-operation between the different players in the oil industry, PSTI has recently introduced a new scheme called "Access Membership" specifically designed for large multi-national service and supply companies. This reflects the growing importance that these companies have in the supply of innovative technologies to the industry. The Institute expects that this new category of membership will result in greater co-operation between oil companies, SMEs, universities and service and supply companies, all of which are now served by PSTI. The aim is to achieve more effective innovation and successful commercialisation of technology.
PSTI's strategic networking role will be highlighted at the International Research and Technology Forum. A preliminary programme for this major event is included in this issue.
In response to the growing importance of the service and supply sector in the development and delivery of new technology, PSTI has launched a new category of membership. "Access Membership" is aimed exclusively at service and supply companies who play an important role in the supply of innovative products and services to the oil and gas industry. This is the result of a direct request from many large multi-national service/supply companies which have little or no knowledge of what is going on in the RTD (research and technology development) market outside their own company.
Access Membership is designed to fill the gap between SME membership (which caters for companies with an annual turnover of less than �5M) and full membership (primarily held by oil companies). It is anticipated that up to ten Access Members will join in the first year; two major companies have already submitted their applications.
A new Access Member can join for its first year at the reduced rate of �10,000, representing a cost saving of up to �40,000. As the name suggests Access Members gain access to the majority of information and services, but not the full detailed results of research conducted under the subscription funded programme. This information remains available only to those companies committing to full membership.
Access Members will become an integral part of PSTI's activities, receiving information on oil company priorities, the many RTD programmes throughout the world, on conferences and seminars and on many other important matters, as well as by participating in the many industry/academia interaction events. Additionally, Access Members will be entitled to assistance with new project proposals, including direct assistance in securing funding.
It is expected that increased co-operation between large service/supply companies, SMEs, academia and oil companies will result from this new initiative, leading to more effective innovation and successful commercialisation of technology.
Further information on Access Membership is available from Graham Stewart, Innovation Director. [Tel: 01224 706600. Fax: 01224 706601]
The International Petroleum Research and Technology Forum, which takes place in Edinburgh in November features a high quality programme which focuses on industry technology needs, international research funding strategies, and the relationship between operators, prime contractors and innovative SMEs. As part of the programme, two presentations - one from Halliburton and one from Schlumberger - will cover respectively the development of relationships between large and small service companies, and how new innovative concepts lead to tangible benefits.
Dissemination of information on the best new European hydrocarbon technologies ensures that the full benefits of research and technology demonstration programmes are realised by the oil and gas industry service sector companies and end-user operators. Part of this function is the responsibility of the OPET (Organisations for the Promotion of Energy Technology) network funded by the EC Energy Directorate DG XVII. PSTI is one of 12 oil and gas sector OPETs across Europe which work in partnership to a programme agreed by the European Commission each year as part of the THERMIE programme.
Information on opportunities available under the newly-approved 1995-96 OPET programme is available from Jane Kennedy. [Tel: 01224 706600. Fax: 01224 706601]
Mr George Watkins, Chief Executive of Conoco UK Ltd, has been appointed Chairman of the PSTI Board of Management. Mr Watkins succeeds Mr Sam Laidlaw who has moved from the UK on his appointment as President of Amerada Hess Inc. in New York.
Mr Mike Pink, Chief Operating Officer of Enterprise Oil plc, has joined the Board as one of the five industry member representatives, alongside Mr Keith Alan of Shell, Mr Don Hynek of Texaco and Mr John Parziale of Marathon.
The Predictive Geoscience Research Unit (PGRU) was set up in May 1992 within Edinburgh University's Department of Geology and Geophysics as a joint venture between the University and PSTI. The aim of the PGRU was to fill the gap between pure academic research in the earth sciences and the shorter-term problem-solving work carried out by the industry. The Unit retains a longer-term perspective than is usually possible in industry and has an evolving research programme to tackle problems of fundamental importance to the exploration and production of hydrocarbons.
The current research programme can be split into exploration and production, although the distinction between the two is becoming progressively more blurred as optimised production using in-situ geophysics becomes a viable option.
Exploration research concentrates on the methodology for the predictive search for hydrocarbons from basin analysis, through to seismic and sequence stratigraphy. Furthermore, developments are being made in the acquisition, processing and analysis of geophysical, geological and petrophysical data which will enable hydrocarbon reserves to be located more accurately. One exciting result of the multi-disciplinary research effort is the development of a new methodology for the deliberate search for subtle stratigraphic hydrocarbon traps. This is of major importance in the North Sea where almost all the oil has been found in structural traps. There is now a clear opportunity to find new reserves on the UKCS, possibly within reach of existing production infrastructure, by undertaking the deliberate search for subtle stratigraphic traps.
In production, the focus is on understanding, measuring, and predicting the behaviour of fluids in heterogeneous, fractured, anisotropic rocks under the range of stress and temperature conditions that can exist in hydrocarbon provinces. There is a great variety of fundamental physico-chemical problems to be tackled and much of the research in this area is new. The initial goal is to measure the behaviour on rock samples in the laboratory and to develop a theoretical understanding of this very fine-scale behaviour. The larger scale heterogenities of the reservoir may be determined by in-situ geophysical methods, made in this oil field, using a much broader bandwidth of measurements than is available at present. The well-documented scale invariant fractal nature of fractures in rock allows the statistical distribution of the size and orientation of fractures, measured at the larger scale lengths, to be extrapolated to smaller scale lengths.
As a final goal, the overall behaviour of fluid flow in a particular reservoir could be modelled in a computer, using a combination of laboratory measurements made in core samples, and in-situ geophysical measurements made in the field, to estimate the model parameters. This approach is complementary to conventional reservoir simulation as the theory, input parameters, and required data are different. If this approach is successful it would result in a new method of reservoir simulation which will lead to improved recovery in the medium term by optimum management of the reservoir stress state in the late stages of recovery.
The PGRU is currently funded by the University of Edinburgh, industry (directly and via PSTI), the European Commission, and British Government agencies including the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Offshore Supplies Office (OSO).
For further information on the PGRU contact Stewart Brown. [Tel: 0131 451 5231. Fax: 0131 451 5232]
Project EUCHARIS, a joint industry project researching into gas hydrates, has been commissioned by six oil companies (BP Exploration, ELF Enterprise Caledonia, British Gas plc, Conoco (UK) Ltd, Texaco Britain Ltd, Total Oil Marine plc) and the UK Health and Safety Executive to provide solutions to the problem of hydrates formation in oil and gas production operations, particularly offshore. Prediction and prevention of the formation of hydrates will allow design and operation of offshore facilities to be engineered with greater confidence than is presently the case, with a marked reduction in associated costs and with significant improvements in safety.
The project's objectives are twofold: firstly, to demonstrate the feasibility of new low-dose additives to control crystal growth kinetics and/or to avoid agglomeration, so allowing hydrates to flow in suspension without plugging production lines or facilities; secondly, to develop design tools which would enable the most effective form of hydrate control for flowing systems to be identified.
The results from laboratory studies into hydrate nucleation modelling and hydrate control using new additives will be confirmed using the pilot loop testing facilities at IFP Research Centre at Solaize. The pilot loop test will:
For further information contact Annette Cutler. [Tel: 01892 540820. Fax: 01892 540824]
PSTI's International Research and Technology Forum, being held in Edinburgh on 14-15 November 1995, will highlight the Institute's strategic networking role on behalf of its Members in shaping the marketplace for the development and acquisition of new knowledge and technology in the upstream oil and gas sector.
The Forum will focus on three main issues from the viewpoint of industry, the RTD community and government. These are:
The Forum will be of relevance to :
Office of Science and Technology - Outcomes of the UK government's technology Foresight exercise and its significance for the oil and gas sector
European Commission Directorate-General for Energy (DGXVII), Enzo Millich - The EC's 4th Framework Programme
Shell UK, Keith Allan - New technology challenges facing the industry in the exploitation of difficult oil prospects and fields in the North Sea
Offshore Supplies Office, John Foote - Future opportunities for innovative UK technology. The OSSCAR and LINK programmes
Department of Trade and Industry - The future potential for improved oil recovery R&D in the UK
Natural Environment Research Council, Mike Tricker - NERC post Foresight
EPSRC/Marine Technology Directorate, Ian Brown - MTD: Creating Partnerships in Research and Technology
Halliburton, Ali Daneshy - the need for innovation and collaboration between governments, producers of energy, service and supply companies and SMEs in order to meet the technological and financial challenges of today and the future.
European Commission Directorate-General for Science, Research and Development (DGXII), E Andreta - Current and likely future actions of DGXII in the hydrocarbons sector
Scottish Enterprise Operations, Robert Crawford - Industrial competitiveness through technical innovation
Amerada Hess Ltd, Rex Gaisford - Technical challenges arising from remote, deepwater field development on the north-west European Continental Shelf - the likely role R&D
Australian Petroleum Cooperative Research Centre, Adrian Williams - Current Australian and Pacific Rim R&D
The Research Council of Norway, Bjørn Zapffe - Research Strategy in the Petroleum Sector
British Gas, Patrick Bermingham
The 1995 edition of the IPRD has now been published and distributed to members in hard copy and Windows CD-ROM format. The directory contains details of more than 4,000 on-going and recently completed research projects of relevance to the upstream petroleum industry. The objective of the IPRD is to capture up to date synopses on world-wide research initiatives. By providing an insight into recently commissioned projects, many of which will not be in a position to report data until sometime in the future, users of the IPRD are able to form a judgement on emerging trends in exploration and production research. Information on research projects and departmental expertise is welcome from universities and contract research organisations and can now be submitted electronically through PTERIS.
PSTI member companies can now interrogate the IPRD database on the Internet through PTERIS. This creates the potential for more people to gain access to the information and has the added benefit of allowing them access to more up to date information.
Comments relating to the content of the directory and requests for extra copies of the hard copy or CD-ROM should be directed to Colin Sanderson. [Tel: 01224 706600. Fax: 01224 706601]
The second PTERIS Steering Group meeting was held on the 15 June at Amerada Hess in London, where current progress and future developments were discussed. The International Petroleum Research Directory (IPRD) is now available to the Institute�s Members within the restricted area in PTERIS.
In addition, researchers can now submit information via PTERIS on research projects and technology transfer opportunities. This information is then made available to PSTI Member companies.
PTERIS has been presented to the Information for Energy Group (IFEG) of the Institute of Petroleum in London and was on display at the recent SIBA (Scottish Internet Business Association) Conference in Glasgow. PTERIS will be on display during Offshore Europe (5-8 September 1995) at PSTI�s office. The next PTERIS Steering Group meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday 21 September 1995 at PSTI�s Aberdeen office.
For more information contact Irene Hepburn [Tel: 01224 706600. Fax: 01224 706601]
A successful seminar on seismic and acoustics technologies has been organised by PSTI on behalf of the Defence Research Agency (DRA) Centre for Marine Technology. The seminar, held in the City of London on Wednesday 21 June 1995, was attended by thirty-seven representatives of oil companies and seismic contractors from the UK, Norway, France and Canada, including seven PSTI Members - Amerada Hess, BP Exploration, British Gas, OSO, PGS, Phillips Petroleum and Shell UK.
The DRA Centre for Marine Technology is one of several thematic dual use technology centres whose objective is to encourage the exploitation of the DRA's marine-related technologies by civil industry. The aim of the seminar was to raise the awareness within the oil industry of some of the technological solutions available from the DRA to challenges in marine seismic and seabed survey and to show ways in which the quality of seismic data can be improved and the cost of data collection reduced.
Presentations were given on the application of military towed array technologies to seismic streamers, small diameter towed arrays, the hydrodynamics of towed systems, open ocean cable simulation, advanced materials for towed arrays and acoustic transducers, transducer technology, robust acoustic communication, predicting the offshore environment, automatic seabed image interpretation and data compression, and finally on technology delivery mechanisms.
The seminar was characterised by well-informed and lively debate, particularly regarding the means of exploiting the wide range of R & D products developed by the DRA. Commercialisation of research products was recognised as the principal barrier to the application of the DRA's technologies within the oil and gas industry and various solutions were discussed, including funding of the demonstration stage through the European Commission's THERMIE Programme.
For further information on the DRA's marine technologies contact Bob Seymour, Market Manager Offshore, at the Centre for Marine Technology, DRA Haslar [Tel: 01705 335415. Fax: 01705 335414].
To be placed on the Network Update mailing list e-mail [email protected] or fax Lesley Dumayne on +44 (0) 131 451 5232.
