improved subsea blow out preventer (bop) control systems call for proposals

Transcription

1 improved subsea blow out preventer (bop) control systems call for proposals July 2013

2 Aims This is an open invitation to any organisation, from any sector, seeking partners and funding for innovative technologies in the oil and gas industry to submit high quality proposals for research, development and/or field trial of a database to enable operators improve upon current the management of Subsea BOP control systems. Justification ITF members have explicitly identified the requirement for developing robust and reliable subsea BOP control systems for use in the oil and gas industry. Who Should Respond The invitation is open to all relevant industry sectors and all credible entities from small and medium sized enterprises, to academic and research institutions, to large industry players alike. Benefits of Participation Funding: Up to 100% funding for any stage of the research, development and demonstration cycle IP Protection: A proven confidential, collaborative and standard contractual process Exposure and validated applications for your scientific and technological expertise Access to the key global players in the oil and gas sector How to Participate Your contact point for this challenge is Mark Anju. To contact Mark, please m.anju@itfenergy.com or alternatively call +44 (0)

3 Background to the Challenge In the Oil and Gas industry, Blowout preventers (BOPs) were developed to cope with extreme pressures and the uncontrolled flow from a reservoir as a result of drilling activities. The uncontrolled flow is generally referred to as a formation kick and if these aren t controlled blow outs can occur. Blowout preventers are designed to prevent tubulars, tools and drilling fluid from being blown out of the well. They also control downhole pressure release and the uncontrolled flow of oil and gas (or water) from the reservoir via the well to the environment. These systems provide safety and security to operator assets and are fundamental to oil and gas operations. Operators would like to increase the reliability of the current systems in a bid to improve upon health and safety and be more efficient. These systems typically use hydraulics based control systems and in the deepwater environment a subsea failure often requires bringing the stack to surface and the non-productive time (NPT) as a result could be in the order of a week to ten days. Spread rates of deepwater rigs are in excess of US$1 million a day so the costs of what could be a simple equipment failure could be in the order of several million US dollars. Therefore it is imperative that we improve upon current design to enhance safe operations and minimize NPT. The prize is to improve upon the subsea BOP control systems currently available to enhance oil and gas exploration and production. It is envisioned that this activity would have multiple phases and proposals are encouraged to address each phase bearing in mind that activities in a phase may influence what the next phase will be. Each phase must be treated as a standalone project allowing parties to decide whether they want to continue to the next phase(s). The Requirement Phase 0 - Feasibility Study Factors to consider include: Identify common problems that currently exist and establish root causes. If data exists already, can it be utilised for Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA) This analysis will scope the size of the problem Factors to consider are what specific areas need the most attention (i.e. failure modes, design requirements, retrofit solutions, state of the art, etc.) This phase also needs to have a reasonably rapid timescale as extended research for years will not be fit for purpose Phase 1 - Identify solutions that can be retrofitted into the existing fleet Factors to consider include: What are the design requirements that need to be considered Consider current systems in practice and how solutions can be retrofitted How will the solutions be retrofitted cost effectively so that there is actually a benefit to interested parties Solutions need to offer significant advantages over current practice from the opex perspective

4 Phase 2 - Prepare Conceptual Design for a New Higher Reliability BOP Control System Factors to consider: Identifying what data is useful and requires further analysis Utilise data in order to prepare conceptual design for new system taking into account new system has to have quite significant advantages over the current state of the art Installation and Maintenance requirements Certification Programmes should also be considered Phase 3 - Prepare design concepts for an integrated new design BOP and new control system with build in high reliability Factors to consider: Final design concepts agreed and plan for new prototype Develop testing and certification requirements and risk assessments Plan for field test/trials Deployment Technology Challenge Timeline The ITF Technology Challenge follows a staged timeline from the identification of the challenge through to the launch of successful projects. The following list of tasks describes the key milestones and their associated dates. Action Date Call for Proposals Issued 3 July 2013 Deadline for Receipt of Proposals 16 August 2013 Publish to Members for Review 30 August 2013 Member Review and Voting September 2013 Technical Clarification Meeting October 2013 Members Finalise Committment to Sponsor November 2013 Note: If there is significant interest in a proposal, ITF has a mechanism for fast tracking projects.

5 Process for Submitting a Proposal 1. Download & complete the Expression of Interest Form This form is available via 2. Complete the Project Presentation Template This template is available via the completed Expression of Interest Form and Project Presentation Template to ITF the completed forms in Microsoft Word format (not PDF format) to Mark Anju at m.anju@itfenergy.com no later than 16 August Proposals received after this date may not be processed. ITF s Role & Approach The Industry Technology Facilitator (ITF) is a not for profit organisation owned by, and with access to funds from major oil and gas operating and service companies that comprise its membership. ITF has an impressive track record in delivering finance to help develop new initiatives for oil and gas technologies from early stage joint industry projects (JIPs) through to field trials and commercialisation. Since 1999, ITF has supported over 200 projects and secured over 50 million in funding. ITF s key objectives are to identify technology needs, foster innovation and facilitate the development and implementation of new technologies. A fundamental element of ITF s role as an internationally recognised champion for facilitating research, development and deployment of technology innovation within the upstream oil and gas industry is to engage with key industry sources. ITF uses a proven process, working in collaborative participation with both its Members and industry to identify technology needs and potential solutions. The ITF process, illustrated below as a step-by-step course of actions, endeavours to bridge the gap between the industry s large global players and the development community with the ultimate aim of implementing new technology solutions: STEP 1 - Understand and Identify Technology Needs STEP 2 - Engage the Development Community/Invite Proposals STEP 3 - Evaluate Proposal Submissions STEP 4 - Secure Funding STEP 5 - Assist the Launch of JIPs STEP 6 - Facilitate the Implementation of Technologies ITF has contractual confidentiality arrangements with all its Members and will enter into a parallel agreement with all developers submitting proposal applications. Proposals will be submitted to our Members only for the purpose for which they are provided, i.e. assessment for funding support and implementation. Proposals submitted under this Theme will be reviewed for financial sponsorship by all ITF Members therefore this is an excellent opportunity to gain a global audience in seeking support for your technology. The focus of all ITF themes is to identify technologies which bring clear benefits to sponsors but which require assistance in research, development, and/or field trial. For details of ITF s full Portfolio of Members, please visit

6 Contact Information If you would like to discuss any matters related to this call or any other issue related to ITF, please contact any of the following people: Technology Challenge Manager and primary contact point for this Call: Mark Anju Senior Technology Analyst e: t: +44(0)

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