As everyone knows, it was a challenging business environment in the oil sector even before the oil price took a nose dive over the last few months.

Operators were climbing all over each other to get to the highest point and shout ‘costs are too high’ even though they kept presenting suppliers with ever more difficult problems. New products are being sought, but with no security of making money on them.

This is as much the case in the SUBSEA CONTROL FLUIDS sector as any. Tony Globe of Castrol Energy Lubricants - this used to be Castrol Offshore but that name is no longer part of the marketing nomenclature - had a chat with SEN about the current state of play.

How can a supplier bring a really new product, ie one not just an increment to what exists already, to market, he asked, when operators are resistant to new materials, while wanting fluids that are both very stable and biodegradable and meet all of the pollution legislation requirements. It would take at least two years to decide on a new product even before any testing took place.

There are inherent problems. First, there is a serious shortage of materials scientists who can properly analyse the relationship between fluids and various materials and how they interact under a variety of upset conditions, ie high temperature, long distance tieback and tiebacks to shore.

Second, test regimes are not always able to produce the required results, ie as many cycles under the right conditions.

One solution to a number of downhole issues would be separate storage of fluids for high and low pressure requirements. Operators seem to balk at this, concerned with ‘mis-fillling’ of tanks, as if the segregation of chemicals does not already take place. Many challenges to meet and now the operators want the products to be cheaper. As said earlier, a tough business era.

No one loves the oil industry, right? Well mostly. INNOVATE UK, the new name for what used to the Technology Strategy Board, has put up £5m for R&D and feasibility studies on conventional fossil fuels.

The targets for the funding are projects on cost reduction, efficiency and reduced environmental impact. Competiton for the money begins on 2 March with deadlines for R&D (15 April) and feasibility (10 June). Further information at www.tbat.co.uk.

Cambla has launched new technology software - SCHEDULE ANIMATION TOOL - which can provide visual presentation of a vessel location and activities to improve simultaneous operations, construction sequences and subsea and marine operations.

Offshore