Since our last issue of NETWORK UPDATE,PSTI has been networking with its member companies while conducting Annual Review Meetings, culminating in PSTI's 6th Annual Meeting of it's Members' Management Representatives, held at the offices of Amerada Hess in London on 15th November.
At the meeting, a review of PSTI's activities during 1994 and a forward look to our 1995 objectives and deliverables were given.
A presentation on SMEs (Small, Medium-sized Enterprises) and Innovation was also well received by members and this theme is picked up in an article in this issue of NETWORK UPDATE.
The JUNIPER programme starts in January 1995 with the commissioning of two launch projects, the first is centred on the University of Bristol and linked to expertise at AEA Technology, Heriot-Watt and Liverpool universities and the second at the University of Aberdeen . The projects will be managed jointly and will:-
At the Annual Members Meeting on 15th November 1994, Irene Hepburn and Jeff Riley demonstrated the Institute's prototype Petroleum TEchnology and Research Information Service (PTERIS), which is accessible via the INTERNET.
This initiative, designed to improve the speed and reduce the costs of PSTI's research and technology information delivery to members, was well received.
Member driven and controlled, through the PTERIS Project Steering Committee which is now being formed, PTERIS provides a structured, manageable solution to access E&P technology information which is available worldwide on the INTERNET.
The real test of any laboratory determined relationships between seismic wave propagation and rock properties is to determine if the same relationship can be observed in the field. Using the shallow boreholes at the Imperial College test site at Whitchester, Northumberland, in combination with the laboratory facilities at the University of Reading , the PSTI-funded project on "Seismic Anisotropy and its Dependence on the Geological and Petrophysical Properties of Reservoir Rocks" provides a unique opportunity to advance research capable of facilitating the use of seismic attenuation as a practical reservoir characterisation parameter.
The work is being conducted over two years by Dr Angus Best in collaboration with Professor Clive McCann at Reading University and Professor Michael Worthington at Imperial College . The principal objectives are:
Dr Best will present his results at the Information and Technology Transfer Seminar on "Applications of Seismic Wave Attenuation to Reservoir Characterisation" being convened jointly by PSTI and the Post-graduate Research Institute for Sedi-mentology, University of Reading on 19th December, 1994.
This seminar, designed to assess how close research in this area is to providing robust, practical "tools" to industry, will have presentations from five university research groups as well as British Gas and Norsk-Hydro.
The PSTI-funded project on the "Application of Network Modelling to Steady and Unsteady State Multiphase Flow in Porous Media" has been completed successfully and a final report is now available to PSTI Members.
Conducted at Heriot-Watt University by Dr Steve McDougall and Professor Ken Sorbie, the research aimed to demonstrate how the derivation of single-phase and multi-phase flow parameters, such as permeability, relative permeability and capillary pressure, can be investigated from microscopic considerations using three-dimensional network modelling techniques. A prime purpose of this work has been to predict the controlling factors at the pore-scale: a variety of sensitivity studies have been conducted therefore rather than quantitative predictions for specific porous media.
Percolation concepts are fully utilised in the modelling of immiscible two-phase flow. Both imbibition and drainage simulators have been described with the aim of broadening the understanding of simultaneous flow of water and oil through reservoir rock. In addition, the network models have also been extended to facilitate the study of flow through systems of heterogeneous wetability, i.e. water-wet networks which contain a fraction of pores that are preferentially oil-wet. Results demonstrate how the latter affect the associated relative permeability and capillary pressure curves.
A novel test has been proposed which could be used to determine the wettability of both fractionally-wet and mixed-wet porous media.
Some simulated unsteady-state core floods of finely laminated water-wet and oil-wet systems have been studied. This work clearly demonstrates the complex interaction between viscous and capillary forces and the underlying lamination structure of the porous medium.
The final report describes a simulator capable of interpreting a wide range of two- and three-phase laboratory displacements.
For further information, contact Professor Ken Sorbie at Heriot-Watt University - Tel: (031) 449 5111.
The Production Geoscience Research Unit at Aberdeen University is a joint initiative of PSTI, Shell UK Exploration and Production, Mobil North Sea and the University. The Unit is led by its Director Professor Andrew Hurst, the Shell UK Professor in Production Geology. Other senior staff include Adrian Hartley, Mobil Lecturer, and Bob Skopec, funded by ARCO and BP. A PSTI-funded research fellowship has been advertised recently to work within PSTI's cross-disciplinary research programme on "Handling Reservoir Uncertainty" (see article on the Juniper Programme).
Objectives:-
The objectives of the Unit are:
Technical scope:-
Research themes in the Unit are currently:
Activities and achievements:-
Research projects presently being conducted include:
Research characterisation of deep-water clastic reservoir
Origins and quantification of uncertainty in geological reservoir models,
Applications of sequence stratigraphy in reservoir architecture and correlation of shallow marine/deltaic sequences (US western interior)
Application of petrographic and geochemical data in formulation evaluation,
Mesozoic sequence stratigraphy, Inner Hebrides Basin
Tertiary evolution of the Andean forearc, including correlation studies in semi-arid alluvial basins
Mesozoic-Tertiary tectono-stratigraphic evolution of the UKCS West of Shetland
Applications and development of probe permeametry
AVO interpretation, scaling factors and other challanges associated with acoustic data integration
Physical properties and mechanical behaviour of chalk reservoirs
Evaluation of naturally fractured reservoirs using core and log analysis
As well as its work for exploration and production companies, the Unit is well placed to collaborate with small and medium sized companies in the "service" sector through the provision of R&D and training resources to assist in the development of innovative production geoscience-related products and services.
At the 15th November, 1994 Annual Members' meeting, members approved the Institute's 1995 Objectives and Deliverables. Principle actions are:-
R&D Programme Catalysis:
As PSTI's 1990-1994 membership-funded programme matures, a remarkable number of resultant "products" from reservoir modelling software, to a true-triaxial cell and an NMR flow-meter, are creating quite a stir among service and supply "technology delivery" companies as we seek commercialisation partners to take these products to market.
This welcome development has brought to the fore one of PSTI's primary purposes: the effective delivery of innovative technology. PSTI's track record in successful R&D commercialisation is already well established, the highlight so far being the licencing out this year of the Hedera Basin Modelling Workbench to ERC Tigress.
Steady progress is being made with a number of other products, and several commercialisation agreements are anticipated towards the end of 1994/beginning of 1995, most of which will involve SMEs (Small to Medium Sized Enterprises - SMEs constitute the vast majority of UK businesses).
PSTI's SME Membership Scheme (assisted by Scottish Enterprise National) which nears the end of its 12 month pilot phase, has helped us understand the real difficulties facing small companies in delivering innovative solutions to oil companies' technological challenges (a term increasingly used by operators to describe the technical barriers to exploitation of hydrocarbon assets). These difficulties are indeed, somewhat paradoxically, growing steadily worse for SMEs in particular, as the oil industry grapples with the implications of CRINE (Cost Reduction Initiative for the New Era) and moves into increasing reliance on multi-national prime contractors.
Successful development of technology hinges very much on a series of complex interactions in the supply chain: between individuals and teams in the research base, technology delivery companies, purchasers, prime contractors and operators.
Concerns long recognised by SMEs, that changes taking place in this supply chain threaten to severely reduce the scope for innovation, are now being acknowledged by operators. Consequently PSTI is now exploring expansion of its innovation operations with the objective of significantly improving and increasing cost-effective throughput and delivery of relevant innovation. As an early step towards PSTI's expanding role in innovation, the successful SME membership scheme will be further expanded in 1995 (we expect to have an additional 10 new SME Members by end of first quarter).
PSTI's unique "honest-broker" status and extensive networks linking us to oil companies, the service industry community, R&D organisations and the various government organisations and agencies (eg EU, DTI, OSO, Scottish Enterprise National) together with our strong oil industry market focus and existing infrastructure, should put us in key position to make great strides ahead for innovation.
Continuing our efforts to add value to our Members' businesses, in 1995 we will be offering, as a new service, assistance in commercialisation of existing intellectual property, much of which is currently gathering dust in many oil companies' archives and stores. This shared risk/reward service is offered separately to the subscription programme, and we are optimistic that several Members will be looking to take up this offer.
(For further information on PSTI commercialisation products, please contact: Graham Stewart, PSTI Business Development Manager).
PSTI are pleased to welcome Mr George Watkins, Managing Director, Conoco (UK) Limited to its Board of Management. Mr Watkins was elected to the Board at the Annual meeting on 15th November 1994.
Professor Ben Harte, Edinburgh University has replaced Professor G. Boulton on the PSTI Board of Management.
PSTI 1995 Research and Technology Forum to be held in November 1995 (15th / 16th November - provisional dates).
PSTI is coming to the end of its term as founding president of ENeRG. The next presidency term will go to IFP.
THE PETROLEUM SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE
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