TOPICS OF INTEREST
FACILITIES PLANNING AND MAINTENANCE
PTAS Aker Solutions Secures Brownfield Services Contract Offshore China
The five-year contract is worth an estimated $400 and covers more than 200 offshore assets.
New Methodology and Technology Aims To Manage Corrosion Under Insulation
The methodology is the industry’s first to address CUI. Along with DNV GL’s new technology, maintenance costs may be reduced by up to 50%.
Status Updates of North American LNG Projects Offer a Mixed Bag
Several companies have provided updates on their North American LNG projects, including Pembina, LNG Canada, and Sempra. The outlooks vary from plans to move ahead to others seeking money to stay afloat.
Extended-Reality Initiative Optimizes Wellsite Planning
Immersive technology on projects such as wellsite planning incorporates XR, drones, and collaboration.
COVID-19 May Impact More Than Half of all Oil and Gas Projects Being Sanctioned
Revised estimates of project sanctioning total $61 billion in 2020, which is down from $192 billion forecast in 2019.
Canada’s Safety Board Finds Stress Corrosion Cracks Led to 2018 Pipeline Fire
Westcoast Energy revised its inspection practices following the 2018 incident. Its model used to predict crack growth did not take into account all uncertainties
DNV GL Research Finds Tubes and Piping Are Most Failure-Prone Components in Energy
DNV GL researched over 1,000 failure cases to identify failure-prone components. The research is based on cases from its global network of labs.
Cameron LNG Train 2 Starts Commercial Operations 7 Months After Train 1
Train 2 has a projected export capacity of 4 mtpa. Train 3 is expected to reach production in Q2 2020.
OGCI Unveils Consortium and MOUs To Support Development of Net Zero Teesside Project
BP, ENI, Equinor, Shell and Total to develop Net Zero Teesside Project. The project aims to capture 6 mtpa of CO2 emissions.
Phillips 66 and Trafigura Form JV To Build US Gulf Crude Terminal
Phillips and Trafigura JV expected to load VLCCs. The project is in the permitting stage with an FID expected this year.
Chevron Signs Wood To Deliver Engineering Design for Anchor Deepwater Project
Wood will provide the FEED and design for the offshore project. First oil is anticipated in 2024.
Sumitomo Heavy Industries and Highview Power Partner for Global Cryogenic Energy Storage
Sumitomo Heavy Industries invested $46 million in Highview Power. SHI's subsidiary will also become the technology center and hub for Highview Power's CRYObattery business.
Petrofac Unit Wins $1.65-Billion Contracts for ADNOC’s Dalma Gas Project
Petrofac continues working relationship with UAE following contract awards for Dalma Gas Development project.
Deeper, Longer: The Olympics of Offshore Tiebacks
The motto of the Olympic Games is “Citius, Altius, Fortius,” Latin for “faster, higher, stronger,” which emphasizes the concept of pushing the limits. As an engineer, that approach really speaks to me—and offshore installations, and especially offshore tiebacks, illustrate that concept very well.
Fugro Wins Contest With Machine-Learning Model for Pile-Driving Prediction
Using the supplied data set of cone penetration test results, competing teams had to predict the number of hammer blows required to drive the pile a given unit of depth in the North Sea.
IOGP JIP33 Opens Proposed Flare Package Spec for Public Review
IOGP today launched JIP33 flare package specification guidelines for public review and comment.
Newly Formed JV To Provide Data-Driven Drilling Riser Maintenance Program
The data-driven maintenance program incorporates riser condition, usage, and fatigue analysis with a risk-based inspection process.
Wood Sells Industrial Services Business
The company's industrial services business provides integrity and fabric maintenance for assets in the offshore oil and gas, process energy, marine, and infrastructure sectors across the UK and Ireland.
Better Abandonment Cost Estimates Yield Improved Project Valuations
Developing an asset requires key investment decisions to be made early in the process, and as a result, some critical cost evaluations—such as abandonment—are often ballpark estimates. Adjusting the parameters for evaluating these costs can lead to more-accurate project valuations.
Equinor Plans Extension of Statfjord Field
The plan will extend production of the largest field on the Norwegian Continental Shelf to 2040, while also deferring plans to decommission the Statfjord A platform. Statfjord A was originally scheduled to be decommissioned in 2022.
New Innovations Enable Autonomous Pipeline Inspections
As companies look to reduce the time it takes to inspect a subsea pipeline, as well as the costs involved in the operation, autonomous systems have become a more desirable option. How close are they to becoming the norm?
ISO Approves First Safety Standards for Commercial Drone Operation
The organization said the new standard, which focuses on air safety and data protection, is the first step in a wider move to promote the use of drones within a framework of approved regulatory compliance.
Shell, Energy Transfer Issue Tender Package for Lake Charles Project
The tender invites EPC contractors to develop a commercial bid for the lump-sum turnkey contract based on a fully developed scope related to design, engineering, technical, and safety specifications for the project. Commerical bids are expected next year.
Offshore Wind: The New Frontier in Powering Platforms?
Offshore wind makes up less than 1% of the current energy mix, but analysts have it pegged as a potential trillion-dollar business in the near future. That growth presents an opportunity for operators to reduce costs and their carbon footprint through the electrification of their offshore platforms.
Engineering Diagram Processing Featured in Worley and Arundo Global Hub for Advanced Analytics
Using deep-learning and computer-vision techniques, the software recognizes all instances of specific instruments, valves, lines, and other features in a P&I diagram in seconds.
ADNOC, Honeywell Team on Large-Scale Predictive Maintenance Project
ADNOC will utilize Honeywell’s asset monitoring and predictive analytics platform to improve asset efficiency and integrity across the operator’s upstream and downstream businesses.
Equinor Contracts Inspection Services for All Offshore Installations and Onshore Plants
Equinor has chosen four suppliers for inspection services on all offshore installations on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and onshore plants in Norway. The frame agreements, estimated at $383 million, are scheduled to be signed soon.
SwRI Develops Superhydrophobic Coating for Offshore Drilling Pipes
A newly developed superhydrophobic coating keeps offshore drilling pipes from being clogged by various substances. R&D Magazine recently recognized the coating and the unique process to apply it to pipes as one of the 100 most significant innovations of 2019.
Offshore OFS Market Poised for Massive Boost in Southeast Asia
A fresh wave of offshore project sanctions across Southeast Asia could boost greenfield investments in the oilfield service space by almost 70% in 2020. The growth will be driven by a handful of new megaprojects across Malaysia, Myanmar, and Vietnam, according to recent project commitments.
Will Faster Robots Improve Subsea Pipeline Inspections?
Sensors, robots, and artificial intelligence have made their way into a number of areas within the industry, including pipeline inspections. Shell has begun to examine the innovative technologies that could shift the inspection paradigm.
The Dawn of the Disruptive, Deepwater TCP Riser
Nonmetallic, thermoplastic composite pipe (TCP) technology can now be found in every oil and gas region globally and can operate at pressures of up to 12,500 psi, and in water depths as low as 3000 m. The focus is now on developing and deploying TCP risers for extreme environments.
TechnipFMC’s Newly Named E&C Player To Focus on LNG
Technip Energies will work on a backlog comprising more than 50% in LNG-related business. Retaining the TechnipFMC name, RemainCo will generate nearly 90% of its revenue outside the US and Canada.
S-710 Air-Cooled Heat Exchangers Specification Launched for Review
The International Association of Oil & Gas Producers-managed JIP 33 has issued specification S-170 for public review. The closing date for comments is 27 November.
People and Processes Define the Facility of the Future
Developing the facility of the future is a technological and infrastructural challenge, but the people behind the technology play just as critical of a role in actualizing complex, innovative asset designs. How will future facilities affect the way companies operate?
Leverage Risk-Based Inspection and Risk Assessment for Improved Profitability
Risk-based inspection is based on sophisticated risk analysis which significantly decreases overheads and helps to avoid equipment failures or unnecessary shutdowns.
SBM Offshore Completes Financing of Liza Unity FPSO
As construction continues, SBM Offshore secured the $1.14 billion needed to finance work on the vessel. Liza Unity is scheduled for deployment at ExxonMobil's Liza Phase 2 development offshore Guyana.
Drones Take Off in the Oil Field, but How High Will They Fly?
Unmanned aerial vehicles are creeping up on ubiquity in the oil and gas industry, but their potential still firmly outweighs the actuality. A panel at the 2019 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition took a close look at the benefits of drones and at the tethers still holding back their use.
Kongsberg To Build Digital Twin for Shell’s Nyhamna Gas Facility
As part of the $11-million deal, Kongsberg will establish a dynamic virtual representation of the plant, which serves as a gas processing and export hub for the Shell-operated Ormen Lange in the Norwegian North Sea.
Equinor Awards Milestone Wireless Subsea Drone Contract
The $43-million deal with Saipem will utilize a wireless underwater intervention drone and an ROV for intervention work on the Njord field in the Norwegian North Sea. Equinor said the contract is the first ever from an operator for advanced wireless drone services.
TechnipFMC, DNV GL Partner on Digital Twin Integrity Benchmark
The service company and independent verifier are aiming to develop a methodology for qualifying the integrity of digital twins, which they say will help level the industry’s varying technical definitions of, and expectations towards, the technology.
Excelerate Energy Approved for Philippines Project
Located offshore the city of Batangas, approximately 2 hours south of Manila, the Luzon LNG project will include a fully integrated turnkey FLNG terminal, arranging the necessary supply of LNG and distribution of natural gas across the island of Luzon.
Corrosion Will Occur, Whether You Like It or Not
Just like Houston’s summer heat, corrosion of metal surfaces will occur—whether you like it or not. To help you better understand corrosion, these papers describe using water surveys in a production/injection plant, testing the effectiveness of mitigation, and data evaluation using machine learning.
HDPE Liner in Carbon Steel Pipe Manages Flowline Corrosion in Giant Onshore Field
Internal corrosion has caused ADNOC to suffer loss of containment in oil flowlines in a giant onshore field. This paper describes the successful 5-year field trial program and confirmation that HDPE liner application in carbon steel pipe can be a cost-efficient way to mitigate internal corrosion.
Machine Learning Enhances Evaluation of Oil and Gas Assets
Using machine learning (ML), image recognition, and object detection, the use of ML on algorithms to recognize objects and describe their condition were investigated—offering new possibilities for performing inspection and data gathering to evaluate the technical condition of oil and gas assets.
Artificial Pipeline Model Enables Comparison of Biocides in a Dynamic System
To facilitate testing and comparison of products that attenuate microbially influenced corrosion under field conditions, a method using microorganisms from a low-tide, anoxic North Sea sample was developed that allows corrosion measurements to be made for corroding biofilms grown on steel surfaces.
Yinson Loses $1-Billion FPSO Charter for Vietnam Project
Amidst a conflict between Vietnam and China over the South China Sea, the Malaysian company’s 10-year deal to supply an FPSO for the Ca Rong Do offshore field is now history. Repsol, the operator of Ca Rong Do, suspended the project last year in the wake of government pressure.
Kvaerner Eyes Boost in FPSO Construction Contracts
As part of a plan to increase revenue to more than $1 billion by 2023, the engineering and construction company is moving away from large offshore platforms with fixed substructures, saying that it expects to win and execute a series of FPSO projects in the future.
Operating Excellence Through Benchmarking in Upstream Operations
As companies have focused on giant capital investments onshore and offshore to drive growth, they have often focused less on field operations, especially OPEX. This represents an enormous opportunity to address profit squeeze by improving overall cost efficiency in oil and gas projects.
Johan Sverdrup Phase 1 Nearly Complete, Startup on Target
Lundin reports that the hookup and commissioning of installed facilities at the large North Sea field is progressing as planned. Phase 1 startup is still scheduled for November.
Is Optical Gas Imaging the New Solution for Methane Detection?
Thermal imaging helps operators maintain regulatory compliance on methane-emissions requirements. Optical gas imaging technology may be an answer in allowing for faster, more efficient inspections, but there are hurdles to its adoption. How can its widespread use become a reality?
Freeport LNG Train 1 Enters Final Commissioning Stage
The introduction of feed gas into Train 1 of the natural gas liquefaction and LNG export facility marks the transition from construction to startup. Upon startup, Freeport LNG will become the first world-scale electric LNG liquefaction plant in North America.
Restoration of Oil and Gas Production Continues in Gulf of Mexico
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement reported about 14% of oil production and about 14% of natural gas production remains shut in following Tropical Storm Barry.
Static Equipment: Understanding Heat Exchangers
Take a closer look at heat exchangers, including the various types and designs available, applications, and selection considerations. This article helps the project engineer, who is not an equipment specialist, to check that economical choices are made across all involved disciplines.
ABS To Classify New Monocolumn Platform Designed for Offshore Malaysia
ABS will classify a new self-elevating platform with a unique triangular monocolumn design from Calm Oceans Pte Ltd.
Xodus Group To Acquire Green Light Environmental
The acquisition will add to the group’s offerings aimed at environmental impact assessments and project approvals.
Personnel Begin Reboarding Platforms After TS Barry
Offshore personnel are reboarding Gulf of Mexico platforms, oil and gas production begins recovery.
Slight Uptick in GOM Shut-Ins as TS Barry Continues Onshore
All 20 dynamically positioned rigs have returned to pre-storm locations. Operators' reports of evacuated personnel remain unchanged from yesterday.
70% Oil, 56% Gas Production Shut In as Barry Makes Landfall as Tropical Storm
The Gulf of Mexico disturbance, Barry, made landfall today near Intracoastal City, Louisiana, and weakened to a tropical storm.
GOM Operators Begin Evacuations as Tropical Storm Advances
As a disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico continues to develop, about 32% of the oil production and 18% of the natural gas production in the GOM has been shut in.
Neptune Gets Green Light for Pair of North Sea Tiebacks
Norwegian authorities approved development plans for Duva and Gjøa P1, both of which are expected to produce first oil in late 2020. The fields will each tie back to the Gjøa platform on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.
Operators Build the Business Case for Drones
Drones are becoming an important tool for energy companies looking to improve on-site safety and operational efficiencies, and the industry is looking for the best way to maximize their value. What are some the challenges in getting these programs off the ground?
BHGE Launches Multimodal Facility Expansion in Angola
The facility will serve as a hub to support customers and projects in the Angola and Southern Africa region.
Can Robots Improve Above-Water Riser Inspections?
The criticality of above-water riser hull piping requires frequent inspections. Traditional manual inspection methods present safety and efficiency concerns, but work is being done to see if robotic technologies—such as drones and crawlers—can do the job as good as, or even better than, humans.
API Releases Guide for Drones in Oil and Gas
As drones become a more significant part of energy projects, the guide outlines the steps operators should take in assessing their capabilities to run a drone program and the elements such programs should consider, including safety and regulatory concerns.
Weld Overlay Joins the Party as Corrosion-Resistant Pipe Undercapacity Threatens Project Scheduling
It is rare that businesses selling equipment to the oil and gas sector can benefit from lower oil prices. But that is the case for CRA pipe manufacturers, which are comfortably outperforming 2014 levels.
Freeport LNG Authorized for Additional Exports
The US Department of Energy authorized the export from the terminal’s fourth liquefaction train to countries that have no free trade agreement with the US.
BP Approves Thunder Horse South Expansion Phase 2
The deepwater Gulf of Mexico project is expected to add 50,000 B/D of oil production through the construction of two new subsea production units and production wells.
Lessons Learned From the Big Foot Mooring Incident
After suffering major setbacks, Chevron’s massive Big Foot project finally achieved first oil last November in the US Gulf of Mexico. With the setbacks in the rear-view mirror, project personnel spoke about the challenges.
How To Design an Unmanned Minimal Floating Platform
Unmanned minimum facility platforms are a reliable alternative to traditional wellhead platforms or subsea installations, and the technologies enabling simpler designs have evolved.
Santos P'nyang Farm-In Advances PNG LNG Expansion
Santos signed a binding letter of intent to acquire a 14.3% interest in Petroleum Retention License 3, which contains the P’nyang natural gas field in Papua New Guinea.
Johan Sverdrup Phase 2 Plan Approved
Construction for the field’s second processing platform begins on the same day the Norwegian authorities approved the plan for development and operation for the biggest field development on the Norwegian continental shelf.
BP and Partners Sanction $6-Billion Platform for Giant Deepwater ACG Field in Caspian
BP and partners have sanctioned the Azeri Central East project, the next stage of development of the giant Azeri-Chirag-Deepwater Gunashli oilfield complex in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea.
Shell Deploys AR Headsets To Facilities in 12 Countries
This digital deal is helping to make augmented reality a new reality for oil and gas operations.
Equinor To Install Underwater Drone at Asgard Field
Called Eelume, the underwater drone will perform subsea inspection, maintenance, and repair work.
McDermott and Zamil Offshore Sign JV To Serve MMO Market in Saudi Arabia
McDermott will work exclusively with Zamil Offshore to provide Saudi Aramco with maintenance, modifications and operations services.
JIP Aims for Life Extension Road Map for Top Tension Risers
A newly launched JIP aims to bridge the BSEE and API frameworks and achieve industry consensus on the analysis and inspection data required to assess the feasibility of an extended service life.
How To Find the Right Data System for Equipment Inspections
Inspection data management system software can help companies bolster their mechanical integrity programs, but choosing the wrong software can have a lasting impact on a company’s operations. So, what goes into finding the right software for your needs?
Trendsetter Completes Delivery of Production Equipment for Leviathan Project
Trendsetter Engineering completed its 2-year design and build work for Noble Energy’s Leviathan project.
Saipem, Shell Work To Advance Subsea Autonomous Vehicle
Saipem is taking the lead in advancing the capabilities of FlatFish, an autonomous underwater vehicle being developed by Shell for commercial application by 2020.
Saudi Aramco Awards EPCI Contracts for Pair of Major Projects
The new deal covers production deck manifolds and subsea pipelines for Zuluf and Berri, two large fields undergoing expansion projects.
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