Advances in two areas of asset integrity are being targeted by a new oil and gas industry project being led by Total E&P UK and Amec Foster Wheeler under the direction of the Technology Leadership Board, which could unlock £1 billion of revenue through improved production efficiency and cost savings.
The offshore oil and gas industry currently faces a perfect storm of rising production costs, falling oil prices and ageing facilities that require increasingly expensive maintenance. The new project seeks to ensure that inspection and maintenance is quicker, easier and cheaper to carry out which will translate into less production downtime in the UKCS.
The project will target advances in process vessel inspection and managing corrosion under insulation (CUI). It is the result of partnership working between the Technology Leadership Board, Oil & Gas UK, Oil & Gas Authority, Oil & Gas Innovation Centre (OGIC) and Industry Technology Facilitator (ITF). It will be led and delivered by Total E&P UK and Amec Foster Wheeler with support from OGIC and ITF.
The first phase of the project will map out all the existing technologies and companies for maintenance and inspection. It will also identify relevant technologies and processes that are new or not used offshore. This phase of the project will report back in February 2016.
Secondly, the project will propose the adoption of technologies from other industry sectors and the development introduction of ways in which services can be combined so that the work is carried out in a logical, quicker and therefore cheaper manner. It will also propose the introduction of new products and services to lower costs and/or improve safety.
Jeremy Cutler, Head of Technology Innovation at Total E&P UK said, “Total is delighted to play a leading role in this project. It’s vital that our industry gets ahead of the crisis. By using the best technology and innovation available we play to our strengths and give ourselves the best chance to ensure a bright future for the British offshore industry.”
Andy Ewens, Director of Operations at Amec Foster Wheeler, said: “Amec Foster Wheeler is actively involved in supporting the development of solutions to unlock the potential of this vital component of the UK oil and gas sector infrastructure. As a founder member of the Technology Leadership Board we are delighted to be a part of these important first steps. The two initiatives we are focussing on now provide opportunities to make a tangible impact in the short term and provide the basis for addressing the myriad of asset integrity issues that we have to face as an industry.”
Ian Phillips, Chief Executive of OGIC, said: “This project directly responds to the maximizing economic recovery agenda for the UKCS and involves the targeting of resources on specific challenges that can influence production efficiency, reduce costs and improve safety. All of those involved are focused on delivering technologies and processes that change the way industry deals with process vessel inspection and CUI in order to unlock revenue that is currently lost through suboptimal activities offshore.”
Subscribe
