Global energy leader Shell has highlighted a number of new and proven technological developments focused on enhancing value and boosting production and productivity of mature and complex oil fields as part of a keynote delivered to the Abu Dhabi chapter of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, whose board is led by senior members of the ADNOC Group of Companies, alongside Abu Dhabi Marine Co., National Drilling Company, the Petroleum Institute and others.
Spurred by population growth, global and regional energy systems are under increasing pressure today with energy demand expected to nearly double by 2060. Although finding new resources will play a strong role in meeting this demand, improving recovery from existing fields globally and in the UAE where annual population growth is estimated to be more than 4 per cent is crucial.
In his speech entitled: “Preparing for the Future: Managing Mature and Complex Fields,” Andrew Vaughan, Shell Vice-President for Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Syria and Abu Dhabi Country Chair said, “throughout the world today, we can only produce some of the hydrocarbons in a reservoir with the global average for oil being around one-third. In other words, two-thirds of the oil has stayed in place because we lacked the technology to harness it efficiently and economically. But we all have a responsibility to harness it as increasing recovery by only 1 per cent would add 88 billion barrels to conventional oil reserves that s equivalent to three years production at current rates.” Over the years Shell has invested heavily in research and development in search of the latest in technologies that will support the development of challenging gas fields, such as those found in the region, such as Abu Dhabi s sour gas fields. This investment has resulted in an increased production of gas from sour gas fields around the globe with the highest standards of health and safety.
Shell s smart field technologies enable efficient and effective means of control and execution of projects by integrating people, processes and technology. Commenting on the technologies, Vaughan said, “The technology is clever but the real smartness for me is the integration which allows people to make faster and better informed decisions in real time.” Another technology that specifically supports the safe development of sour gas fields employs robotics for inspections. The Shell Sensabot was developed by Shell on behalf of the Kashagan partners in Kazakhstan to enable inspection of risky sour plants without the need for human intervention. Sensabot enables operators sitting safely up to 100 kilometres away to direct the machine with radio signals as it inspects pipes and valves in complex installations. It can measure heat, noise, vibration, and detect toxic and flammable gases, such as hydrogen sulphide and methane.
In closing, Vaughan commented that “Shared learning enables an extraordinary amount of innovation not just in terms of coming up with new concepts, but also in terms of finding new areas and new methods for standardising, replicating and simplifying, which are all crucial to safer, more cost-effective operations in the future.” Skill development has always been crucial to Shell’s strategy with the belief that technologies don’t work without people.
Shell’s presence in Abu Dhabi dates back to the year 1939 as a shareholder of Petroleum Development (Trucial Cost) Ltd. Today, Shell is a Joint Venture partner in the BAB Gas Development with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.
Source : WAM News Agency for United Arab Emirates
