TOPICS OF INTEREST
FACILITIES PLANNING AND MAINTENANCE
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.
Dawn of the Drone: A New Method for Delivering IRM Services Subsea
Subsea inspection/repair/maintenance services have traditionally relied on vessel-based, ROV, or diver operations. In the longer term, identifying significant incremental savings in these operations is not sustainable and an innovative approach deploying digital technologies is being investigated.
Static Equipment: A Look Inside the How and Why of Specification
The specification and selection of equipment is the responsibility of the static equipment engineer, based on requirements specified by other disciplines, including process, materials, and plant layout. These guidelines contain cost-effective recommendations for design, materials, and fabrication.
BP Sanctions Gas Projects in Trinidad and Tobago
First gas from the Cassia C platform, which will help maintain production rates to the Atlantic LNG terminal, is expected in 2021. The Matapal project, which will tie back to the Juniper platform, will come on stream in 2022.
Kiewit Wins EPIC Contract for Calcasieu Pass LNG Export Project
Venture Global LNG awarded the EPIC contract for its Calcasieu Pass LNG export facility to Kiewit. FID is expected in 2019, completion in 2022.
US To Become Third-Largest LNG Exporter in 2019
The US EIA projects LNG export capacity will rise to 8.9 Bcf/D by the end of next year, making the US the third-largest exporting country in the world behind Australia and Qatar.
API Releases New Edition of Valve Standard
API released an updated valve standard for wellhead and tree equipment, which includes new automatic closure requirements.
Supervised Autonomy Bridges the Gap in ROV Inspections
ROVs dominate the world of subsea inspections, maintenance, and repair, but as operators work in a post-downturn economy, autonomous systems have become more in demand. Autonomous inspections are possible today, but how can they help with light and heavy intervention?
Condition-Based Maintenance Helps Develop a North Sea Low-Manned Platform
Remote condition monitoring of offshore platform equipment tracks performance data, watching for deviations from baseline benchmarks. Unexpected variances can be investigated and serviced by technicians dispatched to target the root causes—an approach called condition-based maintenance.
Equinor Announces Cost Increase, Delayed Startup for Martin Linge
The North Sea field, which holds an estimated 300 million BOE in recoverable resources, is now scheduled to start production in early 2020. Operator Equinor said the timeline was based on its assessment of the remaining scope of work on the project.
C-Innovation Opens New Dock Facility for Subsea Work
The Port Fourchon, Louisiana, facility will serve as the base for the company’s operations in the area. Its subsea services group has performed multiple hydrate remediation projects in the US Gulf of Mexico since its formation.
Machine Learning and AI Streamline Automated Maintenance Reviews
Machine learning and artificial intelligence technology offer offshore operators the chance to automate high-cost, error-prone tasks to avoid the effects of inconsistency and errors in analysis, improving efficiencies and safety.
Driftwood LNG Terminal Construction Scheduled for 2019
Tellurian remains on track to receive all regulatory approvals and begin work on the export terminal in Louisiana, with an eye on a 2023 startup.
Equinor Submits Phase 2 Plan for Johan Sverdrup to Norway Regulator
Equinor submitted the development plan for Phase 2 of the Johan Sverdrup project on 27 August with an increased resource estimate and a cut of NOK 6 billion in investment costs.
Case Study: Design of Injection Facilities for CO2 Recovery
A pilot project demonstrates that facilities design plays an important role in providing sources of CO2 for the gas-handling process for injection into a carbonate formation as a tertiary recovery mechanism.
The Effect of CO2 Injection on Corrosion and Integrity of Facilities
The paper discusses the main factors affecting CO2 corrosion, provides an assessment of what to look for in major equipment, and details recommended material of construction and corrosion mitigation/control methods.
Aqualis Offshore Secures Deal for Total's Egina FPSO
The company will manage the position-keeping for the deepwater project offshore Nigeria, which is scheduled to start production later this year.
Trafigura Submits Permit for First US Deepwater Oil Port
If approved by the US Department of Transportation, the port facility would allow VLCCs and other tankers to directly load cargo, potentially removing a major hurdle for US crude oil exports.
Gas Flowing From Ichthys LNG Project
The long-awaited Ichthys LNG Project off Western Australia has finally started gas production. LNG liquefaction is expected in a few weeks.
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