Archive for November, 2009
dGB Earth Sciences Launches Seismic Dataset Wiki
dGB Earth Sciences has started an initiative aimed at stimulating seismic education and R&D by creating the “Open Seismic Repository.” The OSR is a Wiki site from which free and public datasets – including interpretations – are made available to the seismic community at large. The data are stored as compressed OpendTect surveys that can be downloaded using bit-torrent technology. Bit-torrents enable users to share large data files with each other under the principle “freely you receive, freely you give.” One of the advantages of this technology is that download speed increases as more people download and share files. Another advantage is that if the download is interrupted because of a bad Internet link, the download simply resumes as soon as the connection is operational again.
In September 2009, dGB released OpendTect 4.0, the first complete open source seismic interpretation system, under a triple licensing policy:
1) under the GNU / GPL license,
2) under a commercial license, and,
3) under an academic license.
The new release and the changed licensing model have been very well received by the seismic community. In just three months’ time the OpendTect community has grown exponentially while the software was downloaded more than 7,500 times.
Paul de Groot, president and CEO of dGB Earth Sciences, said: “In a protectionist environment only those who can afford it have access to software tools and datasets needed to advance technology. A huge resource base of workers is left on the sidewalk and cannot reach its full potential: students are not educated to industry levels; small and medium enterprises are not making E&P decisions based on optimal technical evaluations; consultants and retirees cannot apply their skills and develop ideas into new products. We firmly believe that openness and collaboration are the new keys to advance technology. This is why OpendTect is an open source system. The Open Seismic Repository is a logical extension of this model. The use of bit-torrent technology allows every geoscientist worldwide to participate directly in this movement. We trust that other people will participate by adding more public seismic datasets.”
Apache Selects Lawson’s HR Software Solutions
Lawson Software announced that Apache Corp. has signed a contract to implement Lawson Global Human Resources, a set of enterprise applications within the Lawson Talent Management Suite. Apache intends to use the Lawson applications as a new foundation to help streamline HR activities throughout its worldwide operations.
Apache is a Texas-based independent producer of natural gas, crude oil and natural gas liquids with more than 3,000 employees and operations in the US, Canada, the UK North Sea, Egypt, Australia and Argentina. The new Lawson applications will provide Apache a new global HR infrastructure, which will help simplify its global HR processes. Specifically, Apache intends to consolidate multiple HR processes running on multiple systems across numerous regions globally. The company is interested in unifying its HR processes – particularly outside of the US – with a system that will provide a clear view into its HR data, as well as simple access to the right data, critical to Apache’s HR operations.
“The Lawson Global Human Resources applications will provide a cohesive structure to our current HR systems and data across our worldwide operations,” said Margie Harris, VP Human Resources, Apache Corp. “We are looking for a system that can help us be more strategic about how we manage our most vital resource – our people. Lawson will help us strengthen HR decision-making with a system that is designed around the needs of the organization, but is still simple to use for our employees.”
Lawson Global Human Resources is designed to support complex global and multi-national organizations. It helps organizations manage reporting structures, supervisor assignments, global employment contracts and other core HR functions. It also provides a skill and competency repository that helps organizations with core talent management activities.
“Today’s global organizations face a number of challenges, from motivating and managing people across geographies and cultures to unifying HR processes around the world,” said Larry Dunivan, general manager for Strategic Human Capital Management, Lawson. “Apache is a great example of an organization that can benefit from a more cohesive global HR structure and unified processes – as well as a system that can improve the organization’s ability to help employees become more effective and productive.”
SolidWorks Helps Wellstream Design Flexible Pipelines
CAD software from Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp. is helping UK-based pipeline company Wellstream International Ltd. design customized flexible pipelines capable of moving with ocean waves and currents, yet strong enough to contain thousands of gallons of oil and gas pumped at high pressure.
Wellstream manufactures its pipelines from a combination of concentric layers of metallic wires, extruded plastics and tapes. Offshore, crews lay Wellstream pipelines by installing them from a reel like they would a cable. The flexible pipelines adapt to the seabed’s shape more easily than rigid pipe, and provide a high-integrity connection to floating production vessels.
Support equipment such as clamps, end fittings, fixings and hang-offs – also designed in SolidWorks® 3D CAD software – join pipeline segments to each other, to pumps and production vessels. Engineers at Wellstream’s Newcastle upon Tyne facility use SolidWorks to design each pipeline and its supporting structures to meet customers’ specific needs, then simulate how the pipeline will perform once it’s deployed.
“Subsea oil and gas flowlines must be reliable and often have design lives in excess of 20 years. The fit between elements must be perfect, and every component has to satisfy stress and fatigue requirements,” said David Hunt, a structural design engineer at Wellstream. “We use SolidWorks software to create designs and SolidWorks Simulation to perform stress assessments. I create a 3D model, apply loads to determine stresses, and use SolidWorks Simulation and the analysis capabilities built into the CAD software to perform analysis on specific components. It’s very quick to build the models, run the tests, and figure out the pipeline’s behavior in more detail.”
Engineers in a wide range of industries use SolidWorks CAD and SolidWorks Simulation software to create products such as Wellstream pipelines, whose outward simplicity belies the sophisticated design underneath.
“A pipeline sounds like a simple structure to a layman, but when you understand the forces and harsh environments it has to endure, not to mention what it takes to get them in place, you realize what unique works of engineering they are,” said Simon Booker, European Marketing Manager, SolidWorks. “We’ve designed our software with innovative companies like Wellstream in mind. The ability to design and simulate a product in a single environment speeds the pace of innovation.”
Schlumberger to Supply Riser Monitoring System for Offshore Angola Field
Schlumberger has been awarded a contract by Heerema Marine Contractors to supply a real-time riser tension monitoring system for nine single-leg hybrid risers (SLHR) for a major project offshore Angola.
“This system enables real-time riser tension and curvature monitoring during operation and the installation process, optimizing the overall riser integrity management program,” said Andy Hendricks, VP Schlumberger Subsea. “The award is a result of significant development and qualification programs in which we have participated in the last two years.”
The nine SLHRs are located around the FPSO turret mooring and connected to it by flexible jumpers. The SLHRs are free standing and are maintained in tension by a buoyancy tank. As part of the project, Schlumberger will install its subC-collar* tension and curvature monitoring system located on each riser immediately below the buoyancy tank.
The subC-collar units are powered by local ROV replaceable batteries, which also include an acoustic telemetry module to transmit the riser tension data to two receiving units located on the FPSO. This capability helps to avoid shadowing effects from the risers and flexible jumpers.
Study Reveals Strong Link Between IT, Strategy to Combat Recession
In a new study conducted by RONIN, a global market research and marketing consulting firm with offices in Princeton, NJ, and London, has found that companies across the globe are planning opposing strategies as their companies emerge from the recession. In the US, 58% are employing tactical, short-term initiatives that stress cost-cutting and deferred investments and longer-term planning. The other 42% are taking a more strategic view by re-engineering their business models, making acquisitions and forging new relationships.
In past recessions a similar pattern has emerged, and McKinsey and Co. has studied this, concluding that the “strategic” companies emerge stronger while the “short term” companies emerge with weaker competitive positions.
The current study from RONIN links the behaviors of these two types of companies with the role of Information Technology and clearly shows that the “strategic” companies are investing more in IT, have more advanced technology in place and regard IT as more strategically important than their “short term” counterparts.
Outside the US, the percentage of “strategic” companies is higher, except in Japan, and the emerging markets covered in the study – China, Brazil and Mexico – show an even higher percentage of “strategic” companies.
During 2009, overall spending on IT will fall by 5.1% from 2008 levels as the decreased level of spending in “short term” companies outstrips the gains in the “strategic” companies. This is, however, an improvement over three months ago, when the previous wave of the research was completed, when a decrease of 8.1% was expected for 2009.
The recession has caused a change in what IT buyers look for from vendors. While there was a significant emphasis on “low cost” in the early days of the recession, the emphasis has now shifted to a desire to work with vendors that have a long-term strategic vision, best-in-class and innovative solutions and are easy to do business with. Lowest cost is well down the list of priorities.
When this is coupled with the admission by most that their technology implementation is mainstream or behind mainstream, 2010 could shape up as a bumper year for vendors, particularly if they are targeting the “strategic” companies.
RONIN conducted this third phase of the ongoing program studying the impact that the current worldwide recession had on companies’ IT initiatives in early October 2009. Over 4,900 surveys were completed over the three waves by IT decision-makers both in IT departments and in the lines of business (e.g. finance, marketing) across 12 countries: US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, China, Japan and Australia. Respondents were members of the RONIN global IT Decision-Maker Panel.
Schlumberger Announces Subsea Control Reliability Milestone
Schlumberger announced that its subsea electronic control module has passed the historical milestone of more than a quarter million operational hours in the field with 100% reliability.
More than 30 modules have been deployed successfully for the control and monitoring of flow boosting pumps and subsea well production. As a power and networking module, its expanded applications include intelligent well control and operation.
Schlumberger subsea control and monitoring technology is an enabler for surveillance in the subsurface and subsea domain delivering an unprecedented level of reliability that is critical to the subsea industry with its high intervention costs.
“Subsea control systems must have reliability as a primary function due to costs involved in remediation following a failure. The reliability of the Schlumberger solution is embedded in subsea applications commercially available today, as well as those under development,” said Andy Hendricks, VP Schlumberger Subsea. “Our subsea light vessel intervention control system also uses this technology as part of its safety system to control subsea trees and the intervention package.”
This high-bandwidth communication subsea control module has been developed using design and engineering processes created specifically for the subsea environment. Long-term accelerated life-testing has demonstrated system survivability for more than 50 years and under conditions far beyond normal operating environments. The module will be used with upcoming subsea technology deployments around the world.
Technip, Schlumberger Announce FlexPipe Monitoring Agreement
Technip and Schlumberger have signed a global cooperation agreement to jointly develop subsea integrity and surveillance solutions for flexible pipes used in deepwater offshore oil and gas production. The new agreement extends the collaboration between the companies that began in 1998.
The agreement is initially focused on surveillance systems activities for new and challenging flexible pipe applications such as those required in the deepwater pre-salt environment in Brazil. Several key Schlumberger technologies used in subsurface applications have been identified for integration into Technip’s new Ultra Deepwater flexible pipe designs.
Alain Marion, Sr. VP Subsea Assets and Technologies, Technip, commented: “By combining Technip’s technical and manufacturing knowledge of flexible pipe with Schlumberger surveillance technology, a new generation of intelligent flexible pipe will be created. The ‘measurement-enabled’ flexible pipe will provide significant value to the industry in safety, reliability and performance. This new combination enhances Technip’s already extensive portfolio of flexible pipe products, which represent key components for the development of ultra-deepwater fields.”
One of the initial integrity solutions that the partners expect to develop and qualify is focused on the use of optical fiber to monitor a variety of parameters characterizing pipe behavior. Andy Hendricks, VP Subsea at Schlumberger, explained: “The extremely robust nature of fiber-optic sensors in deepwater environments, combined with the possibility of using a single interrogation unit for a whole production system, makes this solution both technically and commercially superior.”
The new technology combination extends Schlumberger subsea products and services, which already include other surveillance technologies, production flow assurance engineering, and light-vessel well intervention project.
As part of the collaboration, retrofit solutions will also be pursued to address the large number of flexible pipes in operation utilizing proven technologies and methodologies applied subsurface, but now tailored to the flexible pipe domain.
Statoil Taps CapRock to Equip New Drillship with VSAT System
CapRock Communications announced a long-term agreement with Statoil to provide satellite communications for a new drillship in the Gulf of Mexico. While operating in some of the deepest waters hundreds of miles offshore, a reliable communications solution is critical to maintaining peak performance conditions as well as connectivity with those onshore. CapRock’s fully managed VSAT solution – complete with network design, equipment and installation and 24×7 network monitoring and management – will enable Statoil’s onboard personnel to experience voice and data communications similar to the corporate office. Crew members will be able to share data with onshore experts, enabling them to collaborate and make real-time decisions necessary for operations to continue running smoothly.
With CapRock backhauling the communications traffic to some of Statoil’s shore-based locations, Statoil experts will be able to manage some of the offshore operations remotely from their desks, which will considerably lower travel costs.
“Statoil demonstrates a level of excellence in its drilling operations, and we are honored to have been selected to meet that same level of excellence with our communication services,” said Eduardo Correa, CapRock VP and Managing Director – EMEA. “This award is testament to CapRock’s proven track record of reliability and quality of service, and we look forward to further broadening our relationship with Statoil.”
Coreworx Introduces Interface Management Offshore Solution
Coreworx Inc., a subsidiary of Acorn Energy Inc., announced the release of Coreworx Interface Management for its project execution and information control software used by global energy companies to manage major capital project execution risk.
Fluor Corporation worked with Coreworx to develop the next-generation product to improve upon their existing proven software, IMpart℠ and become an integrated part of the Fluor global project template.
“At Fluor, interface management is a core competency for successful management of mega projects. Fluor is working with Coreworx to significantly improve interface management software, known internally at Fluor as IMpart, which is currently used on major Fluor projects worldwide. To maintain our leadership in this area, it is critical that we have interface management,” said Peter Moore, VP Project Execution Services, Fluor Corp.
Effective interface management is recognized as a critical success factor in major capital projects that are typical in the offshore oil industry. These best practices that have evolved out of modular construction techniques are another way to ensure on time and on budget delivery of process plants. These practices evolved as a direct result of mega projects involving many interdependent specialist contractors who are responsible for delivering major sub‐systems. The development of an interface management program that includes early identification, definition, management and orderly close out of interfaces is considered best practices to mitigate interface‐related project risks and ensure projects come in on time and on budget.
“Large modular construction projects, including deepwater drilling and building nuclear power plants, can be faced with managing risk associated with thousands of multi‐party interfaces. Coreworx Interface Management is an enterprise‐class solution that equips interface managers with monitoring and control tools for early identification, prioritization and quick resolution of interface issues. We’re very excited to work with Fluor to incorporate lessons learned from their successful deployment of our interface management solution,” said Ray Simonson, CEO of Coreworx.
PetroComputing 