From Aberdeen (IF): A new centre for well innovation (CWI) could make its way here. The facility is being proposed by Ian Phillips, CEO of the newly-established Oil & Gas Innovation Centre (SEN, 30/23). CWI would be involved in early R&D activity, such as looking at the physics of drilling. It could focus on areas including construction, data acquisition, exploitation wells, well maintenance and monitoring.

CWI is expected to involve cross-industry collaboration and could come under the wing of the innovation centre (OGIC).

Oil industry veteran Phillips told SEN he is currently seeking industry and government views on CWI and, following feedback, a decision will be made by Easter on whether to pursue the proposal. If there is a thumbs up, it could be launched by the end of 2015.

He would like to see CWI based in Aberdeen, but it would also use facilities elsewhere, such as universities in other UK cities. It would focus on the North Sea, but its technology could eventually be exported worldwide. Phillips envisages CWI having a budget of £30mn – one third coming from government, with the remainder from industry.

Meanwhile, OGIC says it is already having an impact on accelerating new technologies to support the North Sea industry. At its official launch last week, OGIC revealed that it now has its first approved and funded projects coming onstream and is in discussion with more than 50 companies regarding technology development opportunities.

OGIC says it provides a single access point to the Scottish universities for the industry. It can also part-fund and provide management support to projects with the potential to deliver technology solutions to the E&P and decommissioning challenges facing the UK Continental Shelf.

It links around 2,300 operators and service companies to more than 450 academic researchers working in related areas.

Many of the 100 technology development projects which OGIC aims to support in its first five years will have North Sea applications and export potential.

Scottish Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said OGIC ‘will transform the nature of collaboration between industry, government and academic partners.’

CEO Phillips said the centre had been established to fill a need for ‘a matchmaking service’ to bring ideas and best-in-class academic resources together to get new technologies to the market quicker.

‘Innovation is now one of the major priorities for the oil and gas sector locally and globally in order to maximise return from existing assets and to bring new, more challenging reserves into production,’ he added.

TECH BRIEFS: Flow measurement specialist NEL says that poorly calibrated MULTIPHASE METERS are costing North Sea operators millions of pounds every year. NEL says that calibration using live fluids is not as consistent as using refined oil which is more stable. The testing agency switched using refined oil in its multiphase flow loop testing set up. The inaccuracy of calibration in a meter could cause mis-measurement valued at up to $36mn per year for a well equipped with a single multiphase meter.

Classification society ABS is to develop SUBSEA PIPELINE DESIGN CRITERIA under contract from Hyundai Heavy Industries which also includes training. The criteria will be a supplement to its existing guide on subsea pipelines and will include guidelines on upheaval buckling and stability analyses.

Technology support organisation ITF has issued a wide-ranging CALL FOR PROPOSALS for the development of innovative technology for the oil and gas industry. For more information, go to the ITF website or email m.stone@itfenergy.com.