As we take a look at some of the latest developments in R&D this month, I’m reminded of a couple of rather tired clich?s: “Necessity is the mother of invention” and “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” Tired, perhaps, but oh so true.
Let’s look at the first clich?. If oil and gas were still to be found in plentiful quantities in highly porous and permeable sandstones onshore at 600 m (2,000 ft) beneath the surface, we wouldn’t have deepwater drillships or subsea factories or multistage fracturing because we wouldn’t need them. Why go after the hard stuff when the easy stuff is still out there?
The second quote, attributed to Thomas Edison, is equally true. Edison, who had one of the earliest R&D labs in the world, is credited with a number of inventions and patents, but in fact he had a team of researchers who worked tirelessly to bring his (and their) ideas to life. A recent article in Time magazine examining the concept of inventiveness indicated that determination may be just as important a factor in innovation as creativity.
“It’s easy enough to recognize a prolific inventor when we see one; if nothing else, just count the patents,” Jeffrey Kluger wrote. “But it’s far harder to define what the act of invention is – how it springs into being, how it visits some of us and not others, how an idea that seems so obvious after the invention has been conceived and built was so opaque, so elusive before. Inventiveness can hit when we’re thinking about inventing, or it can come in sideways, flashing brilliantly on the periphery when we’re focused on something else.
“While that kind of comet strike makes for nice tale-telling … invention is just as often the result of mere doggedness, even cussedness, grinding away at a problem until it finally yields.”
Whether the innovations outlined in this issue are eureka moments or the result of cussedness is probably a secret only the inventors know. But I think you’ll agree that the results are staggering. Take, for example, Saudi Aramco’s “ResBots” (depicted nicely on this month’s cover). They represent reservoir characterization on the nanoscale. The goal is to gather in situ information about the reservoir by sending down tiny sensors that can move through the pore space. Why is Saudi Aramco spending valuable R&D dollars on nanosensors? To increase recovery rates. Necessity truly is the mother of invention.
Recommended Reading
Venture Global Acquires Nine LNG-powered Vessels
2024-03-18 - Venture Global plans to deliver the vessels, which are currently under construction in South Korea, starting later this year.
Imperial Oil Shuts Down Fuel Pipeline in Central Canada
2024-03-18 - Supplies on the Winnipeg regional line will be rerouted for three months.
Hess Midstream Subsidiary to Buy Back $100MM of Class B Units
2024-03-13 - Hess Midstream subsidiary Hess Midstream Operations will repurchase approximately 2 million Class B units equal to 1.2% of the company.
Pembina Pipeline Enters Ethane-Supply Agreement, Slow Walks LNG Project
2024-02-26 - Canadian midstream company Pembina Pipeline also said it would hold off on new LNG terminal decision in a fourth quarter earnings call.
TC Energy's Keystone Oil Pipeline Offline Due to Operational Issues, Sources Say
2024-03-07 - TC Energy's Keystone oil pipeline is offline due to operational issues, cutting off a major conduit of Canadian oil to the U.S.