ITF members jointly fund US$6 million projects

Industry backing has been given to two projects, helping to develop seismic imaging and tropical storm prediction technologies.

ITF CEO O'Brien. From ITF.

Through the Industry Technology Facilitator (ITF), the projects – Fullwave Game Changer and work into a tropical cyclone forecasting in northern Australia – will receive funding from oil and gas companies.

More details are due to be announced on 4 March at the ITF’s Technology Showcase in Aberdeen, supported by OE.

The Fullwave Game Changer research project has been extended for a an additional phase with a consortium of 15 major oil and gas operator and service companies working in collaboration with Imperial College London. The phase II investment of more than $3.8 million brings the total funding over the last nine years to more than $11.5 million.

Fullwave Gamechanger Phase II aims to deliver a major advance in seismic imaging leading to enhanced prospect evaluation and reservoir exploitation. The new phase builds on the work carried out on the technique of full-wavefield inversion, a method for seismic depth imaging which helps to more accurately ‘map’ the presence of hydrocarbons.

“The launch of the Phase II work is vindication of the significant strides that our team has made in the application of advanced seismic analysis to transform the subsurface imaging capability for the industry,” says Professor Mike Warner, Imperial College London project director. “Project participants are bringing our technology in-house for their own reservoirs, and our seismic survey company participants are offering the technology for commercial use in the industry.  Some of our oil company participants can already pinpoint significant capital savings on field appraisal projects through avoiding unnecessary and expensive drilling expenditure by using our technology to better target hydrocarbons in their reservoirs.”

ITF members have also funded a new $2.9 million joint industry project (JIP) to improve tropical cyclone forecasting in Northern Australia to mitigate costly disruptions to operations.ITF has led the collaboration to secure funding for the two-year project, which will be carried out by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. It is the highest funded Phase 1 JIP that ITF has launched to date.

Four major oil and gas operators with operations in Australia will jointly fund the development of new systems to improve tropical cyclone prediction, which could deliver significant cost savings and safety impacts, decreasing drilling and operational down time and interruptions to construction operations.

“This joint industry research project will provide tangible benefits for the oil and gas industry and will eventually be built into ongoing improvements in public weather forecasting for the community,” says Peter May, the Bureau’s head of research. “Forecast accuracy continues to improve through investment in access to high volumes of accurate, real-time weather data. Supercomputing capabilities can now analyze this data and run high resolution forecasting models, which will critically deliver new research initiatives to improve forecasting models.”

The new joint industry projects will be discussed at the Technology Showcase at Aberdeen Exhibition & Conference Centre on Wednesday, 4 March. The conference, organized by ITF in partnership with Oil & Gas UK aims to highlight the emerging technologies needed to improve production efficiency and curb rising operating costs. The exhibition will showcase latest innovations from companies, universities and technology institutes.

“The two new joint industry projects with Imperial College London and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology are prime examples of effective collaboration by the industry to propel solutions to costly challenges,” says Patrick O’Brien, ITF CEO. “By sharing the costs associated with new technologies the industry can work together to maximize production and reduce risks, which is crucial in the current climate.”

Organizations set to present at the event include GE Oil & Gas, BP, Shell, Chevron and Baker Hughes. A plenary on alternative industries includes presentations by Nissan Motor Manufacturing and the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI). The event is also being supported by the Department of Energy & Climate Change and the Department for Business Innovation & Skills.

Attendees will hear updates on the progress of government and industry initiatives plus the UK Technology Leadership Board. The event also offers an opportunity to participate in discussions where oil and gas operator and service companies will share insights into pressing industry challenges, including drilling efficiency, water injection, digital monitoring and better imaging of reservoirs, while technology developers propose potential solutions.