Energy Harvesting for Sustainable Long Tie-Back Development

Subsea tiebacks have become a major factor in the development of new oil and gas reserves. Oil companies are pushing forward the technology of subsea tiebacks to produce more oil and gas at lower cost, over longer distances and in deeper waters. However the umbilical exhibits a significant part of the development cost for such long tie-back as the umbilical price per meter increases with the step out. In addition power is usually required as boosting and/or heating are typically needed to produce over long distance which requires power cables to be incorporated in already challenging umbilical.

Subsea 7 have developed a technology portfolio to tackle the power challenges for long tie-back based on energy harvesting. This has been capitalised on our Seaway 7 – Renewable and Heavy Lifting business unit – experience in delivering EPCI renewable projects. The aim is to use surrounding energies that are available in typical offshore environments (waves, wind, current and solar energies) to produce electricity locally and remotely supply subsea consumers. This is not only a cost enabler for long tie-back as it simplifies the umbilical but also leads to a sustainable field development as it reduces fuel consumption (OPEX) and operator carbon footprint. This development is part of a wider initiative on long tie-back umbilical simplification as All Electric System can remove hydraulic tubes and Subsea Chemical Storage and Injection can remove chemical tubes.

Presented by Vincent Boulliat, Field Development Study Lead,

Subsea 7

Vincent is a project engineering manager for Subsea7. Graduated from a hydrodynamic and oceanographic French engineering school, he has 19 years’ experience in the Oil and Gas industry mainly in installation engineering and operation. He worked on various projects from West Africa large deepwater ones, such as Exxon Kizomba C and TOTAL Pazflor, to smaller North Sea ones. He is experienced with the installation of a large panel of products from flexible pipelines and umbilical to rigid pipelines. Vincent now works in the Subsea 7 Field Development Group, which performs field optimization studies for Operators, to support them in making their subsea developments viable and with maximized value.

Overview of the self-sustaining intelligent monitoring buoy

OPT will present an overview of the PowerBuoy® PB3 project currently deployed in the Central North Sea as a self-sustaining intelligent platform to provide communications and remote monitoring services. The initial phase of the OGTC and Premier Oil supported project will explore the PowerBuoy® capabilities and its ability to monitor the local environment and alert shipping of its position. The project represents the first time that a wave power device is being deployed on the UKCS on an oil and gas development. The system is providing monitoring to safeguard subsea safety zones and generating power with a view to operating subsea assets, meaning it fits well with the focus on reducing the cost of decommissioning and unlocking small pools while contributing to the “net carbon zero” aim of the industry.

This new system increases safety, efficiency and operational effectiveness while delivering a step change in decommissioning planning processes and the potential for future applications for intelligent, remotely controlled small field developments.

Presented by Paul Watson, Director UK & Europe Business Development – OPT Ltd

Paul Watson joined Ocean Power Technologies in August 2012 as Director of Business Development UK & Europe.

Paul has worked in technical and business development roles for a number of major companies in different market segments. Paul now uses this wide experience and knowledge to help companies transfer their innovative technology to new markets by creating alternative solutions to existing challenges.

Power System for Tether Back-up and Resident ROVs

Teledyne Energy Systems Incorporated (TESI) will present on the recent fielding of a fuel cell-based subsea power node. It is envisioned that this subsea power node will provide back-up power to subsea tethers, resident ROVs, and subsea sensor networks. To date, batteries have been the only option to provide this functionality. We will review the recent fielding of a TESI Subsea Power Node that was used to power a resident ROV through ship husbandry exercises. During the ship husbandry exercises, an ROV would traverse a dock and then inspect a simulated ship hull; the TESI Subsea Power Node delivered all the power required for operation. The Teledyne Subsea Power Node was able to be fueled dockside and performed a dockside deployment, recovery, and redeployment activity. This system is capable of delivering either 8 or 25 kW of electrical power per module. A Teledyne Subsea Power Node can also be hybridized with a battery to provide 100’s of kW. A subsea power node can provide subsea robotic vehicles, tasked with collecting oceanographic data, with persistent monitoring. The Teledyne Subsea Power Node will provide communications and data storage that could be retrieved by either buoy release or by direct communication with other underwater assets. The merits and applications of a subsea power node are in long-term back-up power and in reducing operator suffering in running subsea cables to new locations. This system may provide a solution to minimizing cable laying costs, permitting, and survey processes when preparing new locations for observation. In this presentation, we will discuss the lessons learned and challenges in deploying a fuel cell-based subsea power node.

Presentation by Dr Thomas Valdez , Manager, Chemical Engineering Group, Teledyne Energy Systems inc

Dr. Thomas I. Valdez is the Chemical Engineering Group Manager at Teledyne Energy Systems Incorporated, Hunt Valley Maryland. He manages the development of advanced chemical and electrochemical engineering systems. These projects include advanced electrolysis for the generation of hydrogen and oxygen, fuel cell technologies with a focus on powering air-independent applications, and battery systems for energy storage. His battery system focus is on advanced passive thermal management to enhance durability and address failure propagation mitigation in lithium-based batteries.

Thomas has over 28 years of experience in the area of advanced power systems for military, space, underwater, and commercial applications. His career began at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) where he was a major contributor to the JPL Fuel Cell Group and Power Systems Section. Thomas has received various NASA New Technology Awards, has published several technical papers in scientific journals, and has co-authored three book chapters on fuel cell technology. He has several patents with regard to his work on fuel cells, electrochemical sensors, and energy harvesting systems.
His educational background starts with being a student of Mr. Jaime Escalante, whose teachings were the basis of the Hollywood movie Stand and Deliver. Thomas holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters of Science degree in Materials Engineering from the University of California, Irvine. He completed his doctorate in Materials Science under Professor Florian Mansfeld, winner of the Electrochemical Society Vittorio de Nora Award, at the University of Southern California.

Registration 17:30, Start 18:00 Refreshments and Networking to follow

A Certificate of Attendance to contribute towards your CPD is available, please select this option during booking.

Please click here for the flyer

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The Offshore Site Investigation and Geotechnics Committee (OSIG) of the Society for Underwater Technology in the U.S. (SUT-US) presents the course: “Introduction to Integrated Marine Site Characterization: The Role of Geology, Geophysics, and Geotechnical Engineering.”

A marine site investigation integrates geology, geophysics, and geotechnical data to develop the soil properties required to understand geological constraints and to gather information to design submarine foundations and layouts.

The three-day comprehensive course covers survey planning, acquisition, interpretation, and integration of data, culminating with an in-depth presentation of several integrated case studies. The course is taught by recognized experts in these fields from energy company operators, service contractors, consultants, and academic institutions.

Who should attend?
Geoscientists, engineers, and managers who work, contract, and plan marine site survey and geotechnical programs for exploration and field development.

For more information please click here.

This course offers foundational knowledge for individuals entering the industry and those needing a refresher, in addition to providing unique networking opportunities with professionals from the oil and gas industry.

Four-day course offering industry professionals a broad introduction to subsea, covering the various sectors, operations and emerging technologies. Course participants receive first-hand instruction from leading supply and service companies, such as TechnipFMC, Chevron, Oceaneering, Genesis Oil and Gas, the Jukes Group, Blackfin Offshore, Evoleap and BP as well as guided tours to subsea facilities and operations.

While most of the course will be presented in a classroom environment, the sessions will be interactive, with the opportunity to ask questions and discuss what has been learned. In particular, hands-on and visual components have been included wherever possible to enable delegates to view software models and products destined for subsea service.

Who should attend
Engineers, managers, financial analysts, and others new to the offshore industry, or those transferring from other disciplines within the industry. This course is also great for engineers who have worked in subsea previously but would benefit from a refresher course and exposure to the latest technology.

For more information please click here.

Join us for this year’s Shoot for the Angels Clay Shoot Competition scheduled for August 23th, 2019 at the American Shooting Center in Houston, Texas. This is a family-friendly environment, so plan a day to spend time with your family and friends and support your team.

Team registration:
Teams of 5: $750 (includes lunch & drinks tickets)

Individual Shooters: $175 (includes lunch & drinks tickets)

Click here to register

Prizes:
Silver Cup
1st place winners + $100 gift cards
2nd place winners + $50 gift cards
3rd place winners + $25 gift cards

For more information please click here.

Great potential exists for applying experience from offshore floating oil-gas systems to offshore renewable energy development. However, since the constraints and demands for offshore renewable energy systems differ somewhat from those for oil-gas development, some adaptation of existing technology is needed.

Firstly, in contrast to floating oil-gas facilities, floating offshore wind farms involve extensive arrays of structures occupying a large areal extent. This creates an opportunity to achieve economies by attaching mooring lines from multiple floating units to a single anchor. Before such economy can be realized, a basic understanding of multiline load demand on a single anchor is required. Additionally, since multiline anchors introduce the potential for a cascading failure within a wind farm, issues of system reliability need to be addressed. Secondly, in contrast to the soft clay soil seabed conditions characteristic of most deep-water developments, anticipated seabed conditions for renewable energy development involve near-shore and shelf deposits that can include stiff clays, dense sands and heterogeneous soil profiles, which can impose major constraints on the mooring system design and the types of anchors that may be deployed. Finally, mooring and anchor costs for renewable energy projects comprise a much greater fraction of total project cost than those for oil-gas development. Accordingly, greater emphasis must be placed on increasing anchor efficiency and reducing installation costs for offshore renewable energy development.

This webinar is ideally suited to geotechnical engineers, geoscientists, geologists, and geophysicists or anyone interested in floating wind power development.

For more information please click here.

Join us for a BBQ on July 19th at Clay’s Restaurant and help us raise funds to support outstanding students in the field of underwater technology. Enjoy an evening of fun with the SUT-US professional community and our sponsors.

There will be games, entertainment and a playground is available for kids. Entrance is free for children under the age of 12.

Proceeds generated from this event will help support this year’s SUT-US Scholarship Program. Help us spread the word with your professional and personal networks.

For more information please click here.

Join us for Edition 3 of the SUT-US Champagne & Conversation Series, as we gather industry leaders for table discussions on mentoring and diversity.

For more information please click here.

Join us for a 1-day workshop to learn about the National Academy of Sciences, Gulf Research Program to Understand the Gulf of Mexico Ocean System (UGOS).

The UGOS Program seeks to support activities that will supply new observations, analyses, and modeling needed to advance our understanding of Loop Current dynamics for the purpose of improving predictive skills of the Loop Current and associated eddies, referred to as the Loop Current System (LCS).

This workshop, hosted by the Society for Underwater Technology in the U.S. (SUT-US) and Loop Current & Eddies Alliance (LCEA), will focus on the current activities in the UGOS initiative and opportunities to form effective partnerships and collaboration with the Gulf Of Mexico oceanographic and energy communities as the program progresses into a long term program. The goal is to bring together the industry and research oceanographic community, engineers and offshore operators, and other stakeholders whose have an interest in learning about the current program and who are interested in developing future partnerships and collaboration in the program.

Workshop agenda:

• Introduction to the UGOS Program and future opportunities – Kelly Oskvig (Program Officer, Gulf Research Program).
• Taking the Pulse of the West Florida Shelf at a Hypothesized Loop Current Control Point – Bob Weisberg (University of South Florida).
• Autonomously observing density structure and deep velocities in the Loop Current – Heather Furey (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution).
• The making of a successful industry/research collaboration to extend the understanding of the Loop Current Eddy system – Pak Leung (Shell), Marcus Ogle (Fugro).
• Loop Current Observations from High Frequency Radar Across the Yucatan Strait, Dry Tortugas and Lower Keys – Steve DiMarco (Texas A&M University).
• Extending the range of High Frequency Radar Systems by installations on offshore platforms – Ruth Perry (Shell).
• Numerical Modelling and forecasting of the Loop Current – Ruoying He (North Carolina State University).
• Serving observational data to the UGOS scientific community – Jan van Smirren (GCOOS).
• Leveraging BSEE NTL Data into the UGOS program – Rafael Ramos (WHG-CLS).
• Panel Session (with a focus on collaboration between oceanographic community and the energy industry).

For more information please click here.