TOPICS OF INTEREST
FACILITIES PLANNING AND MAINTENANCE
Remote Survey: A New Normal for Oil and Gas
On the normally unmanned Valhall Flank West platform, the survey of a 1-year-old box boom pedestal crane featured auto-testing of the automatic overload protection system. A similar inspection program was performed on two knuckle boom cranes on a FPSO vessel in Skarv.
Baker Hughes Launches Remote Inspection Tool
The service company says its engageSubsea Remote platform provides real-time equipment-status information.
The Transfer of Oil and Gas Facilities Skills to Offshore Wind Energy
Offshore wind energy projects provide appealing options for the application of the skills and knowledge of practitioners involved in the design and fabrication of oil and gas facilities, especially those with offshore experience.
ADNOC Completes First Phase of AI Maintenance Project
Phase 1 covers the modeling and monitoring of assets for six ADNOC Group companies. The four phases of the project are expected to be completed by 2022.
DNV GL Digital Platform Offers 40 Years of Reliability Data
The data have been collected and analyzed from more than 18,000 equipment units with failure and maintenance records and includes information on subsea fields with more than 2,000 years of operating experience.
Tropical Storm Zeta Prompts GOM Evacuations and Production Shut-Ins
Evacuations in the GOM began on Monday, but so far nearly 50% of current oil production and 55% of natural gas production in the region is shut-in due to Tropical Storm Zeta.
Equinor Awards Wood $75-Million Contract To Support Mariner Field Development
The latest agreement between Wood and Equinor will begin January 2021. The contract follows recent agreements between the two companies for the Breidablikk development in the Norwegian Continental Shelf.
DNV GL and Aker BP Complete Pilot Project for Remote Inspections of Cranes
Akers BP said it will use lessons learned from the pilot and scale the remote-assist concept across its assets.
UPDATE: Operators Restore GOM Production After Hurricane Delta
Forty-four percent of oil production and 30% of natural gas production remain shut in as operators return workers to offshore platforms. Production from undamaged facilities are being brought back online once all standard checks are completed. Facilities with damage may take longer to bring back up.
UPDATE: Hurricane Delta Shuts In 92% Oil, 60% Gas Production in GOM
Hurricane Delta leads to shut-ins of 92% oil and 60% gas production in GOM as landfall is expected today.
UPDATE: GOM Evacuations and Shut-Ins Increase Ahead of Hurricane Delta
GOM production shut-ins increased to 80% of the oil and 49% of natural gas. Hurricane Delta weakened from a category 4 storm to a category 2 storm on Wednesday and is expected reach the US Gulf later in the week.
GOM Operators Evacuate Offshore Facilities Ahead of Cat 4 Hurricane Delta
Hurricane Delta is expected to hit Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Wednesday and reach the US Gulf later in the week. Twenty-nine percent of the current oil production and 9% of natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico is shut in.
Petrobras Cuts E&P Capex, Buzios Oil Field To Account for 70% of E&P Investments
Brazil’s national oil company estimated a reduction of 22 to 38% in capital expenditures in E&P from its 2020–2024 strategic plan and expects to spend $6 billion through 2024 to decommission offshore platforms and wells and underwater gas pipelines.
Equinor Awards Engineering Study to Aibel for Unmanned North Sea Process Platform
The contract is for Equinor’s unmanned process platform at the Krafla field in the North Sea, with plans for tie-in to an Aker BP host platform in the North of Alvheim area.
Drone Used For World's First Logistics Operation to Equinor Platform
Equinor said drones could reinforce safety, boost production efficiency and contribute to lower CO2 emissions from Norwegian oil and gas
Equinor Completes Drone Logistics Operation for Troll A Platform in North Sea
The Norwegian company completed what it describes as the world’s first logistics operation with a drone to an offshore installation.
Petrobras Awards Contracts for ROV Services and Supply Vessels
The 3-year contracts were awarded to Solstad, OceanPact, and Fugro.
PTTEP Awards Contract to Halliburton for Offshore Digital Transformation Project
The software solution aims to improve operational efficiency and production from subsurface to processing facilities in four offshore fields.
Fugro Conducts First Fully Remote Inspection of Platform
The fully remote inspection was conducted with an ROV to increase worker safety and security and reduce environmental exposure on an offshore platform.
Western Australia LNG Project Expects Full Trains Online in September
Repair work on the Gorgon LNG plant’s propane heat exchangers is underway. Planned maintenance on the Gorgon Train 2 was expected to end in July.
Energy Transition Projects Could Replace Up to 40% of OFS Upstream Revenue
Around $90 billion, or 40% of the revenue from the top 50 players in the global service market, could potentially be replaced by energy transition projects, such as clean energy infrastructure and renewable energy production development services.
Petrobras To Build Brazil’s Largest Platform
In its push to boost deepwater production, Petrobras is aiming to launch a leasing tender to build an FPSO described as Brazil’s largest-ever oil platform. Decommissioning work begins in the Campos and the Sergipe-Alagoas Basins.
JIP33 Publishes Spec for Welding of Pressure-Containing Equipment/Piping
IOGP JIP33 specifications comprise supplemental specification, quality requirements, information requirements, and a data sheet.
Engineering for a Greener Oil and Gas Industry
If we must reduce emissions to make our industry “greener,” what are some of the options that we can apply?
Tracerco Wins Large-Scale Inspection Project in Caribbean Sea
The inspection projects to assess water ingress will be done via remotely operated vehicle.
Map of China Oil Infrastructure Tracks More Than 700 Facilities
Designed to be a “living” map, it focuses on the largest fixed infrastructure for crude oil and refined products such as trunk pipelines, refineries, and storage facilities.
Cyberhawk Awarded Multimillion-Dollar Drone-Access Deal with Shell
The contract continues the two companies’ 8-year working relationship; in 2012, they performed the world’s-first underdeck inspection.
Opportunity Shaping for Renewable Energy Projects: Selecting the Right Investments in a Competitive Environment
For successful development and execution, renewables—as with other capital projects —require diligent opportunity shaping. Five key steps for shaping renewable energy projects are discussed.
The Buzz About Drones: More Safety, Less Cost To Inspect FPSOs
A recent test proved the feasibility of using LiDAR on remote-controlled drones to create 3D maps of the inside of tanks, increasing the safety and efficiency of inspections.
Equinor Proceeds With Powering Sleipner Field From the Norwegian Shore
Sleipner’s share in net-zero emissions savings will be more than 150,000 tonnes per year.
Global LNG Industry Faces Shutdowns Following Six Years of Continued Growth
New LNG capacity in 2019 kept pace with higher trading volumes and supply/demand growth. Key questions and barriers still remain for the future of the LNG industry in 2020.
Petrofac to provide maintenance and metering for BP
The two companies worked together in 2019 to improve execution techniques where Petrofac digitalized maintenance and inspection activity.
Wood, NERA Partner on Subsea Inspection Solutions
The AI-driven tool will detect anomalies in subsea oil and gas infrastructure.
Penspen To Support Slug Catcher Replacement on ADNOC Plant in UAE
Penspen will also carry out engineering services on the Zirku Island plant.
Artificial Intelligence Improves Business Outcomes for Offshore E&P
Despite streams of data being available on platforms about the condition of topside and drilling equipment, most experts agree that only a small fraction of such data is used. Whether for a fleet or single platform, AI can transform an offshore enterprise.
Artificial Intelligence Converts Drawings to Data
Artificial intelligence systems can be trained to recognize visual content in drawings and provide a simplified context. The complete paper highlights the use of AI to process a scanned drawing and redrawing it on a digital platform.
Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Complement Condition Monitoring
Time-stamped data anomalies can lead to more-accurate identification and faster diagnosis.
Global Oversupply of Crude Leads to Scramble for Storage Solutions and Alternatives
No vacancy? The hunt for global alternatives to store crude oil includes offshore, global strategic reserves, pipelines, rail cars, and trucks.
DNV GL Launches Pilot To Quantify Quality and Integrity of Digital Twins
In partnership with TechnipFMC, DNV GL opened a pilot project for the international collaboration of operators and the supply chain. Many digital twins represent an asset’s initial form and struggle to reflect developments in their physical counterparts as the asset matures.
How To Optimize Tubing Material Selections Using the PREN Value
Material selection is a first line of defense against corrosion. This article reviews how to recognize pitting and crevice corrosion, as well as how to optimize tubing material selections for marine oil and gas applications based on the material’s PREN value.
UPDATE: Limited Storage Capacity and Global Supply Glut Lead to Record Low Oil Futures
Nymex WTI crude opened Monday on track for its worst day on record, falling nearly 40% to $11.05/bbl on the back of excess supply vs. low demand and dwindling storage capacity.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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