A £1.6million simulator has been unveiled which is expected to “transform” the way oil platforms are decommissioned and new energy projects are installed in the North Sea.
For several years, the aerospace, automotive and other engineering sectors have used concurrent engineering – a mixture of design, analysis, modelling and simulation working together - to provide a product or solution in the most efficient manner. There is now the opportunity to apply similar techniques within the energy sector.
Data is key to good decision making in all sectors of industry and society and the Technology Leadership Board Digital Technology Theme highlights the truly disruptive potential of digital technologies. As we move towards a net zero economy, only through exploiting cross sectoral data can we achieve the potential of digital technologies, thereby aiding a smooth and sustainable energy transition. Combining data from the oil and gas and the renewables sectors with the nascent hydrogen and carbon capture and storage (CCS) industries will provide a platform for the best decision making. At the National Decommissioning Centre (NDC) we are initiating several projects which will help deliver this.
A US oil major that sold most of its UK offshore business last year has become an Aberdeenshire-based research centre’s first industrial “anchor partner”.
With a decommissioning bill currently estimated at around £50 billion for the UKCS alone, the pressure is on to get the job done for even less – and smarter.
Industry leaders discussed the potential need for a “new brand” for decommissioning at Offshore Europe yesterday as it “implies you’re getting rid of rubbish”.
Last week I was proud to represent the University at the opening of the National Decommissioning Centre, a long-term £38m partnership between the University and the Oil & Gas Technology Centre.
A new research base with the tools to transform the UK into a global leader in oilfield demolition has opened in a tiny Aberdeenshire village.
The Oil and Gas Technology Centre (OGTC) has appointed a new industrial director to head-up the creation of two new research hubs for the offshore industry.