Offshore Technology Conference Technical Session Timetable

In its nine-year history, the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) has become the world's leading international technical forum devoted to the development of offshore resources and protection of the ocean environment.

OTC is an interdisciplinary meeting encompassing the diverse engineering and scientific disciplines involved in the many facets of offshore resource development.

OTC was officially established in 1968 when 11 professional engineering societies announced plans to sponsor an annual conference on offshore technology. Provisions were made for all of the sponsoring societies to program technical sessions at the meetings and to participate in the overall governing of the Conference through an Executive Committee.

The success achieved by the Offshore Technology Conference can be seen by examining Conference statistics. The technical program for the first meeting in 1969 consisted of 100 papers; 300 technical papers are scheduled for the 1977 OTC. The products and services exhibition contained 80,000 gross square feet in 1969 and will have more than 800,000 gross square feet at the Ninth Annual Conference. Registration increased from 4,300 in 1969 to 61,700 in 1976; and registration is expected to exceed 60,000 again in 1977.

Technical Program Sessions on offshore exploration, Arctic environmental conditions, earthquake associated problems, and offshore safety will highlight the diversified 300-paper technical program during the .Conference, to be held May 2 through May 5, 1977 in Houston, Texas.

More than 60,000 engineers and scientists from some 90 nations are expected to attend the meeting.

The technical program for the 1977 Offshore Technology Conference will be divided into 47 sessions covering both state-of-theart and new technology in every major area of offshore resource development. The program for the Conference was formulated by a 12-member committee headed by Wayne B. Ingram with Shell Development Co. in Houston.

A highlight of the Conference will be the presentation on Tuesday, May 3, of the 1977 Offshore Technology Conference Distinguished Achievement Awards for individuals and organizations.

Award recipients are selected by the OTC Executive Committee for outstanding contributions to the development of offshore technology.

Alden J. Laborde, chairman of the board of Ocean Drilling & Exploration Co., will receive the Distinguished Achievement Award for Individuals in recognition of his 25 years of dedicated effort to the pioneering development and evolution of mobile drilling rig technology.

The Distinguished Achievement Award for Companies, Organizations, or Institutions will be presented to Phillips Petroleum Co.

for its conception, development, and implementation of the extensive Ekofisk Field production, storage, and pipeline system in the Norwegian North Sea.

The sponsors of OTC include The American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers — Society of Mining Engineers of AIME, Society of Petroleum Engineers of AIME, The Metallurgical Society of AIME — The American Association of Petroleum Geologists, The American Institute of Chemical Engineers, The American Society of Civil Engineers, The American Society of Mechanical Engineers -—Petroleum Division, The Marine Technology Society, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers — Oceanic Engineering Council, The Society of Exploration Geophysicists, and The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers.

Technical Sessions The technical sessions, to be held in the Astrohall from 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon for morning meetings and 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. for afternoon sessions, are as follows: Room Subject Monday Morning 100 Hydrocarbon Potential of Venture & Frontier Basins.

107 Geologic Hazards of U.S.

Outer Continental Shelf.

I l l Wind & Wave Forces on Structures.

114 Earthquake Associated Problems — Philosophy, Analysis & Design.

118 Environmental & Pollution Considerations — Environmental Impact Studies.

300 Remote Sensing.

307 Blowout & Production Control.

311 Deep Ocean Mining.

Monday Afternoon 100 Regulations I.

300 Manpower & Training.

Tuesday Morning 100 Marine Seismic Source & Signatures.

107 Soil Property Evaluation in the Field & Laboratory.

I l l Hydrodynamic Forces on Structures.

114 Materials & Corrosion in the Offshore.

118 Regulations II.

300 Navigation Systems.

307 Offshore Production Facilities.

311 Offshore Marine Terminals.

Tuesday Afternoon 100 Progress in Marine Exploration.

107 Piles & Piledriving.

I l l Oceanographic Design Criteria.

114 Welding, Fatigue & Joints.

300 Acoustic Telemetry & Position Control.

307 Offshore Safety.

311 Mooring Dynamics of Ships, Structures & Cables.

Wednesday Morning 100 Plate Tectonics & Evolution of Outer Continental Margins.

107 Seafloor Foundation Stability & Evaluation.

I l l Hydrodynamic Forces on Structural Elements.

114 Dynamics & Vibrations of Structures.

300 Pipeline Lay Barge Operations.

307 Drilling Operations.

311 Wire Rope Technology.

Wednesday Afternoon 100 Marine Geology & Geochemistry Exploration Techniques.

107 Axial Pile Capacity Prediction Methods.

I l l Arctic Environmental Conditions & Processes.

114 Structural Design & Analysis.

118 Production Platforms.

300 Pipeline Stresses & Stability.

307 Offshore Mobile Platforms & Ships.

311 Diving—Underwater Work.

Thursday Morning 100 Offshore Exploration Methods, Measurements & Operations.

107 Production Processing & Treating—Offshore.

I l l Arctic Operations & Transportation Systems.

114 Gravity Structure Analysis.

300 Corrosion Control.

307 Reliability Wave Loading & Dynamic Analysis of Structures.

311 Salvage & Underwater Repair.

Exhibition More than 390,000 net square feet of exhibition space has been reserved for the Conference, according to Douglas L. Ducate, OTC Convention manager.

"In nine years, the Offshore Technology Conference has become the world's largest exhibition of offshore equipment, services, and supplies," Mr. Ducate said.

Reservations for exhibition stands at the 1977 Offshore Conference reached a total of 3,931 by mid-February. OTC '77 will have exhibit stands in the Astrohall, Astrodome, Astroarena, and an outdoor exhibit area near the Southwest Lobby of the Astrohall.

The 1977 exhibition area represents an increase of 10,000 net square feet over the total exhibit space at the 1976 Confer- ence. Some 2,000 companies representing 16 countries will participate in the exhibition, including Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, West Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The United Kingdom national exhibit, which will contain some 22,300 net square feet of space, will be the largest single display at the 1977 Conference.

"We have set aside the maximum amount of indoor space for the exhibition," Mr. Ducate stated. "Only small areas in each of the facilities have been reserved for non-exhibit related matters, such as eating facilities, a post office, and a proceedings distribution center." To mid-February, 2,484 exhibit stands had been reserved in the Astrohall, 747 stands in the Astrodome, 202 stands in the Astroarena, and 498 stands in the outdoor exhibit area.

The 3,931 exhibit stands reserved for the Conference represent an increase of 100 stands over the 1976 OTC exhibition.

Mr. Ducate expressed the belief that the large growth in the size of the Conference is a reflection of the worldwide recognition the meeting has gained as the leading technical conference on offshore resource development and environmental protection. "The Conference also has experienced a very healthy increase in international registration since the first meeting 1969," Mr. Ducate added. "International registration reached 5,400 persons from 95 countries last year. This factor has contributed greatly to the growth of the Conference and to its acceptance as the foremost offshore meeting in the world." The current success of the Offshore Technology Conference, and the forecast for continued growth and success, parallel the increasing interest in the oceans by the general public, industry, and governments throughout the world.

Food and mineral resources in offshore areas make offshore development an important part of the world's future. Coupled with this is the growing concern over environmental conservation issues, and the demand that the offshore environment be protected during exploration and production operations. Sponsors of the Conference believe the success achieved by this joint venture is an excellent example of what can be accomplished through international cooperation and technological exchange among engineers, scientists, and government officials — the decision-makers in every facet of worldwide offshore activity.