Page 12: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Jul/Aug 2013)

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Opinion

ThoughtStream

Patrick O’Brien, ITF CEO

Collaboration key to technology development n today’s continually evolving harsh environmental conditions, high and will radically improve safety oil and gas industry there are pressure and high temperature (HPHT), while drilling into high pore pressure always emerging issues to address. and the perennial issue of corrosion. reservoirs, a major concern since the

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Collaboration within the industry can As we go into deeper water, we reach Macondo incident. be a vital cog to deliver new solutions practical limits in the strength-to- We are currently involved in devel- to the most pertinent problems and weight ratio for steel, and here there oping two very specifc technologies, plug technology gaps. are defnite opportunities to use com- now at the prototype stage. To test

Oil and gas from unconventional posite materials. these tools and further develop these reservoirs is one sector that has seen Materials for HPHT are high on the technologies, we will be using a drill huge investment in recent years. ITF international agenda, but particularly test site in the US to compare seismic has been running an unconventional in the Gulf of Mexico as evidenced while drilling against conventional roadmap which is currently at the fnal seismic tools. technical clarifcation stage. On a broader note, to make our joint “EOR continues

We’ve received about 25 very high industry projects come to fruition to be high on the quality proposals for joint industry proj- more effectively and much quicker, ects (JIPs) from the small-to-medium ITF needs a robust relationship with list of priorities for enterprise (SME)and university commu- the technology development com- nity, both in the US and the UK. munity, and we are looking at ways the industry.”

This encompasses a wide variety of to enhance that by collaborating with issues including rock matrix charac- by BP’s recent announcement of its other industry and government bodies terization, sweet spot identifcation, Project 20KTM, which will enable the that promote innovative technology reservoir fracturing, prediction of company to produce from its deepwa- development businesses. fracture patterns and ingenious ways to ter Paleogene reservoirs . We need to fnd an effective mecha- monitor live reservoir fracturing behav- Current material limits for well nism that enables us to identify solu- iors using smart proppants. completions and interventions, blow- tions from technology developers that

Unlike conventional reservoirs, out preventors, drilling risers, and closely meet our members’ challenges. new ways of thinking are required to subsea equipment are typically at the In this way, ITF can get industry, create methods that effectively drain 15,000psi pressure and 250°F tempera- through our members, to invest in and these unconventional reservoirs of ture level, so a step up is required for speed up the development of technol- their hydrocarbon reserves through the 20,000-psi materials. ogy to meet industry needs. fracks. For mature oil provinces such as

However, success here can be the North Sea, extending feld life and Patrick O’Brien applied to all reservoirs, and plays ensuring the integrity of aging assets became CEO at ITF into the general theme of enhanced oil are key concerns, and materials play a (Industry Technology recovery (EOR). Whether it’s Norway, major role. In particular, steel corro- Facilitator) in May the UK or the Middle East, to my mind sion under insulation is a particular after a 17-year career the topic of EOR continues to be high North Sea challenge at this time. at MCS in London and on the list of priorities for the industry Another current exciting technology Aberdeen, and then group director of as a whole. challenge is seismic-while-drilling. strategic business and marketing at

Advanced materials are a common Being able to image the rock ahead Wood Group Kenny. He earned a BE, concern globally, though for many of the drill bit will enable the driller MEngSc, and PhD in engineering at the different reasons such as water depth, to better control drilling operations National University of Ireland, Galway.

OE | July 2013 oedigital.com 14 thoughtstream.indd 14 6/24/13 1:39 AM