Churchill Drilling Tools, an oil and gas engineering company specializing in dart activated string technology, is celebrating after winning the acclaimed Grampian award for innovation at the 2016 Elevator Awards.

The company won the award for the development of its HyPR HoleSaver™ hydraulic pipe recovery tool. The tool represents the world’s first hydraulic pipe and hole recovery system – offering a fast and dependable insurance technology against stuck pipe situations, in turn enabling maximum recovery of hole and drill string.

From left to right: Mike Churchill, CEO & Commercial Director, Churchill Drilling Tools, Anke Heggie, Company Growth Support Director, Scottish Enterprise, Andy Churchill, Chairman & Technical Director, Churchill Drilling Tools

Since launch in late 2014, the HyPR HoleSaver™ has been recognized as an innovative contingency solution for drilling operations and has been utilized as an insurance against stuck pipe in several challenging territories, including the North Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the Middle East.

Utilizing ordinary drilling mud, the user-operated HyPR™ jetting dart can cut through a full strength sub in under two hours. Drilling engineers have the option of using either a Cementing Dart which allows for rapid side-tracking after cementing operations or if an attempt to fish the BHA is preferred, a Fishing Dart can be pumped down, leaving a clean box to fish once the dart has cut the string free; the dart is then carried back to the surface as the cut pipe is withdrawn.

The tool was developed in house by Churchill Drilling Tools, a family owned firm led by Chairman Andy Churchill and CEO Mike Churchill. Aware of the time consuming traditional methods of cutting stuck pipe and mindful of industry demand for a safer, more reliable, cost effective, user operated technology, Churchill Drilling Tools devised the HyPR™ HoleSaver™ concept in 2013. Development proceeded at pace and after several iterations, intensive proof of concept and rig testing, the tool came to market in the last quarter of 2014. The Grampian Award for Innovation has enhanced Churchill Drilling Tools’ reputation as a technology leader in drilling, completions and abandonment tools. Andy Churchill said: “It is an honor for Churchill Drilling Tools to win in this category because it recognizes our team’s continued commitment to innovation and technical excellence - coinciding with a time where the industry is being urged to adopt new methods and support new technology.

“The HyPR HoleSaver™ reflects the demands of the industry for cost effective answers to the challenges it faces. The product and the award is further evidence of Churchill’s commitment to developing specialist tools which continue to save operators time and money in new and exciting ways.”

The Elevator Awards seek to encourage entrepreneurship and business excellence by selecting and rewarding entrepreneurial companies and individuals that are capable of leading the future prosperity of their local area and international places of business.

Subsea Innovation, one of the world leading subsea equipment suppliers with over 25 years’ experience delivering projects into the offshore industry, has announced the securing of a multi-million pound order from engineering, construction and service experts Subsea 7 i-Tech Services.

Photo credit: Subsea Innovation

The order which is one of the largest of its type in the world is to provide 5 ROV installed Structural Pipeline Repair Clamps which will form part of an Emergency Pipeline Repair Systems (EPRS) supporting pipelines off the North and Northwest coasts of Australia. The systems will act as contingency in the event that the main trunk lines transporting the gas need to be repaired. The 5 systems cover pipes across a range of diameters between: 20” and 44”. The project is a significant award for the company and follows on from a successful 2015 which delivered a record turnover of over £11m. The designs will be tested to DNV pipeline tolerances at up to 328 bar.g and are suitable for operating temperatures ranging from 0 - 75°C. The design and build process will be monitored and certified to the exacting standards of the internationally recognized body DNV.

In addition to clamps Subsea Innovation also offer a full range of structural pipeline connectors suitable for EPRS amongst other offshore tie in operations and have earlier this year delivered a pair of 16” Connectors to RasGas in Qatar as part of another significant order. Past projects have seen these products successfully deployed off the coasts of the Middle East, USA, Europe and also in Trinidad.

Finance Director Phil Heathcock said “Securing this contract from Subsea 7 i-Tech Services demonstrates our capability to secure one of the largest EPRS orders available in the world and we look forward to working with our client and the operators to deliver this project on time, on spec and in budget”.

Subsea Innovation will deliver the project from its recently built headquarters, Innovation House, ideally situated on the Faverdale Industrial Estate near Darlington, which provides excellent transport links by road, rail and air. The office building and 40,000 ft2 manufacturing facility, originally opened in November 2014 by HRH The Duke of Gloucester, boasts world class facilities for a business of this type which includes manufacturing bays serviced by overhead cranes of up to 60 tonnes, on site machining, a PU manufacturing facility and a floodable test pit to provide indoor wet testing of subsea systems.

When warping analysis is required during design of certain types of beam offshore structures, it can involve many costly hours of manual calculations by senior engineers. With the new release of Sesam GeniE software, the most common methods of performing such analyses can be done automatically, saving time and resources.

Automatic warping analysis
“With the new release of Sesam GeniE, we have included automatic calculation of warping using the three most commonly used methods,” says Ole Jan Nekstad, Product Director for Sesam, DNV GL - Software. The software will free up engineering resources, as senior engineers will be freed up from the rote task of performing manual warping analysis. The number of total engineering hours will be reduced, as the calculation of one beam with an open section can often take many hours to calculate manually.

SesamGeniE – Tubular joints Image credit: DNV GL

These new capabilities, significantly increasing the efficiency of beam design, come alongside meshing technology enhancements that strengthen Sesam’s leading position for topside local design. With the new Sesam GeniE, jacket design reanalysis including code check and report update can take up to 50 percent less time for engineers to complete. The code check modeling technique is flexible, combining multiple methods.

Leaders in offshore engineering
“With this release we confirm our position as a leading provider of the industry’s most efficient engineering solution,” says DNV GL - Software CEO, Are Føllesdal Tjønn. “In times where everyone is chasing cost reduction we enable this by continuously working closely with users, creating efficient solutions and implementing best practices for engineering tasks. Sesam is used across asset types such as ships, MOUs, jackets, subsea and topsides, allowing engineering activities to be organized in the most cost-efficient way,” he says.

“With Sesam, engineers have flexibility,” says Nekstad. “The new warping analysis capabilities can save the cost of having a senior engineer do manual calculations, which can mean days of work, depending on the project. Manual calculations are complex and also more subject to error. With automatic warping analysis, the results will be the same every time.” he says.

The American Institute of Steel construction (AISC) Torsion guide book includes nine rules for calculating warping torsion, where extra loads are added. Sesam GeniE now supports rules 3, 4 and 7, which are the most commonly used rules. In addition the new Sesam GeniE, version 7.3, has significantly improved calculations for marine growth, making fatigue analysis and load calculation more accurate.

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) preparedness analysts and engineers recently conducted an unannounced oil spill drill and deployment exercise off the coast of Texas in the Gulf of Mexico. The exercise, conducted on June 8, tested Genesis Crude Oil, L.P.’s ability to execute its oil spill response plan.

Photo courtesy: BSEE

As part of the drill, Genesis Crude Oil, L.P. was required to respond to a simulated discharge originating from a rupture in one of its pipeline facilities by deploying the appropriate oil spill recovery equipment. A 95-foot vessel operated by Clean Gulf Associates deployed from Galveston Channel as the operator coordinated from offices in Houston and Houma, La.

BSEE staff with the Oil Spill Preparedness Division boarded the response vessel to evaluate the use of built-in brush skimmers and boom in approximately 59 feet of water. Scientists from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management along with staff from the U.S. Coast Guard and Texas General Land Office also observed the exercise. Additional BSEE staff monitored the simulated response actions with Genesis Crude Oil, L.P.’s emergency management team in its command center in Houma, La.

Government Initiated Unannounced Exercises are designed to give BSEE the opportunity to evaluate, on a no-notice basis, an operator’s access to necessary resources and test the effectiveness, performance and viability of oil spill response plans, oil spill equipment and spill management recovery vessels. This was the third deployment exercise that BSEE has conducted within the current year.

McDermott International, Inc. (NYSE:MDR) announced on Monday, June 27, it has been awarded a $454 million USD contract from PEMEX Exploracion y Produccion for engineering, procurement, construction & installation (EPCI) for the Abkatun-A2 platform.

McDermott will provide a vertically integrated, turnkey EPCI solution to build and commission the platform and associated structures utilizing its project management and engineering team in Mexico. The Abkatun-A2 platform is McDermott’s largest project in size and total value to-date for PEMEX. The platform will be located in Mexico’s Bay of Campeche in 124 feet of water and will provide replacement and expansion capabilities to the existing Ku-Maloob-Zaap, Cantarell and Ayatsil facilities.

McDermott will manufacture structures for the Abkatun-A2 project at the Altamira, Mexico fabrication facility, shown here during the successful load out of the PB Litoral A project. Photo credit: McDermott

“McDermott provided the most efficient and technically compliant solution leveraging our capabilities in Mexico and our recent experience with PEMEX on the successful completion of the complex PB Litoral project,” said Scott Munro, McDermott Vice President for Americas, Europe and Africa. “Our fully-integrated solution will be led by our team in Mexico, including project management, procurement, engineering, fabrication and installation. This allows us to optimize all phases of the project.”

McDermott will manufacture structures for the Abkatun-A2 project at the Altamira, Mexico fabrication facility. The yard is strategically positioned as a free trade zone and provides fabrication services for the Gulf of Mexico and Americas. The yard is known for its high-quality craftsmanship and exemplary safety standards. McDermott is expected to utilize the Derrick Barge 50 and the Intermac 650, the world’s second largest float-over installation vessel.

“McDermott has focused on several initiatives to lower costs and increase operational effectiveness to become more competitive in the market,” added Munro. “Those efforts, coupled with key strategic decisions that maximize operations and execution in Mexico, directly contributed to the positive outcome of this award and will differentiate McDermott from our competitors for continued growth and success.”

The contract award will be reflected in McDermott’s second quarter 2016 backlog. Engineering and procurement activities will commence immediately with fabrication scheduled to begin in late 2016 followed by offshore activities in 2018. Handover to Pemex is scheduled for fourth quarter of 2018.

Woodside announces that with Joint Venture participant Mitsui E&P Australia, the Greater Enfield Project has been approved for development.

Located 60 km off Exmouth in Western Australia within Commonwealth waters the project will develop the Laverda Canyon, Norton over Laverda (WA-59-L) and Cimatti (WA-28-L) oil accumulations. These reserves will be produced via a 31 km subsea tie-back to the Ngujima-Yin floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) facility, located over the Vincent oil field.

Photo credit: Woodside

Woodside CEO Peter Coleman said that monetizing Greater Enfield was made possible by breakthroughs in the development concept, technology and contracting.

“We have achieved investment spend at the low end of our guidance range by leveraging the latest technologies and using existing FPSO infrastructure. This allows us to accelerate the development of previously stranded resources.

“Greater Enfield is a demonstration of our phased and sustainable approach to growth,” he said.

The Greater Enfield Project requires development of six subsea production wells and six water injection wells. Production will be supported by subsea multiphase booster pumps in the Laverda area and gas lift in the Cimatti area.

The project is targeting development of gross (100%) 2P reserves of 69 MMboe (net Woodside share of 41 MMboe) from the Laverda Canyon, Norton over Laverda and Cimatti oil accumulations. Woodside reserves will increase by 41 MMboe in conjunction with the approval of the project for development.

The total investment for the project is approximately US$1.9 billion total cost (approximately US$1.1 billion Woodside share) with first oil expected in mid-2019.

The Greater Enfield Project is a joint venture between Woodside Energy Ltd (Operator, 60%) and Mitsui E&P Australia Pty Ltd (40%).

Reserves and Resources as at 31 December 2015

In conjunction with this release, the Woodside reserves presented in the Reserves Statement dated 31 December 2015 (included in the 2015 Annual Report) will increase by 41 MMboe at the 2P confidence level to 1549 MMboe. Woodside Best Estimate Contingent Resource (2C) will decrease by 41 MMboe to 4439 MMboe as a result of booking the new reserves.

Reporting of Laverda Canyon, Norton over Laverda and Cimatti (oil) reserves

1. At the date of this release, the Laverda Canyon, Norton over Laverda and Cimatti oil accumulations reserves (at the 2P confidence level) are gross (100%) 69 MMboe recoverable oil, of which Woodside’s net economic interest is 41 MMboe. The reserves estimate has been calculated using probabilistic methods and based on a deterministic development scenario (a subsea tie-back to the Ngujima-Yin FPSO facility utilising existing technology).

2. Woodside holds a 60% interest (Operator) in Petroleum Production Licences WA-59-L and WA- 28-L covering the three accumulations.

3. The reserves for the three accumulations are undeveloped and the reserves estimate has been calculated on the basis of statistical aggregation of uncertainty distributions for the three accumulations, as part of the technical and assurance work undertaken to support the final investment decision to proceed with the project.

4. First oil via the Ngujima-Yin FPSO facility is expected in mid-2019. Marketing arrangements as part of the existing operations on the FPSO facility will be utilised for the project. Primary environmental approval for the Greater Enfield (Vincent) Development is in place. Secondary environmental approvals will be obtained by Woodside (as Operator) in due course to support project activities.

LQT Industries, LLC, a full-service provider of high quality accommodation facilities, design-build construction services, and support services to the oil and gas industry, has been awarded projects to fabricate and outfit modular buildings and specialty equipment for customers in the petrochemical and offshore Gulf of Mexico markets.

“LQT is pleased to announce these awards especially since 2 of the 3 awards are from first time customers,” said Blake Boudreaux of LQT Industries. “LQT continues to expand their customer base, both domestic and internationally. LQT’s industrial focus is gaining momentum with work in fire and safety, new build construction, and building and equipment rentals.”

The first project was awarded by an engineering group based in Asia consisting of a steel blast rated control building that will be located inside a major petrochemical facility. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2016.

LQT was also awarded a project for the construction and outfitting of multiple modular living quarters for an offshore platform in the Gulf of Mexico.

Finally, LQT has been awarded a contract for the fabrication of specialized equipment that will be utilized by a major offshore production company. The project will be complete in the 3rd quarter 2016.

All of the projects will be completed at LQT’s Fabrication Facility in Abbeville, LA, which specializes in designing and fabricating various types of modular structures including blast rated buildings, MCC buildings, and accommodation buildings.

OneSubsea, a Schlumberger company, has been awarded an engineering, procurement and construction contract totaling more than $170 million from Belayim Petroleum Company (Petrobel). OneSubsea will supply the subsea production systems for the first stage of the Zohr gas field, located in the Shorouk Concession, offshore Egypt.

Zohr gas field offshore Egypt

“Zohr is one of the largest gas fields discovered in the Mediterranean Sea to date, and is also the world’s second longest step-out, a distance greater than 150 km. This step-out will be enabled by OneSubsea controls systems with fiber-optic communications technology,” said Mike Garding, president, OneSubsea. “Our supplier-led approach to the field development, coupled with our FasTrac* program capability, and our integrated offering that includes flow assurance, subsea production system and landing string capabilities, will help Petrobel meet their first gas commitment.”

The award follows an accelerated FEED study by OneSubsea in which a multidisciplinary team collaborated with Eni and Petrobel to develop the subsea equipment architecture and control system to validate handling of high gas volumes, considering reservoir characteristics and subsea equipment specifications.

The scope of contract includes six horizontal SpoolTree* subsea trees, intervention and workover control systems, landing string, tie-in, high-integrity pressure protection system, topside and subsea controls and distribution, water detection and salinity monitoring provided by the AquaWatcher* water analysis sensor, and installation and commissioning services. The FasTrac program comprises a strategic inventory capability with the flexibility to configure the system to the customer needs and deliver on a fast turnaround.

On July 2015 Qatar Petroleum (QP) invited a number of international oil companies to participate in a competitive tender process regarding the future development of the Al Shaheen oil field in Qatar. Presently Maersk Oil is the operator of the field and the current 25 year production sharing agreement expires in July 2017.

Earlier this year Maersk Oil submitted its bid in the tender. QP has today communicated that they have selected another oil company as partner for the future development of the Al Shaheen field.

Photo courtesy: Maersk Oil

“Maersk Oil presented a highly competitive technical and commercial proposition based on more than 20 years of technical knowledge and experience working with the Al Shaheen field,” says CEO in Maersk Oil, Jakob Thomasen.

During the past 24 years Maersk Oil and QP have together developed the Al Shaheen Oil field into Qatar’s largest off-shore producing oil field. Under the terms offered by Qatar Petroleum, a minority shareholding for Maersk Oil in the new joint venture would have created a marginal impact on the Maersk Group earnings in the years ahead.

Maersk Oil will continue to operate Al Shaheen until the end of the current license in July 2017. Leading up to the expiry of the existing production-sharing agreement Maersk Oil will work together with QP to support a safe and efficient transition of the existing operations to the new operatorship. “Maersk Oil is growing as a result of improved operating performance and with major projects like Culzean in the UK and Johan Sverdrup in Norway, we continue adding new production through to the end of the decade. We will continue to deliver in the years ahead based on a strong operational performance and cost focus and ensure that our major projects are executed on time and on budget,” says Jakob Thomasen.

Maersk Oil will be redeploying a number of its employees which today are based in Qatar elsewhere in its global organization. The majority of remaining employees in Qatar are expected to be offered employment by the new operator. A.P. Møller - Mærsk A/S’ financial outlook for 2016 remains unaffected and no need for write-downs will occur. The Group’s reserves and resources (by end of 2015 2P + 2C of 1,141 million boe) will not be impacted by the expiration of the agreement.

Det norske oljeselskap ASA has awarded two new frame agreements to DNV GL covering the wide range of services DNV GL provides in the field of verification, Inspection and HSEQ. The contract period is for four years with potential to extend.

Ivar Aasen, Det Norske

“This is a good news for DNV GL and we are delighted to be extending our relationship with Det norske. I believe DNV GL’s experience of over 40 years in the oil and gas industry and our technical know-how will contribute to Det norske becoming the leading independent E&P company on the Norwegian Continental Shelf,” says Kjell Eriksson, regional manager for DNV GL – Oil & Gas in Norway.

“We will assist Det norske by giving advice and support in decision making, stand-alone assessments, and working in an integrated way in Det norske's organization. The proximity to Det norske at all four locations in Norway (Stavanger, Trondheim, Harstad and Oslo) makes it even easier to be readily available whenever needed.” Eriksson further adds.

Aqueos Corporation, a ‘World Class Subsea Service Provider℠’, is pleased to announce it has achieved the ISO 9001:2008 (Quality Management System), ISO 14001:2004 (Environmental Management System), and OHSAS 18001:2007 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System) standards as certified by the ISO accredited certification body, Det Norske Veritas (DNV).

“Only a few companies in the world have ever completed an integrated, triple audit and received all certifications in their first year of evaluation, a significant accomplishment for the team at Aqueos. These certifications serve to recognize our quality management system, while enabling us to streamline our processes and ensure they are in line with international standards and client expectations” comments Aqueos President and CEO, Ted Roche.

Roche further commented, “We are truly proud of achieving the integrated ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and OHSAS 18001 certifications. Even in these difficult market conditions, the team at Aqueos continues its mission to become a ‘World Class Subsea Service Provider℠’ through continuous improvement and remaining focused on our core value of safety.”

Aqueos Corporation, with offices in Broussard, LA and Ventura, CA, provides marine construction and specialty subsea services, including a complete range of commercial diving, remotely operated vehicles (ROV’s) and vessel-related services primarily to the offshore oil and gas markets.

Following successful delivery of recent cable-lay and trenching projects for the renewables sector, Fugro has secured three contracts for its trenching services for oil and gas clients. The contracts will see its high performance Q1400 trenching systems deployed in the North Sea over the next 12 months.

Photo courtesy: Fugro

At the Wintershall-owned Maria development in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, Fugro will deploy the Q1400 trenching system under a contract with Subsea 7. At Det norske’s Ivar Aasen development, the system will be deployed for EMAS CHIYODA Subsea in June. For both projects the trencher will operate in jetting mode for burial of pipelines, power cables and umbilicals. In the UK sector, a contract with Bibby Offshore will see Fugro’s Q1400 trencher operating in both jetting and cutting modes to bury a new umbilical at the BP ETAP redevelopment.

“Since launching the Q1400 system in 2012, Fugro has successfully completed numerous trenching projects at oil and gas developments and more recently at offshore wind developments. We are looking forward to continuing to demonstrate how our trenching capabilities can bring benefits to clients in both sectors,” said Mike Daniel, Construction and Installation Manager at Fugro Subsea Services.

Wood Group has been awarded a multimillion dollar contract to provide detailed engineering and design, and procurement services to South Atlantic Holding (owned by Statoil and partner Sinochem) for the development of the Peregrino field wellhead platform C, offshore Brazil. Wood Group Mustang will perform the work for Kiewit Offshore Services (KOS), a leading fabricator for the oil & gas industry. Wood Group Mustang completed the front-end engineering and design for wellhead platform C in 2015 and previously designed wellhead platforms A and B.

Peregrino field. Photo courtesy: Statoil

Michele McNichol, CEO of Wood Group Mustang, said: “Wood Group Mustang’s proven ability to deliver cost-effective and efficient solutions was a key enabler to obtaining the contract.”

This contract adds to Wood Group’s portfolio of services provided to Statoil. The two companies recently signed a master services agreement for Wood Group to support the lifecycles of Statoil’s onshore and offshore facilities. Wood Group Mustang is currently delivering maintenance and modification services to four Statoil installations on the Norwegian continental Shelf (NCS). Wood Group PSN is also supporting the Peregrino field, providing operations, maintenance and modification services for the existing wellhead platforms, and modification services for the floating production storage and offloading facility.

On 22 June 2016, Statoil and JX Nippon completed their previously announced transaction whereby Statoil has acquired JX Nippon’s 45% equity share in, and operatorship of, the UK license for the Utgard field.

leipner field North Sea. (Photo: Øyvind Hagen / Statoil)

Through this transaction Statoil now has a 100% interest in UK Continental Shelf license P312 which, with Norwegian Continental Shelf license PL046, comprises the Utgard field. Statoil previously acquired stakes in P312 from First Oil in October 2015 and Talisman Sinopec in December 2015. Statoil is the operator in PL046 with a 62% holding.

A final investment decision for Utgard is planned before end-2016 with production start-up in 2020.

Ezra Holdings Limited (“Ezra” or the “Group”), a leading contractor and provider of integrated offshore solutions to the oil and gas industry, is pleased to announce that it has received the awards for several new deepwater projects from international oil majors. The awards are valued at approximately US$300 million in aggregate and will be executed in various offshore oil producing regions in the Gulf of Mexico, Southeast Asia and West Africa. Furthermore, the awards include the Group’s largest project win to-date in West Africa.

The scope of work for these new projects include project management, engineering, procurement, fabrication, construction as well as transport and installation of flexibles, umbilicals, flowlines, flowline-end terminals, flying leads and other equipment. Further to this, the Group will also undertake hook-up of pre-laid mooring systems.

Mr. Lionel Lee, Ezra’s Group CEO and Managing Director, said, “We are delighted to have been selected for these projects. Over the years, we have successfully developed a proven track record for completing the most technically demanding projects. Against the backdrop of such challenging and competitive industry conditions, these latest contract awards stand as exceptionally strong testaments to the market’s confidence in our team and our offerings. We are grateful for these opportunities to further galvanize our reputation and look forward to safely delivering on these projects on time and on target.”

Project management and engineering work for the projects have already started.

EMAS, a leading global contracting group, providing offshore/subsea construction, marine, production and well intervention services – is Ezra’s operating brand. With offices across six continents, it delivers best-value solutions to the oil and gas (O&G) industry by combining its global footprint and proven engineering skills with a diverse offering of premium assets and services designed to fully meet clients’ needs.

Operating in unison, Ezra’s core divisions are able to execute a full spectrum of seabed-to-surface engineering, construction, marine and production services anywhere in the world.

EMAS CHIYODA Subsea is a global EPCIC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) service provider of comprehensive subsea-to-surface solutions throughout the lifecycle of oil and gas projects. On 31 March 2016, Chiyoda Corporation completed its investment in the Group’s subsea services business, EMAS AMC, to form EMAS CHIYODA Subsea - a 50:50 Joint Venture. EMAS Energy provides well intervention and drilling services both onshore and offshore, offering fully integrated solutions that combine its marine assets with state-of- the-art intervention equipment and services.

EMAS Marine, under subsidiary company EMAS Offshore Limited, manages and operates a young, versatile fleet of advanced offshore support vessels, offering an extensive range of maritime services that cater to the client’s needs throughout a field’s life cycle.

EMAS Production, also under subsidiary company EMAS Offshore Limited, owns and operates FPSO (floating production, storage and offloading) facilities, offering services that support the post-exploration needs of offshore fields, such as FPSO conversion management.

TRIYARDS is fast becoming an acknowledged leader in developing advanced and customized solutions for world-class vessels. By focusing on sophisticated platforms and equipment that can tackle even the most complex offshore projects, it has already established itself as a front runner in the fabrication of liftboats (self-elevating, mobile offshore units). TRIYARDS provides its integrated engineering, ship construction and fabrication services out of yard facilities located in Singapore, Vietnam and the US.

An Aberdeen-based specialist hydrocarbon accounting consultancy has launched new bespoke software which will save oil and gas operators money by replacing more complex generic process simulation packages used industry-wide.

Developed in partnership with Robert Gordon University, Accord Energy Solutions has created CHARM (Compact Hydrocarbon Allocation Reference Model) – a cost-effective process simulation software package which models how hydrocarbons behave specifically for hydrocarbon allocation purposes.

The employee-owned company has designed the new software which focuses on easy integration with any hydrocarbon allocation system.

Phil Stockton, Director, Accord Energy Solutions. Photo courtesy: Accord Energy Solutions

Phil Stockton, director at Accord, said: “Our innovative tool will save time and money and replace existing industry-wide process simulation software. CHARM delivers faster, more robust calculations than the established approach. Its simplicity and transparency improves verification and auditability.

“We were delighted to work with RGU via the Knowledge Transfer Partnership program to develop this software. Cost-effective and efficient hydrocarbon behavior modeling is crucial to the oil and gas industry, especially in today’s cost-reduction climate. CHARM delivers both. “Use of general purpose process simulation packages often presents a number of issues, such as their level of complexity, lack of software integration, and requirement for software updates which can result in slightly altered results.

“CHARM offers greater integration, speed and ease of use compared to traditional approaches. The system essentially bridges a gap: it provides the same accuracy as comprehensive process simulation, but can be more readily integrated into existing allocation software systems and vendor products. We hope it will replace conventional systems and usher in a new chapter for hydrocarbon accounting.”

Professor John McCall, from RGU, said: “We are delighted to have been able to contribute our expertise in smart data analytics components to developing this exciting product with Accord. Our research is at its most valuable when it has direct impact in real-world applications.”

By Chris Brand