Offshore staff
ABERDEEN, UK – The Oil & Gas Innovation Centre (OGIC) has agreed to support five new offshore oil and gas-related projects.
Targe Environmental Consulting is working on a decommissioning materials management platform. Using Artificial Intelligence (AI), the company aims to increase identification of materials on oil and gas facilities, prior to dismantlement, suitable for re-use.
The company will work with Robert Gordon University’s (RGU) School of Computing Science and Digital Media to develop the software. At the end of the 12-month project, a fully functioning prototype of the system should be ready.
RIGOCAL is collaborating with the University of Edinburgh’s High Performance Computing Centre on an automated solution for the detection of marine animals.
During seismic surveys and pile driving, offshore operators must monitor marine mammals within a 500-m (1,640-ft) zone.
Traditionally marine mammal observers (MMOs) perform this task using binoculars and passive acoustic monitoring, but RIGOCAL’s automated system would detect marine mammal activity day and night, classifying them and analyzing the data.
This could reduce downtime and the number of false mammal alerts, also removing the need for onboard MMOs. OGIC is co-supporting phase two of the project concerning the software for the detection algorithm.
TechnipFMC and the University of Strathclyde’s Advanced Materials Research Laboratory are looking to develop and qualify a Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) process for TechnipFMC’s additive manufactured product range.
At present this is manufactured using conventional forging and fabrication techniques, but depending on product complexity, lead times for large forgings can often be greater than 30 weeks. The same applies to fabricated components, mainly due to heat treatment/machining operations requirements.
The WAAM process could minimize material consumption, reduce inventory, and quickly create a near-net shape production method for new and replacements parts.
Both parties will collaborate on materials analysis and testing capability during the development.
Varel UK and the University of Aberdeen are developing a new polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) drill bit that would combine shearing and gouging actions, allowing more efficient drilling through hard rock and heterogeneous formations.
OGIC is supporting phase two of the project, a prototype drill bit with gouge capability, also designed for extended life through protection of the cutting elements. The PDC bit would thus be shielded from detrimental impacts and shocks that result in breakages, improving drilling efficiency.
Finally,Crondall Energy and Heriot-Watt University are working to improve the understanding of coatings used within pipelines. Crondall is looking to develop a new polymer material for internal coatings that could lower the cost of subsea developments and make marginal field developments more economical.
Focus of the first phase is on assessing modern low surface energy coatings that are applied to oil and gas pipelines. A desktop study will then follow to determine the material’s performance, along with lab testing.
04/29/2019
