Delivering more for less in the field of well intervention is a major industry issue and will be the focus at the 18th SPE ICoTA European Well Intervention Conference in Aberdeen on November 14-15.
Central to delivering more for less will be getting smarter in every way with well intervention and, aside from genuinely first class management, the primary key is the effective use of technology, much of it already readily available but insufficiently utilised, and other systems currently under development.
Mike Dyson, general manager – well engineering at BG Group, will hammer home the technology message in the kick-off keynote address. He will also emphasise the need for an entrepreneurial approach.
He has worked within the industry for 30 years in drilling, completions and workovers both outside the UK for Shell and latterly for BG Group and so his message will be founded on real experience.
Dyson will highlight the massive opportunity represented by hydrocarbons still in place in fields and the need for operators, service companies and equipment suppliers to work more closely together to step up to the challenge.
In a preview prepared for Energy, Dyson says: “There is significant remaining potential in the UK Continental Shelf but at the same time it is important that we optimise the performance of both mature fields and new opportunities in the area. Technology has a big role to play in doing this cost-effectively, reliably and above all, safely.
“Technology has transformed how we decide where to position wells sub-surface, and how we drill and complete them.
“So far, it has made less difference in areas such as workovers and interventions, but I believe that developments in remote control, automation and subsea intervention will have more of an impact in future.
“Historically, some of this has been done by operators, but in my experience service companies – especially technology-focused start-ups – are much better at it.”
Dyson says that upstream oil and gas is a great example of where two powerful forces have made a difference – technology innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit.
“On entrepreneurial spirit, the history of the oil and gas industry is peppered with examples of individuals and corporations making significant bets on the future.
“Some of these investments may be small and incremental, but this challenge will require big and bold steps, operator funding, and a commitment to development and testing, to make it reality.
“As an industry we need to be talking more proactively and more openly about the opportunities presented by the oil and gas molecules that remain in the ground when conventional thinking has done its job. The prize on offer is significant indeed.”
This year’s two-day conference will see presentations from global oil and gas companies including Shell, BP, GE Oil & Gas, Schlumberger, Halliburton, Statoil and Baker Hughes.
Themes will focus on innovation in intervention, coiled tubing intervention and well intervention, with the ICoTA innovation award being presented on November 14.
An exhibition will also run during the two days which will see around 50 specialists from across the globe, including Wireline Engineering, showcasing the latest technologies and solutions.