This isn’t science fiction. It’s real technology today, and it’s shining a spotlight on something cool and powerful — the way humans and machines can team up to fix the planet.

So What Are Tree-Planting Drones?

Tree-planting drones are special flying robots programmed to drop seeds (in little pods) into soil where forests have been damaged or destroyed. These drones don’t just fly around randomly — they are guided by smart computers and maps that find the best places to plant.

Instead of people planting seedlings by hand, these drones can release thousands of seeds in a single day. They can fly over rough or dangerous ground where humans might struggle, like burned forest hillsides, flood damage zones, or areas too steep to walk.

How Do They Work (In Simple Terms)?

Here’s how the process usually goes:

• Step 1: Scan the Land
  Using aerial images, satellite maps, and sensors, drones map out the terrain. They analyze soil quality, moisture levels, and slope to find where seeds have the best chance of growing.
• Step 2: Load Biodegradable Seed Pods
  Instead of loose seeds, the drones carry biodegradable seed pods — each one packed with nutrients, soil enhancers, and protective coatings that help a seed sprout and take root.
• Step 3: Fly and Drop
  The drones fly along programmed routes and release the seed pods with precision. Some can plant tens of thousands of seeds in a single day, much faster than traditional tree planting.
• Step 4: Nature Takes Over
  Once the pods are in the ground, they break down naturally, and the seeds begin to grow. Over time, saplings emerge and forests begin to regenerate.

Why This Matters in Real Life

1. Faster Reforestation

Traditional tree planting can be slow and expensive. A team of workers might plant a few hundred trees a day. A drone can do thousands in the same time — speeding up recovery after wildfires or mining damage.

2. Hard-to-Reach Areas Become Easier

There are places that are unsafe or almost impossible for people to plant trees — cliffsides, flooded valleys, or thick brush areas. Drones can access these spots without risk.

3. Better Chances of Growth

The seed pods come with built-in nutrients and protective layers that help seeds survive tough conditions. This means higher success rates for new forests — not just more seeds dropped.

4. Lower Long-Term Costs

While the drones themselves aren’t cheap yet, over time they could reduce the money needed for planting and replanting forests. Less cost can mean more trees.

What’s New and Cool About This Tech?

Here’s what makes tree-planting drones exciting:

• AI-powered terrain analysis: Drones use computer vision and smart mapping to choose the best spots for planting, not just random ones.
• High planting speed: A single drone can plant as many as tens of thousands of seed pods in a day — that’s a huge jump from hand-planting.
• Biodegradable seed pods: These aren’t just seeds — each pod gives the seed a better chance to grow by holding moisture and nutrients.
• Works in extreme conditions: Drones can safely fly through smoke, heat, or rugged areas where crews can’t easily go.

This Is Still an Emerging Technology

It’s important to understand that tree-planting drones aren’t yet everywhere. They’re still being tested and improved. Right now, companies and research groups in places like Australia and other parts of the world are working on making them better and more effective.

This means:

• More testing in different environments
• Better drones with longer battery life
• Improved AI decision-making
• Partnerships with governments and conservation groups

So while drones won’t replace humans in all reforestation work, they are a powerful new tool that could play a major role in how we save and rebuild forests in the future.

The Big Picture

Tree-planting drones show how technology and nature can work together. They don’t do the whole job alone — forests still need water, care, and long-term planning — but drones can help give nature a powerful head start.

It’s technology that doesn’t just entertain or connect us — it gives back to the Earth.

And that’s something worth watching.

Sources

AirSeed Technologies – Official website explaining their AI-powered drone planting system and biodegradable seed pods

Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC News) – Coverage of large drones planting up to 40,000 seed pods per day

Euronews – Article on Australian drone reforestation startup using seed pods and automation

Create Digital – Report on AI and drone technology in reforestation

Greening Australia – Discussion on drone seeding and ecological restoration planning

#TreePlantingDrones #Reforestation #ClimateInnovation #EmergingTechnology #EnvironmentalTech #SustainableFuture #Biodiversity #CleanTech #GreenTechnology #ClimateAction

Here are 10 energy innovations shaping the world today, why they matter, and how they could reshape daily life over the next five years (2026–2031).

1) Perovskite–Silicon Tandem Solar: The Next Big Leap in Solar Efficiency

What it is: A two-layer solar cell that stacks perovskite on top of silicon so each layer captures different parts of sunlight—pushing efficiency beyond what silicon alone can realistically achieve.

Why it matters: Higher efficiency means more power from the same rooftop or the same field—and lower balance-of-system costs (racking, land, wiring, labor) per kilowatt-hour.

What’s happening now: Certified lab records have surged—LONGi has announced a 34.85% crystalline silicon–perovskite tandem cell efficiency.

5-year difference: By 2031, expect tandems to begin moving from “record headlines” to real commercial share in premium markets: space-constrained rooftops, data centers, and high-cost land regions.

2) Sodium-Ion Batteries: Cheaper, Cold-Weather-Ready Storage

What it is: Batteries that swap lithium for sodium (far more abundant and widely distributed), often with improved cold-temperature behavior and potentially lower cost.

Why it matters: The world needs huge volumes of batteries for grids and vehicles. Sodium-ion can reduce dependence on lithium supply chains and smooth price volatility.

What’s happening now: The IEA reports accelerating momentum, with CATL confirming commercial-scale deployment starting in 2026.

5-year difference: By 2031, sodium-ion is likely to be a strong player in grid storage, low-cost EV segments, two/three-wheelers, and cold climates—not replacing lithium everywhere, but dramatically widening battery supply.

3) 100-Hour Long-Duration Storage: Iron-Air Batteries That Bridge Multi-Day Gaps

What it is: Storage designed to deliver power for days, not hours—especially useful during multi-day wind/solar lulls. Form Energy’s iron-air chemistry stores energy via reversible rusting.

Why it matters: This is one of the missing puzzle pieces for running grids on very high renewables without overbuilding generation.

What’s happening now: Form Energy and Great River Energy broke ground on a first commercial deployment in Minnesota (1.5 MW / 150 MWh), described as a multi-day storage milestone.

5-year difference: By 2031, multi-day storage can turn “renewables + batteries” from a good day solution into a reliability solution, reducing reliance on peaker plants and improving resilience during extreme weather events.

4) Enhanced Geothermal Systems: “Always-On” Clean Power, Almost Anywhere

What it is: Next-gen geothermal that uses advanced drilling + reservoir engineering (often borrowing techniques from oil & gas) to access heat in more places—turning geothermal into scalable, firm power.

Why it matters: Wind and solar are abundant but variable. Geothermal is clean and dispatchable—a powerful complement for 24/7 needs (industry, hospitals, data centers).

What’s happening now: Fervo has high-profile scale signals, including a pathway for 115 MW to supply Google’s data centers via NV Energy’s arrangement.

5-year difference: By 2031, expect geothermal to expand fastest where grids desperately need firm clean power: fast-growing regions, industrial clusters, and energy-hungry computing.

5) Small Modular Reactors: Standardized Nuclear That’s Easier to Replicate

What it is: Smaller nuclear units designed for factory-style repeatability and modular deployment.

Why it matters: If SMRs can be built on time and on budget, they provide reliable, carbon-free baseload and can support heavy industry and grid stability.

What’s happening now: NuScale’s US460 design has progressed through U.S. NRC review activities (notably completed in May 2025 per NRC project status).

5-year difference: By 2031, the main impact is likely in early deployments, supply-chain maturation, and regulatory learning—setting up the 2030s for broader replication if economics prove out.

6) Fusion’s “HTS Magnet Era”: Smaller, Stronger Tokamaks on a Faster Track

What it is: Fusion efforts increasingly rely on high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets, enabling stronger magnetic fields and more compact machines.

Why it matters: Stronger magnets can mean smaller reactors—potentially reducing cost and complexity.

What’s happening now: Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ SPARC explicitly leverages HTS magnets; assembly and commissioning milestones are underway as the program pushes toward demonstration goals.

5-year difference: By 2031, fusion likely won’t be powering the average city—but the next five years can decide whether it becomes a credible 2030s grid contender or remains a research-only horizon.

7) High-Efficiency Green Hydrogen via Solid Oxide Electrolyzers

What it is: SOEC electrolysis uses high-temperature operation to improve efficiency—especially when paired with industrial heat/steam integration.

Why it matters: Hydrogen is hardest—but most valuable—in sectors like steel, chemicals, shipping fuels, and long-haul energy storage.

What’s happening now: Industrial scale signals are growing—Topsoe has expanded SOEC manufacturing momentum, and industry coverage highlights efficiency and scale-up steps.
At the same time, the IEA notes a critical reality: many hydrogen projects are still early-stage, and only a fraction reach final investment decisions.

5-year difference: By 2031, green hydrogen becomes less about hype and more about selective domination—thriving first where policy, offtake contracts, and industrial integration align.

8) Floating Offshore Wind: Unlocking Deep Water, Big Wind

What it is: Turbines on floating platforms, anchored in deep water where fixed-bottom turbines can’t go.

Why it matters: Some of the world’s best wind resources are in deep water—floating wind expands viable sites near energy-demand coastlines.

What’s happening now: Hywind Tampen is a major real-world reference point for floating wind learning and cost reduction pathways.

5-year difference: By 2031, floating wind should move from “special projects” to repeatable regional industries in places like the U.S. West Coast, parts of Europe, and Asia-Pacific—supporting coastal electrification and green fuels.

9) Virtual Power Plants: Thousands of Homes Acting Like One Power Plant

What it is: Software that coordinates distributed energy resources—home batteries, EV chargers, smart thermostats, rooftop solar—into a grid resource utilities can dispatch.

Why it matters: VPPs are often faster and cheaper than building new generation and can reduce peak demand, prevent blackouts, and monetize customer-owned devices.

What’s happening now: In California, large-scale demonstrations have shown coordinated dispatch in the hundreds of megawatts—real “fleet behavior,” not theory.

5-year difference: By 2031, VPPs can become a standard “third pillar” alongside generation and transmission—especially as EVs multiply and homes become flexible grid assets.

10) Superconducting Grid Tech: Moving More Power Through Crowded Cities

What it is: High-temperature superconducting (HTS) cables that can carry massive power with extremely low losses—if kept cold via cryogenics.

Why it matters: In dense areas where building new transmission corridors is nearly impossible, HTS can be a space-saving way to increase capacity.

What’s happening now: European grid R&D (e.g., SCARLET) and grid technopedia references show continuing development toward demonstrators and practical grid use cases.

5-year difference: By 2031, superconducting deployments remain selective—but can meaningfully relieve bottlenecks for urban growth, transit electrification, and data center clusters.

The World in 2031: A Painted Picture of the Next 5 Years
(If These Innovations Scale)

Imagine it’s a hot July week in 2031:

• Your city doesn’t panic about the heat wave because virtual power plants quietly shave peaks—EVs charge later, thermostats nudge slightly, and home batteries discharge together like a clean peaker plant.

• Solar is everywhere, but not just “more panels”—it’s higher-output panels, with tandem tech showing up first in premium rooftops and constrained sites.

• When the wind drops for two days, it’s not an emergency. Multi-day storage bridges the gap, and geothermal plants provide steady backbone power where they’ve been developed.

• Coastal regions with deep water begin producing serious electricity from floating offshore wind, increasingly paired with electrolyzers that make green hydrogen for industrial users.

• Some regions are commissioning early SMR projects (still closely watched for cost and timelines), while fusion has either crossed a major validation milestone—or been forced into a slower lane.

• The grid feels less fragile because targeted upgrades—sometimes even superconducting links in dense corridors—move more power where it’s needed, faster.

The biggest change won’t be a single invention. It will be the stack: better generation + better storage + better control software + better transmission. That’s how energy transitions become an everyday reality.

SOURCES

1) Perovskite–Silicon Tandem Solar Cells

• Tandem solar panels boost efficiency far above traditional silicon limits:
  📌 Wired — These Record-Breaking New Solar Panels Produce 60 Percent More…
  https://www.wired.com/story/tandem-solar-panel-cells-efficiency-energy/

• Tandem cells are a key innovation for speeding renewable transitions:
  📌 World Economic Forum — How tandem solar cells can speed up the energy transition
  https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/01/tandem-solar-cells-energy-transition/

2) Sodium-Ion Batteries

• Scientific review on sodium-ion battery development and promise:
  📌 ScienceDirect — Advancements in sodium-ion batteries technology
  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352484725005864

• Real world deployment in grid storage underway:
  📌 InsideEVs — Sodium-Ion Batteries Have Landed In America…
  https://insideevs.com/news/779015/sodium-ion-batteries-grid-scale-energy-storage/

3) Iron-Air, Long-Duration Storage

• Company developing 100-hour iron-air storage:
  📌 Form Energy — Battery Technology
  https://formenergy.com/technology/battery-technology/

• Multi-day storage pilot project:
  📌 Energy Storage News — Multi-day storage startup breaks ground
  https://www.energy-storage.news/iron-air-multi-day-energy-storage-form-energy-first-pilot/

4) Floating Offshore Wind

• Operational floating wind demonstration:
  📌 Wikipedia — Hywind Tampen
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hywind_Tampen

• Future of floating wind technology:
  📌 Hitachi Energy — Floating into the Future
  https://www.hitachienergy.com/us/en/news-and-events/blogs/2025/04/floating-into-the-future-unlocking-the-potential-of-offshore-wind-energy

5) Virtual Power Plants

• Government support for VPP deployment:
  📌 U.S. DOE — Virtual Power Plants Projects
  https://www.energy.gov/edf/virtual-power-plants-projects

• Academic overview of VPP benefits in smart grids:
  📌 Springer — Virtual power plants review article
  https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13705-024-00483-y

#EnergyInnovation #CleanEnergy #RenewableEnergy #FutureOfEnergy #SolarPower #PerovskiteSolar #SodiumIon #BatteryStorage #LongDurationStorage #IronAirBattery #GeothermalEnergy #EnhancedGeothermal #SmallModularReactors #SMR #NuclearInnovation #FusionEnergy #GreenHydrogen #HydrogenEconomy #FloatingWind #OffshoreWind #VirtualPowerPlant #SmartGrid #Superconductors #GridModernization #EnergyTransition #ClimateSolutions #SustainableFuture #NextGenEnergy

What if solar power didn’t need thick panels at all?

What if energy-generating material could be so thin it’s measured in billionths of a meter — and engineered like a microscopic layered cake?

That’s exactly what researchers are exploring with a new pathway in solar technology built from ultra-thin crystal layers.

This is not hype. It’s real, peer-reviewed research. But it’s also early-stage and emerging — not something you can install on your home yet.

Let’s break it down simply.

What’s New?

Most solar panels today are made from silicon and work using something called a p-n junction — a built-in electric field that pushes electrons in one direction when sunlight hits.

The new approach uses a completely different effect called the:

Bulk Photovoltaic Effect (BPVE)

Unlike silicon, certain crystals — known as ferroelectric materials — can generate electricity without needing a traditional junction.

Instead, their internal atomic structure naturally pushes electrons in one direction when exposed to light.

It’s a different way of turning sunlight into electricity.

Scientists have known about this effect for years. What’s new is how they are engineering it.

The “Crystal Sandwich” Breakthrough

Researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (Germany) created an ultra-thin layered structure — sometimes described as a “crystal sandwich.”

They stacked three materials in repeating layers:

• Barium titanate (ferroelectric)

• Strontium titanate

• Calcium titanate

These layers are only about 200 nanometers thick — roughly 500 times thinner than a human hair.

When arranged in this precise stacked pattern (called a superlattice), the photovoltaic response became dramatically stronger than using a single crystal alone.

In their peer-reviewed Science Advances paper, researchers reported up to 1,000 times higher photocurrent compared to pure barium titanate thin films under certain test conditions.

Important clarification:

This does not mean 1,000× more powerful than rooftop silicon panels.

It means engineering the atomic layers significantly improved performance within this specific material system.

Still impressive — and scientifically meaningful.

Why Ultra-Thin Solar Is So Interesting

Even if silicon remains dominant for large power plants, ultra-thin photovoltaics open new possibilities.

1. Self-Powered Devices

Imagine:

• Sensors in bridges and buildings

• Environmental monitors in forests

• Agricultural soil sensors

• Smart city infrastructure

Ultra-thin photovoltaic materials could trickle-charge tiny electronics, reducing battery replacements and maintenance.

This is one of the most realistic early applications.

2. Lightweight Solar on Moving Surfaces

Because these materials are extremely thin, future versions could potentially be integrated onto:

• Drones

• Electric vehicles

• Portable electronics

• Wearable tech

Weight matters in these applications more than maximum efficiency.

3. Solar in Places Panels Don’t Fit

Traditional panels require structure and mounting.

Ultra-thin materials could someday enable:

• Integrated solar coatings

• Embedded energy layers in construction materials

• Flexible or curved energy surfaces

This is still speculative — but scientifically plausible.

Why It’s Not Replacing Silicon Anytime Soon

Emerging does not mean market-ready.

For this pathway to become a mainstream renewable solution, it must prove:

• High overall power conversion efficiency

• Long-term durability in heat and humidity

• Cost-effective large-scale manufacturing

• Strong sunlight absorption across the solar spectrum

Silicon has 40+ years of industrial optimization behind it.

This ultra-thin crystal approach is still in the research phase.

What’s Actually Cool About It

The most exciting part isn’t just “thin solar.”

It’s that scientists can now design solar behavior at the atomic level.

By carefully stacking crystal layers, researchers can tune:

• Electric polarization

• Dielectric properties

• Band structure

• Photocurrent strength

That means solar materials are becoming engineered systems, not just mined materials.

It’s materials science meeting renewable energy.

Why This Matters for the Future of Renewable Energy

The future of clean energy likely won’t depend on one single breakthrough.

Instead, it will look like this:

• Silicon for large-scale grid power

• Advanced multi-layer cells for high-efficiency systems

• Emerging materials like ferroelectric superlattices for specialized ultra-thin applications

This “crystal sandwich” research represents one of those new pathways.

It expands where solar might show up — not just how much power it makes.

And that matters.

Key Takeaways

• This research is real and peer-reviewed.

• It uses ultra-thin crystal layers to enhance the Bulk Photovoltaic Effect.

• The “1,000×” figure compares performance within a specific material system — not to silicon panels.

• It’s emerging technology — promising but not commercial yet.

• It could power small devices, sensors, and lightweight applications in the future.

Sources

Peer-Reviewed Research
Yun et al., Science Advances (2021):
“Strongly enhanced and tunable photovoltaic effect in ferroelectric-paraelectric superlattices.”
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abe4206

University Press Release
Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (July 2021)
“Layer of three crystals produces a thousand times more power.”
https://pressemitteilungen.pr.uni-halle.de/index.php?modus=pmanzeige&pm_id=5273

Industry Coverage
PV Magazine (Aug 4, 2021)
“Crystal arrangement results in 1,000x more power from ferroelectric solar cells.”
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/08/04/crystal-arrangement-results-in-1000x-more-power-from-ferroelectric-solar-cells/

Scientific Background on BPVE
AIP Review (2022)
“Recent progress in the theory of bulk photovoltaic effect.”
https://pubs.aip.org/aip/cpr/article/4/1/011303

#RenewableEnergy
#SolarInnovation
#CleanEnergyFuture
#NextGenSolar
#GreenTechnology

#EmergingTechnology
#MaterialsScience
#NanoTechnology
#EnergyInnovation
#FutureTech

#ScienceExplained
#TechForTheFuture
#EnergyRevolution
#SustainableFuture
#InnovationMatters

#EnergyTransition
#ClimateInnovation
#AdvancedManufacturing
#ResearchAndDevelopment

Multi-Camera Innovation Sets Sail

SubC Imaging, a company renowned for its comprehensive imaging solutions globally, is on the brink of a breakthrough with its latest project. This innovative venture involves developing a multi-channel inspection system equipped with up to six cameras. These cameras are designed for ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicles) integration, aiming to enhance situational awareness dramatically. The heart of this innovation lies in the software capable of synthesizing data from multiple sources into a unified system. This integration will not only streamline operations but also catapult the capabilities of end-to-end inspections and surveys.

Lighting Up the Deep: Cameras, Lights, Lasers, and More

The ocean’s depths are a realm of perpetual darkness, and SubC’s new system promises to cast light in these shadowy depths. The plan includes an assembly of cameras, lights, lasers, and a cloud-based infrastructure—all orchestrated by bespoke software. This holistic approach ensures that every inspection and survey is not just thorough but also seamlessly connected, from the ocean floor to the cloud.

A Game-Changer for the Offshore Energy Sector

Regular inspections of subsea equipment are a critical necessity in the offshore energy industry, often involving an array of specialized personnel and varied inspection methods. SubC’s technology revolutionizes this process, offering a more cost-effective and efficient method to monitor and inspect underwater assets. This technology not only promises to reduce operational costs but also enhances the safety and reliability of these critical inspections.

From Humble Beginnings to High-Tech

Starting in a home office in 2010, SubC Imaging has shown remarkable growth, now boasting over 20 dedicated employees. The recent investment by the Provincial Government, drawn from the Innovation and Business Development Fund, matches SubC’s own investment, bringing the total project cost to $935,000. This funding initiative is part of a broader strategy to bolster Newfoundland and Labrador’s capabilities across various energy sectors, highlighting the government’s commitment to fostering innovation and economic growth.

Government and Industry Leaders Weigh In

The Honourable Andrew Parsons, KC, Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology, expressed his enthusiasm for the project, noting, “SubC has shown time and again it can compete in the global marketplace while creating valuable tech-based jobs in rural Newfoundland and Labrador. Our government is pleased to support ocean technology companies such as SubC by providing them with the tools needed to compete in an increasingly globalized market.”

Echoing this sentiment, Chad Collett, CEO of SubC Imaging, emphasized the strategic nature of this investment. “Investing in the development of new inspection and survey systems will enable us to enter the market faster and achieve a greater impact than we could otherwise,” said Collett. He added that the robust support for ocean tech makes Newfoundland and Labrador an ideal hub for advancing ocean technology.

A Bright Future Below the Waves

This strategic investment not only highlights the potential of SubC Imaging’s innovative technologies but also underscores the importance of nurturing industries that leverage the unique geographic and economic strengths of Newfoundland and Labrador. As SubC Imaging prepares to deploy its cutting-edge systems, the future looks promising for the ocean technology sector, promising significant advances in how we explore and protect our underwater frontiers.

Sources:
Innovation and Business Development Fund
SubC Imaging

The summit promises a gathering of titans, a congregation of minds driven by a singular mission: to pioneer the digital revolution in one of the world’s most critical sectors. Attendees will be immersed in a symphony of insights and strategies, where industry leaders will unveil the blueprints for success in the age of digital transformation.

Pressure mounts on Canadian oil, gas, and petrochemical operators to rewrite the playbook, shatter the constraints of tradition, and embrace the boundless possibilities of technology. This summit isn’t just about innovation; it’s about redefining the very essence of the industry.

Picture this: state-of-the-art technology seamlessly intertwines with age-old practices, birthing a new era of efficiency, sustainability, and profitability. The speakers, the architects of this new reality, will share their tales of triumph and tribulation, offering a roadmap for those bold enough to tread the path of transformation.

Among the luminaries gracing the stage are names synonymous with excellence:

• Biju Misra, the maestro behind Enbridge Inc.’s Corporate Business Services/Automation CoE, who will unveil the secrets of digital optimization.
• Andrea Hine, the visionary at Suncor Energy, whose insights into connected worker paradigms promise to reshape the workforce of tomorrow.
• Prabhu Srinivasan, the virtuoso leading operations and data analytics at Vermilion Energy, whose expertise will illuminate the path to operational excellence.
• Maya Pazouki, the luminary steering the digital ship at NOVA Chemicals, offering a glimpse into the future of chemical engineering.
• Soheil Asgarpour, the trailblazer at PTAC, whose leadership is driving the industry towards a sustainable future.

Together, they form the vanguard of change, the torchbearers of progress in an industry ripe for transformation. Their lessons are not just theories; they are battle-tested strategies forged in the crucible of real-world challenges.

The Digital Transformation for Oil & Gas Summit Canada isn’t just a conference; it’s a rallying cry for those ready to embrace the future, seize the reins of destiny, and carve their legacy in the annals of industry history.

Join us as we embark on this odyssey of innovation, where disruption isn’t feared but embraced, where tradition isn’t revered but reinvented. Together, we’ll chart a course toward a future where sustainability isn’t just a buzzword but a way of life, where profitability isn’t just a dream but a reality.

To be part of this transformative journey, visit here and register using our exclusive 15% discount code THEOGM15.

For more details, email info@amg-world.co.uk or call +44 (0) 113 3970 379.

In the eighth annual Global Energy Talent Index (GETI) report released on 13th February 2024, the oil and gas industry demonstrates a cautious approach to AI adoption. The report, produced by Airswift, indicates that 24 percent of professionals in the sector are already utilizing AI, slightly trailing the industry average of 27 percent. An additional 10 percent anticipate integrating AI within the next six months.

Optimism for Future Impact

Despite the reserved adoption, nearly half (47 percent) of oil and gas professionals express strong optimism regarding the future impact of AI. Key expectations include an uplift in personal productivity (71 percent), improved career progression opportunities (58 percent), and increased job satisfaction (58 percent). Moreover, over half (53 percent) believe AI will positively influence the work-life balance, providing more time for family and friends.

Skills Development in the Face of AI

GETI 2024 highlights that almost all respondents believe AI will increase the demand for skills in the industry. A significant two-thirds (62 percent) of oil and gas professionals expect AI to raise the pressure on them to acquire new skills. The report identifies programming, software engineering, IT, data science, and cybersecurity as the areas where the most significant demand for skills is expected.

Balancing Technical and Soft Skills

The report underlines the need for both technical and soft skills development. While technical skills in AI-related fields are crucial, the demand for soft skills such as communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, and creative thinking is also expected to rise. This underscores the importance of balancing human capabilities with AI technologies.

CEO Insights: Navigating the Technological Landscape

Janette Marx, CEO of Airswift, emphasizes the industry’s critical juncture with AI emerging as a key tool for decarbonization efforts. She highlights the delicate balance required between technological advancement and nurturing the skills of the workforce. Marx advocates for proactively enhancing the capabilities of the workforce to adapt to the evolving energy landscape, emphasizing the role of AI in supporting these efforts.

Salaries and Global Mobility Trends

The GETI 2024 report reveals a flattening in salary growth, with 48 percent of professionals reporting a pay rise this year—a modest increase compared to previous years. However, 69 percent of professionals remain optimistic about a pay rise next year, aligning with sentiments shared by hiring managers.

Global Mobility Trends

With an international pipeline of new projects, 83 percent of professionals would consider relocating, showing a slight increase from 81 percent in 2023. Asia has entered the top three desirable destinations for relocation, following Europe and the Middle East. The demand for oil and gas skills remains strong, with 81 percent having been headhunted in the past year. However, there is a hesitancy to join other industries, with only 19 percent considering such a move.

Industry Reflection and Future Prospects

As the report provides insights into the industry’s current state, it signals a shift in workforce dynamics influenced by AI adoption. The cautious optimism, coupled with a recognition of the need for skills development, reflects the industry’s commitment to navigating the evolving technological landscape.

The oil and gas sector stands at a crucial juncture, with AI becoming integral to decarbonization efforts. Nurturing the workforce’s skills while embracing automation is essential for the industry’s future. The full GETI 2024 report, including in-depth analysis and recommendations, is available for download at GETI Report.

Sources:
GETI 2024
aspectusgroup.com
www.airswift.com

Unlocking the Potential: The AI Wave in Upstream Oil & Gas

In the fast-evolving landscape of upstream operations, AI is emerging as a transformative force. The webinar will showcase insights from industry disruptors like Kevin Alborzi, Lead Product Manager at bp, and Nathaniel Hartwig, Founder and CEO of BiaTech Corporation. These visionaries, along with other digital leaders, will delve into the intricacies of leveraging AI to enhance safety, efficiency, and profitability in the oil and gas sector.

Seizing the Opportunity: Industry Insights and Success Stories

The webinar promises to be a treasure trove of industry insights and success stories, with participants gaining exclusive access to strategic learnings from the likes of Matthew McElhaney, Data Science and Digital Solutions Manager at BPX Energy, and Kathleen Walch, Managing Partner at Cognilytica. These experts will share their experiences, shedding light on the risks and opportunities associated with AI implementation in upstream operations.

Navigating Challenges: From Readiness to Implementation

As the oil and gas industry’s capital expenditure on AI is projected to soar to $4.21 billion by 2028, the webinar aims to address critical questions. How can operators demonstrate AI readiness to fully capitalize on this transformative opportunity? What are the roadblocks and pitfalls that lie ahead? Lee Cibis, Project Director at Reuters Events, emphasizes the need for upstream stakeholders and tech leaders to collaborate in unleashing AI’s potential fully.

Insider Knowledge: A Glimpse into the Webinar Agenda

Participants can expect a deep dive into essential topics, including how to critically evaluate organizational AI readiness, effectively harness AI’s potential to improve efficiency and minimize downtime, and navigate the risks and opportunities associated with AI adoption in upstream operations.

A Glimpse into the Future: AI Strategies for Oil & Gas

The webinar will feature exclusive case studies on successful AI projects, providing evidence-based guidance for developing a robust AI strategy. It will equip attendees with the tools to implement AI strategies responsibly and safely, ensuring the short-term supply of oil and gas while aligning with long-term energy transition goals.

Beyond the Webinar: Data-Driven Oil & Gas USA 2024

Upstream Joins the AI Revolution serves as a prelude to the in-person conference, Data Driven Oil & Gas USA 2024, scheduled for June 11-12th in Houston, Texas. This conference will unite over 400 visionary upstream changemakers and digital experts, offering insights into business-critical strategies to maximize production, unlock innovation, and overcome industry challenges.

Embrace the Future of Upstream Operations

In a world where innovation is the key to survival, the oil and gas industry is at the forefront of a digital revolution. Upstream Joins the AI Revolution is not just a webinar; it’s a gateway to the future. As the industry navigates the challenges and opportunities presented by AI, this event stands as a testament to the resilience and adaptability that defines the oil and gas sector.

Source: Reuters Events

In the uncharted territories of innovative tech, the oil and gas exploration sector of Equinor is charting new frontiers with an arsenal of cutting-edge technology.

Welcome to the Fibra Frontier, where a small but dynamic team is revolutionizing real-time well monitoring, propelling the oil and gas industry into an era of unprecedented efficiency and cost savings.

High-Tech Hub in the Heart of Europe

Did you know that Equinor boasts one of the fastest computing clusters in all of Europe?

The Fibra team, stationed at the core of this technological marvel, orchestrates a symphony of 40 servers processing data from fiber optic cables embedded in the wells. What might seem like a routine operation takes on a groundbreaking significance when you realize it has already saved Equinor millions of NOK (Norwegian Krone) – and they’re just getting started.

The Fiber Optic Ballet Below the Surface

Imagine a dance of data beneath the ocean’s depths as oil and gas find their way from the reservoirs beneath Johan Sverdrup to the shores at Kårstø. How is this feat accomplished? Enter fiber optic cables, seamlessly integrated along the wells. Perched atop the well is an interrogator, a machine that sends laser pulses down the fiber. When the laser bounces back, it creates a back reflection, the cue for Fibra to shine. This revolutionary technology transforms these back reflections into usable, real-time data.

At this point, you might ask, “What makes Fibra so special?” It’s not just the data; it’s the staggering volume and speed at which it’s gathered. Picture constantly streaming 10,000 Netflix movies – that’s the magnitude of Fibra’s prowess. This amalgamation of high-speed performance computing and big data sets Equinor’s Fibra cluster among the fastest in Europe, making it a playground for innovation and a challenge to be reckoned with.

Speed is the Name of the Game

Lindvar Lægran, the Fibra team lead, emphasizes the need for speed in every aspect of their work. Processing data at a speed of approximately 5 GB/s requires every line of code to be meticulously optimized for performance. In the world of Fibra, a ‘canary test’ is conducted every 30 minutes to ensure that each line of code runs seamlessly millions of times per second.

The speed at which Fibra operates is not just a technical feat; it’s a mindset, a way of life. Espen Tjønneland, a Fibra developer, explains how the team’s code must be efficient enough to process data faster than it’s received. Fibra, in essence, is a continuous symphony of signal transformations and optimizations that demand meticulous attention to detail.

From Two Weeks to Two Seconds: A Data Revolution

An integral part of Fibra’s success lies in creating a standard for streaming fiber data. Previously, different suppliers had varied formats for their interrogators, causing delays in data processing. Fibra changed the game by becoming the “one system to rule them all,” allowing operators to view data a mere two seconds after collection. This monumental shift, facilitated by the use of Kafka and Kubernetes technologies, revolutionized Equinor’s approach to data access and decision-making.

Espen Tjønneland, the Fibra developer, points out that the system’s ability to choose the correct processing profile during an interrogation session is crucial. Fibra stores raw data but employs different algorithms to process various data flows, filtering for specific information based on the task at hand. The efficiency gains are immense, allowing Equinor to save resources, scale operations, and maximize hardware capabilities.

Edge Processing: The Need for Speed Beyond the Clouds

While the cloud is the go-to solution for many, the Fibra team quickly realized that it couldn’t deliver the speeds they needed. In response, Fibra embraced edge processing, using on-premises servers and hardware to achieve the required velocity. Ian Utbjoa, another Fibra developer, underscores the importance of scripting everything for ease of handling the infrastructure. Fibra’s need for speed goes beyond code; it involves working on infrastructure, implementing file readers for unconventional file systems, and delving into layers of technicality rarely explored.

Ian Utbjoa provides insight into the team’s multifaceted responsibilities, comparing their work to dissecting an old radio and understanding its intricacies. The need for speed, combined with a broad spectrum of responsibilities, makes working on Fibra a fascinating journey that goes beyond traditional software development.

Building, Deploying, and Automating: The Fibra Mindset

The Fibra team operates on the principle of scripting and “automating themselves out of a job.” While everyone in the team wears multiple hats, there are specialized areas of focus. Petter Kvamen Clausen, working on the lower layer of Fibra’s development, collaborates with technologies like Kubernetes, Docker, Helm charts, server operations, and Ansible. The emphasis on fault tolerance within servers ensures rapid rebuilding and restoration when needed.

Fibra, though not classified as business-critical, operates with the same level of diligence and precision. Petter highlights the importance of monitoring, using open-source tools like Prometheus and Grafana to keep a vigilant eye on operations. The aim is to deliver a stable product, ensuring that operators can depend on data availability even if Fibra isn’t classified as business-critical.

Fibra’s Economic Impact: Saving Millions with Swift Detection

Fiber optic cables and Fibra have already demonstrated their economic impact, with a remarkable example from Johan Sverdrup. Fibra played a crucial role in swiftly detecting a leak between two annuli, the void spaces between casings in the well. This early detection saved Johan Sverdrup from a two-day shutdown and additional diagnostics, resulting in a staggering savings of 40 million NOK.

Taber Hersum, the Fiber Optics project lead, acknowledges the impressive work done by the Fibra team, recognizing their creativity and perseverance. Taber, a geoscientist turned project leader for Fibra & Fotone, marvels at the stable and high-performing system the developers have built from scratch in just two years.

Today, Fibra is in use on Johan Sverdrup and Martin Linge. With fibers in over 35 wells currently under real-time monitoring and more installations in the pipeline, Fibra is becoming a cornerstone of Equinor’s technological prowess.

Fibra Light: A Glimpse into the Future

As the Fibra team continues to enhance and maintain the existing system, they’re not resting on their laurels. The next big innovation on their horizon is Fibra Light – a smaller, mobile version of Fibra designed to bring real-time monitoring to assets that might benefit from its capabilities. Espen Tjønneland details the vision behind Fibra Light, emphasizing its potential for intervention jobs and testing scenarios. This compact solution aims to make real-time well operation observation accessible to all assets with minimal effort and cost.

Building Fibra Light is not just about code; it involves tackling logistics and developing a solution that can seamlessly travel offshore without consuming excessive space. The team’s dedication to innovation, automation, and efficiency shines through in its commitment to bringing real-time monitoring capabilities to a broader spectrum of Equinor’s assets.

A Symphony of Speed, Innovation, and Savings

In the ever-evolving landscape of oil and gas exploration, Equinor’s Fibra project emerges as a beacon of innovation. The combination of cutting-edge technology, a forward-thinking team, and a commitment to automation has not only revolutionized real-time well monitoring but also resulted in substantial economic savings.

The Fibra team’s journey reflects the dynamic nature of technological advancement in the energy sector. Their ability to navigate challenges, automate processes, and push the boundaries of speed sets a standard for efficiency in the industry.

As Fibra continues to expand its footprint across Equinor’s operations, it symbolizes a commitment to harnessing the power of data for informed decision-making. The Fibra Frontier is not just about streaming data at unprecedented speeds; it’s about transforming the way the industry approaches real-time monitoring, ultimately driving cost-effective and sustainable practices.

In the grand narrative of Equinor’s technological odyssey, Fibra stands as a testament to the company’s ethos of embracing innovation, challenging conventions, and boldly venturing where few have gone before – into the depths below, where data dances through fiber optic cables, orchestrating a symphony of efficiency and savings in the heart of the Fibra Frontier. The future is here, and it’s streaming data at the speed of innovation.

The next evolution in smart remote I/O, the ABB XIO series is an extended range of all-in-one devices to monitor, control and manage oil and gas flow applications. The ABB XIO-08, ABB XIO-04 and ABB XIO-00 each operate as an extension to the ABB Remote Module Controller (RMC) family, providing enhanced I/O capacity and increasing overall wellhead operational efficiency.  The series offers up to eight channels for customers to choose the XIO that meets their site needs.

ABB is a leader in control devices for the remote production and custody transfer of oil and gas. ABB flow computers and RTUs are used to monitor, measure and control many upstream oil and gas applications to ensure safe and efficient operations. The solution enables users to monitor, measure, and control flows from anywhere, anytime.

This XIO extension means that site configuration requirements can be met whatever the size of the oil or gas field. The need for physical on-site presence is reduced due to the remote control and monitoring of I/O points and serial devices, putting safety first and reducing costs. As well as extending ABB’s RMC capabilities, the XIO is compatible with a wide range of controllers across the market, emphasizing ABB’s commitment to open architecture across all areas of industrial automation.

Equipment can be added without significant infrastructure modifications, allowing easy expansion of I/O points and connection of serial devices. Up to 22 hot-pluggable I/O modules can be added or replaced without power interruption, minimizing downtime.

The XIO series offers several connectivity options, new networking features (up to four independent networks are supported), and the possibility to use the XIO’s Wi-Fi as a network or bridge with one of the Ethernet ports. Reliable and efficient data transfer is made easy by connecting the XIO to the RMC over Ethernet. Four ethernet points allow for different network configurations. It also features control and measurement applications for the specific needs of remote locations.

As a specific integration feature, ABB’s RMC discovers an XIO device on the network and learns its configuration, becoming a consumer of the XIO’s application data without the need to maintain a list of connected devices.

Increasing digitalization in the oil and gas industry means that reliable connectivity is required for successful operations. Wellheads often must achieve extended connectivity rapidly to meet expansion opportunities. ABB’s XIO provides immediate connectivity expansion, enhancing production and reducing costs associated with traditional equipment upgrades. It integrates islands of automation and enables remote data connection for real-time analytics across the site and enterprise.

Tel Aviv-based maritime technology company has inked a key partnership agreement with Japan’s Marubeni Corporation for sales of its AI-powered situational awareness platform.

Orca AI, the leading situational awareness solution provider for the commercial shipping industry, announced that it has entered into a worldwide distribution deal with Marubeni, one of Japan’s biggest import and export companies and a comprehensive provider of ship services.

The Japanese conglomerate will also install the Orca AI platform on its vessels, providing use-case insights that the Israeli company can leverage to further enhance the technology.  

Commenting on the deal with Orca AI, Yasutomo Miyake, General Manager, Ship Project Dept. of Marubeni, said: “In line with our commitment to ‘creating value through innovative solutions for our customers and for the world’, we trust that the partnership with Orca AI contributes to the achievement of the SDGs for the entire shipping industry. We appreciate the enthusiasm of the Orca AI team and look forward to productive cooperation on this next-generation platform that promises to significantly enhance navigational decision-making.”

Yarden Gross, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Orca AI said: “We are thrilled to be collaborating with Marubeni as an innovation-driven conglomerate whose operations span the entire shipping value chain. Our system benefits stakeholders such as Marubeni by automating watchkeeping, helping to reduce seafarers’ workload while lowering the risk of collisions at sea. 

As well as supporting existing operations, AI and computer vision technologies are also expected to become an enabler of autonomous fleet operations in the coming years.”

Orca AI’s SeaPod™ lookout unit acts as a fully automatic digital watchkeeper, powered by high-sensitivity computer vision and deep-learning algorithms that detect, track, and classify nearby targets that could potentially pose a risk to the vessel. It helps to enhance situational awareness for bridge crews during challenging navigational scenarios such as congested waterways and low-visibility conditions.

Orca AI’s technology, which is operational 24/7, prioritizes risks at sea and presents them via a user-friendly interface onboard. The platform provides real-time monitoring capabilities to the fleet operations teams and actionable insights to improve safety, operations efficiency and performance.

To date, Orca AI has accumulated more than 20 million nautical miles worth of marine visual data from its customers, including NYK, Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC), and Maran Group.

Gross adds that Orca AI’s automated watchkeeping capabilities can be particularly helpful for Japanese ship owners and operators in view of the ongoing shortage of skilled seafarers amid a fast-aging population and the reluctance of younger generations to pursue demanding careers at sea.

This is not the first time that Orca AI has worked together with an industry-leading Japanese partner. In 2022, Orca AI and NYK Group completed a successful autonomous voyage trial in congested waters off Japan’s east coast through the Designing the Future of Full Autonomous Ships (DFFAS) consortium, which includes 30 Japanese firms.

About Orca AI:

Founded in 2018, Orca AI is the creator of the world’s first-of-its-kind automated situational awareness platform to maximize voyage safety and operational efficiency for ships and fleets.

Powered by maritime purpose-built AI and computer vision technologies, the Orca AI platform empowers crew to make data-driven decisions in congested waters and in low visibility conditions. Additionally, it allows fleet managers and operators to have a better understanding of their fleets’ performance and identify unsafe or risky and inefficient behaviors easily.

In 2022, Orca AI empowered the world’s first commercial autonomous voyage in partnership with Designing the Future of Full Autonomous Ships (DFFAS) and The Nippon Foundation. 

Orca AI’s solution is already utilized by leading shipping companies worldwide, including SeaSpan, NYK, and MSC.

For more information visit https://www.orca-ai.io/

About Marubeni Corporation

Marubeni Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries use their broad business networks, both within Japan and overseas, to conduct importing and exporting (including third-country trading), as well as domestic business, encompassing a diverse range of business activities across wide-ranging fields including lifestyle, IT solutions, food, agri-business, forest products, chemicals, metals & mineral resources, energy, power, infrastructure project, aerospace & ship, finance, leasing & real estate business, construction, industrial machinery & mobility, next generation business development and next generation corporate development. Additionally, the Marubeni Group offers a variety of services, makes internal and external investments, and is involved in resource development throughout all of the above industries.

For more information visit https://www.marubeni.com/en/

TGT Diagnostics announced it has signed an agreement to build a new technology hub in Abu Dhabi. The category leader in diagnostics for the hydrocarbon energy sector said it will make a significant investment in a new state-of-the-art facility under an agreement with Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi KEZAD Group.

The new UAE facility is a major investment for TGT as it moves to strengthen its ties with customers and partners in the Gulf region and beyond. With the aim of being fully functional by year-end, the new technology hub will be home to TGT’s scientific and engineering resources, research and development, information technology, software and AI development, manufacturing, maintenance, quality assurance, and headquarter functions.

Saad Bargach, TGT’s Chief Executive Officer commented, “At TGT, we provide essential diagnostics that help our customers keep wells safe, clean, and productive. Our new technology hub will, for the first time, bring together our R&D, engineering, manufacturing, and corporate functions under one roof. This will enable several synergies and provide the perfect platform for future growth. With growth plans in mind, we will recruit and develop the best talent at all levels of the organization and continue to develop the category-leading diagnostic systems we are famous for.”

As well as expanding TGT’s network in the region, the new high-tech manufacturing center within the hub will enable the company to meet the ever-growing demand for its unique diagnostic systems and products across the Americas, Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The company is on target to launch its first full production series of UAE-made diagnostic systems by 2024.

About TGT Diagnostics

TGT Diagnostics creates powerful diagnostics that are essential to the delivery of hydrocarbons and energy. Oil and gas producers globally rely on TGT’s technology and products to help them decarbonize their operations and keep wells safe, clean, and productive. The company is headquartered in the UAE and has offices and operations in multiple locations including Africa, North & South America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

Subsea resourcing specialist DRIFT Offshore, which provides people and expert support services for projects internationally, has struck a partnership agreement to deliver technical training on Seatronics’ industry-leading VALOR ROV system.

The collaboration with subsea technology provider Seatronics, a brand in Acteon’s Data and Robotics division, will serve to sustain a pool of skilled and competent pilots and demonstrates DRIFT Offshore’s training capabilities within its wider service offering.

The VALOR ROV technology is among the most up-to-date on the subsea market, bridging the gap between Observation Class and Work Class ROVs by using a network-based operating system and advanced sensor control.

Kyle Pitman, Founder and Director at DRIFT Offshore, says: “Our partnership with Seatronics gives us a new opportunity to show how our quality training services can support the industry and pilots in achieving their goals.

“The deployment of the latest technology by competent individuals is key to delivering safe and successful projects, increasing operational efficiency and reducing downtime.

“It is an integrated option for service providers, who can source the VALOR ROV from Seatronics and fully qualified operating personnel from DRIFT Offshore, and a welcome means for pilots to augment their skill set.

“For DRIFT Offshore it will create a pipeline of pilots trained on the VALOR ROV, broadening our personnel offering which already extends across a wide range of equipment and sectors.

“We are delighted to be working with Seatronics, which has an exceptional reputation in the subsea electronics market, to move the industry’s skills agenda forward in this way.”

DRIFT Offshore is to lead the training courses in both the UK and the USA, utilizing the VALOR ROV and Seatronics test tanks.

Derek Donaldson – Seatronics Group Managing Director said: “Seatronics are delighted to enter into this partnership with DRIFT Offshore. The VALOR ROV offers the market a cutting-edge solution that positively disrupts the observation class market. It is imperative that the operators are fully trained on the system so that they can utilize the built-in technology to its full potential to ensure that they optimize the pilot experience. DRIFT Offshore offers a range of advanced training courses and VALOR fits well into their portfolio.”

Kyle Pitman adds: “The partnership strengthens the holistic approach DRIFT Offshore takes to creating the skills the subsea industry needs, and reflects our progressive approach. By working with individuals – from those starting out to the most experienced personnel – to map out their careers, we ensure they have a plan in place to equip them with the skills and hands-on experience they will need for the future.”

About DRIFT Offshore

DRIFT Offshore provides people and expert support services for safe and successful project execution. It offers the complete package: competent personnel, quality training, technical expertise, crewing and management services, and strategic resource planning.

DRIFT Offshore people are proven in solving complex problems and keeping operations on track.

DRIFT Offshore is a subsea resourcing alternative based on a unique combination of fresh thinking and years of front-line global experience.

www.driftoffshore.com

About Seatronics

Seatronics, a brand in Acteon’s Data and Robotics Division is the industry’s leading technology specialist in subsea electronics. Seatronics provides marine electronic equipment to the global subsea market via rental/hire and purchase options.

Seatronics are trusted by its clients to provide innovative technologies and to develop bespoke solutions utilizing our vast experience of subsea electronics, integrating and packaging equipment to meet varying subsea challenges.

Their latest development, the VALOR, is the most powerful observation ROV available.

In addition to equipment rental and sales, Seatronics offers a number of trusted services including manufacturing subsea connector and cable assemblies, asset management and state-of-the-art calibration facilities.

www.acteon.com

The Net Zero Project supports the development of clean growth strategies and projects in priority areas of Canada’s net zero journey as they relate to its offshore energy industry: carbon capture, utilization, and storage; electrification and renewable energy; and hydrogen.

The Net Zero initiative includes a range of activities, such as:

• Developing a roadmap for achieving net-zero emissions in Newfoundland and Labrador by 2050.
  
• Establishing a network of organizations committed to the transition to a net-zero economy.
  
• Conducting research and analysis to identify opportunities for reducing emissions and developing new technologies.
  
• Providing training and support to businesses and organizations to help them reduce their carbon footprint.

THE NET ZERO ELECTRIFICATION FEASIBILITY STUDY

Aker Solutions is a market leader in both offshore greenfield and offshore brownfield electrification of oil
and gas facilities through studies and projects in Norway, Scotland, Gulf of Mexico, Australia and Brazil.
Aker has taken the learnings from these activities and applied them to potential developments offshore
Newfoundland and Labrador.

Offshore platforms typically generate electricity by burning fossil fuels to run onboard gas turbines and/or
diesel-powered generating units. An alternative is to supply offshore installations with electricity from the
mainland using a power cable transmission system.

There are many benefits to utilizing power from the shore including reduced CO2 emissions, increased efficiency due to increased uptime of power system, increased safety due to reduction in possible sources of ignition and reduced planned maintenance and lower operating costs.

Power can be connected from shore via alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC). For distances longer than 150 km, high voltage direct current (HVDC) has historically been used. The power transmission losses of the entire string do however always need to be considered from an overall perspective.

Power from shore is widely used offshore Norway where sixteen fields constituting 45% of the countries’ oil and gas production will be connected to the shore by 2023 by both HVDC and AC cables. Similar to
Newfoundland and Labrador, Norway’s electrical grid is predominantly powered by low GHG emitting
hydroelectric power. This project aims to apply lessons learned from the Norwegian power from shore
experience to future developments in the more challenging offshore environment of Newfoundland and
Labrador.

Offshore developments in Norway are typically in 100-400m water depth, and generally within 150km of
shore, whereas the potential development areas identified in this scope are in iceberg-prone locations more than 400km offshore and in water depths greater than 1200m. This water depth leads to floating solutions that have to be readily able to disconnect in the event of a potential iceberg impact. The only FPSO currently powered from shore in Norway is the permanently moored circular Goliat FPSO located in 400m of water and 100km offshore, in an area that is not prone to icebergs.

POWER FROM SHORE SCENARIOS

Two potential greenfield power from shore development scenarios have been identified; a development in the West Orphan Basin with a point of interconnection (POI) at the Soldiers Pond station, and a potential development in the Labrador Sea with a POI at the Muskrat Falls generating station (See Figure 3-1: Potential Power From Shore Development Areas).

Aker’s analysis indicates that electrifying new floating developments in these locations is challenging but feasible. These developments would be amongst the furthest from shore and deepest water electrification projects carried out to date.

The most appropriate technology for these locations is low-frequency AC distribution with subsea transformers acting as distribution points to the FPSO. The diagrams below are a representation of the preferred LFAC approaches.

LFAC power from Shore Transmission System for 2xFPSOs

Representation of an LFAC power from shore transmission system for 4xFPSOs

The development of this initiative points toward the use of a Low-Frequency AC transmission and distribution system. This transmission technology will require less onboard space, reduced weight, and offer more flexibility in the electrical system design of the FPSO because major equipment, such as a gas compressor, can utilize the incoming 20Hz power and smaller converters and transformers can feed the remaining equipment as necessary.

This will lead to reductions in regular maintenance, and increases in system uptime as the system does not require the maintenance or downtime associated with main power generation by onboard rotating machines.

This system would require an onshore connection to the power grid and equipment to step down the voltage between 132kV and 145kV for subsea transmission. It also requires a subsea cable connected to a subsea transformer for distribution to multiple FPSOs, and to step down the power from the transmission voltage to 50-66kV, for use on each FPSO. It would also require dynamic cables from the sea bed to the FPSO, and will require the use of an electrical swivel if a ship-shaped FPSO concept is selected.

To review the full report click here

Blackline Safety Corp., a global leader in connected safety technology, announced the launch of its first European Union-based service center.

As Blackline has achieved 118% revenue growth over the last two years in Europe, the service center is designed to meet heightened customer demand across the region. The facility occupies a dedicated area within Blackline’s French site, strategically located in the industrial heart of north-eastern France near Lille, and is staffed by an established in-house team of technical and product specialists. Blackline will provide local customer service and offer rentals for Europe out of the center.

“With an expanding customer base across Europe, Blackline recognizes the need for dedicated regional support in the EU,” said Simon Rich, Sales Director, Blackline Safety Europe. “Our connected safety wearables and area gas monitors offer a high degree of configurability for a variety of job functions and situations, as well as over-the-air firmware updates which can significantly reduce downtime and the cost and complexity of fleet management. The ability to offer hands-on service and device maintenance on the continent should the need for service or repair arise, is key to keeping those devices out in the field where they belong, for the maximum possible time.”

The launch coincides with successful quality and environmental audits of Blackline Safety Europe’s existing ISO 9001 Quality Management and ISO 14001 Environmental Management standards in both its flagship facility in Colchester, United Kingdom and its French office, demonstrating the company’s continued commitment to operating sustainably and delivering top quality products and systems.

The new service center will also support Blackline Safety’s rental offering in Europe, starting in late spring. Already established in North America, Blackline offers rental options for its complete portfolio of connected personal gas detectors, area monitors, lone worker wearables and accessories – all of which include Blackline Live online reporting and analytics software. Understanding the unpredictability of work and the importance of staying on budget, Blackline’s rental program is designed to offer users full flexibility, taking a consultative approach to ensure a well-planned and customized safety solution that provides maximum protection for every project.

About Blackline Safety

Blackline Safety is a technology leader driving innovation in the industrial workforce through IoT (Internet of Things). With connected safety devices and predictive analytics, Blackline Safety enables companies to drive towards zero safety incidents and improved operational performance. Blackline Safety provides wearable devices, personal and area gas monitoring, cloud-connected software and data analytics to meet demanding safety challenges and enhance overall productivity for organizations with coverage in more than 100 countries. Armed with cellular and satellite connectivity, Blackline Safety provides a lifeline to tens of thousands of people, having reported over 200 billion data points and initiated over five million emergency alerts.

For more information, visit BlacklineSafety.com and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

BiSN, a leading supplier of downhole sealing solutions and technology to the global oil and gas industry, announced that it has been awarded a key contract by a major oil and gas operator in the North Sea.

The contract requires BiSN to use its proprietary Wel-lok™ alloy barrier technology to safely and efficiently plug and abandon oil and gas wells in the North Sea.

Environmentally friendly, permanent well-barrier & gas-tight seal technology 

BiSN signed a three-year contract, which features two one-year extensions, to provide this operator with Wel-lok™ alloy plugs for its ongoing offshore UK P&A campaign in the North Sea. The technology is a cost-effective and environmentally-driven solution that provides a permanent well-barrier and gas-tight seal in single and multiple annuli.

The scope of work includes providing BiSN Wel-lok™ alloy plug barrier technology, which ensures a permanent plugging and abandonment of oil and gas wells so that they are securely and reliably sealed, vastly reducing corporate liability and potential environmental impact. BiSN’s industry-leading alloy plugs are a superior solution compared with conventional technology that uses cement, elastomers, resin, or others as sealing elements that deteriorate over time, particularly in harsh environments.

“We are pleased and very excited that BiSN has been awarded this major contract. This is another step forward in the execution of our company mission to provide unique barrier solutions that protect the earth’s natural resources”, said Paul Carragher, Founder and CEO of BiSN. “Our strategic objectives, which include providing our novel technology and best-in-class services, focus on working collaboratively with our customers to support and exceed their well-abandonment objectives.”

“This award recognizes BiSN’s differentiating technology and capabilities to deliver a permanent well barrier in challenging offshore oil and gas wells,” said Mark Nicol, BiSN Regional Business Development Manager – UK, Europe & Africa. “We look forward to collaborating with this operator and all associated stakeholders to successfully complete this project.”

Successful performance in the North Sea

BiSN has been actively supporting customers operating in the UK and Norwegian North Sea since 2017.  Its largest-ever operation utilizing Wel-lok™ alloy plug barrier technology in the region featured a 30-well campaign carried out on Valhall field on behalf of AkerBP, which was completed in 2021.  The technology is now used on 30 wells on the Valhall field, providing safer, permanent well plugging.

About BiSN

Founded in 2010, BiSN’s unique Performance Barrier Technologies allow operators to solve unwanted downhole flow issues once and for all – sealing across the life of the well with confidence to assure uptime, improve production, extend well life, protect the environment and ultimately abandon safely.

BiSN provides specialist downhole sealing solutions and services with its patented Wel-lok™ sealing technology to the global oil and gas industry. BiSN supports its customers from its headquarters in Warrington, England, operations facilities in Houston-Texas and Calgary-Alberta, and its growing network of sales and support offices in Aberdeen-Scotland, Abu Dhabi-United Arab Emirates, and Perth-Western Australia.

The Smart DP Transmitter provides multiple measurements ranging from -5 PSI (-138 inH2O) to 5 PSI (138 inH2O) through -1500 PSI (-41520 inH2O) to 1500 PSI (41520 inH2O) with a reference accuracy of ±0.075% of full span. It offers up to a 100:1 turndown ratio while all models support Primary Value (PV) reversal (high side / low side) except for the 1500 PSI option.  For seamless integration, the DP Transmitter can be ordered with an output option of 1-5V, 4-20mA, 4-20mA/HART, or RS485 Modbus.  All models carry the Explosion-Proof rating, while the 4-20 mA/HART model can be ordered with the optional Intrinsically Safe rating.  The new DP Transmitter is provided with our signature highly visible backlit, 350° rotatable LCD screen. In addition, magnetically coupled integral pushbuttons are provided both internally and externally for ease of use.  Configuring the transmitter is effortless with an easy-to-navigate menu system.  

“The rapid adoption of our H Series platform has only reinforced the market’s need for cost-effective, high-performance process instrumentation with advanced features. OleumTech is continuing to innovate and, while we are excited about the release of the DP Transmitter, we are equally excited about our product road map and the releases expected over the coming months,” said Brent McAdams, OleumTech Executive Vice President.

Smart Differential Pressure Transmitter Highlights:

• Nominal pressure range options:
  5, 30, 150, 400, 1500 PSI /
  138, 830, 4152, 11072, 41520 inH2O
• Reference accuracy: ±0.075% of full span
• Stability: ±0.2% Upper Range Limit / 5 years
• Output signal options:
         1-5 V
         4-20 mA
         4-20 mA/HART
         RS485 Modbus
• Adjustable span, Turndown ratio of 100:1 (accuracy not affected at TD ratio of 10:1 and below)
• Backlit, 350°-rotatable LCD
• Push button configuration
• Diaphragm option: Hastelloy C or 316L SS
• Explosion-Proof (standard on all models)

Intrinsically Safe (optional on 4-20mA/HART model only)

About OleumTech

OleumTech® is a leading manufacturer of wireless industrial automation, IoT, and machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions. For the past two decades, OleumTech has set the performance standards in M2M and IIoT communications with over 550,000 transmitters and 50,000 networks deployed.  Their versatile products are distributed globally in oil and gas, refining/petrochemical, water/wastewater, and IoT industries, as well as other industries that require industrially-hardened, battery-powered sensors and I/O networks. Headquartered in Foothill Ranch, CA, OleumTech is an ISO 9001-certified organization with a full commitment to excellence in delivering superior quality, reliability, and customer satisfaction.

For more information, visit www.oleumtech.com and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

IWS SIMOPS app integrates data to improve customer viewing and analysis

IWS and Corva decided to work together to bridge the industry need for improved HSE performance at the frac site and enhanced capital efficiency while pumping. “By working with Corva, which is the leader in accelerating real-time drilling and completions digital solutions, we were able to leverage Corva’s Dev Center to create a high-quality app in jIWS and Corva decided to work together to bridge the industry need for improved HSE performance at the frac site and enhanced capital efficiency while pumping. “By working with Corva, which is the leader in accelerating real-time drilling and completions digital solutions, we were able to leverage Corva’s Dev Center to create a high-quality app in just a third of the standard production time,” said William Standifird, CEO of IWS.  “The new SIMOPS app integrates data from IWS sensors into an easy-to-use format, improving how customers can view and utilize this vital information,” he added.

The new IWS SIMOPS app is now available on the Corva App Store. The app provides real-time visualizations of the frac tree and wellheads that improve wellsite operational and safety performance.

“With the launch of SIMOPS, digital innovators like IWS are able to build and scale robust industry solutions in a fraction of the time on the Corva App Store, a rapidly expanding ecosystem of Corva and third-party apps that supports 7,000 daily users globally,” said Ryan Dawson, Founder, and CEO of Corva. “The Corva App Store has become a catalyst for digital oilfield innovation, fast-tracking the deployment of new solutions that drive operational performance and wellsite safety to new levels. The pairing of IWS with Corva’s industry-leading user experience and app delivery platform is a perfect example of what we are achieving through collaboration with many more exciting opportunities for joint innovation on the horizon.”

Looking ahead, customers of both IWS and Corva will benefit.  Not only do they have access to technologies that save time and money by optimizing workflows, but they can now better view critical wellsite data, making it possible to act upon that data more rapidly.

About Intelligent Wellhead Systems (IWS)

The InVision™ platform for Completion operations, from Intelligent Wellhead Systems, improves wellsite safety and efficiency with Wellsite Instrumentation, Digital Valve Controls, and Remote Monitoring solutions. Utilizing its customer’s standard operating procedures, IWS creates a Digital Handshake™ to minimize human errors during operations activities.  Learn more via the company’s website – www.bettercompletions.com or email info@bettercompletions.com.

About Corva

Headquartered in Houston, Corva is the App Store for Oil & Gas that empowers operators and service companies with more than 150 apps delivered over the web and natively on mobile devices. The software developer pioneered a first-of-its-kind cloud-based platform to monitor drilling and completion operations in real-time, avoid hazards, maximize crew performance, and drive quantifiable capital efficiency. Corva’s software products support wellsite operations worldwide on hundreds of rigs and from remote operations centers. Accelerating the expansion of its app store, Corva Dev Center enables oil & gas users or third-party developers to rapidly create low-code apps of their own and deploy them to support their operational needs, reducing development cycles from months to days. For more information, please visit www.corva.ai.

Over the top?

Xeneta’s benchmarking and market analytics platform, which aggregates data from leading global shippers and freight forwarders, shows that new long-term contracted rates are actually starting to drop on key trading corridors, following on the heels of declining spot prices. However, due to the fact they’re replacing expiring agreements with considerably lower rates, the average paid by all shippers is still climbing. The question is, for how long?

“There’s no doubt the major carriers have had it their way in negotiations for some time,” notes Patrik Berglund, Xeneta CEO. “The spectacular results they saw in 2021 will no doubt be repeated, and even bettered, this year, as seen by the huge profits that defined many Q2 financial reports. But there is a sense that change is in the air.”

Uncertainty ahead

He continues: “Volumes are dropping and, as expected, long-term rates are beginning to follow the trend set by the spot market. When you add in an uncertain macroeconomic outlook, continuing supply chain issues – such as the industrial action we’ve seen occurring, or threatened, in major ports in Germany, the UK, and the US – and disruption in China due to the zero-COVID policy it’s an unpleasant cocktail for the industry to swallow.

“In addition, you also have problems seemingly exacerbated by climate change, with low water levels impacting both power and factory production, as well as hinterland logistics chains. How will this challenge the longer-term outlook for carriers that have begun to look ‘bulletproof’? The data will reveal all, so, to get the best value in negotiations, stay tuned.”

Uniform trend

For the time being, however, the latest container rates intelligence follows a development path well-trodden over the last couple of years. According to the XSI®, all major indicators, across all key routes, are still resolutely pointing upwards.

In Europe, the import benchmark grew by 2% month-on-month, an 82.6% increase against August 2021. Exports were even stronger, climbing 7.3% from July. Exports out of the far East showed a 2.7% rise across August and have now rocketed by 90% this year alone. The curve in imports has not been so precipitous in 2022 (climbing by 40.4% this calendar year), but the last month saw a strong, 4.3% rates rise.

The US is an interesting market, states Berglund, as the shift in volumes from the West Coast to the East simply transfers an issue it was conceived to solve.

Difficult decisions

He explains: “Carriers and shippers looking to avoid West Coast port congestion moved East and, lo and behold, the congestion issues shifted coasts too. We now have a situation where schedule reliability is improving in the West, while container rates fall, whereas the opposite is true in the East. However, do stakeholders want to risk moving back West, especially when unresolved union talks may threaten any perceived benefits? It’ll be another case of watch this space.”

As far as August was concerned, both import and export indicators climbed for the region, with imports up 6% (a huge 183.2% year-on-year increase) and exports rising 7.1% (42.5% higher than August 2021).

Oslo-based Xeneta’s unique software platform compiles the latest ocean and air freight rate data aggregated worldwide to deliver powerful market insights. Participating companies include ABB, Electrolux, Continental, Unilever, Nestle, L’Oréal, Thyssenkrupp, Volvo Group, and John Deere, amongst others.

About Xeneta

Xeneta is the leading ocean and air freight rate benchmarking and market analytics platform transforming the shipping and supply chain industry. Xeneta’s powerful reporting and analytics platform provide liner-shipping and air cargo stakeholders the data they need to understand current and historical market behavior – reporting live on market average and low/high movements for both short and long-term contracts. Xeneta’s data is comprised of over 300 million contracted container shipping and air freight rates and covers over 160,000 global trade routes. Xeneta is a privately held company with headquarters in Oslo, Norway, and regional offices in New Jersey, USA, and Hamburg, Germany. To learn more, please visit www.xeneta.com

The agreement will bring together the wealth of data collected by Danelec’s advanced internet-of-things (IoT) vessel infrastructure with NAVTOR’s NavFleet performance management and optimization platform. This combined collection and analytics solution will, the partners explain, allow users to empower new standards of sustainability, compliance, and cost-efficient operations.

Simply powerful 

“Danelec, through its decades of expertise with VDR (Voyage Data Recorder), Ship Performance Monitoring (via Kyma), and ECDIS technology, is a world leader in collecting a comprehensive range of critical vessel operational data,” comments Arild Risholm Sæther, CBDO NavFleet, NAVTOR. “On the other hand, we at NAVTOR have built our reputation delivering digital innovations that make shipping simpler, safer, smarter, and more efficient for our customers. NavFleet is the epitome of that.

“Bringing Danelec and NAVTOR’s specialisms together allows NavFleet to turn a wealth of real-time data into better operational understanding and business performance. Suddenly teams onshore and vessels are working as one, with full operational insight and awareness, and the ability to constantly manage, refine and optimize performance. It puts management firmly in control of their worldwide fleets, empowered by high-quality, validated data and the analytical tools to really utilize it. Administration duties are also slashed, with automated reporting, and compliance is simplified. We see this as nothing short of a game-changer.”

Automating excellence

Danelec’s data collection and connectivity modules, installed on over 10,000 vessels worldwide, collect real-time data ranging from ship AIS to radar, main alarm systems, engine and propellor performance, speed logs, anemometers, and much more. Its agnostic IoT infrastructure can interface with any sensor-data source. NavFleet, meanwhile, will use that data to help on-shore teams continually monitor and optimize performance – refining operations, troubleshooting, and benchmarking across entire fleets.

 In addition, the collected data is auto-populated into reporting forms slashing administration, eradicating human error, and making compliance easy and robust, with high-frequency data collection. NAVTOR also applies an industry-unique process of dual layer validation for data, with machine validation followed by human validation, with engineers checking for reporting errors or instrument calibration issues.

“Decisions are only ever as good as the data they’re based on,” Sæther adds, “and we want to ensure our customers have the market’s most reliable information at their disposal, for optimal competitive advantage.”

Shared values and vision 

Speaking of the decision to partner with NAVTOR, Christian Kock, Chief Commercial Officer at Danelec, comments: “We have focused on creating the industry’s leading highly flexible, low-cost onboard data acquisition and 2-way IoT communications and cloud-based infrastructure. That is our specialism. We, therefore, look to collaborate with external experts to help our customers take the next step – unlocking the value of auto-logged data and releasing operational benefits, on board or on shore, for decarbonization, maintenance, fuel savings, and many other purposes. NAVTOR seems like the ideal choice in that respect.

“We look forward both to working together, and to seeing the benefits our customers can realize from this partnership.”

About NAVTOR

NAVTOR is the world’s leading supplier of ENCs and e-Navigation innovations (with products and services on over 8000 vessels) and a pioneer in advanced vessel performance monitoring and optimization solutions. The Norwegian-headquartered firm has a network of nine office locations, more than 20 international distributors, and customers from over 60 different countries. www.navtor.com

About Danelec

Danelec simplifies data capture for ship owners, enabling them to future-proof their fleet and compete effectively in tomorrow’s data-dependent, net-zero economy. The company develops technologies to optimize the safety, cost, and performance of marine operations as a leading manufacturer of Voyage Data Recorders (VDR), Ship Performance Monitoring (Kyma), and provider of IoT infrastructure and ship performance monitoring solutions, with products installed on more than 10,000 vessels worldwide.

Danelec is committed to providing the most effective products and services that help customers meet changing regulations and to operate more efficiently through the application of data collected on board and accessed in the cloud.

With offices in Denmark, Norway, Greece, Germany, Poland, Singapore, South Korea, and China as well as over 600 factory-trained personnel in more than 50 countries worldwide, Danelec has a truly global presence ensuring reliable, cost-efficient, and fast service and support to our customers anywhere. www.danelec.com

The new orders include:

• A 1.4 MW long-term rental contract that is to be deployed in early 2023 in Louisiana,
• An additional six C65 microturbines totaling 390kW of rental power in the U.S. shale fields, and
• Another 400kW of power generation to an oil and gas operator on the North Slopes of Alaska at an existing rental location.

“This 2.2 MW rental expansion into the oil and gas market further diversifies the rental fleet’s customer base, now covering all major market verticals: oil and gas, agriculture, hospitality, data centers as well as commercial and industrial sites. The rental program eases access to Capstone’s premium product, allowing customers to enjoy the benefits of clean, low cost, reliable power where capital is limited or competing for other spends,” said Marc Rouse, Capstone Green Energy’s Sales Director.

“Capstone is seeing strong customer demand across industries for its EaaS long-term rental services, which had 7 MW under contract in March 2021, 26 MW under contract in March 2022, and 34 MW under contract at the end of July,” said Darren Jamison, President and Chief Executive Officer of Capstone Green Energy. “The successful closing of our $8 million underwritten public offering combined with sourcing additional re-rent units allows us to continue to focus on achieving our previously announced next target of a 50 MW rental fleet, including re-rentals.”

The 1.4 MW solution, which features a Capstone Green Energy C800 and C600 Signature Series microturbine will replace an existing rental reciprocating Genset and produce clean and reliable electricity using natural gas directly from the pipeline. The power generated by the microturbines will provide 100 percent of the electricity needed to power on-site pumping equipment such as coolers, motors, pumps, and lights, in addition to an on-site office.

The facility operators wanted a modular, reliable, and cost-effective solution to replace their high-maintenance reciprocating Genset. The microturbines, which have only one moving part and use no consumables or lubricants, are a low-maintenance solution, which is a key benefit given the site’s remote location. Compared to the former gensets, the new microturbine solution will operate with N+1 redundancy and can be easily expanded.

The additional C65 rental contracts will be deployed across various oil and gas sites and be fueled by natural gas directly from the well sites. This allows customers to keep operational costs low by avoiding extra fuel-cleaning equipment and significantly reducing the negative impact on the environment.

“Facing growing pressure to address climate change, oil and gas companies are pledging to prepare for a ‘lower-carbon’ future. For many, that involves investing in new technologies and infrastructure that can support new, greener ways of generating electricity. These are the key areas in which Capstone Green Energy has built its business and where it continues to innovate,” concluded Jamison.

About Capstone Green Energy

Capstone Green Energy is a leading provider of customized microgrid solutions and on-site energy technology systems focused on helping customers around the globe meet their environmental, energy savings, and resiliency goals. Capstone Green Energy focuses on four key business lines. Through its Energy as a Service (EaaS) business, it offers rental solutions utilizing its microturbine energy systems and battery storage systems, comprehensive Factory Protection Plan (FPP) service contracts that guarantee life-cycle costs, as well as aftermarket parts. Energy Generation Technologies (EGT) is driven by the Company’s industry-leading, highly efficient, low-emission, resilient microturbine energy systems offering scalable solutions in addition to a broad range of customer-tailored solutions, including hybrid energy systems and larger frame industrial turbines. The Energy Storage Solutions (ESS) business line designs and installs microgrid storage systems creating customized solutions using a combination of battery technologies and monitoring software. Through Hydrogen & Sustainable Products (H2S), Capstone Green Energy offers customers a variety of hydrogen products, including the Company’s microturbine energy systems.

To date, Capstone has shipped over 10,000 units to 83 countries and estimates that in FY22, it saved customers over $213 million in annual energy costs and approximately 388,000 tons of carbon. Total savings over the last four years are estimated to be approximately $911 million in energy savings and approximately 1,503,100 tons of carbon savings.

For more information about the Company, please visit www.CapstoneGreenEnergy.com. Follow Capstone Green Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

The new GT2c (cellular) and GT2h (cellular+satellite hybrid) trackers join the satellite-only GT2s as key additions to Geoforce’s already comprehensive suite of tracking solutions for Canadian businesses operating non-powered assets and powered equipment. The full line of intrinsically safe, solar-powered GT2 devices provides customers with a wide range of device reporting configurations, over-the-air reporting profile update capabilities, and industrial-strength durability in even the harshest conditions and most remote locations.  

“The addition of the GT2c and the GT2h to our long-lasting, rugged line of tracking devices reinforces Geoforce’s position as a global leader in asset traceability solutions,” said James Maclean III, CEO of Geoforce. “Our GT2 devices underscore Geoforce’s promise that your assets and opportunities can always be in view. We can confidently say that our expanded GT2 line is raising the bar on asset visibility and rugged reliability for our customers around the world.”

The new GT2c device operates on LTE-M low-power cellular IoT networks, offering an optimal solution for operators utilizing assets in the cellular service range and who need cost-effective tracking.

The new GT2h device provides a unique hybrid solution that operates on cellular networks where available but automatically switches to global Iridium-powered satellite connectivity if cellular coverage is lost.                                   

All GT2 devices also offer seamless integration with the company’s mobile-enabled Track and Trace software. This field asset management platform gives operations, equipment, and fleet management leaders critical visibility into their assets deployed on- or off-road, helping them improve operational efficiencies and prevent asset loss or theft.

About Geoforce:

Combining a cloud-based software platform with ruggedized GPS tracking devices, Geoforce’s Track and Trace solutions bring control to even the most remote field operations. Our asset tracking devices are built for the world’s toughest field operators in oil and gas, equipment rental, rail, construction, mining, transportation, government/defense, and agriculture. Today more than 1,300 customers track 160,000+ assets in more than 90 countries. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Geoforce operates a research and development office in Bozeman, Montana, and sales and support offices throughout the U.S. and in Brazil, Australia, and Canada. For more information, visit https://geoforce.com

Mitigating corrosion risk is critical not just in the short term but over the lifelong journey of your assets. So how do you ensure that your industrial projects remain corrosion-free and leave you feeling confident about the safety and production of your assets? This is a question that plagued Ken Wang, President of Harber Coatings.

Ken recalls the years of company growth, “This year, Harber Coatings Inc (HCI) is proud to celebrate 20 years in Canada. HCI has been a leader in Electroless Nickel Coating/Plating since 2002. The formula for the company’s success comes from transferring academic results into consistent large-scale industrial production whereby the lifetime of assets is corrosion-free and project safe.”

Facility Protection – Certainty to Your Investment

From its humble beginnings in a small workshop in Inglewood, Calgary, today HCI is headquartered in the esteemed Calgary Foothills Industrial Park. The company is now the industry leader in high-tech, peak-performance metal surface protection. The HCI facility occupies over 20,000 square feet of production area and boasts some of the largest ENC processing equipment in the world. This location also includes R&D facilities funded by the National Research Council of Canada and continues to develop innovative technologies.

Ken explains the process, “We are proud to say that over the years, Harber has developed a series of high-performance corrosion and erosion protection solutions for the Oil and Gas industry. In addition to the flagship InnoGuard™ ENC, there are a few other R&D projects ongoing.”

Material Science Applied to Steel

Steel has excellent material properties when guarded against corrosion and other wear challenges, and as such many protective coating options have been developed over the years. Prominent examples include paint, epoxy, polymer/powder coat, galvanizing, thermal spray, metal overlay as well as ENC/ENP. A persistent challenge for all these established products has been performance in severe environments, specifically the tendency to accelerate the rate of wear once the coating starts to develop damage.

Ken explains how they provide clients with long-term results, “We’ve mitigated corrosion risk and combatted coating failure with HCI’s InnoGuard™ ENC. It is a unique product that has outstanding wear properties and exceptional bonding to the substrate material. This means when failure of the coating eventually occurs, there is no accelerated corrosion from galvanic or crevice corrosion developing underneath the coating. InnoGuard™ protected parts dramatically extend the life of assets and minimize the risk of unplanned shutdowns.”

Harber Coatings Offers Long-Term Solutions As The Key To Success

Harber Coatings is the world leader in ENC/ENP process by coating performance, production scale, and ESG. HCI’s proprietary coating products do not flake even under severe mechanical impacts. The HCI team specializes in large-scale components such as full-length tubing and casing pipes. The production is highly efficient and environmentally friendly compared to conventional ENC as there is minimal industrial waste generation.

HCI’s product offerings are further differentiated by a complementary application assessment and performance guarantee. Specific to each application, HCI provides design alteration advice (if applicable) and a guarantee on the lifespan of the coated component for the specific service condition based on provided design parameters and its database of past applications. This creates certainty in the investment and long-term protection of energy assets.

Harber Coatings Inc. continues to succeed in serving oil and gas clients with high-tech research and development. ENC (Electroless Nickel Coating), and/or ENP (Electroless Nickel Plating) are foundational cornerstones of long-term corrosion-proofing processes with life-of-asset results.

With unique advantages in transferring academic results to industrial applications, Harber has developed a series of coating solution formulas and proprietary processing technologies that will serve the industrial sector for years to come. Congratulations Harber Coatings Inc on your long-term corrosion success!

Source and Photos: Harbercoatings.com

These operations, which were carried out on six continents, from Alaska to Australia, across The Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia, took place in a range of challenging conditions.  For every job, the BiSN team rose to the occasion, regardless of location, well deviation, or type of well: onshore, offshore, high temperature, or high pressure.

By providing critical production enhancement, intervention, completion, and plug and abandonment services using its patented Wel-lok™ sealing technology, BiSN reduced costs, improved production, and dramatically extended the life of hundreds of wells.

The sealing solution forms a gas-tight (v0) seal

How do they achieve this? Traditional sealing practices in downhole technology typically involve using unreliable elastomer and cement solutions that are not easy to apply or environmentally friendly.  By working with specially developed chemical reaction heaters to carefully melt unique bismuth-based eutectic alloys into plugs, BiSN developed its Wel-lok technology to create a bismuth plug that is not only safer but much more reliable and easier to deploy. It makes it possible to form a gas-tight (v0) seal and with a density that is 10 times higher than water it effectively displaces all wellbore fluids.

Deep, varied experience in the field

Paul Carragher, CEO of BiSN said, “As operators strive to address downhole flow issues safely, increasing production while reducing costs, we have made it our mission to help them achieve this.  We have extensive real-world experience in applying this method.  As a result of carrying out more than 300 deployments globally, we know how to successfully use our technology to complete operations aimed at enhancing production, completions, plug and abandonment, and intervention.  These jobs represent operations carried out for many repeat customers, illustrating the value and confidence they continue to place in our work.”

To help operators tackle complex challenges downhole, BiSN draws upon its varied experience and services.  These range from shutting off water production and isolating zones to setting a gas-tight plug, repairing damaged casing or tubing, and permanently sealing multiple annuli, among others.

The road ahead

While the company continues to provide downhole sealing solutions to new and existing customers in the US, Canada, and Australia, BiSN is actively expanding in Europe and Africa.  The recent opening of its office in Aberdeen, Scotland, and recruiting campaign are critical arms of this plan to become the leading supplier of downhole sealing solutions to the global oil and gas industry.

About BiSN

BiSN provides specialist downhole sealing solutions and services with its patented Wel-lok™ sealing technology to the global oil and gas industry.   Founded in 2011, BiSN supports its customers from its headquarters in Warrington, England, operations and technology facilities in Houston-Texas, and its growing network of sales and support offices in Aberdeen-Scotland, Abu Dhabi-United Arab Emirates, Calgary-Alberta, and Perth-Western Australia.

Commenting on the promotion, PDS Managing Director Kevin Langan comments, “Adam has made a significant contribution to our drilling technologies and services in the relatively short time he has been with Paradigm. After a little over a year, Adam’s tenacious approach to communicating our technologies and benefits to our client base, on a global scale, has encouraged significant growth. Bennett adds, “I am delighted to have been promoted to Technical Director of Drilling at Paradigm, I recognize the operational efficiencies that our products and services offer to our clients and can see the time and money we save.”

Bennett continues, “I’m fortunate to have a career that has served me a broad skill set in the oilfield industry, including experience in operations and engineering jobs in Saudi Arabia, Norway, and the US. This experience has enabled me to see all sides of operational projects and where technology really can be used to troubleshoot projects.”

Langan concludes, “As we continue to expand our technologies with a focus on reducing carbon emissions, we have Adam at the forefront of investigating how we can offer more cost-effective drilling solutions for our clients.”

Paradigm Group was established in Groot-Ammers, The Netherlands, in 2009, to develop & commercialize new technologies & innovations for the upstream Oil & Gas Industry. With a broad width of market participation, Paradigm Group consists of four specialisms.

Drilling Optimization| Production Efficiency |Well Intervention |Fire Protection

Each area of expertise boasts unique technologies supported by strong Intellectual Property positions. Even in this challenging business climate, an aggressive R&D effort continues and including joint development partnerships with major oil and gas operators.

For more information visit: www.paradigm.eu

About ComboCurve

Headquartered in Houston, ComboCurve is a smart, scalable energy tech company that provides decision-makers the ability to value assets, de-risk decisions, and save time through an intuitive cloud-based collaborative platform. For more information visit combocurve.com or follow them on Twitter or LinkedIn.

About Dragoneer Investment Group

Dragoneer is a growth-oriented investment firm with over $27 billion in long-duration capital. Dragoneer has a history of partnering with management teams to grow exceptional companies characterized by sustainable differentiation and superior economic models. The firm’s track record includes public and private investments across industries and geographies, with a particular focus on technology-enabled businesses. Dragoneer has been an investor in companies such as Airbnb, Alibaba, Atlassian, AppFolio, Bytedance, Ceridian, Chime, Datadog, Doordash, Duck Creek, PointClickCare, Procore, Slack, Samsara, ServiceTitan, Snowflake, Spotify, Uber, UiPath and others.

About Bessemer Venture Partners

Bessemer Venture Partners helps entrepreneurs lay strong foundations to build and forge long-standing companies. With more than 135 IPOs and 200 portfolio companies in the enterprise, consumer, and healthcare spaces, Bessemer supports founders and CEOs from their early days through every stage of growth. Bessemer’s global portfolio includes Pinterest, Shopify, Twilio, Yelp, LinkedIn, PagerDuty, DocuSign, Wix, Fiverr, and Toast and has $9 billion of capital under management. Bessemer has teams of investors and partners located in Tel Aviv, Silicon Valley, San Francisco, New York, London, Boston, Beijing, and Bangalore. Born from innovations in steel more than a century ago, Bessemer’s storied history has afforded its partners the opportunity to celebrate and scrutinize its best investment decisions (see Memos) and also learn from its mistakes (see Anti-Portfolio).

To ensure sufficient supply for the Kopahawakenum Facility, plus Proton’s own 4.2 MW Power Purchase Agreement and other off-takers, the plan is to install a Cryogenic Air Separation Unit (ASU), for injecting pure oxygen and third-party CO2 into Proton’s underground oil deposit to increase hydrogen-productive reactions.

Cold gases from the ASU can separate produced gases by freezing or liquifying these at various cold temperatures at the surface using passive heat exchange. Unwanted components like CO2 are planned to go back into the ground, where reactions can cause them to solidify into forms like carbonate rock. Proton has been demonstrating their patented method for accelerating carbonate creation within pores in the earth, by injecting steam boiler blow-down (reactive waste stream fluid) into their CO2-rich subsurface environment.

Proton’s PPA has final approval and plans and designs for construction are underway. Genalta’s Kopahawakenum PPA is conditionally approved under Saskatchewan’s Oil and Gas Processing Investment Incentive (OGPII), and the Saskatchewan Petroleum Innovation Incentive (SPII), which provide royalty credits at a rate of 15% and 25% of expenses respectively, after the private investments are made.

Grant Strem said, “I want to thank Genalta, the government of Saskatchewan, the First Nations Power Authority, and the Flying Dust First Nation for boldly and creatively enabling improvements over our current energy systems. There will be economic and ecological benefits from this first project, and we believe also from hundreds or even thousands of larger similar projects around the world in the long course of time, thanks to the efforts and investments of those involved in this global first. Proton is very pleased to have Genalta as our creative, positive customer. This flex-fuel offtake deal helps justify and enable a “small enough to be fast” commercial demonstration of core elements of Proton’s method to produce low-cost hydrogen while sequestering carbon inside the earth like a rock. Many oil assets late in their productive life cycle can be repurposed to make clean energy, leveraging the infrastructure and investments of the past. We plan to expand as fast as we can afford to.”

Paul Miller said, “Kopahawakenum is a cornerstone project that will help the energy industry in Saskatchewan to meet the goals announced by the federal government to reduce GHG emissions by 30% in the industry by 2030. Additionally, it will be including First Nations in energy stewardship in the province in a meaningful way, creating long-term jobs and a replicable approach to utilizing Flare and Vent Gas for power generation. Proton’s fuel supply is critical for the Kopahawakenum project. We thank Proton for their collaboration and support; their visionary project is a game-changer in the energy industry with tremendous potential to provide large quantities of emissions-free fuel at an economical price to the global market. We are proud to be working with them to further reduce emissions in Saskatchewan and hope to utilize their clean Hydrogen in the future as we continue to expand our clean power base in the province.”

Source and Image: proton.energy

FLIR Si124

The flagship FLIR Si124 locates pressurized leaks in compressed air systems and detects partial discharge or corona from high-voltage electrical systems, offering the widest range of capabilities in one package. The lightweight, one-handed solution with 124 microphones can identify issues from up to 130 meters (430 feet) and 10 times faster than traditional detection methods via a precise acoustic image that visually displays ultrasonic information upon a visible image. The camera empowers inspectors to pinpoint a sound source, even in loud industrial or bright outdoor environments. For more.

Si124-PD for Partial Discharge Detection

The FLIR Si124-PD is specifically designed for electrical and utility inspection, featuring automatic electrical fault classification for partial discharge issues, including surface discharge, floating discharge, and discharge into the air. With the PD Severity Assessment software feature, users can also input the kind of component, the equipment voltage, and the distance from the component to get a severity assessment specific to those parameters. This feature is included within the FLIR Acoustic Camera Viewer cloud software included with the camera. For more.

Si124-LD for Compressed Air Leak Detection

The Si124-LD features real-time, on-device leak sizing and cost analytics, allowing users to instantly view the leak rate onscreen as it occurs, either in liters per minute or cubic feet per minute, and to quantify leak size. This feature provides a quick assessment of how much air is being lost and estimated cost savings from fixing the issue. As part of a regular maintenance program, organizations can extend the life and efficiency of existing compressors while reducing the need to install new units all while lowering electricity costs. For more.

The FLIR Si124-PD, Si124-LD, and original Si124 Industrial Acoustic Imaging Camera models with FLIR Thermal Studio Software Suite are available for purchase globally from Teledyne FLIR and its authorized dealers. To learn more or to purchase.

About Kuva Systems

Kuva Systems is a leading methane monitoring technology company focused on making the invisible measurable and manageable. With offices in Boston, Houston, and Calgary, Kuva’s patented infrared camera and cloud monitoring solution provide oil and gas companies with timely notification of methane leaks and the ability to investigate root causes of emissions. Kuva’s solution enables upstream and midstream oil and gas companies to improve their operations and meet ESG and methane intensity goals.

For more information

About Blackline Safety

Blackline Safety is a global connected safety leader with a hardware-enabled software-as-a-service (HeSaaS) business model that helps to ensure every worker gets their job done and returns home safely each day. Blackline Safety provides wearable safety technology, personal and area gas monitoring, cloud-connected software, and data analytics to meet demanding safety challenges and increase the productivity of organizations with coverage in more than 100 countries. Blackline Safety wearables provide a lifeline to tens of thousands of people, having reported over 172 billion data points and initiated over five million emergency responses. Armed with cellular and satellite connectivity, we ensure that help is never too far away.

For more information, visit BlacklineSafety.com and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

“The technology can detect nearly any thinkable change in the liquid properties in real-time”, says Matti Järveläinen, CEO and founder of ColloidTek. “The result is a continuous quality control, contrary to the normal, time-consuming quality control process based on blind samples and laboratory analyses.”

Customers worldwide

Collo’s liquid fingerprint technology gives the manufacturing industry an opportunity to ensure that a liquid process behaves consistently from batch to batch. As an example, it can monitor fermentation processes widely used in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries and many other bioprocesses, to ensure that the delicate microbiological process is progressing as intended.

“The number of scrapped end-products can be minimized if the quality deviations are detected early in the process,” says Mikko Tielinen, Head of Sales. “Why invest in a new factory if it is possible to radically enhance the production at the current factory just by improving the way the process quality is measured?”

That is one of the reasons why Collo is currently building industrial partnerships worldwide, from Asia to Europe and the USA.

“Since Collo can adapt to almost any fluid, it means that the manufacturing industry can focus its quality assurance on real problems in real-time, instead of relying on blind samples that only provide retroactive snapshots of the process”, Matti Järveläinen says. “We have customers across the world, and we are currently negotiating with various Fortune 500 companies, which shows that our technology is something extraordinary.”

Protecting ecosystems

Fast response to liquid quality changes can be critical in other applications as well. Collo recently conducted a study to find out how unsupervised machine learning could be used to detect abnormal qualities in sewage waste. The study was conducted together with the City of Oulu waterworks in Northern Finland.

“Water treatment is important worldwide and with our technology it is possible to supervise the quality of both tap water and sewage in real-time,” Matti Järveläinen says. “The problem with sewage is that if harmful chemicals pass through undetected, it can be a threat for both the water treatment process and the environment.”

In the study, Collo collected data from the sewage well for a couple of weeks and then compressed the information into a couple of models showing how the process should look when it was working well. After that, the analyzer monitored the sewage quality according to these models.

“With the aid of machine learning, our system was able to pinpoint the liquid quality deviations in the process,” Matti Järveläinen says. “The study showed that our analyzer could be used on a large scale to monitor industrial wastewater streams for early detection of anomalies like chemical spillage, product losses or other abnormal behavior.”

Collo

Collo is an industrial liquid process performance solution developed by ColloidTek Oy (Collo). The company was founded in 2017 after extensive scientific research in measurement technology at Tampere University by its founders and key personnel. Collo develops and commercializes the Collo technology for various industries, helping customers understand and enhance their liquid processes. Their customers are well-known industrial companies like Fonterra, Siemens Energy, SSAB, UPM, ABB, Danone, Evonik, LKAB, Kemira.

The digitized check-in process for trucks

Delivering and collecting products by truck is the most frequently used mode of transport in Duisburg. On-site, it is now handled via web service with a user-friendly check-in dialog, enabling drivers to conveniently check-in and out at the gate using a touchscreen. This accelerates the process on the one hand and reduces the risk of errors on the other. At a later point, the introduction of the innovative Truck Online Check-in from Implico’s “Supply Chain United” portfolio is planned, too. It will allow truck drivers to check in on their way to the tank terminal with a mobile device.

Successful innovation partnership between TanQuid and Implico

The multifaceted and dynamic large-scale project marked a challenging task for everyone involved. Here, the project team benefited from the deep understanding and good collaboration among the long-standing innovation partners.

”The committed efforts of the colleagues on site and the project team have paid off: With the go-live of the new OpenTAS version, our tank terminal in Duisburg is technically and administratively way ahead of the game,” says Thomas Knutzen, Head of People and Technology at TanQuid. “The high degree of automation and the streamlined UI create perspective relief for the team in day-to-day business. Also, the new system enables a fluent exchange with other departments such as accounting. Across the entire site, we now collect even more comprehensive, reliable data. We evaluate this data in detail to continuously improve our business, and to provide our customers with optimum support and care.”

Tim Hoffmeister, CEO of Implico, is very proud of the joint project’s success, too: “TanQuid and Implico – for over 20 years and counting, this team has stood for close cooperation and shared eagerness to innovate. Together, we have now equipped one of the most complex tank terminals in Europe with state-of-the-art TMS and cloud technology. This is a real game-changer, especially in the context of the energy transition. After all, only those who fully embrace digitalization will be able to adopt the next trends on the market early on and use them for their own gain.”

Next-gen downstream innovations out of the cloud

In addition to the go-live of the new terminal management system in Duisburg, TanQuid and Implico have taken another important step to upgrade the company’s IT landscape: At all sites managed with OpenTAS, the terminal processes are now running in the cloud. This gives TanQuid a fully virtualized, hardware-independent infrastructure. The advantages: Unified technology. Fast scalability. Centralized support. Looking forward, the company wants to build on this further. There are already plans to implement additional “Supply Chain United” services in Duisburg, such as the Truck Online Check-in for incoming trucks or the processing of rail cars, tank ships, and direct turnovers via handhelds.

No shadows areas, no risk of contamination

“Integrating Alfa Laval PlusClean cleaning nozzles into any tank and tank cleaning process means there’s nowhere for contaminants to hide,” says Janne Pedersen, Global Portfolio Manager, Tank Cleaning, Alfa Laval. “Now the promise of optimal tank cleaning is truly a promise that we can keep. No shadow areas and no risk of product contamination. Period.”

Easy to install, simple to use

With its optimized, high-impact spray pattern, the PlusClean delivers 100% cleaning coverage in shadow areas that other tank cleaning spray nozzles miss. Installed flush with the tank wall or bottom, the cleaning nozzle has a revolutionary, built-in adjustment function that makes installation easy and operation effective, providing cleaning coverage in shadow areas, such as beneath agitator blades. This ensures thorough tank cleaning, unmatched by other tank cleaning devices.

Competitive advantage

Perfect for the pharmaceutical, dairy, food, beverage, and home-personal care industries, this innovative cleaning nozzle provides even more efficient cleaning and improves process efficiency and safety as well as product quality. This translates into higher productivity and increases competitive advantage for those who choose to add the PlusClean to their tank cleaning processes.

Sustainability at the core

At Alfa Laval sustainability is at the core of our business, and the PlusClean is no exception. This revolutionary cleaning nozzle delivers significant water and cleaning media cost savings, minimizing the impact on the environment.

For demanding hygienic applications

The standard Alfa Laval PlusClean is supplied as a media spring-activated cleaning nozzle for hygienic process tank cleaning. A special pneumatic-driven version is also available. For sterile and aseptic process tank cleaning, there’s the Alfa Laval PlusClean UltraPure, which is backed by Alfa Laval Q-doc documentation package to ensure full traceability across the entire supply chain.

Discover how 100% cleaning coverage from the Alfa Laval PlusClean boosts yield and cuts costs. To learn more, visit www.alfalaval.com/plusclean.

ABOUT Alfa Laval

Alfa Laval is active in the areas of Energy, Marine, and Food & Water, offering its expertise, products, and service to a wide range of industries in some 100 countries. The company is committed to optimizing processes, creating responsible growth, and driving progress – always going the extra mile to support customers in achieving their business goals and sustainability targets.

 Alfa Laval’s innovative technologies are dedicated to purifying, refining, and reusing materials, promoting more responsible use of natural resources. They contribute to improved energy efficiency and heat recovery, better water treatment, and reduced emissions. Thereby, Alfa Laval is not only accelerating success for its customers, but also for people and the planet. Making the world better, every day. It’s all about Advancing better^TM.

 Alfa Laval has 16,700 employees. Annual sales in 2020 were SEK 41.5 billion (approx. EUR 4 billion). The company is listed on Nasdaq OMX.

www.alfalaval.com

The new Alfa Laval CM Connect marks the next step in the digitalization journey to drive innovation and growth for customers in the hygienic processing industries. The CM Connect is a subscription-based condition monitor and cloud gateway. It enables plant operators to access data of rotating equipment on processing lines from a remote location. With data on actual runtime, trend analysis, and time to next service close at hand, plant operators can make informed maintenance decisions using their personal computers and mobile devices. This protects process continuity and critical assets, improves workplace safety, saves time and money, and delivers competitive advantage.

Maximize plant efficiency, minimize unplanned downtime

As Industry 4.0 evolves, the CM Connect is a natural next step on the customer digitalization journey, expanding the Alfa Laval range of condition monitoring solutions. With complete visibility of all connected assets, plant operators can detect issues that impact future performance, prevent unplanned downtime, and improve asset management.

Acting as a gateway communicating via Bluetooth, the CM Connect can link up to 10 Alfa Laval CM wireless vibration monitors launched last year. It then transmits the data over a 4G cellular network to the cloud for review and analysis on an intuitive, user-friendly dashboard.

Advanced real-time notifications

Advanced vibration analysis enables detection of any deviation from pre-set equipment threshold values. Should deviations occur, an SMS or e-mail notifies users who can take action in real time based on data analysis.

“Focus on what matters. The CM Connect lets plant operators plan and prioritize maintenance based on actionable data,” says John Walker, Portfolio Manager, Pumps, Alfa Laval. “Rather than replacing wear parts in advance of their useful service life, operators can spend time and money when and where maintenance is required.”

Besides linking the CM wireless vibration monitors, the CM Connect can also act as a sensor. It measures vibration, inboard temperature, and total runtime when mounted on Alfa Laval LKH, SRU, SX and DuraCirc pumps, or other rotating machines, such as agitators or mixers.

Towards enhanced digitalization

As part of the company’s commitment to pioneering digital transformation in the hygienic industries, Alfa Laval explores and develops Industry 4.0 solutions to advance competitive advantage for customers.

Learn more at www.alfalaval.com/cmconnect  

For further information, contact:

ABOUT Alfa Laval

Alfa Laval is active in the areas of Energy, Marine, and Food & Water, offering its expertise, products, and service to a wide range of industries in some 100 countries. The company is committed to optimizing processes, creating responsible growth, and driving progress – always going the extra mile to support customers in achieving their business goals and sustainability targets.

Alfa Laval’s innovative technologies are dedicated to purifying, refining, and reusing materials, promoting more responsible use of natural resources. They contribute to improved energy efficiency and heat recovery, better water treatment, and reduced emissions. Thereby, Alfa Laval is not only accelerating success for its customers, but also for people and the planet. Making the world better, every day. It’s all about Advancing better^TM.

Alfa Laval has 16,700 employees. Annual sales in 2020 were SEK 41.5 billion (approx. EUR 4 billion). The company is listed on Nasdaq OMX.

www.alfalaval.com

]]> https://ourgreatminds.com/2021/12/13/mirico-cloud-real-time-visual-monitoring-of-methane-emissions-to-reach-net-zero-goals/ Mon, 13 Dec 2021 15:13:46 +0000 https://theogm.com/?post_type=upi&p=24998 With the Global Methane Pledge launched at COP26 and new regulation being developed to cover Europe, Mirico’s methane emissions monitoring solution was showcased as part of an EU led project by Enagás in Spain.

Driven by the EU commission’s objective to develop legislation by the end of the year to reduce methane emissions in the energy sector, the project aimed to understand how site-level monitoring solutions can help gas infrastructure operators reduce methane emissions from their assets and inform new regulations.

Mirico’s site-wide monitoring solution successfully detected, localised and quantified simulated leak events from a range of different sources, operating reliably even in inclement weather. The high sensitivity measurement capability also baselined the background emission rate of the site.

Mirico quantifies greenhouse gas emissions across entire industrial sites with just a single instrument through continuous wide-area monitoring. Data is collected and analysed in real-time, delivering rapid insights to operators about emissions at their facilities. Automatic alerts are raised upon detection of anomalous events enabling faster response times, reducing maintenance costs and minimising emissions.

 “It was great to showcase the reliability and high performance of our industry-leading greenhouse gas measurement capability at a time when the energy industry is accelerating emission reduction targets” said Mark Volanthen, chairman of Mirico.

https://mirico.co.uk/fugitive-emission-monitoring

The first award in the amount of $2.3 million to GE Renewable Energy’s Grid Solutions business relates to the development of a sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆)-free 245 kilovolt (kV) dead tank circuit-breaker¹. The new circuit-breaker will use GE’s game-changing g³ (pronounced “g”- cubed) gas insulating and switching technology, which has a global warming potential that is 99% less compared with SF₆², to deliver the same high performance as a traditional SF₆ circuit-breaker. As g³ products have the same dimensions as SF₆ equipment, there is no increase in emissions during the manufacturing process from additional material.

The second award to GE Research Center in the amount $1.4 million is part of a $2.7 million project led by the University of Connecticut that will focus on the life cycle management of g³ products, mainly gas leakages and byproduct detection, capture and monitoring tools.

“SF₆ is a significantly more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and can remain in the atmosphere for up to 3,200 years. ARPA-E anticipates that any technology developed to replace SF₆ could have a significant and widespread global impact as countries look to reduce, regulate, or eliminate SF₆ emissions from their electrical grids,” said Dr. Isik Kizilyalli, ARPA-E Associate Director for Technology.

“We are honored that ARPA-E recognizes the importance GE’s g³ gas technology. This funding will help demonstrate the applicability of g³ gas for the commonly used 245 kV voltage level used by transmission operators in the U.S.,” said Danielle Merfeld, Chief Technology Officer at GE Renewable Energy. “One of the major advantages of GE’s g³ gas is that this fluoronitrile-based solution is scalable to higher voltage levels. As part of this project, the 245 kV g³ circuit breaker will be scaled to 550 kV, which helps accelerate market acceptance of SF₆-free technology and support the U.S.’s goal of net zero emissions by 2050.”

Every year, an average of 450 tons of SF₆ gas is installed on the U.S. grid by new manufactured electrical equipment, according to the greenhouse gas inventory data published by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This represents an estimated 11.3 million tons of CO₂-equivalent installed in the country. By replacing the SF₆ gas with GE’s g³ technology, this would represent a significant reduction in CO₂-equivalent, comparable to about 2.5 million passenger vehicles on the road during a one-year period.

The g³ 245 kV dead tank circuit-breaker leverages the expertise acquired in g³ by GE’s technology research center in Villeurbanne, France, and the know-how of its manufacturing site in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, where the new g³ circuit-breaker will be developed and built.

About GE’s Grid Solutions
Grid Solutions, a GE Renewable Energy business, serves customers globally with over 13,000 employees. Grid Solutions provides power utilities and industries worldwide with equipment, systems and services to bring power reliably and efficiently from the point of generation to end power consumers. Grid Solutions is focused on addressing the challenges of the energy transition by enabling the safe and reliable connection of renewable and distributed energy resources to the grid. We electrify the world with advanced grid technologies and accelerate the energy transition. For more about GE’s Grid Solutions, visit https://www.gegridsolutions.com.

About GE’s g³ gas
GE’s alternative to SF₆ is g³ insulating and switching gas representing the culmination of a decade of research and development by its teams in France, Germany and Switzerland in collaboration with 3M Company. The g³ gas mixture is based on carbon dioxide, oxygen, and 3M™ Novec™ 4710 Dielectric Fluid from the 3M fluoronitrile family. Fluoronitrile was identified by R&D experts as the most suitable additive to CO₂ and O₂ to reach the targeted environmental benefit of an alternative to SF₆, without compromising the equipment’s technical performance and footprint. As a result, the global warming potential (GWP) of GE’s g³ gas is 99% lower as compared to SF₆.

Today, 25 leading electrical utilities have already adopted GE’s g³ products for their high voltage networks, avoiding the addition of more than a million tons of CO₂ equivalent to the grid. That’s the equivalent of removing about 476,000 petrol cars from the road for one year.

GE’s g³ gas-insulated products are currently available for live-tank circuit-breakers and gas-insulated substations (GIS) up to 145 kV, as well as gas-insulated lines (GIL) up to 420 kV. More about g³ – GE’s alternative to SF₆. More about g³ development, GE’s fluoronitrile based gas mixture: In search of an SF₆ replacement | Think Grid (think-grid.org)

Source and content: GE

Leveraging expertise in flight data, Aviation Software solutions from GE Digital work together to address key areas of airline operations that impact the ability to achieve peak environmental efficiency – from fuel usage and carbon emissions, to airspace efficiency, predictive maintenance, records digitization, and pilot insight.

“Emirates recognizes that environmental responsibility is core to our long-term business success,” said Capt. Hassan AlHammadi, Emirates’ Divisional Senior VP – Flight Operations. “Operating modern and fuel efficient aircraft has been central to our business model since the airline’s inception. We are fully engaged in an ongoing investment to reducing our environmental impact and these solutions will help us to achieve our goals. We want to empower our pilots with state-of-the-art tools and technology to help them operate flights in a safe and efficient way.”

Fuel Insight is a fuel consumption and emissions reduction solution that works by understanding real data from the aircraft and airline. This software utilizes GE Digital’s powerful aviation data and analytics platform to merge flight data with flight plans and uncover valuable insight to help increase aircraft fuel efficiency and reduce waste. Fuel Insight gives operators actionable intelligence at multiple levels allowing analysts to drill down from macro trends to understand issues on a per-flight level.

Designed by pilots, for pilots, FlightPulse provides access to data. The Preflight module provides aggregated data from across the operation for more informed fuel decisions and departure briefings. The Postflight module, which Emirates already has in use with their pilots, provides secure access to data from a pilot’s individual flight history, allowing them to analyze their own operation of the aircraft in relation to their peers and self-discover areas to optimize operations and efficiency. In just one year using FlightPulse, one global airline was able to avoid 5.71M kg carbon emissions which is equal to taking 1,241 passenger cars off the road¹.

As part of the airline’s FlightPulse implementation, Emirates will be the first GE Digital customer to adopt the software’s new animation capabilities designed to provide pilots with operational review of their flights with high-fidelity real-world data-driven displays. This new module to FlightPulse will be powered by Applied Informatics and Research Inc.’s FAS software system.

“At GE Digital, we feel a responsibility to make our world better for future generations, and that includes ensuring that our customers are empowered to reduce the impact of their technology and environmental footprint within their operations,” said Andrew Coleman, General Manager of GE Digital’s Aviation Software business. “Sustainability is core to the future of the aviation industry, net zero by 2050 is the target, and while new technologies are the key to achieving that in the long term, we cannot afford to wait until then. We have the data and solutions that can help the industry make strides toward net zero today, by leveraging data that already exists. We are excited to see this crucial topic gain the attention it deserves. Our innovative technology is ready to address its challenges as we continue to invent the future of flight.”

Read more at GE Digital

Source & Images: GE Digital

THE OGM AUDIO VERSION –
BECAUSE WE CARE ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCES

Given the enormous global demand for energy, the answer to climate change is not choosing one energy form over another, rather it is about mitigating environmental impact in every single energy form and application.

The smartest thing we can do with oil and gas is use it to fuel new energy sources. Oil and gas provide the foundation for the development and production of energy in every energy sector including; solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, tidal, geothermal and biofuels.

There’s a lot of misinformation floating around and it’s unsubstantiated rhetoric to believe renewables are going to replace fossil fuels any time soon. This is the era of clean energy innovation for both non-renewables and renewables.

Given all of that, how do we mitigate the environmental impact of petroleum when we need it to fuel the development of renewable energy?

Good question.

We start with the obvious. We evaluate the biggest contributors to emission pollution and prioritize them from there. At the top of the list of oil and gas pollution contributors is flaring natural gas which produces Methane emissions.

If you’ve driven through an area where oil and gas is being extracted from shale formations, or seen an offshore oil platform in operation, you may have seen flames coming out of high-standing flaring pipes. That is gas flaring off and it’s one of the most destructive processes playing havoc with our environment in the oil production process.

The U.S. shale oil and gas boom has rendered the United States one of the world’s top flaring nations, next to Russia, Iran, and Iraq.

There are many ways to combat flaring emissions, we just need to be creative enough to find them. 

THINK DIFFERENT

Energy professionals, scientists, and experts understand that the answer to climate change is not ending fossil fuels and replacing them with renewables (which also have an environmental impact), rather it’s developing every energy source and application with far less environmental impact.

That means not only changing the way we produce energy but also transforming the things we use petroleum for. Things like fuel for cars, trucks, rail transport, air travel, plastics, makeup, heating oils, lighting, diesel and gasoline turbines, lubricants, dyes, paints, carbon black and sulphur fuels, petrol, paraffin, diesel, gas oil, aviation gasoline, grease, vaseline, wax, asphalt and the list goes on.

Are we going to stop making and using those things?

No. We don’t eliminate that which sustains us. We transform it to a higher version of itself where it has a far less environmental impact.

THE WAY FORWARD

Oil and gas innovators are dealing with carbon pollution in two ways.
1. They are creating carbon neutrality with carbon offsets.
2. They are reducing or eliminating carbon emissions where it counts.

Those two methods include everything from using the Cactus plant to offset carbon, all the way to using gas in oil production and transforming it to energy for computer data centers. People all over the world are making changes and transforming our new energy world into a more conscious energy-producing planet that is far more environmentally friendly.

It is a very interesting time in history and innovation is saving the day.

ENERGY + TECH

Chase Lochmiller, is the Co-Founder & CEO of Crusoe Energy was recognized as one of the 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs of 2021 at the Builders + Innovators Summit in Healdsburg, California for his work in transforming flare gas into a usable alternative.  Here’s how it works.

Crusoe Energy is converting wasted natural gas to energy-intensive computing solutions. Crusoe’s patented award-winning Digital Flare Mitigation® (DFM) provides oil and gas companies with a fast, low cost, and simple solution to natural gas flaring.

As the energy industry works to address infrastructure constraints and increase environmental standards around flaring and emissions, this is a concept whose time has come.

Check them out: www.crusoeenergy.com

THE NEW ENERGY MIX

Addressing climate change is about developing the new energy mix and simultaneously mitigating environmental risk. Some energy sectors may take more effort to reduce emissions than others, but it is possible to do so in every energy sector. 

As forward thinkers, we need to envision a world where energy works for us, rather than against us. We need to stop wasting time on debating which energy sources are better and just get on with it.

We need to share our stories, our successes, and our solutions to level the playing field and get these solutions working worldwide. We need to utilize our global collective intelligence to solve our global problems and execute with precision and use computers to get us there.

Here at the OGM, our goal is to share the stories that support every energy source being a contribution to our people and our planet. If you are creating products and services that elevate our new energy world we invite you to share them here.  TheOGM.com/U-publish-it.

Source & Pictures: CrusoeEnergy.com

Source(s) and Image(s): Clariant and Air Liquide

They warn that strictly forbidding CAVs of various kinds to break existing traffic rules may hamper road safety, contrary to what most people may claim. However, this requires close scrutiny so these high-tech vehicles can meet their potential to reduce road casualties.

“While they promise to minimise road safety risk, CAVs like hybrid AI systems can still create collision risk due to technological and human-system interaction issues, the complexity of traffic, interaction with other road users and vulnerable road users,” says UK transport consultant Professor Nick Reed, from Reed Mobility, in a new paper in Ethics and Information Technology. “Ethical goal functions for CAVs would enable developers to optimise driving behaviours for safety under conditions of uncertainty while allowing for differentiation of products according to brand values.” 

This part is important since it does not state that all vehicle brands should drive in exactly the same manner, which still allows brand differentiation, researchers say. Around the world, transport services are already putting CAVs, including driverless cars, on the road to deliver new services and freight options to improve road safety, alleviate congestion and increase drive comfort and transport system productivity. 

A recent European Commission report recommended CAVs may have to break strict traffic rules to minimise road safety risk and to operate with appropriate transparency. Professor Reed, Flinders University Dean of Law Professor Tania Leiman, and other European experts in the field of autonomous vehicle safety the key recommendation from the EC (Bonnefon et al, 2020) highlights the need to legislate for CAVs in various traffic and environmental conditions to exercise the equivalent of human discretionary behaviours.

This is complicated even further where there are variations in laws across different countries and regions, and cars are designed or built in one country but used in another, says Flinders Professor Leiman, from the College of Business, Government and Law. “An automated system that has ‘deduced’ driving behaviour from training examples cannot ‘explain’ or ‘justify’ its decisions or actions in a dangerous encounter,” she says. “This may be a problem if a manufacturer is required to explain specific behaviour in case of an incident or where civil or criminal liability is disputed.” 

Speeding and mounting the curb to avoid collision are also evaluated as case studies in the research paper, with the idea that ethical goals should be established by extensive public consultation and deliberation to make them publicly acceptable and understood.

The researchers say it will be critical that there is a standardised framework to enable vehicles travelling from one jurisdiction into the next to update their road rules to make driving standards safe, predictable, reasonable, uniform, comfortable and explainable – both for drivers, manufacturers and all road users.

“We suggest responsibility for creating the framework of CAV ethical goal functions should sit with an appropriate international body, for example, the Global Forum for Road Traffic Safety of the UNECE, and relevant individual country agencies such as the Department of Transport,” says co-author on the paper Dr Leon Kester, senior research scientist at TNO, The Netherlands.   

“Once an ethical goal function has been agreed and enacted by legislators, CAV systems could be designed in such a way that they optimise with the highest utility for road users within predefined boundaries without having a predefined set of infinite scenarios and precise definitions on what to do,” Dr Kester says. “Also, we have to organise a socio-technological feedback loop where things can be evaluated and changed if we feel it is no longer according to our societal goals.”

Source(s) and Image(s): The article, Ethics of automated vehicles: breaking traffic rules for road safety (2021) by Nick Reed, Tania Leiman, Paula Palade, Marieke Martens and Leon Kester has been published inEthics and Information Technology DOI: 10.1007/s10676-021-09614-x. Reed Mobility

Cutting fuel consumption and engine maintenance costs 

Battery storage will be used as a spinning reserve in place of generator sets, enabling the vessel to run on fewer engines with more optimal load while still maintaining the requirement for redundancy.An added benefit with batteries is peak shaving that takes the strain off the engines during big load variations by levelling the power and delaying the need for engines to restart.This results in significantly lower fuel consumption and reduced maintenance costs due to less wear-and-tear on engines

“A significant benefit of battery storage is that it enhances the responsiveness of propulsion and other systems due to instant power response in line with load variations, offsetting slower ramp speeds with less responsive engines” Anderssen says.

This is particularly useful for offshore support vessels that are heavily dependent on DP systems for fast manoeuvrability in safety-critical situations, he explains.The batteries for Siem Offshore will be supplied together with a DC grid for power distribution to consumers, with control and monitoring of the battery storage solution handled by the SeaQ Energy Management System (EMS) that interacts with existing control systems onboard.

“The flexibility of the SeaQ ESS system that enables it to be easily integrated with a vessel’s existing systems, as well as its advanced functionality, were key factors in our selection of Vard Electro for this retrofit to reduce our environmental footprint,” says Jon A. Houge, Operations Manager of Siem Offshore.

Adaptable modular system for different types of vessels

Vard Electro will act as system integrator for the turnkey project that will entail engineering, installation, integration, testing, and commissioning of the system comprising batteries, DC grid, EMS, energy storage inverter, filter and/or transformer, fire detection, and a cooling & ventilation system.Anderssen says there is increasing demand for such hybrid retrofits both for offshore support vessels such as PSVs as well as larger ships, with Vard Electro’s modular system highly adaptable for ease of installation on a wide variety of vessels with minimal downtime.

“We are very pleased to have won this initial contract with Siem Offshore and look forward to collaborating with them on this project as well as possible future deliveries of battery systems,” he says.“The award is further vindication of the proven efficacy of the SeaQ battery technology in optimising engine performance to deliver big fuel efficiency gains for shipowners amid increasing regulatory and market demands for low-carbon vessel operations.”

It is the latest in a string of similar deliveries of battery storage systems from the leading ship technology supplier’s SeaQ range that have demonstrated significant fuel savings for vessel operators while also reducing emissions since the first system was delivered five years ago. 

About Vard Electro 

Vard Electro is a globally recognized and trusted provider of marine electrical systems with a strong focus on innovative and sustainable solutions to give clients a competitive advantage. The company provides advice in close cooperation with the customer in order to develop cost-effective and environment-friendly systems designed to optimize operational performance.

Vard Electro works with all established brands in the market to offer smart user-friendly solutions with a high degree of flexibility and reliability, supported by efficient service throughout a vessel’s lifetime. With strategic locations across the world, Vard Electro currently has its equipment installed on more than 300 vessels, including complete systems for power management, propulsion, automation and navigation.

SeaQ® 

Vard Electro’s SeaQ range consists of three main product groups: SeaQ Bridge, SeaQ Power and SeaQ Control. Conforming to the highest industry standards, every SeaQ product can be delivered as a standalone unit or as part of a larger integrated package, giving VARD a competitive advantage in delivering flexible solutions in line with market requirements. 
www.vard.com/products-and-services/electro 

About VARD

VARD is one of the major global designers and shipbuilders of specialized vessels. Headquartered in Norway and with approximately 8,200 employees, VARD operates shipbuilding facilities in Norway, Romania, Brazil and Vietnam. Through its specialized subsidiaries, VARD develops power and automation systems, deck handling equipment, and vessel accommodation solutions, and provides design and engineering services to the global maritime industry.

VARD’s long shipbuilding traditions, cutting-edge innovation and technology coupled with its global operations and track record in constructing complex and highly customized vessels have earned it recognition from industry players and enabled it to build strong relationships with its customers.The majority shareholder of VARD is Fincantieri Oil & Gas S.p.A., a wholly owned subsidiary of FINCANTIERI S.p.A.

Headquartered in Trieste, Italy. FINCANTIERI is one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups, and a global leader in cruise ship design and reference player in all high-tech shipbuilding industry sectors. With over 230 years of history and more than 7,000 ships built, the Group today has a production network of 18 shipyards operating in four continents and over 20,000 employees.www.vard.com | www.linkedin.no/company/VARD 

About Siem Offshore 

Siem Offshore is a privately owned company, listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. It was established in 2005 and has since expanded its fleet through newbuilds and business acquisitions. The company’s fleet consists of 29 vessels and includes platform supply vessels, anchor-handling tug and supply as well as offshore subsea construction and well intervention vessels.www.siemoffshore.com 

Source(s) and Image(s): VARD

The result was a whole new E-World that ultimately will make us more versatile, globalized, and resilient.

When people stopped flying planes and the world pretty much shut down, people had to implement new business models for marketing, sales, hiring, investor relations, PR, supply/vendors and processes, partnerships, and more.

This new E-world means harnessing zoom and teams platforms and ensuring online meetings are connected and professional even if you were meeting from your bedroom.

While we now start to get back to a ‘new normal’ and travel becomes more available, the power of E-business will forever play a role in how we expand and grow from here forward.

See it as an opportunity rather than a problem.

Six E-Sales Opportunities To Grow Your Company In The New Digital World

If you want to sell a product or position your company for an important bid, how are you going to accomplish your goals in Covid times?  

When we are working from home, using zoom, or dealing with outside distractions, how can we succeed? Those are the challenges of the day. It is a new challenge, to find ways to keep ourselves and our clients connected, online.

Believe it or not, with creativity and engagement, we can have an effective E-Work environment that can out-perform old sales models.

1. Think about it, less travel, more meetings, less cost, more communication. It adds up. Business is nothing more than a network of conversations. People who organize meetings effectively, stack meetings, and create an E-Flow work environment will win the game of the E-work world.
   
2. Building great relationships that create trust and rapport is still the foundation of any relationship. Having clients get to know, like, and trust you is key; so, the rules have not changed. Building rapport still means a professional appearance online and an appropriate zoom background. It means good communication, understanding your client, finding common ground, discovering needs, sharing experiences, matching mannerisms and speech, future pacing, and finding solutions. 
   
3. Quickly adapting to this new E-World means recreating the outside world inside the computer world. It means finding new ways to connect and get personal with relationships so that there is a strong foundation of trust established online.
   
4. Computer advances and algorithms have taken over the laborious job of research and client acquisition. Business development costs came down, workflows became more efficient, and sales grow from there. 
   
5. The E-world will expedite globalization, and before we know it, doing business anywhere in the world at any time will be an affordable proposition. Global commerce is emerging, and the opportunities are truly endless.
   
6. We must look into the future and see where nations will unite in common goals. Languages will merge, and borders and boundaries will fall away. Free markets will be the foundation of the global playing field of business as we grow exponentially with E-Business automation and processes.

PAAS – PUBLISHING AS A SERVICE

As publishers of a global energy magazine, The OGM served clients around the globe ensuring suppliers and energy companies got their message to the right market.

Publisher Tina Olivero says, “During the pandemic it became apparent that tradeshows and flying to meetings was not an option for us or our clients. E-meetings became the norm and suddenly, the world got much smaller. Client contact became easier, faster, and automated. Computer advances and algorithms took over the laborious job of research and client acquisition. Business development costs came down, workflows became more efficient, and sales took off for us. That would not have happened, except for the pandemic. Long story short, there’s a silver lining in everything, when we are willing to embrace the challenges, we then reap the rewards.”

PaaS is a client solution that searches out potential clients, matches content with buyer and seller and creates an automated lead generation system. Where traditional advertising could be hit and miss at times, PaaS connects those interested, with those selling and the computer algorithm does all the work of bringing them together. As a result, expanding into new markets is now affordable. Finding your exact right client is now easier. All of this is because of the new E-Work environment and computer AI.

Visionary Tina Olivero says, “The E-world will expedite globalization and before we know it, doing business anywhere in the world at any time, will be an affordable proposition. Global commerce is emerging, and the opportunities are truly endless.”

WHAT INDUSTRY SAYS

Ryan Burrowes, CEO of Warehouse Transport Group and head of Canada/Guyna operations said, “As a CEO of a growing logistics and investment company, I was in dire need of new digital technology to take my business online. We needed a marketing and sales enhancement solution and a way to scale. I found everything and more with Tina and TheOGM Agency team. Having lived all over the world, Tina is a visionary who sees things from a global perspective.

Our operations have a foothold in Guyana, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland. So Tina and her team are a perfect fit for us. The OGM’s new digital business development solutions are strategic and sustainable for the new world order where everyone is doing business on Zoom.

The OGM digital tools come with algorithms and automation that provide us with a flow of never-ending, high-level opportunities to quote on new work. Not just any work but leads with key decision-makers for our business. That is invaluable. The OGM is a platform with new digital tools that we all need in a business in this day and age. This new digital game is entirely different and capitalizing on that makes for really exciting times. Tina and her team have gone over and above our contractual agreement and, honestly I wouldn’t have it any other way. That’s the people we want to work with. Already, I consider her a part of our family, for now, and for the future.”

Ryan Burrowes CEO, Warehouse Transport Group Canada-Guyana – WarehouseTransport.ca

PICK THE RIGHT PARTNERS

There are many companies out there that are trying to adapt online. For energy companies choosing the right partners who have extensive experience in the energy industry is key.

Tina Olivero says, “The most important part of outreach and communication right now is content. You have to partner with key marketing and sales people who speak “energy”. Otherwise you are trying to bring your clients into your world, with someone who does not understand your business and most importantly, doesn’t understand what your clients need. That’s a one way ticket to no success.

Aligining with The OGM as 30-year publishers of energy content, coupled with our digital media agency, makes The OGM a premium choice. When you have that level of business competence, communication is easy. Adapting with new digital processes and creating automations has to be routed in powerful words, which create powerful actions, which create powerful results. It’s that simple. These are truly incredible times. Reach out and lets what we can create.

www.TheOGM.com

About the Author Tina Olivero

Tina Olivero is a conscious entrepreneur, managing a publishing company – TheOGM.com, a digital media firm – DigitalCollateral.ca and a new Sales Engine company – TheOGM.ca. She has 30 years in the marketing and sales business in the energy sector. She is committed to energy and sustainable development with her Our Great Minds. This innovative magazine shares the great minds and collective intelligence that are combating climate change and eradicating carbon emissions. 

About ECOsubsea 

ECOsubsea was formed in 2008 by the brothers Tor and Klaus Østervold to develop a prototype hull cleaning technology that could safely and efficiently remove hull fouling without leaving any fouling in the water. Tor Østervold won the Nor-Shipping Young Entrepreneur Award in 2013 from the leading trade show Nor-Shipping and the company won the WWL Orcelle Award later that year.

Further, the company has received a string of accolades for its environmentally friendly and fuel-efficient solutions, including: the Green Ship Technology Award, the Global Freight Award and the Seatrade Award. The company has been developing its technology in the UK port of Southampton winning contracts from leading ship owners. The Southampton based system has accumulated more than 4000 hours of service. It now has systems in different locations around the world.

The ECOsubsea system consists of a sophisticated and reliable remotely operated vehicle that moves along the ship hull. It’s unique cleaning system ensures the removal of hull fouling without damaging the hull coating. The system removes over 97% of all the fouling detritus which is then safely pumped ashore and can be used as biofuel.

About hull cleaning

A clean freshly painted new hull straight out of a newbuilding yard is the most efficient hull and allows the vessel to operate at peak efficiency, with the least amount of fuel consumed and with minimum emissions. However, over time all hulls, regardless of coatings, will see a deterioration of their effect as slime, barnacles and other aquatic species attach themselves leading to increase in drag and friction thus increasing engine power and fuel consumption to achieve a vessel’s desired speed. 

Often vessels have hulls recoated during drydocks to reinstate performance level close to optimum.  Owners are advised to inspect and clean hulls regularly between drydocks, with many charter parties including a clean hull clause. However, due to the environmental risks, port authorities and coastal states are banning or deterring hull cleaning methods without capture thus allowing the fouling and coating residues to be released into the ambient water.

Source(s) and Image(s): ECOsubsea

CRP Subsea and Hellenic Cables collaborated to jointly apply for the MaRINET2 programme, as both companies are looking to increase the lifespan of dynamic subsea cables. The testing at the University of Exeter used a dynamic cable designed and manufactured by Hellenic Cables and a Bend Stiffener designed and manufactured by CRP Subsea. The power cable (only) and power cable with Bend Stiffener were individually tested to compare both performance and fatigue.

John Duggan, Principal Design Engineer at CRP Subsea, states, “These results are encouraging but expected and explain why the use of a CRP Subsea Bend Stiffener in such a system is critical. The CRP Subsea Bend Stiffener material has undergone an extensive and rigorous material qualification. This along with the comprehensive design methodology, manufacturing, and quality systems have been fully reviewed and approved by Lloyds Register. Our Bend Stiffener is designed to maintain a cable or flexible pipe above a given minimum bend radius in a dynamic application. This, in turn, increases the life of the product by protecting it against damage and fatigue, which can result due to over bending. It is imperative that we use our 25+ years’ experience of supplying Bend Stiffeners to all the major oil and gas manufacturers, without any failures in service, to support dynamic cable protection for FOW.”

The study is related to one of the key challenges for Floating Offshore Wind (FOW) developers, which is to ensure the long-term integrity of the dynamic cable, connecting the floating platform to the Offshore Sub-Station. Whilst dynamic cable assemblies are recognised as a key technical risk, the sector is not at a commercial scale yet, this funded research and development support is required to demonstrate and enhance dynamic cable solutions for FOW.

George Georgallis, Head of R&D and Cable Engineering for Hellenic Cables commented, “At Hellenic Cables we are always looking forward in collaborating with industrial and academic partners involved in the offshore industry to promote and validate innovative concepts. The positive outcome of the fatigue test of a dynamic power cable coupled with a bend stiffener at the Exeter DMaC facility is very encouraging.”

Professor Lars Johanning, Project Lead at the University of Exeter, explains, “Floating offshore wind power will be a vital component in achieving global Net Zero targets. It will also have a profound effect on the economy in Europe and globally, creating new jobs in the supply chain and providing a key component for the post-pandemic green recovery. We are extremely excited working with innovative companies in the development of subsystems for the floating offshore industry.”

The University of Exeter performed two tests. Firstly, the performance characterisation tests that involved bending the cable to a 3.7° angle at the headstock whilst holding a constant force of 40 kN, 60 kN and 80 kN at the tailstock at a 10s cycle period. Secondly, the fatigue testing involved bending the cable to 4° whilst holding a constant force of 80 kN. The cycle period was steadily decreased from 10s to 1s (to minimise overall test duration). The test plan was identical between the power cable (only) and the power cable with bend stiffener combination (including the change in cycle period).

Bend Stiffeners are used to protect cables and flexible pipelines from over bending at the termination point. Manufactured from an elastomeric material, the Bend Stiffener is suited to the constant wave and current-induced motion of dynamic installations and can also be used for static applications. The conical shape of the Bend Stiffener provides a gradual increase in the overall stiffness between the flexible pipe, umbilical or cable, and the termination in order to prevent over bending at the termination point.

CRP Subsea (formerly Trelleborg Offshore UK)  

Using advanced material technology, CRP Subsea provides high integrity solutions for the harshest and most demanding offshore environments. CRP Subsea specialises in the development and production of polymer and syntactic foam-based buoyancy and protection products for the offshore renewables and oil & gas industries. CRP Subsea has been providing innovative solutions to the industry for over 40 years. www.crpsubsea.com

Source(s) and Image(s): Subsea

Consolidating three locations into one major hub, the new technology, operations and commercial Black Hills site has more than 5,000 sq feet of office and networking space, a 3,500 sq foot laboratory and an 80,000 sq foot production area.

With state-of-the-art lab capabilities, through advanced technology, and an in-house team dedicated to local and regional customer challenges, the combined facility will enable Clariant to respond with maximum agility to analyze production issues, chemical solution development and implementation in the field, with simplified logistics, reduced lead times and fewer bottlenecks.

“The central location of the site demonstrates Clariant’s long term commitment to the Eagle Ford oil production region, enabling significant opportunities for our key customer partnerships to grow with the support of our innovative sustainable chemistries and industry leading safety culture,” said Tyler Kilgannon, Head of Sales, NORAM Oil Services.

The Clariant Eagle Ford legacy was established in 2013 with the creation of a sales team from the ground up and grew over the years to be a core contributor to Clariant’s onshore US oilfield services business.

Anton Kaiser, Head of Supply Network Clariant BU Oil and Mining Services (OMS) stated, “The consolidation of our three operations into a first class operations hub represents another major milestone, confirming once more that we have become the sustainability and safety role model of our industry leading into a new future.”

For more information, please visit Eagle Ford Technology & Operations Center Grand Opening (clariant.com).

Source(s) and Image(s): Clariant

Clariant’s ODH catalysts are available exclusively for Linde Engineering’s innovative EDHOXTM catalytic on-purpose ethylene technology. In contrast to conventional steam cracking, which operates at process temperatures up to 900°C, EDHOXTM operates at moderate temperatures—below 400°C, enabling comparatively low CO2 emissions. Also inherent to Linde Engineering’s process are the sequestration of CO2 and the potential for electrification. Together, these differences lead to a reduction of CO2 emissions by up to 100% compared with conventional steam cracking.

“We are honored to partner with Linde Engineering on this groundbreaking innovation. Bringing together both catalyst know-how and process design expertise has resulted in a novel production technology, driving innovation and sustainability for years to come,” said Stefan Heuser, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Clariant Catalysts.

The new catalysts by Clariant are the first to offer high selectivity to ethylene and acetic acid (up to 93%) for the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane, while also demonstrating outstanding productivity at such conditions, minimizing the formation of by-products. Furthermore, the development of the new catalysts and their impact on CO2 emissions support Clariant’s objectives to drive low-carbon solutions through sustainable innovation and to generate value with safe chemistry and the responsible use of resources.

Reinhart Vogel, Vice President Petrochemical Plants at Linde Engineering, stated, “By working with Clariant Catalysts, a more sustainable, alternative path to ethylene is not only a vision, but also becoming a reality. EDHOXTM technology has now been successfully validated in a full-scale demonstration plant for commercial use. We look forward to our continued partnership together, and we continue focusing on low-cost solutions for our customers while transitioning to a greener economy.”

Source(s) and Image(s): Clariant, Linde Engineering

In addition, as part of the transaction, Calix has entered into a licence agreement with the LEILAC Group under which it will retain 30% of royalties earned by the LEILAC Group from the deployment of the technology, regardless of Calix’s equity stake in the LEILAC Group. The LEILAC Group will operate autonomously, with its management team and a Board composed mostly of Calix directors, with one appointee nominated by Carbon Direct. The LEILAC Group, comprising Calix (Europe) Ltd (UK) and its subsidiaries, is the exclusive licensee of Calix’s Low Emissions Intensity Lime and Cement (LEILAC) CO2 capture technology.

LEILAC technology was successfully piloted at 25K tonnes per annum scale at HeidelbergCement’s plant in Lixhe, Belgium, and is being scaled up to 100K tonnes per annum scale in the “LEILAC-2” project for a HeidelbergCement plant in Hannover, Germany. Further commercial pilot plants for lime production are under development with Tarmac, the UK division of CRH, and AdBri in Australia, among others. US-based Carbon Direct’s investment arm, Carbon Direct Capital Management, makes direct investments into leading carbon removal and utilization technology companies. 

The firm also operates a scientific advisory business, which advise leading corporations on how to fulfil their carbon removal and utilization commitments. Carbon Direct’s advisory work spans 28 countries and includes clients such as Microsoft and Shopify. Pottinger acted as a financial and strategic advisor to Calix on this transaction, and Hamilton Locke acted as a legal advisor.

Carbon Direct investment to accelerate LEILAC technology uptake

Along with existing capital already invested in the LEILAC Group, Carbon Direct’s investment will be used by the LEILAC Group to accelerate and continue the de-risk deployment of the LEILAC technology, both technically and commercially. Technically, additional resources will be deployed in engineering and research to speed optimization. Commercially, new resourcing in business development, especially project development and CO2 use or sequestration, will be deployed to help develop complete project solutions for customers.

A new CEO will be appointed to run the business as a stand-alone entity. The investment marks the conclusion of work led by Pottinger to accelerate commercialization of the LEILAC technology and identify the optimal financial and strategic partner(s) to support this the business’ critical next phase of development.

Calix Limited CEO Phil Hodgson said the deal represented a critical milestone in Calix’s stated strategy of seeking equity “farm-ins”, after initial development undertaken by Calix, to accelerate and deploy its underlying platform technology into each line of business, with Calix remaining head licensor. He said the investment by Carbon Direct will help accelerate the development and deployment of the Calix Technology for cement and lime decarbonization.

Mr. Phil Hodgson Commented, “As each of these businesses become independent commercial entities, they will remain joined at the hip, technically with Calix, which will continue to support the development of the core intellectual property. Over time, growing royalty income from these companies will also support the development of new applications of the IP and associated technologies.”

Mr. Hodgson continued to add that the investment by Carbon Direct will help accelerate the development and deployment of the Calix Technology for cement and lime decarbonization, by saying, “The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report was unequivocal in saying that to reach the stated 2030 goals on climate change, CO2 emissions have to be reduced. LEILAC Technology is an option that is being deployed now to meet this urgent need. Carbon Direct coming on board is a strong vote of confidence in Calix’s LEILAC decarbonizing technology, following on from endorsements and partnerships with industry leaders such as Heidelberg Cement, Cemex, Lhoist and Solvay. The investment will assist us in accelerating the deployment of the technology into the carbon capture and storage landscape, with additional resources covering technology research and development, CO2 logistics, use and storage, and whole-of-project expertise, while our technology gains more exposure in global markets outside of Europe. The deal also represents our first material portfolio transaction in our stated strategy to farm-in equity to deploy our technology commercially. This strategy adds speed and focus at a critical time in the technology commercialization journey, and leaves the head company to focus on what it does best – supporting our technology and developing the next global, disruptive applications.”

Pottinger Executive Chairman Nigel Lake added: “Great engineering and technology alone are not enough: to have a transformational impact on an entire global industry takes a dedicated and well-resourced business. The investment by Carbon Direct marks a critical inflection point for both Calix and the LEILAC Group as decarbonization of the construction sector begins in earnest.”

Carbon capture is needed to reach the UN climate goals

Global decarbonization efforts are accelerating. For example, in June 2019, the UK Government became the first major economy to commit to net-zero CO2 by 2050 and is heavily supporting decarbonization efforts through funding under the UK Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy £1bn Net Zero Innovation Portfolio. In 2021, the European Union unveiled a plan to slash its carbon emissions by 55% before 2030 and impose border tariffs on countries, including Australia, that do not have some form of the carbon price. Cement production is the world’s single biggest industrial cause of carbon pollution, responsible for up to 8% of global emissions, producing more than 4 billion tonnes of CO2 per year. Cement is the primary ingredient in concrete, the second most used material in the world after water. Meanwhile, the global production volume of lime was approximately 330 million tonnes in 2020, with myriad applications beyond cement including the manufacture of aluminum, asphalt, copper, glass, gold, lithium, plasterboard, silver, solar-grade silica, steel, table salt and toothpaste. Lime is also used in agriculture and for water and sewage treatment.

Carbon Direct founder and CEO Jonathan Goldberg said Carbon Direct invested in companies that could deliver both commercially viable solutions and solve big climate problems. Mr. Goldberg Commented. “We are very impressed by the technical and commercial rigour of the LEILAC team, and plant partners are outspoken in their excitement about LEILAC. We are delighted to support Phil, Calix, and the LEILAC Group as they seek to scale LEILAC into cement and lime plants around the world. Both Carbon Direct’s investment team and its scientific advisory team, which now includes 46 globally renowned CO2 scientists and project managers, are available to assist the LEILAC Group on subjects including capital markets, regulations, commercial development, and technical development. Our entire firm is dedicated to helping technologies such as LEILAC to scale.”

Making 1 tonne of lime or cement clinker produces approximately 1 tonne of CO2LEILAC’s Breakthrough carbon capture technology

Between 50 to 60% of cement CO2 emissions derive from the process of heating or “calcination” of limestone, the chemical reaction that converts limestone (CaCO3) into lime (CaO) and CO2. These emissions are therefore unavoidable and a low-cost capture solution is essential. The patented LEILAC kiln design separates CO2 emissions arising during lime and cement production without significant energy penalty. The LEILAC kiln is being developed to use a variety of input fuels and is also easily electrified, enabling complete decarbonization of production by switching to renewable energy. LEILAC technology was successfully piloted at 25ktpa scale at HeidelbergCement’s Lixhe Cement plant in Belgium and is being scaled up to 100kTpa scale in the “LEILAC-2” project for a HeidelbergCement plant in Hannover, Germany. LEILAC-2 is targeted to be in production by late 2023 / early 2024 and is being funded by €34m from the EU Horizon 2020 scheme through a combination of cash and in-kind contributions from industrial partners. In addition to HeidelbergCement, industrial partners helping in developing the technology include Cemex, Tarmac, Cimpor, Lhoist, Engie and Solvay. Six commercial-scale cement and four commercial-scale lime follow-on projects are being developed with several interested parties, with two projects now moving into more detailed planning under previously announced heads of agreement with CRH’s UK subsidiary Tarmac and Adbri in Australia.

About Carbon Direct LLC

Carbon Direct provides both scientific advisory services and investment capital to the carbon removal & utilization ecosystem. Our advisory business works for clients to fulfill their carbon removal & utilization commitments. Carbon Direct’s team of world-renowned carbon scientists has a nuanced understanding of the true risks and opportunities of emerging and mature carbon removal & utilization technologies. Our investment business makes direct investments into leading carbon removal & utilization companies. Carbon Direct was founded in 2019 by Jonathan Goldberg and has offices in New York City. To learn more, visit www.carbon-direct.com

About Calix

Calix is a team of dedicated people developing a unique, patented technology to provide industrial solutions that address global sustainability challenges. The core technology is being used to develop more environmentally friendly solutions for sustainable processing, advanced batteries, crop protection, aquaculture, wastewater and carbon reduction. Calix develops its technology via a global network of research and development collaborations, including governments, research institutes and universities, some of the world’s largest companies, and a growing customer base and distributor network for its commercialized products and processed. Because there’s only one Earth – Mars is for Quitters.

Source(s) and Image(s): Calix Limited, Carbon Direct LLC, LEILAC Group

That was Lee. He always told you what he thought and he’d be confident and determined that he could influence things in his very own positive way. He had a good soul. Lee cared about people. He cared about our oil industry and he sure as heck cared about Newfoundland and Labrador. Lee also cared so much about wife Martha and his family. We always knew where Martha was, all about her studies and all about his love for his family.

Lee Shinkle was the grandfather of the oil and gas industry. He spent the last forty years supporting, encouraging, planning, and envisioning the birth of the offshore oil and gas sector in Newfoundland and Labrador. 

At NOIA, the Newfoundland Oil Industry Association, Lee was a NOIA member, a treasurer, a board member, and president for NOIA. That showed his enormous dedication and commitment to the industry. Lee has done more for this province, and for NOIA, than just about anyone I know. A passionate voice with an innate compass to understand “what’s possible”, Lee executed some of the smartest, most strategic, growth initiatives in the offshore.

Not near enough credit has been given to Lee for his teaching, mentorship, and dedication and how that has shaped this province and it’s prosperity. However, in February of 2019, Lee was given the highest honor of all. The honor of his peers, with the Noia Outstanding Contribution Award. Lee shared his speech with a group of about 400 NOIA members. Lee delivered a heartwarming and insightful story; a story that would make you laugh, make you cry, and most of all, inspire you to carry on to Act 2. Given the drilling programs ahead and the Gas potential in the region, who knows, we might just be the next North Sea in Act 2.

I thought I’d share Lee’s speech with you as it was one of the best I’ve heard in 30 years in the industry:

“Thank you all for this award. Peer recognition is the best recognition of all. Thank you to NOIA as well for organizing and triumphing recognition of people in all stages of their careers.

I was told I could talk for as long as I wanted… but, I’ve been on your side of this podium for many years, so I’ll stick to a few highlights of what has been a very wild ride, and I’ll hold some details for a book I’m thinking of writing. I’ll finish with a resume of everything I have learned in the last 40 years.

I finished college in 1972 with a BA in History and English. Having no prospects and nothing to do my Uncle, Andrew Crosbie, suggested he would hire me at Crosbie Insurance and send Martha and I to London to learn about Marine and Aviation insurance. After a precise, in-depth and critical analysis of the question our decision was “why not”?

We returned to St. John’s in 1975, with our first daughter Malindi, and I was immediately attracted to the oil industry. In particular, I was captivated by what all that expensive offshore exploration activity could mean for the insurance business.

In 1978 I was sent to Calgary to set up Crosbie Insurance West and chase Arctic oil exploration insurance business, Dome Petroleum, Panarctic Oil and others. A year after that, in 1979, the Petroleum Incentive Program (PIP) started which was a generous Federal Government scheme to promote Canadian companies exploring for petroleum in harsh environments.

That same year, Dick Spellacy approached my Uncle about leasing foreign supply vessels, Canadianizing them and then leasing them to an offshore explorer. All that was needed was a customer. Dick came to Calgary, we approached Mobil Oil together, and lo and behold we signed the first vessel charter. I can assure you, a legendary party ensued, and it would become the perfect kick-off to the next maniacal five years.

Martha and I and our first three children returned home in 1980 and immediately got into the offshore marine insurance business. It wasn’t long before Jan Furst from Nordco came calling looking for volunteers to help revitalize NOIA and to create a growth strategy.

I agreed to become the Secretary-Treasurer, and in my first full year, our financial report showed income of $3,500 and expenses of $2,500 leaving a surplus of $1,000 to start NOIA’s sovereign wealth fund. Too bad the Government wasn’t following NOIA’s wise example!

The following three years were filled with excitement and promise. The malt whiskey flowed, and tonnages of smoked salmon were ordered. Local investment manager Tom Foran recently told me that at that time the power of our exploration drilling program could literally move Mobil Oil’s stock price. People would line up at Tom’s office in the morning to give him money to buy Mobil options hoping to make their fortunes!

This financial frenzy, which led to a lot of heartbreak, should have been warning enough that the bloom might be coming off the rose. However, when the Ocean Ranger sank in February 1982, the dangers of the industry we were involved in really came into sharp focus.

Not long after, things began to fall apart for the industry. The weather and ice issues manifested, the PIP program ran out, the Federal and Provincial governments went to war over jurisdiction of the resource, and the oil price collapsed. Exploration evaporated, companies closed, trained employees left, and there were plenty of people crying doom and gloom.

But a steady group of dedicated enthusiasts continued to believe in the future of the industry. I am proud to be numbered amongst them. We believed we needed to keep the momentum going, to keep lobbying politicians, and to keep encouraging the owner companies and Tier 1 contractors.

Year after year, we would trek off to OTC and Offshore Europe waving the flag and repeating our mantra “Soon… we’ll be there soon”. We could also see that the Americans and Europeans were attracting a lot of attention to their regions with their conferences. So, with essentially no industry to speak of, we had the confidence to start a Conference of our own. And people came!

Suffice it to say; the true believers were a pretty cocky bunch. We believed we were “so smart” about what was to come. A group of about 10 of us had a Breakfast Club. There are a few here today; Rob Strong, Fraser Edison, Pat Stamp.

We would meet most Friday’s for breakfast and to exchange gossip but the main event was once a year, near Christmas, we would have a prediction contest as to what would happen in the coming year in the industry, with the prize being the ceremonial beer mug but more importantly bragging rights. There were usually ten categories and the person who got the highest tally, as agreed at the following year’s lunch, got to keep the mug for a year.

Clearly, this was serious stuff! Given that these guys should have had the best sources of information, you would think it would take 7 or 8 right answers to win the beer mug.

Not a chance. The whole business of predicting what will happen in the offshore, even one year out, is so uncertain that our winner would be lucky to get 2 or 21/2 out of 10.

By the late 1980’s I personally was having a crisis of belief in the future. So I retrained as a stockbroker and got a job on Bay Street in Toronto. Proudly announcing this to Martha, she smiled and responded that she hoped I would be happy there and able to send home lots of money since she wasn’t leaving Newfoundland. There was no point arguing… she told me I’d just have to try harder here.

Regardless of my scepticism, progress was being made. The Federal Government won the ownership battle, decided to share jurisdiction with the Province, and ultimately the Atlantic Accord was signed.
The negotiations continued with the Hibernia ownership consortium, and the Federal Government continued to sweeten the pot with inducements. And the one thing that was is, and forever will be out of our control, the oil price, looked to be recovering.

Fortune favoured the true believers, the Hibernia development deal was signed, and the first construction contracts were awarded. More legendary parties ensued, and the malt whiskey and smoked salmon returned.

So, the time was obviously right to once again get fully committed to the offshore. Local entrepreneur Harold Wareham had convinced me to leave the insurance business and head up a contract R&D company called Instrumar. As part of the deal, Steve Henley and I got Harold to back us in an offshore supply company called AMI Offshore. We then artfully convinced my brother Matt to leave his secure government job to chase oil riches with us. So the smart guys were ready to rake it in. But just two weeks after Matt left his job, Gulf pulled out of the Hibernia consortium. Our only client was now on hiatus. The cheque book had left the Province! Smart guys zero, oil industry carries on as usual.

We all know the story of how the project got put back together. The group of us true believers were front and centre whipping up industrial support across the country and tormenting anyone who would listen about the importance of making it happen.

So, Hibernia finally did happen. We started to make some money on the construction project.
At AMI we listened to others about where the future might take us. In particular, Wes Abel, Mobil’s local lead, clearly stated to the industry that the real success would come to those companies that learned that the real economic opportunity was in operations and maintenance. Better a dollar a day forever than $100 once in a while. Our focus shifted to operations.

I took on the challenge of leading AOC Canada, a joint venture of Aberdeen based AOC and Toronto based Bracknell, set up to pursue the initial Hibernia operations and maintenance contract. A hard battle was fought, but we were victorious in the end. Hurray more legendary parties!

After the award, I asked Bill Fanning, who was with Hibernia at the time, what our secret sauce was, thinking there must have been something really special about what we did that enabled us to win. Bill told me the competitors were both pretty much the same, but we tried harder!

Gradually, over the next decade, the local supply sector evolved into what you see today. Lots of mergers and acquisitions, but pretty much the same folks chasing the same contracts as the additional projects got built and the market expanded.

Crosbie Group bought into AMI and eventually bought the whole company. But to be honest, the real long term success for our family didn’t arrive until the early 1990s when Crosbie Group founded a joint venture with Salamis out of Aberdeen to provide maintenance and deck services. We gained an equity foothold in business we could manage for ourselves, here at home.

Crosbie Salamis was our chance to realize the dream we had been chasing since the mid-1970s when Andrew Crosbie had the vision to get us all worked up about the possibilities that the offshore industry offered the people of this province. The dream that we were going to be more than strictly the local labour, that we were going to be ongoing contributors to the industry and that we could translate our business success into giving back to our communities. For me, Crosbie Salamis is a leading beacon of the dream that we were all sold at the very beginning.

What started out initially as an experiment in skills and technology transfer has grown into one of the province’s largest locally owned and operated companies in the industry. We eventually bought out our partner Salamis in a friendly transaction, and now we have completed the circle by partnering up in Guyana in the hopes of being, for our partner in Guyana, what Salamis was to us.

I’ve been reflecting a lot since learning of this award a few weeks ago. Looking back, through all the ups and downs, we have collectively built an industry with four producing projects, with major expansions and asset life extensions and cash flow expected for the next 25 years. We have a new project in the hopper moving towards sanction. We have the largest combined exploration drilling commitment we have ever seen. We have many new global companies chasing our subsea oil wealth. We are better at managing risks than we have ever been. And our local supply community is knowledgeable, passionate, and poised to take its place on the world stage.

It sounds to me like Act 1 is over. Act 2 is starting with the next wave of exploration, and it will be up to all of you to bring it to fruition for the benefit of this wonderful place we call home. Look around this room, and you see the next wave of leaders and believers. It’s particularly gratifying that two of my own children, Malindi Shinkle and Jessica Banfield, both of whom are here today at the Exxon table, went straight from college into long term, challenging careers in our industry.

I have enjoyed this wild ride enormously, but let me be crystal clear. For me, none of it would have been possible without the love, support, and the outright refusal to move to Toronto 30 years ago, of my wife Martha, and our children Malindi, Geoffrey, Jessica, and David. Thank you to all of you, from the bottom of my heart.

With that, I will finish up by passing on a few short pearls of wisdom that I have learned during Act 1, and that I hope you carry with you into Act 2:

Firstly: there’s no one in charge.

Secondly: no one knows what is going to happen next which is why it’s so exciting.

Thirdly: you have to keep trying harder.

And lastly: you have to make sure to have lots of legendary parties!

Good luck, and thank you.”

__________________________________________________

Lee was intrumental in Act 1. He’s is watching over us now. He’ll be a champoin for us in Heaven. Let’s make him proud and bring in the next generation of oil and gas along with renewables and tech. There’s nothing stopping us now…it’s time for Act 2.

We could never say it enough… but  thank you LEE SHINKLE for all you have done.

From October 6–8, a total of four energy exhibitions took place in Munich as part of the innovation hub The smarter E Europe Restart 2021: Intersolar Europe, ees Europe, Power2Drive Europe and EM-Power Europe accompanied by two specialist conferences Intersolar Europe Conference and ees Europe Conference) and three exhibition forums. After more than two years without the possibility of meeting in person at exhibitions, the entire industry was elated to come together again live at The smarter E Europe Restart 2021.

The organizers are more than satisfied with the results. Around 15,000 visitors had been expected at this year’s more compact (due to Covid-19) Restart version of the innovation hub for new energy solutions. With approximately 26,000 visitors from 93 countries and over 50 percent coming from outside of Germany, the expectations of the organizers were greatly exceeded. In light of the Covid-19 restrictions, the very high level of interest among international visitors was particularly exciting for exhibitors. 

The positive reception is, above all, the result of the very dynamic growth and excellent long-term prospects in the participating industries: Photovoltaics, markets for batteries and energy storage systems, e-mobility and green hydrogen as well as components, solutions and new business models for the integration of renewable energies into the energy infrastructure. Even based on conservative estimates, these areas are expected to experience considerable growth throughout Europe in the coming years, and this boom has already begun. In five exhibition halls, the four energy exhibitions showcased everything related to the efficient generation, storage, distribution and usage of renewable energy:

• Intersolar Europe Restart 2021, the world’s leading exhibition for the solar industry
• ees Europe Restart 2021, Europe`s largest and most international exhibition for batteries and energy storage systems
• Power2Drive Europe Restart 2021, the international exhibition for charging infrastructure and e-mobility 
• EM-Power Europe Restart 2021, the international exhibition for energy management and integrated energy solutions

At the event, it became very clear just how important it is to the entire industry, in light of dynamic developments, to meet and exchange ideas in person and work together on innovative projects for the future of the energy supply. What also became evident: Sector coupling as a crucial factor for the energy transition is becoming more and more of a focus, and green hydrogen is becoming an increasingly important option with which to couple the energy, heating and transportation sectors more closely by way of renewable energies. 

The “Green Hydrogen Manifesto”, which was presented as part of The smarter E Europe Restart 2021 at Messe München, provided valuable inspiration for advancing this energy source. With this manifesto, the initiators Hydrogen Europe, German Hydrogen and Fuel-Cell Association DWV, European Electrolyzer & Fuel Cell Forum EFCF and The smarter E Europe aim to send a clear signal in favor of decarbonization and a sustainable circular economy.
We would be delighted if you already saved the date of the next scheduled The smarter E Europe: May 11-13, 2022!

If you were not able to attend all events in person, this year you still have the opportunity to catch up on anything you missed and experience the industry highlights even now that the exhibition is over. Just follow this link to The smarter E Expo TV: www.thesmartere.de/de/expo-tv

The Smarter E Europe Restart 2021 – A Spectacular new start for the Innovation Hub

The new energy world is gaining momentum throughout Europe – the stakeholders met in Munich/Pforzheim, October 11, 2021: After a triumphant three days, it’s clear that The smarter E Europe Restart 2021 was a success. Taking place in a more compact restart format due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the innovation hub for new energy solutions was an absolute success. With more than 450 exhibitors, 45,000 square meters of exhibition space and around 26,000 visitors from 93 countries, it was possible to host the event again for the first time in two years.

Responses from exhibitors, visitors, organizers and partners were positive across the board: “We are so happy to finally meet again in person!” The industry is looking forward to the next The smarter E Europe from May 11–13, 2022. Matthias Taft, CEO at BayWa r.e. AG commented, “We are so excited that it’s possible to meet personally with our customers and suppliers for the first time in nearly two years of the pandemic. For us, it’s an incredible opportunity to take part in The smarter E Europe Restart 2021 and be able to showcase our innovations and expand our network.”

At the core of the innovation hub are the key issues related to a sustainable energy and transportation industry: Renewable energies, decentralization, digitalization and sector coupling as well as smart, connected energy systems. Innovative technologies, new business models and pioneering projects were presented at the accompanying conferences and forums.

From October 6–8 October, 2021, a total of four energy exhibitions took place at the innovation hub: Intersolar Europe, ees Europe, Power2Drive Europe and EM-Power Europe, accompanied by two conferences (Intersolar Europe Conference and ees Europe Conference) and three exhibition forums. What’s more, Intersolar celebrated its 30th anniversary this year. Together, these exhibitions share a common vision of creating a smart, sustainable and connected energy supply system. The smarter E Europe puts the new energy world on the map.

Tailwinds for the industry: The bedrock of the new energy world is booming

The European solar market is booming. According to industry association SolarPower Europe, new photovoltaic systems with a capacity of 18.2 gigawatts (GW) were installed in 2020. This represents an 11 percent increase in market volume over the previous year. And all forecasts are predicting further growth, also in terms of jobs: The Swiss plant construction company Meyer-Burger, exhibitor at Intersolar Europe Restart 2021, is revitalizing the Solar Valley in Germany’s Saxony-Anhalt with two factories for solar cells and modules and is creating new jobs in the new energy world.

To ensure the success of the energy transition, further expansion of renewable sources of energy is still necessary. According to Carsten Körnig, CEO of the German Solar Association (BSW Solar), a sort of “turbo mode” for solar energy and storage systems is needed now to avoid a looming electrical energy gap in the near future by replacing fossil fuel power plant capacities before it’s too late.

In addition to a faster expansion of traditional roof and ground-mounted photovoltaic systems, contributions can also come from building-integrated photovoltaics (BIVP) and agrivoltaics in agricultural areas as well as floating PV. Accordingly, companies such as BayWa r.e. GmbH and Rem Tec Srl have presented innovative agrivoltaic and floating PV systems and products.

Photovoltaic systems combined with electrical energy storage for grid control and managing grid congestion are becoming more and more important and will form the backbone of our energy infrastructure in the future, as demonstrated by another highlight: The joint sessions of the ees Europe Conference and the Intersolar Europe Conference on the combination of PV and storage systems. 

Storage systems and green hydrogen as the core of the energy transition

The expansion of solar and wind energy is the first step toward a further decarbonization of the energy industry. However, efficient electricity storage systems are crucial – and the storage market is booming along with battery production, both for large-scale and residential storage systems.

Investments and government incentive schemes worth billions, rapidly growing revenues and many new players are characteristic for the current market. On site, exhibitors such as Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., Sungrow Power Supply Co. Ltd. and Fenecon GmbH also provided insights into the dynamic battery storage markets.

Expert lectures and discussions held as part of the ees Europe Conference were also devoted to this topic, as were the ees AWARD winners Commeo GmbH, Enphase Energy NL and SAX Power GmbH. “It’s exciting how many people are starting to think about grid security, energy storage and renewable energies. Commercial storage systems are in especially high demand, since companies have recognized the benefits of capping load peaks and easing the burden on the grid as well as saving money. It’s really encouraging to get such positive feedback on our ESS solutions from the international trade visitors,” says Franz-Josef Feilmeier, Managing Director Fenecon GmbH.

Another key element of the energy transition is also gaining ground at the moment. Green hydrogen is becoming an important option with which to couple the energy, heating and transportation sectors more closely by way of renewable energies. “The entire energy storage industry has an exciting future ahead: Green hydrogen perfectly follows the trends and meets the requirements for decarbonization. As the link to the use of renewable sources of energy in all sectors, hydrogen is unbeatable – it also connects the ecological benefits with regional value creation,” says Ove Petersen, co-founder and CEO of the GP JOULE Group.

The “Green Hydrogen Manifesto”, which was presented as part of The smarter E Europe Restart 2021 at Messe München, now provides valuable inspiration for advancing this energy source. With this manifesto, the initiators Hydrogen Europe, German Hydrogen and Fuel-Cell Association DWV, European Electrolyzer & Fuel Cell Forum EFCF and The smarter E Europe aim to send a clear signal in favor of decarbonization and a sustainable circular economy.

“We are at the verge of a hydrogen market economy: Green hydrogen not only brings incredible opportunities for European industries but is also an entire system integrator at the core of the energy transition. To reach the climate targets, policies must be put in place to pave the regulatory path for this energy source. This is the only way that all of the inspiration and creativity which was so impressively showcased at the exhibition can find its way into the future of renewable, sustainable and cost-effective energy supply,” says Werner Diwald, Chairman of the Board for the German Hydrogen and Fuel-Cell Association (DWV).

E-mobility: The key element between the new energy world and the world of mobility

The role of e-mobility in the new energy world, charging infrastructure as the intersection between mobility and power grids as well as the prospects of the Vehicle2Grid concept as a game changer of the new world of mobility – these are just a few of the main topics at the Power2Drive Europe Restart 2021. At the exhibition and the accompanying forum, the major players of the energy transition in the transportation sector came together.

Manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and start-ups presented the latest developments and business models. The integration of Power2Drive Europe and the innovation hub for new energy solutions demonstrates clearly: In order to take advantage of all that the mobility and transportation sectors have to offer, electric vehicles and charging infrastructure must be viewed as an integral part of the energy system.

High-performance electric vehicle batteries not only serve as energy storage for vehicles but can also be used as building blocks in the power grid. Electric vehicles make decentralized storage capacity available for the energy transition. Foundations include Vehicle2Grid (V2G), Vehicle2Home (V2H) and Vehicle2Work solutions.

“Charging infrastructure is a central element for the success of e-mobility – and at the exhibition, we explored how it relates to other topics such as storage, photovoltaics and regenerative energy. In turn, this event showcased the entire energy and mobility sector, which is incredibly exciting for us,” says Karl Kolmsee, Director Product Portfolio Management at Webasto Customized Solutions.

A firsthand experience of the energy transition

Visitors who took part in EM-Power Europe Restart and the accompanying forum were able to experience the energy transition firsthand. As always, the award ceremony for the Energy Transition Award 2021 for the best utility companies in German-speaking regions was a highlight – the award-winning projects are tangible and put the new energy world at our fingertips.

The Energy Transition Award demonstrates that every company – from locally operating municipal utilities to internationally active energy groups – can and must make a contribution to the energy transition. This is evident in the award-winning companies for the category Energy Transition 2021, which include Entega, Stadtwerke Karlsruhe, Stadtwerke Mühlheim am Main GmbH and Stadtwerke Bernau GmbH. Click here for a complete list of winners.

Another highlight: The daily sessions on climate neutrality and how companies can achieve this. Businesses have also caught up with the times: More and more companies are switching to cost-effective and environmentally friendly electricity and are embracing climate-neutral production. At EM-Power Europe, special focus was placed on the path to becoming a climate-neutral company, sector coupling in buildings and districts as well as future issues surrounding smart grids and grid infrastructure.

“To optimize CO2 emissions, we are focusing on sustainable energy supply through digitization and new business models. By working at the grid edge, the interface between smart grids and prosumers, the relationships between consumption, production and storage are being redefined. In this way, renewable energy can be integrated efficiently, and energy supply can be guaranteed flexibly and reliably”, says Markus Mildner, Head of Global Sales, Siemens Smart Infrastructure.

Four exhibitions, one mission

The innovation hub is also just the place for start-ups: Responses on the start-up area and stage were very positive – interested young companies were able to bolster business and directly interact with investors and other companies as part of the Business Speed Dating. Accelerating the transformation: Making renewable energy available 24/7, seven days a week, achieving a connected, clean and modern energy and transportation industry, tackling challenges and seizing opportunities for the entire industry, sectors working together in harmony with each other, advancing flexible solutions and concepts – that’s the vision of The smarter E Europe.

And the innovation hub for new energy solutions is not alone in this: A great number of international stakeholders in the modern energy industry gathered from October 6 to 8 in Munich. The smarter E Europe Restart is an important event marking the return of exhibitions and sends an important signal for the industry, which very much welcomes these activities. Visitors and exhibitors who were not able to attend the innovation hub can catch up on everything they missed by accessing articles, statements and interviews in Expo TV: https://www.thesmartere.de/de/expo-tv.

The smarter E Europe, which encompasses the four individual exhibitions (Intersolar Europe, ees Europe, Power2Drive Europe and EM-Power Europe), will take place from May 11–13, 2022, at Messe München.
For more information, please visit: www.TheSmarterE.de/en

The smarter E Europe

The smarter E is the innovation hub for events and topics that drive the new energy world. Renewable energy, decentralization and digitalization are bringing lasting changes to the energy world. This development demands cross-sector, intelligently integrated concepts and solutions for the efficient generation, storage, distribution and use of energy, so that we can ensure a secure and sustainable energy supply around the clock in the future. Under the motto “Creating the new energy world”, The smarter E Europe unites four exhibitions and conferences that take an in-depth look at these topics. In doing so, it is now Europe’s largest platform for the energy industry.

Intersolar Europe, the world’s leading exhibition for the solar industry, has been dedicated to solar energy for 30 years and has established itself as the industry’s most important meeting point. The exhibition focuses on the areas of photovoltaics, solar thermal technologies and solar power plants.
ees Europe, the continent’s largest and most international exhibition for batteries and energy storage systems, will take place for the seventh time in 2021, presenting the entire value-added chain of innovative battery and energy storage technologies.

The smarter E Europe is organized by Solar Promotion GmbH, Pforzheim, and Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe GmbH & Co. KG (FWTM).

Source(s) and Image(s): The smarter E Europe Restart, © Solar Promotion GmbH

The three-year pilot, located at Slate-owned 55 St. Clair West in Toronto, (headquarters to IBI Group and the Smart City Sandbox) demonstrates how commercial building owners can accommodate the growing demand for EV charging stations while simultaneously improving the building’s energy efficiency and reducing operational costs. Leveraging SWTCH’s bidirectional, vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging technology, SWTCH operators will study the V2G charger’s ability to store energy through a parked Nissan Leaf during off-peak hours, and redistribute that energy to the building and the Level 2 EV chargers during on-peak hours.

“The mission of the Smart City Sandbox has always been to cultivate the next generation of smart buildings and infrastructure by bringing together established market leaders with early-stage companies to develop technologies that improve efficiency, the environment, and citizen engagement. As an early-stage investor in SWTCH, we believe the pilot embodies all tenets of this mission by allowing EV owners to participate in an innovative solution that supports decarbonisation and benefits all stakeholders,” said IBI Group CEO, Scott Stewart.

“Environmental sustainability is central to how we think about acquiring, enhancing and managing real estate at Slate Asset Management. Our goal is to create places where our people and tenants thrive, and to contribute to our communities and the environment. Driving innovation in clean technology and finding ways to make our properties more resource-efficient is key to that objective and benefits all of our stakeholders. We’re pleased to be making our property at 55 St. Clair West available for this groundbreaking pilot program, which can help make clean energy solutions more accessible and widespread in urban settings across Canada and beyond,” stated Katie Fong, Vice President of Asset Management at Slate.

As electric vehicles gain popularity and adoption, the question of how to accommodate a rise in EV charging infrastructure without additional strain on the electrical grid becomes increasingly relevant. Vehicle-to-grid technology allows buildings to draw energy from parked EVs during on-peak hours rather than the grid. During the pilot, the parked Nissan Leaf will store energy during off-peak hours and redistribute that energy to the building and the EV chargers in use, creating an energy flow that is cost-effective and environmentally sustainable.

The technology and model developed by SWTCH is unique as it includes a financial incentive for EV owners to participate in the program which leverages the blockchain. The SWTCH app tracks when energy is being drawn from a car’s battery and when it’s being charged, creating a history of credits and debits securely managed through blockchain technology that participants can monitor on their phones.

“We are thrilled to partner with IBI Group and Slate, through the Smart City Sandbox, to address the barriers to widespread EV adoption. By proving our innovative charging and energy management solution, we hope to significantly reduce the cost of EV charging infrastructure and materially enhance grid efficiency,” commented SWTCH CEO, Carter Li.

About Smart City Sandbox

The Smart City Sandbox unites like-minded public- and private-sector partners to foster innovative new products and solutions focused on improving the quality of life in urban environments. By bringing together entrepreneurs, start-ups, influencers and the tech ecosystem at-large, the physical-turned-virtual Sandbox provides events and programming to foster engagement and collaboration, while offering tangible opportunities for the development and delivery of new products and services.

About IBI Group

IBI Group Inc. is a technology-driven design firm with global architecture, engineering, planning, and technology expertise spanning over 60 offices and 3,000 professionals around the world. For nearly 50 years, its dedicated professionals have helped clients create livable, sustainable, and advanced urban environments. IBI Group believes that cities thrive when designed with intelligent systems, sustainable buildings, efficient infrastructure, and a human touch.

About SWTCH Energy Inc.

SWTCH provides end-to-end EV charging and energy management solutions for high-density urban settings. Our innovative EV charging platform streamlines the charging experience for drivers while optimizing usage and revenue for site operators. SWTCH’s approach to EV charging ensures greater flexibility and scalability to meet the growing demand for charging while minimizing infrastructure upgrade costs. Ultimately, SWTCH’s mission is to improve EV charging accessibility in urban, multi-tenant settings and ensure the effective integration of EVs in our clean energy future. 

About Slate Asset Management

Slate Asset Management is a global alternative investment platform focused on real estate. We focus on fundamentals with the objective of creating long-term value for our investors and partners. Slate’s platform has a range of investment strategies, including opportunistic, value add, core plus and debt investments. We are supported by exceptional people and flexible capital, which enable us to originate and execute on a wide range of compelling investment opportunities.

Source(s) and Image(s): IBI Group

The GeoScan project, announced recently by Canada’s Ocean Supercluster – a St. John’s-based network of businesses and researchers tasked with generating new technologies – will use wider 3-D acoustic scans to provide the offshore sector with more information to guide decisions. The technology provides a 3-D volumetric interpretation of sub-seabed geology with enhanced resolution and increased competitiveness for the global offshore renewable energy sector.

The project is being led by Newfoundland and Labrador marine imaging company, PanGeo Subsea, with a British Columbia-based partner, Cellula Robotics. Memorial University’s Marine Institute will also be involved.The Ocean Supercluster is providing $2 million in funding to the project, with the rest coming from industry partners.

PanGeo CEO Moya Cahill says the technology will allow her company to satisfy the global market demand for offshore wind farms, but also helps the oil and gas industry. “What’s driving our growth today is certainly offshore wind, but it can similarly be applied to the oil and gas sector as well as to marine construction,” she said a CBC article. The future is so promising. It’s so exciting for PanGeo. This is the type of support that we need to leverage our ability to innovate on a global scale,” Cahill commented.

Ocean Supercluster said the GeoScan Project will create highly skilled, full-time positions and placements at both PanGeo Subsea and Cellula through the development and implementation of the project.

Source(s) and Image(s): Atlantica Energy

A focus on charging infrastructure

Charging infrastructure as a key intersection between mobility and energy is another focus of the Power2Drive Forum. With more and more electric vehicles with larger batteries and higher ranges becoming available, the need for charging infrastructure and high-speed charging stations is growing. What kind of specific solutions are there? What density of charging stations does Europe require? Is high-power charging (HPC) just a trend and is slow charging more sustainable? Find out the answers to these questions at the session “Fast Charging vs. Slow Charging” with AVERE, CharIn (Charging Interface Initiative) and NewMotion. Innovative charging concepts, distinctive characteristics of smart charging as well as flat-rate charging throughout Europe and the ability to pay with your cell phone – Martin Schurig, Head of Financial & Enabling Services, Telefonica Germany, will provide a broad overview during the session “Charging Infrastructure Master Plan: Technology and Trends”. 

Perspectives on Vehicle2Grid

In order to take advantage of all that the mobility and transportation sectors have to offer, electric vehicles should be considered as an integral part of the energy system. High-performance electric vehicle batteries not only serve as energy storage for vehicles but can also be used as building blocks in the power grid. Electric vehicles make decentralized storage capacity available for the energy transition. Foundations include Vehicle2Grid (V2G), Vehicle2Home (V2H) and Vehicle2Work solutions. Although technologies are becoming more and more refined, there are still unanswered questions: How can electric vehicles and charging infrastructure be integrated into the grid operation? What changes can be expected in regard to technical and fiscal requirements? What’s happening in the field of cyber security?

Under the motto “Vehicle2Grid as Game Changer of the New Mobility World”, Martin Roemheld, Head of E-Mobility Services at Volkswagen, Christopher Burghardt, Managing Director for Europe at ChargePoint and Marcus Fendt, Managing Director of The Mobility House, will be discussing how the auto industry, the energy sector and policy-makers can work together for the success of bidirectional charging. Dr. Rüdiger Freimann, Head of Research and Development for the Erwin Hymer Group, will add to this by discussing how V2G can help revolutionize the campervan manufacturer’s caravans. Volkswagen has announced, for example, that it will develop V2G functions for electric vehicles. V2G technology is seen as the next major step toward sustainable mobility: It can help to decarbonize the transportation sector, carry out load control activities, better integrate renewable energies and also generate new sources of revenue for utility companies and owners of electric vehicles.

On-site industry networking at Power2Drive Europe Restart 2021

Power2Drive Europe Restart 2021, accompanied by the Power2Drive Forum, will be held from October 6–8 at Messe München and offers the opportunity to share know-how and ideas, learn about product innovation, engage in networking and navigate the dynamic e-mobility market, with contributions in both English and German. The exhibition will be presenting charging solutions, electric vehicles and mobility services. Manufacturers, suppliers, installers, fleet and energy managers, distributors and start-ups will be able to make valuable business contacts. Furthermore, the exhibition reflects the intelligent integration of electric mobility in a renewable energy system, since it takes place as part of the innovation hub The smarter E Europe at the same time as the energy exhibitions Intersolar Europe, ees Europe, and EM-Power Europe. The focus of the event is to present ways to intelligently connect the electricity, heat and transportation sectors through the use of renewable energy as well as decentralization and digitalization. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s event will be held on a smaller scale. The innovation hub The smarter E Europe Europe Restart 2021 will be held at Messe München from October 6–8. Your ticket includes participation at the exhibition forums’ activities including eCar test driving as well as parallel exhibitions.

About Power2Drive Europe

Power2Drive Europe is the international exhibition for charging infrastructure and e-mobility. Under the motto “Charging the future of mobility!”, Power2Drive Europe is the ideal meeting point for manufacturers, suppliers, installers, fleet and energy managers, distributors and start-ups. The exhibition shines the spotlight on innovative solutions for sustainable mobility and approaches for integrating them into the power grid. Exhibitors and visitors alike benefit from the synergy between renewable energies, storage systems and innovative mobility concepts. Power2Drive Europe takes a look at current global market developments, showcases the potential of e-mobility, and reflects the interconnection of electric vehicles with a sustainable energy supply on a global scale. Meet new customers, catch up with your existing customer base and forge new business relationships with the industry’s key decision makers.

Power2Drive Europe is part of The smarter E Europe – the continent’s largest platform for the energy industry. The energy exhibitions Intersolar Europe, ees Europe, and EM-Power Europe will also be held at the same time. Power2Drive Europe is organized by Solar Promotion GmbH and Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe GmbH & Co. KG

Image source: © Solar Promotion GmbH

Source: E-mobility

‘Leading edge erosion’ is a serious issue with large commercial wind turbine blades. It is caused by environmental impacts including rain, hail, ice, salt and UV. Such damage of the blade surface leads to increased drag and ultimately to reduced energy production. It also drives operating cost up due to increased maintenance, regular blade replacement and downtime of the generator. While the issue already exists for onshore installations, it becomes even more significant for offshore wind farms, operating under extreme conditions.

Based on specifications defined by Edge Solutions, INEOS Styrolution developed a specific material solution using its Luran® SC product. This material became the basis for the armourEDGE shield – a leading edge protection solution that significantly reduces the impact of environmental factors on the leading edge of wind turbine blades. The armourEDGE shield leads to significantly less downtown and maintenance cost. It also results in an increase in annual energy production. Their armourEDGE system is currently being installed on an operational offshore wind farm in northern Europe.

David Urch, Managing Director, Edge Solutions comments, “Leading edge erosion is a significant issue for wind turbines, offshore and onshore. With tip speeds approaching 330 km/h, continual impacts by rain, hail, ice and other airborne particulates damage the blade surface, leading to increased drag and reduced energy production. This drives up operating cost due to increased maintenance downtime and ultimately blade replacement. Over the last four years we have worked closely with the team at INEOS Styrolution to develop our armourEDGE product which maintains the blades’ aerodynamic properties and is extremely durable. With rapid installation, this results in less downtime and improved profitability for wind farm owners.”

The Luran® SC product line is comprised of blended ASA1 with PC2. The material provides very high heat resistance, stiffness and excellent impact strength. It is very stable towards oxidation. Because of its inherent robustness, Luran® SC is the material of choice for a wide range of challenging outdoor applications.
1 Acrylonitrile styrene acrylate
2 Polycarbonate

Ken MacIntosh, Key Account Manager at INEOS Styrolution, states, “It’s been very motivating to work with an entrepreneurial company like Edge Solutions. Together, we came up with the optimised material performance for the given challenge.”

About INEOS Styrolution

INEOS Styrolution is the leading global styrenics supplier, with a focus on styrene monomer, polystyrene, ABS Standard and styrenic specialties. With world-class production facilities and more than 90 years of experience, INEOS Styrolution helps its customers succeed by offering solutions, designed to give them a competitive edge in their markets. At the same time, these innovative and sustainable best-in-class solutions help make the circular economy for styrenics a reality. The company provides styrenic applications for many everyday products across a broad range of industries, including automotive, electronics, household, construction, healthcare, packaging and toys/sports/leisure. In 2020, sales were at 4 billion euros. INEOS Styrolution employs approximately 3,600 people and operates 20 production sites in ten countries.

About Edge Solutions

Scottish company Edge Solutions has developed its armourEDGE shield which is a game-changing approach to the costly problem of leading-edge erosion on wind turbine blades. Its precision engineered shields securely bond to the leading edge of blades to provide an aerodynamically optimal, full-life protection that minimizes maintenance costs and maximizes energy production and return on investment.

Source(s) and Image(s): Edge Solutions and INEOS Styrolution

 “Preem’s production of renewable petrol is an important piece of the puzzle that Sweden must solve to achieve the climate goals. Residual products from our Swedish forests have a unique potential and this is an exciting step in our work to develop the fuel of the future,” said Peter Abrahamsson, Head of Sustainable Development at Preem AB.

To meet Sweden’s long-term goals of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions, fuel suppliers must reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels. Co-processing of biomass-based pyrolysis oil is one method to reduce the carbon intensity of transport fuels at the refinery compared to blending of biofuels downstream. Pyrolysis oil produced from sustainable solid biomass materials such as sawdust or agricultural residuals is a low carbon feedstock suitable for refinery upgrading. Biomass-based pyrolysis oil can qualify as an Annex IX Part A feedstock under the European Union Renewable Energy Directive, which is directly supported by Sweden’s Integrated Energy and Climate Plan. Pyrolysis oil co-processed in an FCC is an economically attractive method of meeting RED biofuel mandates for Advanced Biofuels.

Ben Owens, vice president and general manager, Honeywell Sustainable Technology Solutions stated, “UOP is excited to support Preem for the production of low-carbon transportation fuels. FCC co-processing of biomass-based pyrolysis oil is an integrated production solution using existing refinery infrastructure to convert sustainable feeds into advanced biofuels.” 

FCC co-processing technology is part of a portfolio of renewable fuel solutions offered by the Sustainable Technology Solutions group at Honeywell UOP. Using the UOP Optimix GF Feed Distributor system, many types of bioliquids can be successfully co-processed in an FCC unit.  Refinery co-processing is one method for meeting biofuel mandates and produce low carbon fuels. Preem AB is the largest fuel company in Sweden, with a refining capacity of more than 18 million cubic meters per year. Preem refines and sells gasoline, diesel, heating oil and renewable fuels to companies and consumers in Sweden and worldwide. By 2030, Preem will produce approximately 5 million cubic meters of renewable fuels, and thereafter aims to become the world’s first climate neutral biofuels- and refining company. Honeywell recently committed to achieve carbon neutrality in its operations and facilities by 2035. 

This commitment builds on the company’s track record of sharply reducing the greenhouse gas intensity of its operations and facilities as well as its decades-long history of innovation to help its customers meet their environmental and social goals. About half of Honeywell’s new product introduction research and development investment is directed toward products that improve environmental and social outcomes for customers. Honeywell UOP is a leading international supplier and licensor of process technology, catalysts, adsorbents, equipment, and consulting services to the petroleum refining, petrochemical, and gas processing industries.

Honeywell UOP is part of Honeywell’s Performance Materials and Technologies strategic business group, which also includes Honeywell Process Solutions, a pioneer in automation control, instrumentation and services for the oil and gas, refining, petrochemical, chemical and other industries. Honeywell is a Fortune 100 technology company that delivers industry-specific solutions that include aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings and industry; and performance materials globally. Our technologies help aircraft, buildings, manufacturing plants, supply chains, and workers become more connected to make our world smarter, safer, and more sustainable.

Source(s) and Image(s): Honeywell and Preem

“We know compact excavators are a multi-functional tool around the job site. They are used
for everything from lifting and placing materials such as concrete barriers, to unloading equipment such as portable generators. This utility hook adds ease to our customers’ work and minimizes the potential for damage to both the machine and attachment, which, at the end of the day, increases productivity and reduces machine down time,” said Frank Gangi, Yanmar Compact Equipment North America product manager of attachments.

Ideal for lifting heavy objects, the utility hook improves equipment longevity and overall safety by providing a dedicated, engineered lifting point built into the machine linkage. This provides a stronger position from which to lift, rather than putting the strain on the end of the arm or the attachment. A strap or chain draped around an attachment or a bucket tooth, for example, can cause warping or risk of failure to the attachment or equipment since it may not be rated for such concentrated loads in that area.

The Stowable Utility Hook is designed by Yanmar for Yanmar excavators, offering customers the peace of mind that comes with an OEM-supported product. The utility hook is engineered with the same reliability and performance standards customers have come to expect with Yanmar equipment.

The hook features a multi-directional design that allows it to swing in each direction, as well as 360-degree swivel movement. This provides operators optimal lifting position as well as the ability to easily position lifted objects when setting them into place. The swivel hook conveniently stows out of the way with an easy-to-operate lock pin when not in use. Maintenance on the utility hook is nearly effortless thanks to a single recessed Zerk fitting. The hook can be retrofitted onto all Yanmar compact excavator models from the ViO25 up to the SV100. Installation can be completed in as little as 20 minutes.

About Yanmar Compact Equipment

Yanmar is a leading global player in the industrial machinery industry. In the construction equipment sector, Yanmar was first to market with the launch of the first mini excavator in 1968 and its invention of the revolutionary zero-tail excavator in 1993. Yanmar Compact Equipment has four production plants in Japan, France, Germany, and the U.S., to deliver a range of products and services to the global market.

About Yanmar

With beginnings in Osaka, Japan, in 1912, Yanmar was the first ever to succeed in making a compact diesel engine of a practical size in 1933. A pioneer in diesel engine technology, Yanmar is a global innovator in a wide range of industrial equipment, from small and large engines, agricultural machinery and facilities, construction equipment, energy systems, marine, to machine tools, and components — Yanmar’s global business operations span seven
domains. On land, at sea, and in the city, Yanmar provides advanced solutions to the challenges customers face, towards realizing A Sustainable Future.

Source and Images: Yanmar Compact Equipment

This is their first private equity investment. The debt is being provided by some of the leading Energy Access lenders including FMO, the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank, and Sunfunder, a solar finance company providing debt capital to solar enterprises in emerging markets.

Bill Lenihan, Chief Executive Officer of ZOLA Electric, said, “We are beyond grateful and proud to close this $90 million funding round. Businesses are judged by the company they keep, and we are thrilled to have the backing of these leading energy operators and investors. The world needs energy access, energy equality, and it needs to be done in a way that protects our environment while supporting economic development. Digital renewable energy can help us accomplish these weighty objectives, and as a leading energy access technology company, this is what we intend to achieve.”

Today, ZOLA delivers energy to approximately 1.5 million users, across over 10 countries, predominantly in Africa but recently expanded to Asia and South America. Its products are distributed through leading integrators and developers including EDF, Shell, Econet/DPA and to emerging DRE (distributed renewable energy) integrators like Blue Camel in Nigeria.

Edouard Bulteau, Principal at TotalEnergies Ventures, commented, “Energy is reinventing itself, and we need to find a path to a low-carbon future while meeting the energy needs of the society. Developing renewable energy solutions dedicated to emerging markets is key to reach this goal and represents a huge investment opportunity. This is why TotalEnergies Ventures is delighted to support ZOLA, a leading company in this area, in their latest fund raise.”

In these markets, the lack of primary power results in the installation of millions of back-up solutions (diesel generators, lead acid batteries) that are poorly integrated, difficult to manage, unreliable, costly, dirty, and lack intelligence. As a result, socio-economic development, healthcare and education is hindered. ZOLA’s objective is to drive energy access to the 2.2 billion people and hundreds of millions of businesses that currently lack it.

Nancy Pfund, Founder and Managing Partner at DBL Partners, said, “DBL’s mission has always been to drive top tier venture capital returns and positive social and environmental change. ZOLA embodies our mission in every way, and we are excited to see the company build the same success in clean energy in Africa and other emerging markets that we have had with clean energy investments in the United States. DBL firmly believes that access to clean,
affordable, and reliable energy is a global movement, and the time is now.”

Sources and Images: ZOLA Electric

As the next step in enhancing the Ecofining process technology offering, Wood’s technology will be integrated to use the byproducts of the UOP Ecofining process technology to produce renewable hydrogen, reducing lifecycle GHG emissions a further 10% when compared to the total GHG emissions produced by conventional petroleum jet fuel. The renewable hydrogen is then injected back into the Honeywell Ecofining process to remove feed impurities and create a cleaner burning renewable fuel. The carbon dioxide (CO₂) that is generated from the production of the hydrogen can be captured and routed for permanent underground sequestration using the Honeywell H₂ Solutions technology suite, further reducing lifecycle GHG emissions an additional 10% when compared to the total GHG emissions produced by conventional petroleum jet fuel. The combination of technologies results in an aviation fuel that is effectively carbon neutral compared to petroleum fuels. 

Ben Owens, vice president and general manager of Honeywell Sustainable Technology Solutions says, “The combination of these technologies from Honeywell and Wood greatly reduces fossil carbon dioxide emissions compared to traditional fuels by using byproducts to provide hydrogen for the Ecofining process. As a result, a renewable fuels refinery can be essentially self-sustaining in hydrogen production while reducing the carbon intensity of the renewable fuels to very low levels.”

“Wood has a rich history of collaborating on technology developments with Honeywell and together we are now producing solutions for the production of carbon-neutral renewable fuels. This solution utilizes our long-established experience in hydrogen plant technology to help fuel producers reduce operating costs while meeting sustainability goals with proven, reliable and efficient technologies,” said Andy Hemingway, President, Energy, Optimization, and Innovation, at Wood.

Recently, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and other federal government agencies worked together to introduce the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge with a goal to produce 3 billion gallons per year of sustainable aviation fuel by 2030 in the U.S. If those 3 billion gallons of SAF were produced using Honeywell’s comprehensive package of technologies, it could result in the equivalent of 34 million metric tons of cumulative carbon dioxide avoided per year, depending on the oil and fat feedstock mix used. The UOP Ecofining process has been used for commercial production of sustainable aviation fuel since 2016 by World Energy in California. The facility remains the only 100% renewable jet fuel unit in the world. The Ecofining technology is used in most 100%-biofeed units producing renewable diesel and all the licensed renewable jet fuel production in the world today.

Honeywell UOP currently has licensed 22 Ecofining units in nine countries around the world, processing 12 different types of renewable feedstocks. Wood is a FTSE 250 company and a global leader in engineering and consultancy across energy and the built environment, helping to unlock solutions to some of the world’s most critical challenges.The company provides consulting, projects, and operations solutions in more than 60 countries, employing around 40,000 people. Wood is a pioneer in hydrogen production technology with an experience list of more than 120 hydrogen and synthesis gas plants worldwide. 

Wood’s hydrogen technology, based on their unique Terrace Wall™ reforming furnace, has been selected for more than 120 hydrogen and synthesis gas plants worldwide. Honeywell UOP is a leading international supplier and licensor of process technology, catalysts, adsorbents, equipment, and consulting services to the petroleum refining, petrochemical, and gas processing industries. Honeywell UOP is part of Honeywell’s Performance Materials and Technologies strategic business group, which also includes Honeywell Process Solutions, a pioneer in automation control, instrumentation and services for the oil and gas, refining, petrochemical, chemical and other industries. 

Source and Photos: Honeywell and Wood

“We are delighted to have acquired what is already a market-leading company in IMServ. The company has been at the cutting edge of  metering technology for twenty years and the team members are genuine pioneers in the sector. Steve and his skilled management team are hungry for growth; they take a hands-on  approach in the business and are supported by an experienced and knowledgeable 500-strong  workforce. We’re really looking forward to working closely with IMServ and enabling its next stage of growth,” said Thomas Sikorski, Co-Founder of Bluewater.

IMServ is a leading provider of electricity metering services (both installation and  management of smart and advanced meters), data services(smart and advanced meters data  analysis and management) and visualization services. At the business’ core is a range of  specialist electricity metering technologies, along with highly accurate energy data collection  services. This is presented to suppliers and end-users in a seamless, intuitive online data  management analysis and reporting platform. 

IMServ is now one of the UK’s largest independent energy data management providers, and  is enabling the decentralisation of power generation and digitalisation of the electricity  market. 

Steve Brown, Managing Director of IMServ, said, “Bluewater is the perfect partner for  IMServ. Their energy transition expertise and financial strength will allow us to take  advantage of the huge growth potential arising from energy transition. In addition, with  capital to deploy, we are now looking at several acquisition options to drive our expansion in the UK and other European markets.” 

Its technology today is managing more than 25% of all the electricity that goes through the  National Grid. The company has gone from strength to strength as smart meters have  become a fundamental platform to deliver data that helps reduce carbon emissions.  

IMServ will continue to be led by Managing Director Steve Brown, allowing the company to  transition seamlessly and to continue offering best-in-class service to customers (including  energy suppliers and end-users), employees, and other stakeholders. 

Steve and the IMServ leadership team were attracted to Bluewater’s deep sector knowledge,  supportive financial and business mindset, and the private equity firm’s drive to embrace the energy transition. Bluewater’s tried and tested approach to enabling rapid growth is a perfect  fit with IMServ’s own ambitious growth strategy, which has responded to government mandated demand for smart metering and more efficient management of energy use. 

The IMServ strategy sees significant growth opportunities in several areas in the UK and  internationally: the expanding data settlement market to support the needs of the flexible  energy transition; organic growth through increased uptake of smart meters in the  commercial and domestic electricity markets; and potential mergers and acquisitions  nationally and overseas, with announcements of this kind expected within the next six  months.  

About IMServ 

IMServ is one of the UK’s leading Energy Data Collection and Meter Operations service providers and  is an award-winning pioneer of metering and data collection services for the electricity, gas, and water  sectors. IMServ is headquartered in Milton Keynes, UK, and has expanding operations in the  Netherlands. 

Through the government-mandated smart meter rollout IMServ is playing a central role in the energy  transition, making energy usage more efficient while helping to cut emissions. 

In 2019, IMServ became the first non-domestic metering business to become a user of DCC services  in the Other User (OU) role for smart meters.

About Bluewater 

Bluewater is a specialist international private equity firm focused on the middle-market energy  sector. Their experienced investment and operating professionals drive value creation as they  manage $2.5billion of investment across a portfolio of 22 companies. Today, Bluewater has a prime  focus on projects or technologies that contribute to the energy transition agenda and works to a  diversified investment strategy based on the principles of sustainability and close working  partnerships with best-in-class management teams. Bluewater has a strong focus on ESG and is a  signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment.

Source and photos: Bluewater & IMServ

The Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), the global platform of the leading gas producing countries, on Monday joined OPEC, non-OPEC, and a plethora of other international energy organisations to present a unified front on the advancement of natural gas as part of a balanced energy solution to achieve sustainable development goals.

The OPEC-hosted Ministerial Roundtable on Energy, Climate and Sustainable Development, where more than a dozen ministers were flanked by intergovernmental organisations such as GECF, APPO, AEC, AFREC, ARDA, IEF, and OAPEC, termed the gathering as coming at a “profound time in the momentum of the global climate effort”.

Addressing more than 100 delegates, HE Yury Sentyurin, Secretary General of the GECF, said that the 18-member consortium is fully committed to develop actions towards clean energy transitions in a balanced manner.

“As the largest energy organisations in the world, the onus is on us to address climate change in a balanced manner – an approach that enables us to deal with the climate threats whilst at the same time considers the immense requirement of nations to ensure their economic development and social progress,” said HE Sentyurin.

“The gas industry is embracing technology options that can further promote decarbonisation potential of natural gas, including carbon capture, utilisation and sequestration options and production of blue hydrogen and ammonia.”

He highlighted the steps taken by the GECF in recent years to support its Member Countries in the area of climate change, such as the GECF Environmental Knowledge and Solutions framework and the establishment of the GECF Gas Research Institute.

According to him, the decarbonisation efforts of the GECF Member Countries are already underway, mainly through critical projects implemented by national oil and gas companies, for example, projects to capture and store CO₂ in Qatar, Algeria and Norway.

In addition, two GECF Members Qatar and Nigeria, have recently updated their NDCs to enhance their commitments to reduce emissions, whilst countries such as Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, and the UAE have launched initiatives to foster hydrogen development. Russia, in particular, has announced a strategy to obtain an export capacity of as much as 2 million tonnes of hydrogen by 2035.

During the meeting, the GECF proposed a series of recommendations in order that the hydrocarbon industry can speak on international climate forums in unison:

• A multi-dimension approach should be the way forward to deal with the climate challenge in which the oil and gas industries form the bedrock of the solution

• Carbon border taxes will impact oil and gas exporters and industrial consumers. A cooperative framework would be ideal rather than the antagonising approach

• Climate solution pathways should be balanced along the multiple vectors impacted by energy, such as economics and social vectors

• Decarbonisation technologies should include oil and gas decarbonisation technologies.

“We shouldn’t write off hydrocarbons due to their abundance, affordability and impressive contribution to improving energy access and economic conditions. According to the latest projections by GECF Global Gas Outlook 2050, natural gas and oil will provide more than 50% of global energy demand by 2050.

“Thus, they will continue to be responsible for inclusive economic growth and sustainable development for decades to come. Specifically, natural gas is one of the global enablers for reducing emissions uninterruptedly and steadfastly by replacing carbon-intensive fuels and backing up intermittent renewables,” concluded HE Sentyurin.  

Several ministers and senior officials from GECF Member Countries also spoke at the event, including HE Mohamed Arkab, Minister of Energy and Mines, Algeria and Chairman of the Council of Minister of APPO, HE Tareck El Aissami, People’s Minister of Petroleum, Venezuela, HE Dr Amir Hossein Zamaninia, EB Member, Iran, HE Dr Diamantino Pedro Azevedo, Minister of Mineral Resources and Petroleum, Angola and President of the OPEC Conference, HE Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mozrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, UAE, and HE Parviz Shahbazov, Minister of Energy, Azerbaijan. 

About Gas Exporting Countries Forum:

Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) is an international governmental organisation currently comprising of 18 Member Countries – Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Angola, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Malaysia, Norway, Peru, and the United Arab Emirates, which together represent 70% of the proven gas reserves, 44% of its marketed production, 52% of pipeline, and 51% of LNG exports across the globe. It is headquartered in Doha, Qatar.

Being a foremost energy association, officially established in 2008, the GECF has recorded notable milestones in its evolution and remains committed to supporting its Member Countries in the pursuit of global energy security and meeting the world’s growing energy demand, while proving to be reliable suppliers of natural gas – a prominent contributor in the global pursuit towards net-zero emissions energy systems and attainment of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

The Forum provides granular, scientifically-driven insights into the state of natural gas based on a diverse variety of instruments and deliverables, such as the Gas Research Institute, the Global Gas Model – now with elements of artificial intelligence and digital technologies, Global Gas Outlook 2050, Annual Short-Term Gas Market Report, Monthly Gas Market Report, Special Envoys on Data and Statistics, Data Exchange Mechanism, the Short-, Medium-, and Long-Term Gas Market Reviews, and Monthly, Quarterly, and Annual Statistical Bulletins.

GECF increasingly engages with UN subsidiaries UNFCCC, UNECE, UNESCO, as well as G20, ASEAN, BRICS, EEC, OPEC, OAPEC, APPO, IEF, IEA, IRENA, OLADE, IGU, other peers and regional entities, and maintains strategic multifaceted dialogue amongst natural gas producers and consumers.

SOURCE & IMAGES: www.gecf.org

According to GlobalData’s latest report, ‘Blockchain in Oil and Gas, 2021 Update – Thematic Research’, blockchain has come a long way in recent years, but it remains a nascent technology. It was not until 2017 that blockchain properly captured the attention of enterprises. Since then, companies have identified use cases focused on addressing actual problems to better understand the technology itself.

Ravindra Puranik, Oil & Gas Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Blockchain as a service (BaaS) holds the key to driving mainstream adoption of blockchain technology. It allows companies to experiment with blockchain applications without being concerned about developing expensive in-house resources. Integrating blockchain into core technologies facilitates ease of use, making it a more attractive option for digital transformation efforts.”

Blockchain technology allows companies to track everyday workflows while eliminating the requirement of central recordkeeping. This could overhaul traditional workflow management in the oil and gas industry and drive operational efficiency and optimize costs. In anticipation of these benefits, several leading oil and gas companies, including ADNOC, BP, Eni, Equinor, Gazprom, Repsol, and Shell are developing blockchain platforms for their applications.

Ravindra adds: “Companies today are striving to reduce operational costs amid the demand uncertainty brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and the likely shift towards low-carbon energy sources. In this scenario, blockchain could prove to be a boon for them. The technology has diverse applications in areas such as procurement and logistics, energy trading, and land and lease compliances among other things.”

Source: GlobalData

A team led by engineering firm Forth has worked for the past two-and-a-half years on the creation of FSWBot, an innovative friction stir welding robotic crawler devised for internal repair and refurbishment of pipelines, and they are now looking for assistance to help bring the working prototype to the commercial stage.

The FSWBot is being developed to travel hundreds of miles down an oil pipeline to scan for any defects in the structure, and carry out subsequent repairs – all while oil continues to flow. The robot is controlled remotely by engineers at a safe distance from the pipeline.

This process will remove the need for divers to work on pipelines and for oil production to be halted, therefore saving significant time, money and, by removing humans from hazardous environments, potentially saving lives.

The FSWBot has innovative technology which allows the robot to ‘walk’ to the exact point of defect, place a milling patch in place and then weld the problem area.

Forth has produced a concept model of the FSWBot and successfully demonstrated the prototype to a consortium of partners at its headquarters in Cumbria in July. The Innovate UK-backed project has also been supported by partners TWI, Joining 4.0 Innovation Centre (J4IC, a partnership between TWI and Lancaster University), Innvotek and London South Bank University (LSBU).

Now that the pilot system has been demonstrated successfully, Forth is seeking further partners for full commercial deployment of the equipment.

Chris Downham, programme manager at Forth, said: “An exciting opportunity to bring such a pioneering piece of kit to the commercial stage now exists, and we’re keen to hear from anyone who may be interested in helping us get to the final stage.

“Our team has worked tirelessly to design and construct the prototype, and we are extremely proud of how well the new technology works.

“In order to improve on the working prototype and assist with the commissioning process, we would like to work with partners who would be interested in helping develop such innovative technology.

“This technology is a world-first piece of equipment and it will have a major, positive impact on the oil and gas industry, ensuring oil pipeline repairs are carried out more safely, quicker and without restricting production.

“It is a great opportunity for partners to be involved in something which will change the way the industry works across the world.”

The FSWBot integrates several state-of-the-art technologies, including friction stir welding, milling, patch deployment and ultrasonic NDT, onto a robotic system which can be deployed to conduct repairs on pipelines without the need for the pipeline to be closed down for the duration of the repair.

Friction stir welding is a solid state welding process which generates enough frictional heat to soften or plasticise the metal without melting it, allowing metal components to be forged at the joint line.

The FSWBot will be a five or six-segment PIG type which will be inserted at the production end of the pipeline and will flow with the oil to a pre-designated area, where it will stop and perform the repair work.

One segment will carry the FSW machine and a steel patch dispenser, with other segments carrying the navigation, control system, communications, NDT and power storage/generation payloads.

An FSWBot2 is also under consideration for multipurpose repairs and inspections. This innovation would be a very different robot but would build on the learning from the initial development. It would be able to inspect and repair fatigue and corrosion in offshore assets as well as other subsea infrastructure and applications in other industries. It will be able to climb and walk and will be deployed from a system which has the ability to lock onto a structure.

Founded more than 20 years ago, Forth specialises in providing engineering solutions across all sectors and provides management of oil and gas and subsea industries to nuclear standards.

The company is able to test its prototypes at its main base in Cumbria which also boasts a bespoke Deep Recovery Facility which, at 22.5 metres long and six metres deep allowing it to hold 1.2 million litres of water, is one of the largest wet test facilities in the UK. This facility allows the company to test underwater technology and innovations.

Source & Images: Forth, 32 West

The MDS platform incorporates a variety of inspection technologies on a single platform. It is widely accepted as the most comprehensive system on the market to identify integrity threats through a single in-line inspection run.

TDW performed the inspection on a new, 20-inch diameter refined multi-product transmission pipeline that runs 450 km (279 mi) from Mombasa to Nairobi. The pipeline is owned and operated by the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC). The goal of the operation was to provide a baseline measurement to determine any threats that may impact future integrity, including mechanical damage, illegal hot taps, selective seam weld corrosion and material property changes such as hard spots.

Prior to the MDS inspection, TDW and its Egyptian Channel Partner Engineering Petroleum Services (EPS) cleaned the pipeline to avoid potential ILI tool performance issues that can degrade inspection data. They performed 12 cleaning and gauging runs on the 450 km (279 mi) of pipeline, totaling 3,600 km (2,237 mi) of cleaning.

TDW Project Manager Jamie Bull oversaw the cleaning, gauging and inspection operations. Each achieved 100% success.

According to TDW Sales Manager Mohamed Hesham, the inspection prepared the pipeline to meet demand for petroleum products in Kenya and the region for years to come.

The project is the second project delivered by Aker BP’s alliance for delivery of fixed platforms. The customer Aker BP and the main suppliers Aker Solutions and ABB have worked in a joint organization, thereby reducing a lot of time and costs compared to a traditional model where the customer and supplier have separate roles and responsibilities.

The Hod development has utilized the experience from the wellhead platform for the Valhall Flank West project, which was delivered in the summer of 2019. Valhall Flank West was the first wellhead platform delivered through the alliance. Upon delivery, this platform set a new standard for how complete a facility can be before installation on the field. Hod B, which is an approximate copy of Valhall Flank West, has given us opportunities to optimize our implementation model through reuse of personnel, facilities, and equipment. It has been delivered at considerably lower cost compared to Valhall Flank West.

“I am proud to state that in close cooperation with the alliance partners, we have reached all milestones and project objectives. Today, just 14 months after the first steel plates were cut, the topside is ready for transport to the field exactly as agreed. Together, we have developed new solutions and implemented a number of improvements for safety, productivity and reduced cost level in the project. This further increases our competitiveness, and makes us even more attractive to future clients,” said Sturla Magnus, executive vice president and head of Aker Solutions’ topside and facilities business.

The Alliance delivery includes design, procurement, fabrication, preparation for sea transport, as well as hook-up and assistance for completion on the field. The 2,000-metric-tons topside will be installed on the steel jacket delivered from Aker Solutions’ yard in June. The delivery has been executed without serious harm to people or the environment.

Upon signing on June 9, 2020, the contract had a value for Aker Solutions of just under NOK 1 billion. At its peak, around 550 people from Aker Solutions, the alliance and subcontractors have worked on the project. In addition, more than 50 of our apprentices have completed much of their vocational training on the Hod project.

“Through projects like Hod, we create value for ourselves, partners, alliance partners, owners, and Norwegian society. We also contribute to maintaining a world-leading supplier industry. It makes me particularly proud that through the Hod project Aker BP has contributed to the vocational training of 50 apprentices. The apprentices and the industry have a competence that is necessary for the Green Deal. I am impressed with the alliance team for another solid delivery. You demonstrate that the alliance model is the key to delivering profitable projects in a demanding market going forward,” said Karl Johnny Hersvik, chief executive officer of Aker BP.

We understand that your goal includes growth, peak performance, adaptability, and profitability. We know that you need change agents to implement targeted strategies that allow your business to scale, in this new global, digital world.

We have been sales strategists for 30 years, operating remotely. We know precisely, how to ensure your business is sustainable ONLINE!

With International B2B development solutions for the energy sector, we focus on understanding your pain points and offer solutions specifically to match. Think precision, think targetted, think right now!

We love taking your business from its current methods and adapting them to revolutionizing, new digital strategies that dial in your specific goals. We do this with a proprietary solution called PaaS. (Publishing-as-a-Service)

BUSINESS is nothing more than a network of conversations. Companies that harness networks of communication have enormous power! We apply PaaS strategies to your business goals so that you reach your objectives right now!

Paas: Publishing as a Service

PaaS is the essential solution to digital, remote, online expansion. Ask yourself, do you have the exact right tools for:
Announcing a new product or service globally
Adapting to online operations and growth
Increasing your sales online
Hiring the right people online
Influencing market perception online
Building your brand online
Attracting investors and partners online
Attracting the right vendors online
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Positioning for that next contract online.

PaaS ensures your goals are met with precision. We take the mystery and headache out of online business potential and transform your company so that it EXPONENTIALLY capitalizes on the digital times. We create a culture of DIGITAL PROFITABILITY through strategic methods that precisely hit your goals.

Having served 1000+ energy clients we know how to generate solutions and create powerful results. So reach out, as we have easy-to-implement PaaS strategies that you can get going with, right now.

WHY IT WORKS

When it comes to business development you need a team that understands your clients and their needs. It’s imperative to spin that intel into winning strategies that creatively support growth goals! Simply put, we are the bridge to your global, online success.

SAMPLE PaaS SOLUTION

Undersand the power of publishing to over 1200 accredited, vetted publishers. Reach over 1 million impressions with one story. Build content that bridges you directly to your buyer with programmatic algorithms. Only the people searching for you get your story. It’s B2B, it’s non-intrusive, it’s complementary and it’s very targeted.
Check out a sample PaaS project.
Check out another sample PaaS project

WHAT OUR CLIENTS HAVE TO SAY

Having worked with hundreds of energy clients around the globe, we’ve created some outstanding results. We have worked with multi-nationals such as Aker, Kvaerner, ExxonMobil, Husky Energy, Halliburton, Leonardo Helicoptors, Cougar Helicoptors, Atlantic Offshore Medical Supplies, and hundreds more. Are you ready to revamp, rejuvinate and re-engineer your systems? Lets do it…..

The importance of having secure, reliable supply chains was truly highlighted to the world this year. Incidents such as the COVID-19 vaccine shortages and supply issues and the Suez Canal blockage with the Ever Given both showed how easily critical supply lines can be disrupted, and how important it is to always have solutions that mean you can meet customer demand no matter what. 

ION Science, as a leading OEM for gas detection equipment, understands these challenges and works closely with its global network of distributors and technical offices. This allows for products to be shipped and on-site within exceptional delivery times. ION Science’s industry leading instruments such as the Tiger are available for delivery within days, not weeks, at all of their major global locations, and stock levels are maintained so there is never any unnecessary delay.

In Europe, ION Science’s German office boasts some of the most impressive lead times for the core PID product portfolio. The Tiger range has a guaranteed delivery of 24 hours, with Falco and Cub products generally within 3 working days. Customers can rely on ION Science to get products exactly where they need to be in a fast timeframe. Not only that, but their network of expert technical staff is also available to help 

Customers who need help with specific VOC detection ranges or technical applications. 

Elsewhere, ION Science Italy also offers 24-hour turnaround of Tiger product orders, and in France, the full range of PID products is available with a 1-2 day lead time. For India, one of ION Science’s key centres for customers, Tiger can be available for delivery within 24 hours, with Falco generally delivered in 5 working days. 

This is just a snapshot of ION Science’s exceptional commitment to lead times and ensuring that products are with customers as quickly as possible. A crucial part of maintaining such efficient lead times is effective stock management, something which ION Science manages closely with all offices and distributors, so no level ever falls too low. 

By working with a trusted global network of suppliers, distributors and technical staff, ION Science demonstrates its expertise as a leading gas detection manufacturer goes beyond technical knowledge. Their commitment to reliability and delivery no matter what challenges customers may face means more staff and workplaces can be kept safe from dangerous levels of exposure and keep businesses running smoothly. 

]]> https://ourgreatminds.com/2021/06/29/mirico-cloud-cloud-enables-real-time-monitoring-of-methane-emissions/ Tue, 29 Jun 2021 22:04:07 +0000 https://theogm.com/?post_type=upi&p=20192 MIRICO is an innovative company that has put together a world-class team of scientists who are focused on delivering the most sensitive, real-time, continuous monitoring technology for gas emissions across multiple
industries.

The data provided by the MIRICO ORION® instrument can be fully visualised using the MIRICO CLOUD portal. This enables easy monitoring and evaluation of the data to baseline emissions, reducing their impact, either to hit net-zero targets or achieve optimal operational effectiveness.

MIRICO delivers intelligence through uniquely high sensitivity laser technology for real-time gas sensing. MIRICO recently announced its transformation real-time gas monitoring solution to the oil and gas industry. This online platform enables visualisation of emissions data collected from high precision gas sensing instruments which ultimately reduces the risk of Methane emissions and supports sustainable energy development.

If you are looking to transform your gas sensing intelligence to meet the demands of creating a more sustainable, efficient and safe future, then MIRICO CLOUD supports your goals in a new and revolutionary way. MIRICO CLOUD takes collected data and lets customers visualise the detection, localisation and quantification of gas emissions across multiple oil and gas sites, all in one place. By producing results in real-time, customers can act quickly to fix issues causing changes in emissions. Enabling them to decrease or even stop downtime and reduce the risk of fines from environmental authorities.

REAL-TIME VISUALIZATION PORTAL

Through the customisable dashboard, customers can also view high level, key information. For example, they can see average emissions over the last 24 hours or see how emissions vary by asset type. “It’s great to be able to broaden the service we provide our customers,” said Dr Linda Bell, CEO of MIRICO. “We feel this is a big step forward in helping the oil & gas industry to quickly identify emission issues at scale and ultimately help them in their goals to reach net-zero.”

To help customers react as quickly as possible, MIRICO CLOUD also offers the clients the ability to receive notifications based on custom parameters, either via SMS or email. For example, to be alerted of a new emission that is above a certain size, or about an existing known emission that has started to grow.

The easy-to-use interface allows customers to see the layout of each of their sites, and overlay this with information such as path averages, location of detected emissions and quantification of any leaks. This information can all be viewed in real-time with the ability to see historical data and track changes over time.

Dean Curtis, President and CEO of ICIS, said that Aramco’s “global ambitions and investments in the chemical industry will create waves in the years to come. Being commended by your peers is one of the highest accolades and ICIS is proud to be involved in recognising success in the chemical industry. It is this community participation that makes our industry and the Kavaler Award so unique.”

With the $69bn acquisition of SABIC in June and investments in oil-to-chemicals technology, Aramco has positioned itself for downstream growth. “Although we are seeing a number of companies announcing global refinery rationalisations or shutdowns – in Europe, the US and at some scale in Asia – we still see opportunities in certain geographies,” said the Aramco President and CEO Amin Nasser.

“We expect more than half the world’s new refining capacity that will come on stream in the next 8-10 years will be in Asia, and 70-80% of that will be focused mainly on plastics,” he added.

Nasser called Aramco’s acquisition of SABIC earlier this year “transformational”, enabling Aramco to deliver on its chemical strategy. “If you combine our upstream strength and refining capacity of more than 5m bbl/day with SABIC’s chemicals asset base and global presence, it has made us one of the top global chemical players,” said Nasser.

As for further mergers and acquisitions, Aramco remains focused on the integration of SABIC while keeping an eye out for future deals. “We are not ruling out any good opportunities that come our way in the future, and we continue to evaluate a number of opportunities in major growth markets like China and India as part of our long-term strategy,” said Nasser.

On the transition towards renewable energy, Nasser recognises that new energy sources will play an important role in creating a sustainable energy future. 

“However, we also believe that the global energy transition will be gradual. Covid-19 has prompted a lot of debate and discussion that the sun has set on the oil and gas industry – that oil demand has peaked or that this is close to happening. But in my view, the reality is that conventional and new energy sources will run in parallel for many decades to come,” said Nasser.

Seeing a strong future for Aramco, Nasser said: “We remain firm on our long-term forecasts on creating value through growth and investment.” Although the drop in oil demand in April 2020 created the worst month for the oil industry, Nasser sees “light at the end of the tunnel” and predicts good recovery of markets in the second half of 2021. “The oil and gas industry has a key role to play in the road to lower emissions. In the future, oil will be produced with much lower emissions and I see a bright future for the petroleum industry. This award is not just for me, but a recognition of the innovation and resilience of all Aramco employees,” concluded Nasser.

The Chemists’ Club Kavaler Award, sponsored by ICIS and in association with The Valence Group of Piper Sandler is awarded each year to a senior executive recognised for outstanding achievement, as voted on by his/her peers in the ICIS Top 40 Power Players: a global ranking of the leaders making the greatest positive impact on their companies and the chemical industry.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

The Chemists’ Club 2020 Kavaler Awards

ICIS Top 40 Power Players

About ICIS

ICIS is a trusted source of global commodity intelligence for the energy, chemical and fertilizer industry. We are a division of RELX, a FTSE 15 company with a market cap of £33.9 billion and an employee base of over 30,000 experts across 40 countries. 

At ICIS, we help businesses make strategic decisions, mitigate risk, improve productivity and capitalise on new opportunities. We make some of the world’s most important markets more trusted and predictable by providing data services, thought leadership and decision tools. As a result of our unmatched global presence, we can deliver targeted connected intelligence to influence thousands of decisions across supply chains every single day. We shape the world by connecting markets to optimise the world’s valuable resources. With a global team of more than 600 experts, ICIS has employees based in London, New York, Houston, Karlsruhe, Milan, Mumbai, Singapore, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Dubai, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Tokyo and Perth.

About RELX

RELX is a global provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers across industries. The Group serves customers in more than 180 countries and has offices in about 40 countries. It employs approximately 30,000 people of whom almost half are in North America. RELX PLC is a London listed holding company which owns 52.9% of RELX Group. RELX NV is an Amsterdam listed holding company which owns 47.1% of RELX Group. The shares are traded on the London, Amsterdam and New York Stock Exchanges using the following ticker symbols: London: REL; Amsterdam: REN; New York: RELX and RENX. Total market capitalisation is approximately £33.9bn | €37.6bn | $45.8bn.

These highly engineered components contribute to the survival of the rover’s main robotic arm, sample collecting turret, tool bit carousel and sample handling assembly during a months-long trip through space, and its function as intended on the Mars surface.

SKF also supplied critical bearings for the mission’s launch vehicle which carried the rover and its lander into space.

SKF bearings will play an integral role in the vital process of sample collection on Mars. When the rover is ready to begin collecting samples on the surface, the robotic arm will maneuver into place and the tool bit carousel will whirr into action, deploying tools to drill or abrade material, which will then be collected by the sample collecting turret (aka “the hand”) and transferred to the sample handling assembly for processing onboard the rover, and eventually a potential return to Earth for analysis via a future Mars mission.  

“The bearings we designed and built to help the rover perform its core science activities were based on several models of Kaydon thin-section ball bearings customized by our engineers to minimize weight and save space, while retaining maximum functionality and reliability for a mission where repair or replacement is simply not an option,” said Isidoro Mazzitelli, Director of Product Development and Engineering Americas. Space applications must be a small fraction of the weight of standard bearing assemblies.

Kaydon bearing solutions are often customized from baseline models for specific customers and commonly used in applications that require a careful balance between strength, weight, size, functionality and reliability – including robotic surgical equipment, automated precision manufacturing, detailed painting, aircraft systems, airport security scanners and medical CT imagers.

In addition to the latest mission, SKF has a decades-long history as a supplier to global space programs, dating all the way back to NASA’s Apollo 11 mission. “Our company’s bearings, seals and other products have helped enable a wide range of spacecraft and missions for more than 40 years,” said John Schmidt, President, SKF USA, Inc. “Our parts have flown on the previous space missions, dozens of commercial and government satellites, space-borne telescopes, a wide range of rocket launch vehicles and in astronaut’s spacesuits. When conditions become critical and applications demanding, engineering knowledge is the only way to success.”

SKF’s mission is to be the undisputed leader in the bearing business. They do this by offering solutions that reduce friction and CO2 emissions, whilst at the same time increasing machine uptime and performance. Their products and services around the rotating shaft, include bearings, seals, lubrication management, artificial intelligence and wireless condition monitoring. SKF is represented in more than 130 countries and has around 17,000 distributor locations worldwide.  www.skf.com

CCS JV, comprising Saipem, McDermott and Chiyoda, has signed a deal with ABB to provide comprehensive integrated and intelligent electrical systems for the east-African Mozambique LNG field which is expected to start production by 2024.

With LNG capacity of approximately 13 million tonnes per annum, the current development will spearhead crucial economic and social investment for Mozambique.

Brandon Spencer, President of ABB Energy Industries said, “Winning this project is a testament to ABB’s technical superiority in electrification technologies, as well as our highly skilled management and engineering capabilities. We are proud to be part of Africa’s economic growth story, especially Mozambique.”

ABB’s 26-month project will culminate in a significant installed base in Mozambique for ABB and will involve collaboration across multiple ABB divisions and regions, led by ABB in Singapore. Fourteen large onshore electrical houses (e-houses) or prefabricated electrical substation buildings (PESB) – specifically designed for oil and gas applications, will be built by ABB team in Singapore and transported to the Mozambique LNG Project site.

The company will also integrate its electrical control and power management system alongside 110kV gas-insulated switchgears (GIS), medium voltage switchgears (33kV, 11kV) and low voltage switchgears.

Johan de Villiers, Global Vice President, Oil and Gas commented: “We have optim­­­­­­­ized and customized our solutions to meet the specific technical and capital expenditure requirements of the customer. With ABB as the main original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for electrical systems, Mozambique LNG Project will benefit in terms of cost-efficiency, maintenance, service as well as upgrades and expansions.”

With operations in over 23 countries, ABB is a leading supplier of automation and electrification technologies across Africa. The company is committed to generating in country value across the region delivering several initiatives aimed at supporting local communities and workforces, as well as those promoting collaboration, social inclusion, and the importance of education.

ABB’s Process Automation business is a leader in automation, electrification and digitalization for the process and hybrid industries. We serve our customers with a broad portfolio of products, systems, and end-to-end solutions, including our #1 distributed control system, software, and lifecycle services, industry-specific products as well as measurement and analytics, marine and turbocharging offerings. As the global #2 in the market, we build on our deep domain expertise, diverse team, and global footprint, and are dedicated to helping our customers increase competitiveness, improve their return on investment and run safe, smart, and sustainable operations.

____________________

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a leading global technology company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. With a history of excellence stretching back more than 130 years, ABB’s success is driven by about 105,000 talented employees in over 100 countries. www.abb.com

Astro Aerospace, a global leader in electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aerial vehicles and drones, announced today that it has entered a binding agreement to acquire Horizon Aircraft Inc. (“Horizon”), creator of the world’s first eVTOL that flies exactly like a conventional aircraft for the majority of its mission. The transaction is expected to close on or before the beginning of 2^nd Quarter pending customary closing conditions.

Astro, a pioneer in the eVTOL market, has developed one of the market’s safest and most efficient eVTOLs in the world. In 2018, the Company’s drone, ‘Elroy’, was one of the first to seamlessly fly with humans on board. Astro continually defies traditional aviation design and the acquisition of Horizon will only push the Company further, with the ability to reach greater heights working in tandem with Horizon’s exceptional team.

Horizon, a Canadian company trailblazing in the global aerospace industry, has developed the prototype Cavorite X5, an eVTOL travelling up to an estimated speed of 450 km/h with a 500 kilometre range and a five passenger capacity. The vehicle has been designed to have reduced hydrocarbon emissions, and built for operational realities including bad weather, traffic avoidance, and low-time pilots. Its patented fan-in-wing patent enables the Cavorite to be the world’s first eVTOL that can fly the majority of its mission exactly like a normal aircraft.

Horizon co-founders Brandon and Brian Robinson are aerospace revolutionaries applying their excellence in Mechanical Engineering to change the way we approach travel. Son Brandon Robinson, Horizon’s Chief Executive Officer, is a Mechanical Engineer, a CF-18 Fighter Pilot Top Gun graduate, and holds an MBA with more than $400 million in projects overseen. Brandon has a strong drive to think and ‘create-outside-the-box’, a skill passed down by his father. Brian, Horizon’s Chief Technology Officer, is also a Mechanical Engineer, beginning his innovation journey long before Horizon’s existence. Building aircraft from the age of 14, Brian’s previous aerospace engineering company saw much success as it developed numerous first-of-its-kind innovations. This eventually led to designing a revolutionary new eVTOL prototype, long before the market took off.

Today, the Robinson duo is steering Horizon’s team through this pivotal transaction with Astro, whose well-established reputation, growth trajectory and pool of dedicated investors in the public market presents a transformational opportunity. Brandon commented, “My father and I have long admired the unprecedented advances Astro has achieved in the aerospace sector. Astro is a pioneer in the industry, and its work has remained incredibly relevant amongst the rise of eVTOL popularity. Horizon could not be happier to join forces with such an influential company who will contribute its high-calibre expertise to bring our design to market.”

The eVTOL aircraft market size is projected to reach $87.64 billion by 2026, and the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) market is estimated to surpass $1 trillion in the next decade. Astro’s strong foundation in the industry, now paired with Horizon’s ground breaking design and Mechanical Engineering expertise, presents an advantageous opportunity for the combined entity to bring its designs quickly to market.

“The acquisition of Horizon will allow the visions of both Horizon and Astro to align, creating a powerful force in the eVTOL market,” said Astro CEO Bruce Bent. “Astro shareholders can soon anticipate exponential growth as we enter this next chapter as an even greater player in the aerospace industry.”

About Astro Aerospace

Astro Aerospace is the developer of the world’s most advanced, autonomous, short haul, eVTOL (Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing) aerial vehicles.

Our mission is to make self-flying unmanned and manned vehicles available to anyone, at anytime, from anywhere, and to turn this new and exciting aircraft into a mainstream mode of transportation.

Our vision is “Flight Made Easy”.

Visit www.flyastro.com for more information.

About Horizon Aircraft Inc.

Horizon Aircraft is an advanced aerospace engineering company that has developed the world’s first eVTOL that can fly the majority of its mission exactly like a normal aircraft. This has resulted in industry-leading speed, range, and operational utility.

Our unique designs place the mission first and prioritize safety, performance, and utility. Our Cavorite X5 eVTOL will enter the market quickly, and will service a broad spectrum of early use-cases that will generate revenue immediately.

Our mission is to produce an eVTOL for real-world applications that provides a safe, efficient and sustainable mode of aerial transport.

Visit www.horizonaircraft.com for more information.

Analyst studies suggest that industrial companies typically are able to use only 20 percent¹ of the data generated, which severely limits their ability to apply data analytics meaningfully. ABB’s new solution operates as a digital data convergence point where streams of information from diverse sources across the plant and enterprise are put into context through a unified analytics model. Application of artificial intelligence on this data produces meaningful insights for prediction and optimization that improve business performance.

“We believe that the place to start a data analytics journey in the process, energy and hybrid industries is by building on the existing digital technology – the automation that controls the production processes,” said Peter Terwiesch, President of ABB Industrial Automation. “We see a huge opportunity for our customers to use their data from operations better, by combining it with engineering and information technology data for multi-dimensional decision making. This new approach will help our customers make literally billions of better decisions.”

ABB Ability™ Genix is composed of a data analytics platform and applications, supplemented by ABB services, that help customers decide which assets, processes and risk profiles can be improved, and assists customers in designing and applying those analytics. Featuring a library of applications, customers can subscribe to a variety of analytics on demand, as business needs dictate, speeding up the traditional process of requesting and scheduling support from suppliers.

Scalable from plant to enterprise, ABB Ability™ Genix supports a variety of deployments including cloud, hybrid and on-premise. ABB Ability™ Genix leverages Microsoft Azure for integrated cloud connectivity and services through ABB’s strategic partnership with Microsoft.

“The ABB Ability™ Genix Suite brings unique value by unlocking the combined power of diverse data, domain knowledge, technology and AI,” said Rajesh Ramachandran, Chief Digital Officer for ABB Industrial Automation. “ABB Ability™ Genix helps asset-intensive producers with complex processes to make timely and accurate decisions through deep analytics and optimization across the plant and enterprise.

“We have designed this modular and flexible suite so that customers at different stages in their digitalization journey can adopt ABB Ability™ Genix to accelerate business outcomes while protecting existing investments.”

A key component of ABB Ability™ Genix is the ABB Ability™ Edgenius Operations Data Manager that connects, collects, and analyzes operational technology data at the point of production. ABB Ability™ Edgenius uses data generated by operational technology such as DCS and devices to produce analytics that improve production processes and asset utilization. ABB Ability™ Edgenius can be deployed on its own, or integrated with ABB Ability™ Genix so that operational data is combined with other data for strategic business analytics.

“There is great value in data generated by automation that controls real-time production,” said Bernhard Eschermann, Chief Technology Officer for ABB Industrial Automation. “With ABB Ability™ Edgenius, we can pull data from these real-time control systems and make it available to predict issues and prescribe actions that help us use assets better and fine-tune production processes.”

Further details can be found online:

ABB Ability™ Genix

ABB Ability™ Edgenius

ABB Industrial Automation ABB’s Industrial Automation business offers a broad range of products, systems, and solutions for customers in the process and hybrid industries. These include industry-specific services, as well as measurement and analytics, marine and turbocharging offerings. ABB’s Industrial Automation business is #2 in the market globally. With deep domain knowledge, experience and expertise, ABB Industrial Automation helps customers increase their competitiveness, improve their return on investment and run safe, smart, and sustainable operations.

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a leading global technology company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. With a history of excellence stretching back more than 130 years, ABB’s success is driven by about 110,000 talented employees in over 100 countries. www.abb.com

Established in 1979, CDI has more than 40 years of experience in supporting transactional and short-term planning decisions in the US petrochemical sector. Petrochemicals are a critical part of the global supply chain and are present in 96% of all manufactured goods.

The chemicals industry itself adds $1.1 trillion to the world’s GDP*. The combination of the two businesses will deliver global price benchmark data, market analysis, forecasts, and thought leadership capabilities that are trusted and differentiated. This will enable customers to make better-informed and timely decisions, which is of increasing importance in periods of extreme volatility when consumer demands and market dynamics shift rapidly. 

Dean Curtis, CEO & President of ICIS, said: “We are focused on providing our customers in the global chemical industry with the highest quality data, analytics and insight. This will connect the market and enable smarter decisions that ultimately optimise the use of the world’s valuable resources.

CDI is widely recognised as a leader in the US petrochemical segment. By joining CDI’s expertise with ICIS’ leading presence in Europe and Asia, we can provide customers with an extensive, robust and comprehensive view of key global petrochemical markets.”“We are delighted to welcome CDI to the RELX family. It is a world-class team which brings market relationships and deep understanding of the US petrochemical and plastics sector. 

Combining CDI with ICIS brings us closer to delivering our goal of empowering our customers’ decision making with the most timely, relevant information across the chemical industry,” Curtis said.  Jason Brown, CDI President, said:  “It is a perfect fit.  ICIS is an established provider of price benchmarks in several European and Asian petrochemicals segments and CDI has equivalent positions in the US

For decades, both companies have been the backbone of thousands of transactions around the world, and our strategies and beliefs in the future of this critical market are closely aligned. Combining our deep expertise in our respective regions will bring significant benefits to our customers around the world as well as the broader industry.”

*https://www.icca-chem.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/ICCA_EconomicAnalysis_Report_030819.pdf

ABOUT ICIS

ICIS is a trusted source of Independent Commodity Intelligence Services for the global energy, petrochemical and fertilizer industries. We are a division of RELX. At ICIS, we help businesses make strategic decisions, mitigate risk, improve productivity and capitalise on new opportunities. We make some of the world’s most important markets more trusted and predictable by providing data services, thought leadership and decision tools. As a result of our global presence, we can deliver targeted connected intelligence to influence thousands of decisions across supply chains every single day. We shape the world by connecting markets to optimise the world’s valuable resources. With a global team of more than 600 experts, ICIS has employees based in London, New York, Houston, Karlsruhe, Milan, Mumbai, Singapore, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Dubai, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Tokyo and Perth.  

ABOUT RELX

RELX is a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. The Group serves customers in more than 180 countries and has offices in about 40 countries. It employs over 33,000 people, of whom almost half are in North America. The shares of RELX PLC, the parent company, are traded on the London, Amsterdam and New York Stock Exchanges using the following ticker symbols: London: REL; Amsterdam: REN; New York: RELX. The market capitalisation is approximately £35bn, €39bn, $44bn. ABOUT CDIChemical Data was founded in Houston, Texas in 1979 to provide timely and accurate analyses and forecasts of the ever-changing U.S. petroleum, petrochemical, and plastics markets. Our clients span the globe and include investment, energy, oil, chemical, and consumer product companies. Our clients also include a number of plastics converters and plastics consumers, both large and small.The rapid acceptance of our company in the early 1980’s was primarily due to a genuine need for the high quality market data and forecasts that we provide. This information spans and links the petroleum and petrochemical industries from crude oil to plastics. We develop our analysis by thoroughly examining and surveying each of the major petroleum and petrochemical markets that we cover on a monthly basis.  

“In the last 25 years, information and document management solutions have vastly improved to where we are today,” says Jessica Bianchessi, Vice President of Customer Success of engineering and information management firm Kinsmen Group. “A robust, auditable and fully connected set of solutions is essential to maximize reliability, maintain safety, and be ready to adapt to change.”

According to Bianchessi, companies turn to what she notes as the “Best Documented Asset” strategy to solve many problems, such as failed compliance audits, increased safety risks and inefficiencies due to missing or inaccurate drawings and procedures, a specific event that drives the desire for change—the latter of which has been particularly pertinent amidst the novel coronavirus pandemic.

With millions of Americans currently working from home, some estimates show that over 75% of human resources executives expect this to continue beyond COVID-19. ⁽²⁾ 

On top of changes reflected in the workforce, nearly 1.2 billion children have been affected worldwide by school closures caused by the pandemic—with UNICEF pointing out that a lack of access to such tools and technology risks further damaging the global learning crisis. ⁽³⁾  

“COVID-19 has changed many things for all of us, especially when it comes to making remote access to shared information much more critical,” Bianchessi says. The world’s newfound heightened reliance on technology and thus critical document and information management amidst the ongoing pandemic directly correlate to a “compound effect on the supply chain and the economy,” and one where “improperly managing documents in the manufacturing industry can have severe consequences—from a halt in production to a safety incident or the death of an employee,” according to a recent article featuring Kinsmen Group’s CEO, Brian Sallade—with Sallade highlighting specifically the near closing of the meat industry. ⁽⁴⁾

Document and asset information management solutions prove to be critical for organizing and maintaining company information and resources—especially with 46% of employees noting that finding the documents they need is “challenging and time-consuming.”⁽⁵⁾  Bianchessi says that document and asset information management systems tend to fail for an array of reasons, including:

• The systems are poorly implemented, connected and maintained
• Multiple, disconnected systems are departmentally installed across the organization  
• End-users don’t properly adapt to using the system
• Not all critical engineering drawings are available in digital format
• Not all systems support concurrent engineering, which makes it even harder to find the latest revision 
• Asset tags, drawings, and documents are not linked properly 
• The organization is not ready for change
• Technology evolves 

“There are so many different challenges from many different perspectives,” Bianchessi says. “For a given type, category, or piece of equipment, a specific set of documentation must be available to meet the needs of stakeholders.”

When it comes to tackling issues associated with document management systems and providing improved solutions, Kinsmen Group suggests taking the “Best Documented Asset” (BDA) approach. As a complete strategy geared towards asset-intensive industries, BDA targets the specific use cases for owner-operators of large assets by bringing together leading technologies, applications, processes, people, and tools to deliver a more integrated but tailored set of solutions. BDA also aims to assist companies by filling in any “gaps” between existing systems and presenting a simplified solution for a process that can typically be overly complex.

“BDA doesn’t try to be what it is not, but rather remains focused on the specific requirements, needs, and results that an operating facility achieves when it has every asset within the facility 100% documented to company standards,” Bianchessi says. “This is the future.”

About Kinsmen Group
Kinsmen Group is an award-winning team of engineering information management specialists with a passion for applying innovation to prominent oil, gas, pharmaceutical, and utility companies. Their organization strives to deliver superior business results through excellence and pragmatism each time they partner with any business, revolutionizing each with wiser decision-making, risk reduction, safety improvement, and higher returns on their investments. Kinsmen Group is ranked as the “Best of the Best Professional Service Organizations” by Service Performance Insight Research and among the “Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America” by Inc. Magazine. To learn more, visit www.kinsmengroup.com. 

1. “Digital Asset Management (DAM) Market Report, 2020-2025 – Analysis by Type, Component, Application, Deployment, Organization Size, End-Use Sector and Region – ResearchAndMarkets.com.” Business Wire, 9 Apr. 2020, businesswire.com/news/home/20200409005305/en/Digital-Asset-Management-DAM-Market-Report-2020-2025.
2. Staff, BF. “Even After COVID-19, Execs Expect Remote Work Trend To Continue.” Business Facilities – Area Economic Development, Site Selection & Workforce Solutions, 3 June 2020, businessfacilities.com/2020/06/even-after-covid-19-execs-expect-remote-work-trend-to-continue/.
3. “Unequal Access to Remote Schooling amid COVID-19 Threatens to Deepen Global Learning Crisis.” UNICEF, 5 June, 2020, unicef.org/press-releases/unequal-access-remote-schooling-amid-covid-19-threatens-deepen-global-learning.
4. Begg, Rehana. “Improve Information Exchange to Cope with Crises.” StackPath, 1 June, 2020, machinedesign.com/automation-iiot/article/21132800/improve-information-exchange-to-cope-with-crises.
5. Hollander, Garrett. “[INFOGRAPHIC] 7 Disturbing Document Management Challenges.” M, 20 Mar. 2019, m-files.com/blog/infographic-7-disturbing-document-management-challenges/.

The grants will be made available over the course of the next twelve months.   The schools who receive a grant will be selected by our staff and customers and announced via social channels:

• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Twitter 

EnergySys Limited has been leading transformational change in the upstream oil and gas industry for 20 years. Their goal has been to make oil and gas software fundamentally better.  They set about reimagining production data management software from the ground up, to make is as easy to procure, use and maintain as possible. 

The flexible low-or-no-code cloud-native EnergySys platform facilitates superior integration, automation and simple configuration that can drive huge efficiency gains and be as low as 5% of total cost of ownership in comparison to traditional software.

EnergySys currently manages over 50% of the North Sea production data and data for approximately 35% of North America gas. With deployments across the world, ranging from single asset players to Super majors, the EnergySys Cloud Platform is proven to work for oil and gas companies of all sizes and complexity.  

EnergySys is redefining the energy software market, beginning with Hydrocarbon Management, disrupting the status quo and focusing on the generation of real business value.

For more information on how EnergySys has been delivering transformational change to the oil and gas industry to www.energysys.com.

 Aeroqual and Met One Instruments have announced expansion of their partnership that will see the combination of reference and near reference particle monitors into a single integrated air monitoring package.

Environmental professionals have long trusted Met One’s reference particle monitors (the BAM and EBAM Plus) for compliance monitoring, and in recent years the Black Carbon monitor has provided new insight to particles that pose a serious human health risk. 

Those same customers use Aeroqual’s ‘Near Reference’ monitors, the Dust Sentry and AQS 1, to extend and sometimes supplement more expensive and complex monitoring equipment like the Met One reference particle monitors. Being more mobile, cost-effective, and offering real-time data they offer a nice complement to the reference monitors.

The benefit of coupling Near Reference and reference monitors into a network is that it allows regulatory monitoring to be extended using smaller more cost-effective monitors, whilst ensuring the data delivered can be compared to and checked against the reference monitors. This achieves greater monitoring coverage at lower cost, whilst maintaining traceability and defensibility.

The Met One monitors can be wired directly into the Dust Sentry and AQS 1 power and data interface. Data is transmitted to secure data servers. This reduces communications costs by eliminating a modem and data plan for the Met One monitors.

Customers access the data using Aeroqual Cloud, software that is accessed via a secure web browser interface (no software to install). The data from the Met One monitors and the Aeroqual monitors can be viewed all in one dashboard. In addition, alerts can be set on the Met One monitors as well as the Aeroqual monitors.

Paul Pickering, VP Sales, says: ‘This hybrid offering from Met One and Aeroqual gives our customers a third option that achieves greater coverage for less cost, yet compromises little on data quality and defensibility. We’re all about making air monitoring projects easy for environmental professionals, and this is another step towards that goal’.

Tom Pottberg, Met One President, says: ‘The Aeroqual partnership continues from strength to strength. Their focus on the mid-market between reference monitoring and low cost particle sensors are complementary to Met One’s focus and give our customers new choices.’

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Website Location: https://www.aeroqual.com/met-one-aeroqual-combine-monitor-package

The company has developed an innovative augmenting technology aimed at digitalizing the field operator experience and improving interaction between field and control room operations. 

Developed specifically to meet the needs of field operators, the technology will empower seamless integration between the field and the plant distributed control system offering improved safety, reducing the risk for human error and making field operations more efficient.

With more than 20 per cent of industrial downtime¹ reportedly due to human error, ABB Ability™ Augmented Field Procedures will enable consistency when executing manual procedures, standardizing operating procedures and maintenance or repair techniques in the field, tightening field to control room integration and digitally recording notes to ensure operational knowledge is captured and utilized. 

Unlike traditional paper-based operating procedures, the technology enables interactive execution of procedures using a mobile device to guide operators through each step in a consistent, effective and safe way.

“Human error continues to be a significant contributing factor to safety issues, as well as production down time, said Chris Naunheimer, Digital Lead, Energy Industries, ABB. “Engineers spend considerable time using and interpreting data. With this solution, we intend to address these challenges and truly transform the future of work.” 

Created in collaboration with industry majors, the system can be used in any industrial environment, in greenfield and brownfield sites, for start-up, routine maintenance, and shutdown activities. 

Naunheimer continued: “ABB worked with customers to develop a solution aimed at making operational site procedures more consistent, data-driven and digitally led. Our solution ensures these procedures are in place for field workers performing tasks when and where they need them. This increases safety and operational efficiency and leads to significant OPEX savings for our customers.”

Supporting operators across oil, gas, chemical, process, power and water sectors, it will help transform plant operational procedures, putting the power of digitalization, mobility, and connectivity into the hands of field workers.

The solution is an example of ABB’s support of workforce management enterprise applications designed to allow workers to work anywhere and manage the system on their own. 

Naunheimer concluded: “During these challenging times, it is more important than ever to balance worker safety with productivity. ABB is committed to supporting both: protect people, while enabling business continuity and continued running of essential services, through providing remote access and digital tools and solutions.”

ABB Energy Industries is dedicated to driving safer, smarter and more sustainable projects and operations, engineering innovative and integrated solutions that digitalize, automate and electrify industry. We connect our people and technologies to help customers succeed for life and communities to advance.

ABB Industrial Automation ABB’s Industrial Automation business offers a broad range of products, systems and solutions for customers in the process and hybrid industries. These include industry-specific integrated automation, electrification and digital solutions, control technologies, software and lifecycle services, as well as measurement and analytics, marine and turbocharging offerings. ABB’s Industrial Automation business is #2 in the market globally. With deep domain knowledge, experience and expertise, ABB Industrial Automation helps customers increase their competitiveness, improve their return on investment and run safe, smart and sustainable operations.

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a technology leader that is driving the digital transformation of industries. With a history of innovation spanning more than 130 years, ABB has four, customer-focused, globally leading businesses: Electrification, Industrial Automation, Motion, and Robotics & Discrete Automation, supported by the ABB Ability™ digital platform. ABB’s Power Grids business will be divested to Hitachi in 2020. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 144,000 employees.  www.abb.com 

Our new report, “The Digital Transformation of Oil and Gas,” analyzes how industry leaders are adapting to meet these challenges, as well as what the evolution and maturation of this digital transformation means for the future of the industry as a whole. 

ABOUT LUX RESEARCH

Lux Research is a leading provider of tech-enabled research and advisory services, helping clients drive growth through technology innovation. A pioneer in the research industry, Lux uniquely combines technical expertise and business insights with a proprietary intelligence platform, using advanced analytics and data science to surface true leading indicators. With quality data derived from primary research, fact-based analysis, and opinions that challenge traditional thinking, Lux empowers clients to make more informed decisions today to ensure future success. 

ERA launched the $35-million Grand Challenge in 2013 to find the world’s most innovative technologies that turn carbon dioxide emissions from a waste stream into valuable products in Alberta. The three-round approach was designed to accelerate unique, promising, and impactful solutions in the emerging field of carbon dioxide utilization.

If successful, these two technologies could deliver emissions reductions of almost 2 million tonnes of CO₂e per year by 2030. All contributions from ERA are required to be matched with private dollars. Funding for the Grand Challenge comes from the carbon price paid by Large Final Emitter (LFE) industrial facilities in Alberta.

“The Alberta-led Grand Challenge supports bold ideas from around the world that will result in meaningful, measurable emissions reductions. The successful projects will create new markets, new economic activity, and new jobs through sustainable technology development and adoption, and we look forward to seeing what the future holds for these innovative technologies,” Said Minister of Environment and Parks, Jason Nixon

Minister of Environment and Parks, Jason Nixon “The Grand Challenge was a huge success. Round 1 and Round 2 of Grand Challenge allowed us to bring a concept in the lab to a commercial solution. Round 3 funding will allow us to fully commercialize our technology in Alberta and enable Mangrove to export the technology to other markets across the globe. The Grand Challenge was a huge success. This announcement is a testament to the Mangrove team’s planning and execution over the last 5 years,” Said Saad Dara, Co-Founder and CEO, Mangrove Water Technologies

Saad Dara, Co-Founder and CEO, Mangrove Water Technologies “About half of the life cycle emissions of modern buildings is from the manufacturing of materials and construction. CarbonCure repurposes CO₂ emissions from large emitters, like cement or oil and gas, to reduce embodied carbon from buildings and infrastructure by delivering stronger, greener concrete. The technology creates significant environmental and economic benefits to Alberta. Winning the Grand Challenge will help us create global solutions that provide reductions in greenhouse gases, freshwater and solid waste; enhance workforce skills transfer and innovations, and position Alberta as a global leader in the circular economy,” Said Rob Niven, Founder and CEO, CarbonCure Technologies

Rob Niven, Founder and CEO, CarbonCure Technologies “Carbon utilization products and processes offer incredible prospects for both new market growth and greenhouse gas reductions. Through the Grand Challenge competition, we called on innovators and technical experts from around the world to focus on breakthrough carbon use technologies that can be commercialized right here in Alberta. ERA’s investments like these help innovators develop and demonstrate solutions that can deliver improved environmental and economic outcomes at home and around the world,” Said Steve Macdonald, CEO, Emissions Reduction Alberta

Steve Macdonald, CEO, Emissions Reduction Alberta “The world needs energy and we must continue to do all we can to make that energy future friendly. Future generations are relying on us to be relentless and resourceful, innovative and ingenious as we surmount one of the biggest hurdles of this century. The Grand Challenge projects represent the progress possible when we play to our strengths and help transform world-scale industries. With sound science and achievable goals, we can be certain our kids will be proud of the future we’re creating,” Said Ian MacGregor, Grand Challenge Advisory Panel Member; Chair, Northwest Capital

Ian MacGregor, Grand Challenge Advisory Panel Member; Chair, Northwest Capital The Mangrove Water Technologies solution uses CO₂ to turn waste products from oil and gas operations into valuable chemicals, reducing GHG emissions in the oil sands mining industry. This technology will be commercially demonstrated at a Canadian Natural Resources Limited mining site in Alberta. The company estimates an annual market of $450 million across the oil sands mining industry, with GHG reduction potential of 1.4 million tonnes CO₂e per year by 2030.

CarbonCure’s technology injects CO₂ into concrete where it is permanently stored as a mineral. The addition of CO₂ also strengthens the concrete, which allows the industry to achieve production efficiencies and cost savings to offset the cost of the technology. CarbonCure’s masonry and ready mix concrete applications are commercially available today, with technology installations at a dozen concrete plants across Alberta. In the final phase of the Grand Challenge, CarbonCure will expand its portfolio and commercialize additional technologies to offer a complete solution across the cement, concrete, and construction industry. With broad market adoption, the technology portfolio could provide an estimated 530,000 tonnes per year by 2030 in Alberta. It is also expected to save 554 million litres of water annually.

ERA’s Grand Challenge: Innovative Carbon Uses, an Alberta-led initiative, supported bold ideas from around the world that could result in significant and verifiable GHG reductions. Round 1 saw 24 winners receive seed grants of up to $500,000. In Round 2, four winners advanced, with grants of up to $3 million each.

During each round, projects were subject to a due diligence process and assessed by the Grand Challenge Expert Advisory Panel. The Expert Advisory Panel was comprised of global thought leaders and represented a diverse community of stakeholders and influential bodies. Based on advice from the Expert Advisory Panel, ERA’s Board of Directors chose to divide the final award of $10 million into two $5 million commercialization grants.

ABOUT EMISSIONS REDUCTION ALBERTA (ERA):

For 10 years, ERA has been investing the revenues from the carbon price paid by large final emitters to accelerate the development and adoption of innovative clean technology solutions. Since we were established in 2009, we have committed $557 million toward 161 projects worth over $4.3 billion that are helping to reduce GHGs, create competitive industries and are leading to new business opportunities in Alberta. These projects are estimated to deliver cumulative GHG reductions of 41.3 million tonnes by 2030.

Diamond Green Diesel, a joint venture of Valero Energy Corp. and Darling Ingredients Inc, currently is the largest commercial advanced biofuel facility in the United States, producing 275 million gallons per year of Honeywell Green Diesel™, a high-quality renewable fuel. The plant expansion is expected to be completed in late 2021, and will increase the facility’s annual production by nearly 150 percent, to 675 million gallons.

“Demand has steadily increased for renewable diesel in the United States, Canada and Europe as advanced biofuel mandates seek to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Jim Andersen, senior business leader of Honeywell UOP’s Renewable Energy and Chemicals business. “With the expansion of its facility using our Ecofining technology, Diamond Green Diesel will continue to meet growing demand for low-carbon fuels, and become one of the largest plants in the world for producing those fuels.”

With low carbon mandates in North America and Europe projected to continue driving strong demand and premium pricing for renewable diesel, the expansion will add a second, parallel plant adjacent to the existing facility. With the expansion, Diamond Green Diesel will also produce about 60 million gallons per year of renewable naphtha for the production of gasoline.

The Honeywell Ecofining process, developed in conjunction with Eni SpA, converts non-edible natural oils, animals fats and other waste feedstocks to Honeywell Green Diesel, which is chemically identical to petroleum-based diesel. Honeywell Green Diesel offers improved performance over commercial biodiesel and petroleum-based diesel, and can be used as a drop-in replacement in vehicles with no equipment modifications. It also features an 80 percent life cycle reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to diesel from petroleum, and features a higher-cetane diesel value to provide better engine performance with fewer emissions.

The biomass-based diesel produced by Diamond Green Diesel is a qualified Advanced Biofuel under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Renewable Fuel Standard, which requires a minimum volume of transportation fuels sold in the U.S. to contain renewable fuel as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition to Ecofining technology, Honeywell has commercialized the UOP Renewable Jet Fuel Process™, which originally was developed to produce renewable jet fuel for the U.S. military. Honeywell Green Jet Fuel™ produced by this process technology can be blended seamlessly with petroleum-based fuel. When used in up to a 50-percent blend with petroleum-based jet fuel, Honeywell Green Jet Fuel requires no changes to aircraft technology and meets all critical specifications for flight. Learn more about Honeywell UOP renewable energy technologies at www.uop.com/biofuels.

Honeywell UOP (www.uop.com) is a leading international supplier and licensor of process technology, catalysts, adsorbents, equipment, and consulting services to the petroleum refining, petrochemical, and gas processing industries. Honeywell UOP is part of Honeywell’s Performance Materials and Technologies strategic business group, which also includes Honeywell Process Solutions (www.honeywellprocess.com), a pioneer in automation control, instrumentation and services for the oil and gas, refining, petrochemical, chemical and other industries.

Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 technology company that delivers industry specific solutions that include aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings and industry; and performance materials globally. Our technologies help everything from aircraft, buildings, manufacturing plants, supply chains, and workers become more connected to make our world smarter, safer, and more sustainable. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywell.com/newsroom.

SolSpec’s platform services the widespread use of aerial imagery, and while drones and other aerial data acquisition tools are an important part of the process, at SolSpec they’re one tool on the belt.

The OGM had the opportunity to interview Bryan Crowe, Chief Operating Officer for SolSpec addressing pipeline incidents and how to prevent them from occurring.

The OGM
1. What got you into the oil and gas industry?

Bryan Crowe:
When I was leaving the military, I was looking for an opportunity that would utilize my training and provide a rewarding career.  I found an operator in Georgia looking for a pipeline technician and jumped at the opportunity.  I’ve now been in oil and gas for 16 years and it’s been an amazing journey.   What excites me most is the immense potential that digital transformation and IT modernization can have on workflows for safer and much more efficient pipeline operations.  In my current role at SolSpec, I help our customers evaluate their pipeline integrity and safety needs and help advise on recommended inspection practices and current and emerging regulations.   

The OGM
2. What’s your definition of leadership? 

Bryan Crowe:
I believe in servant leadership.  I’m here to provide my team — and ultimately our customers,   with the tools and resources they need to be successful.  But, this doesn’t mean blindly serving teams without challenging the status quo or avoiding the unpopular decision. I was fortunate to learn from mentors and leaders who challenged me and by doing so, gave me the confidence to question, to explore and at times, to fail. We learn from that.    A leader should listen, communicate effectively, ensure everyone understands the shared vision to achieve goals and solve problems.  

The OGM
3.  Why is SolSpec important to the oil and gas sector? 

Bryan Crowe:
Incidents have increased nearly two-fold from 1999 to 2018. The costs of incidents that degrade public and environmental health and require extensive repairs are only getting higher. The most effective and efficient means of addressing pipeline incidents is to prevent them from occurring in the first place.  SolSpec’s ROW Integrity Management solution helps measure, map, predict and prevent geohazard risks to pipeline right of ways. The solution encompasses drone flight plans, data collection and advanced analytics deliver high-resolution 3D models and reporting tools for visualizing and measuring slip conditions, hydrology and BMP condition assessments and slip potential. Using SolSpec, operators can continuously monitor and interact with projects from their office and gain interactive 3D maps and reports that list risks, ranked by importance and urgency. This enables operators to allocate resources to the areas that would have the largest impact, speed time to repair, save costs and ultimately and most importantly — improve safety and reduce risk. 

The OGM
4. What is the impact of the digital revolution on pipeline integrity and safety? 

Bryan Crowe:
Digital transformation is sweeping the oil and gas industry as more companies embrace technology to boost productivity, improve system efficiency, reduce resources and waste, and reduce spills and emissions. Drones and UAVs have emerged as a key process improvement for pipeline inspection.  But it doesn’t stop at monitoring and mapping.  Today, innovation though cloud platforms, ultra-high spatial resolution aerial imagery, AI and machine learning, predictive analytics and big data are opening up new opportunities to transform pipeline integrity management to a more proactive approach to help reduce risk and accelerate time to value.    

The OGM
5.  Where do you see the future of UAV, big data and AI going in the next five years? 

Bryan Crowe:
One of the biggest areas of innovation is happening in what I call “actionable insights” and speed to which decisions are made and acted upon.   Simply collecting data and creating maps does not solve problems.   Transforming data into actionable, usable insight is key – and that’s where advanced analytics, big data, and AI are coming into play. Advancements in technology are reducing the amount of time it takes to process aerial data from weeks into hours, enabling near real time decision-making and predictive analysis. This allows operators to  shift from a reactive to a proactive approach to pipeline integrity management, leveraging data to better prioritize and allocate resources and to help make operations safer and more environmentally friendly while driving costs down.    

The OGM
6. What’s your take on climate change and green energy? 

Bryan Crowe:
The advancements in technology in green energy are making the transition to cleaner energy more of a reality.  However, these advances are not able to bridge the gap of consumer needs in the interim.  The advances in technology and the shale revolution has made natural gas more accessible, cheaper, safer, and more environmentally friendly.  It has also given us energy independence.  When combined with renewable energy, natural gas can provide clean and responsible energy for the foreseeable future.   

The OGM
7. What’s the most important thing you think we can do to support world energy demand? 

Bryan Crowe:
High energy costs have a negative impact on economic growth.  We need to find solutions to drive these costs as low as possible.  New technology has allowed for safer and more responsible use of fossil fuels.  Investments in renewable energy should be increased, but regulations restricting the use of clean fossil fuels should be relaxed until the technology, economics, and scalability of renewables are competitive with fossil fuels.   

Links:
You can hear Bryan talk about the use of aerial analytics for reducing risks to pipeline integrity at GITA’s Pipeline Technology Forum on October 2  in Houston, TX, and at the Technology Showcase at Shale Insight on October 24^th in  Pittsburgh, PA.

More info about SolSpec at https://solspec.solutions/

With data transmitted instantly to iNet Now, safety managers can receive real-time alerts when a worker is in distress and quickly access the data they need to monitor sites, keep workers safe, and make smart decisions in the moment. Real-time insights on where workers are located and what hazards they face gives organizations the power to increase productivity, reduce risk, and strengthen their safety culture.

“We believe that instant visibility into worker safety will save more lives and provides our customers with valuable insights to continuously improve worker safety,” said Tae-Yeon Won, product manager at Industrial Scientific. “The new wi-fi battery gives organizations easy, cost-effective access to live monitoring.”

The new wi-fi battery will run 16 hours on a single charge and is compatible with existing chargers and the DSX™ Docking Station. Current Ventis Pro5 customers can easily convert their personal multi-gas monitor to a wirelessly-connected wi-fi monitor by simply switching the battery pack. The wi-fi battery is also available as an option for all new Ventis Pro5 Multi-Gas Monitors.

About Industrial Scientific Corporation

As a global leader in connected sensing technology, Industrial Scientific provides gas detection products, services and software to keep workers safe in hazardous environments. To date, the company supports 3,000 iNet® customers and monitors 350,000 devices across 13,000 sites. Established in 1985, and headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Industrial Scientific has more than 1,200 global employees across 21 countries committed to preserving human life and eliminating death on the job by the year 2050. Industrial Scientific is also the parent company to Predictive Solutions Corporation (www.predictivesolutions.com). For more information, visit www.indsci.com.

• Early contact with the rig is very important – Normally we perform a rig survey and try to make sure we do this around crew change day. This allows us to present the technology to both rig crews and allow them to give thoughts or questions about how this is all going to work. Many of our operational and technical improvements come from sharing what we do with experienced drilling people. A fresh pair of eyes may highlight a risk that hadn’t previously been addressed.
• HAZID/HAZOP/DWOP/Pre-Section Meetings – Every node and interface in the operation should be assessed. How the equipment and people fit into the rig is critical for a successful operation. Some of our equipment is not familiar to the crew and may not have been considered in the rig safety case. Any equipment critical to well control should be thoroughly assessed from an equipment design perspective and pressure relief settings agreed in advance. Ultimately the driller will be responsible and should be aware.
• Contingency Planning – What do we do if something fails? How will that impact our process? We spend time creating a decision matrix to highlight what the reaction should be for any possible failure of equipment and the specific remedial action for anticipated failure nodes identified in a FMECA (Failure Mode, Effects Criticality Analysis).
• Critical Design Testing – If we have a specific part or item which has been identified in the pre- planning as being affected by the operations to a point of failure then additional 3rd party testing may be required. For example, we had an item whose integrity needed to be confirmed if it were to be exposed to 15,000psi differential pressure. Specifically, in the case of an evacuated drill string which is below the rotary table during a well control event. In this instance additional 3rd party witnessed pressure testing was carried out on the item to reduce the risk of failure.
• Coaching – New technologies usually need additional assistance during the startup/initial implementation. Additional supervision at the rig site and additional personnel in the Operators office help to coach rig site and shore-based supervisors through getting involved in critical path meetings. Also, should the situation change then supervisors and technical experts are on hand to give expert advice at short notice during critical phases of the operation.
• After action review and lessons learned – After the operation, there are always things we say we can do better the next time. Whether an opportunity to optimize parts of the process, equipment which could have worked a little better, it is critical to capture these opportunities for improvement and ensure that they are used to help things go better next time. For most people the first time is usually good, lots of focus on the plan. As we repeat a process, we should get better, but usually we get worse first. This is a typical learning curve and we see it on most of our operations, but if we learn the lessons and optimize where we can we can usually streamline, get faster and better at what we do without any compromise to safety or taking shortcuts.

Adrilltech have spent the last 10 years implementing continuous circulation technologies for 15 different operators on many different rigs, this is a quick summary of our lessons learned, can you share more?

Kraken Robotics Inc. is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary, Kraken Robotic Systems Inc., has launched the initial phase of its OceanVision™ project. Commencing in late September, Kraken will deploy its sensors and unmanned underwater platforms to conduct ultra-high definition seabed imaging and mapping on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and other areas of Atlantic Canada.

OceanVision™ is a three-year, $20 million project focused on the development of new marine technologies and products to enable an underwater data acquisition and analytics as a service business. OceanVision™ enables the acceleration of Kraken’s strategy from sensors and system sales to becoming an integrated provider of Robotics as a Service (RaaS) and Data as a Service (DaaS).

Karl Kenny, Kraken’s President and CEO said, “We are pleased to reach this major milestone and officially launch our OceanVision™ project. OceanVision™ will result in an end-to-end digitalization solution offering advanced sensors, robots and data analytics as a turnkey service for imaging and mapping of the seafloor as well as seabed assets and infrastructure. Today, high fidelity data is an absolute requirement for coherent input to machine learning algorithms – otherwise it’s garbage in, garbage out. We are uniquely positioned in the underwater industry as Kraken will build, own and operate the sensor-laden drones; Kraken (and partners) will run the missions; and Kraken (and partners) will analyze the data for our customers.”

“We expect recurring revenues from RaaS/DaaS to become a significant part of our future revenue mix and strategic growth. Rapid subsea data acquisition and analytics will make it possible to significantly reduce the cost of obtaining high quality data allowing end-users to make more informed operational decisions in near real-time. The new technologies and services that Kraken will develop within the scope of the OceanVision™ project are currently not available in a tightly integrated offering in the marine industry.”

OceanVision™ will enable Kraken to further new technology and product development and fine-tune recurring revenue business models. While near-term focus of the project will be the Inspection, Repair, and Maintenance (IRM) segments for offshore energy (oil & gas and wind), OceanVision™ will also address the requirements of other stakeholders in the fisheries, aquaculture, ocean science and underwater defense industries.

With reference to IRM in the offshore oil and gas sector, market analysts Westwood Global Energy Group, have stated that the stabilization of oil prices is spurring a new wave of offshore investments. Westwood expects a significant volume of IMR activity to return to the market, with vessel related IMR activity expenditures forecast to be over US$21 billion over 2019-2023. This represents a 25% growth compared to the 2014-2018 period.

The challenges with oil and gas assets have many similarities with those of offshore wind. Windfarm installation and maintenance can be dangerous and costly and requires constant inspections and upkeep to maintain efficiency and maximize productivity. Markets estimate that the offshore wind market is expected to grow from an estimated US$27 billion in 2017 to over US$ 55 billion by 2022, registering a CAGR of over 15%. This growth is attributed to the increasing demand for clean energy in order to reduce carbon emissions and protect the environment by generating electricity through renewable resources. Today the United States has one offshore wind farm consisting of five turbines, compared to over 4,500 grid-connected offshore wind turbines across 11 European countries.

Kraken Issues Options to Employees

Kraken also announces that its Board of Directors has approved the issuance of 2,755,000 stock options to company employees. These options have a three-year term, with vesting in three equal instalments consisting of the date of grant and on the one and two-year anniversaries of the initial grant. The exercise price on the options is $0.53.

About Kraken Robotics Inc.

Kraken Robotics Inc. (TSX.V:PNG) (OTCQB: KRKNF) is a marine technology company dedicated to the production and sale of software-centric sensors, underwater robotic systems and data analytics as a service. The company is headquartered in St. John’s, Newfoundland with offices in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; Toronto, Ontario; Bremen and Rostock Germany; and Boston, Massachusetts. Kraken is ranked as a Top 100 marine technology company by Marine Technology Reporter.

For more information, please visit www.krakenrobotics.com, www.krakenrobotik.de, www.krakenpower.de. Find Kraken on social media on Twitter (@krakenrobotics), Facebook (@krakenroboticsinc) and LinkedIn.

The Group, known for its pioneering technology and services in the drilling, well intervention and flow remediation sectors, is celebrating and showcasing some of its key products this week both at the exhibition and at their base in Inverurie, Aberdeen.

Julian Manning, Paradigm Group’s CEO said; “Paradigm Group’s success comes from our ability to offer the industry many unique technologies that are setting ‘World-firsts’ for our customers.

Some of these ‘World-firsts’ include Paradigms Flexi-Coil system; The World’s only miniaturized coiled tubing pipeline blockage removing system, Slick-E-Line; a global leading digital slickline system, The E-Winch Range; The Worlds most advanced wireline intervention winches with guaranteed zero line breakage and Dry-Flo; the World’s only dry deluge system that quantifies and accurately simulates testing in virtual liters allowing deluge system performance to be trended without the requirement of wet testing.

He continues, “I am extremely proud to represent such a smart group of people who are continuously looking to innovate and solve industry challenges. Our Companies are working on emerging technologies that will come to market shortly, covering Drilling, Well Intervention and Production services. We understand market demands and the pressures for operators to keep costs to a minimum, which is why we focus on persuasive technology implementation. We strive to continuously evolve and develop our offering to drive change and give our clients what they need, when often they are not aware our technologies exist. Offshore Europe provides an ideal platform to celebrate a decade in business and showcase our unique capabilities to existing and new customers.”

About Paradigm Group

Paradigm Group was established in Groot-Ammers, The Netherlands, in 2009, to develop & commercialize new technologies & innovations for the upstream Oil & Gas Industry. With a broad width of market participation, Paradigm Group consists of four companies:

• Paradigm Drilling Services
• Paradigm Flow Services Ltd
• Paradigm Intervention Technologies
• Paradigm Technology Services

Each of the operating companies is a stand-alone unit with unique technologies supported by very strong Intellectual Property positions. Even in this very challenging business climate, an aggressive R&D effort continues and including joint development partnerships with major oil and gas operators.

The HERF will be a new world-class R&D facility for large-scale testing, research and development that is vital to the Canadian economy and environment. It will include a multi-purpose facility to simulate harsh conditions with icebergs and sea ice, high winds, waves, sea water spray, fog, and other harsh climatic conditions such as freezing rain storms. The facility will have strategic importance to industrial research locally, nationally and globally with its capacity to simulate both fresh and salt-water conditions, which will be unique in the world.

“Over the past number of years, Memorial University has built an international reputation for its research capacity, expertise and collaborative work in harsh environments. This new facility will help Memorial and its partners pursue important leading-edge research in this field, develop solutions to real world challenges and help drive innovation and growth in our region’s ocean industries,” said Nick Whalen, Member of Parliament for St. John’s East

Memorial University will work with other post-secondary institutions and industry partners to address engineering challenges in three core areas – icing of marine vessels and other structures such as overhead power lines, aircraft and wind turbines; ice-structure interactions including ice management and safety and; advanced material coatings and engineered surfaces.

“At Memorial, we take pride in creating exciting teaching and learning environments for students and researchers alike, while simultaneously achieving an important goal of having a positive, practical impact on industry. This includes better ways to operate in harsh offshore environments. So I thank the Federal and Provincial Governments and Husky Energy for this critical investment into the establishment of this facility. Memorial is proud to work with these partners to lead innovative breakthroughs in cold ocean and harsh environment research,” said Dr. Gary Kachanoski, President and Vice-chancellor, Memorial University

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is contributing $2.4 million and the Government of Canada, through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, is providing a non-repayable contribution of $2.7 million. Husky Energy is investing $1 million.

“Our top priority is to reduce risk to our people and the environment. Having access to the Harsh Environment Research Facility and being able to collaborate with experts in the field will give us more opportunities to test systems and structures in conditions specific to our region. Consistent with our commitment to continual improvement, the more we learn about the environment in which we operate, the better we can optimize our logistics and asset deployment, providing for more timely and effective interventions,” said Trevor Pritchard Senior Vice President Atlantic, Husky Energy

“Our government is proud to invest in research and innovation through this new world-class facility which will build industry-relevant Research and Development capacity in the area of ocean technology. Support for innovation and technology delivers on our government’s commitments in The Way Forward’s Business Innovation Agenda to strengthen the province’s economic foundation. These investments develop highly skilled jobs, to sustain local market growth and to further develop the economy,” said Honourable Christopher Mitchelmore, Minister of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation

Sarah Stoodley, Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation, on behalf of the Honourable Christopher Mitchelmore, Minister of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation, along with Nick Whalen, Member of Parliament for St. John’s East, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, made the announcement today.

Economic growth and the creation of good jobs for Atlantic Canadians require innovation and diversification. Support for this project is one way the Government of Canada is growing the innovation economy by working to sustain strategic clusters, and enhance the development and reach of business accelerators and incubators. Projects like this also contribute to the Atlantic Growth Strategy outcome of long-term economic prosperity in the region.

“The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of the blue economy to Atlantic Canada. Through the Ocean Supercluster, we are working with our partners to harness emerging technologies to strengthen Canada’s ocean industries. That is why we are pleased to invest in this world-class initiative, which will be an asset for the Ocean Supercluster, and will enable Memorial University to pursue key research to help grow the oceans sector,” said Honourable Navdeep, Bains Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for ACOA

Support for innovation and technology delivers on commitments in The Way Forward’s Business Innovation Agenda to strengthen the province’s economic foundation. The Way Forward outlines all actions the Provincial Government is taking to achieve a strong, diversified economy and can be viewed at thewayforward.gov.nl.ca.

The Government of Canada has announced a $2.9 million investment in a smart grid project in the town of Parry Sound, led by Bracebridge Generation and utility software engineering pioneer Opus One Solutions. The project aims to help the utility reduce system costs and improve the long-term flexibility and reliability of the grid by leveraging a set of grid intelligence tools that monitor and control locally connected renewable energy generation, storage, and residential demand management resources.

“We’re thrilled to be working with Bracebridge Generation to transform Parry Sound into a net-zero smart community,” says Hari Subramaniam, Chief of Strategic Growth at Opus One Solutions. “By adding our grid intelligence solution to their toolset, Bracebridge Generation can take advantage of smarter and cleaner resources like a community microgrid and residential demand management to better balance energy consumption and generation. Projects like these not only boost the reliability of a system that we rely on daily, they also help us achieve savings for customers and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We’re thankful for the government’s support in making this happen and for helping open up jobs in the clean-tech economy.”

“Technologies that enable the customer to participate in creating and managing their energy are becoming more affordable, and widespread adoption is around the corner,” says Vince Kulchycki, Chief Operating Officer at Lakeland Holding Ltd. “While these options can give customers new choices and the ability to save energy, they create challenges for our provincial electrical distribution infrastructure. At Bracebridge Generation, we recognize that innovation will be crucial in adapting to these new concepts, and we are pleased to work with Opus One to create solutions that help not just our customers, but can be adapted elsewhere. NRCan’s support of project SPEEDIER makes it possible to expedite the creation of the tools and the roadmap for utilities to equip the distribution system for the future.”

Building on the utility’s net-zero community plan, Opus One Solutions is providing software intelligence that will give Bracebridge Generation full visibility and control of their network to help:

• increase solar and energy storage penetration in Parry Sound
• reduce constraints at the transmission station to improve reliability
• increase adoption of electric vehicles
• automate and integrate residential demand management via controllable hot water tanks, EV chargers, and battery storage
• increase system resiliency with a feeder-level microgrid
• defer unnecessary costly upgrades in poles and wires infrastructure

The funding announcement was made on July 23 by Parliamentary Secretary Paul Lefebvre, on behalf of Amarjeet Sohi, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources. The investment comes from the Smart Grid Program, which is part of the Government of Canada’s more than $180 billion Investing in Canada Infrastructure plan.

About Opus One Solutions

Opus One Solutions is a software engineering and solutions company with the vision of a digitalized, decentralized and decarbonized planet. Its intelligent energy networking platform, GridOS®, optimizes complex power flows so that it can deliver real-time energy management and integrated planning to distribution utilities and other managers of distributed energy assets. GridOS is modular, scalable, and integrates seamlessly with existing data systems to unlock greater potential for distributed energy resources, including renewable generation, energy storage, and responsive demand. GridOS also facilitates the management of microgrids — from homes to businesses to communities — for unparalleled grid resiliency and value to the electricity customer. www.opusonesolutions.com

Dräger Safety AG & Co. KGaA has acquired a stake in Focus Field Solutions Inc., a leading provider of industrial safety solutions based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

With this latest investment, Lübeck, Germany-based Dräger extends its expertise in the area of digital worksites.

Focus FS has developed a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform which digitizes critical operations data for people and assets. It offers different modules such as HSE (Health, Safety & Environment), E-Mustering, Incident Management and Asset Tracking.

The customer can choose from a range of modules and create a solution that best fits their company needs. There are three main use cases that can be addressed by the solution: worker safety, plant and asset safety, and incident safety.

This digital technology minimizes risk and delivery performance insights to create safer and smarter workplaces. Through optimized workflow traffic and facility activities, real-time analytics, and dynamic HSE processes, worker safety accelerates from simple compliance to safety culture dominance.

Plant and asset safety enable efficient worksites with real-time inventory visibility and tracking, preventative maintenance planning, and smart rescue planning operations. Systematic management and corrective action, along with real-time communication and accountability, enhance and improve incident safety protocols.

“Behaviour-based safety, situational awareness, and increased operational productivity are challenges our customers worldwide face on a daily basis. With this partnership, we have the ability to offer effective solutions today,” says Ann- Marie Edgerton, Vice President of Segment and Product Marketing Emergency & Rescue Services at Dräger Safety AG & Co. KGaA. “Our vision for tomorrow is also clear. We will ensure that not only do we offer technology for life to our customers, but we will also have an integrated offering that supports their ambitions of building safe and efficient worksites.”

“We are very enthusiastic about having Dräger as a partner and investor,” says Jeffrey K. Brown, CEO and co-founder of Focus FS. “This investment shows Dräger’s confidence in our vision of creating connecting worksites. We believe zero-harm is achievable – and by aligning ourselves with Dräger, who also believes workplace safety is paramount, we can help our customers realize that ambition.”

Focus FS already has a strong presence in the oil and gas, mining, and transportation sectors with Canadian and international customers. An important aspect of the company’s connected worksite vision involves market growth and product adoption.

About Focus FS

Jeffrey K. Brown and Jennifer West founded Focus FS in 2012 and have a team of 15 employees. The company partners with industrial worksites to enable safer, smarter operations. The company helps industrial clients use digital technology to minimize risk, deliver performance insights and improve safety culture on worksites around the world.

For more information, please visit www.focusfs.com.

On its first anniversary following new ownership at Sentinel Systems the long established commercial vehicle safety company has launched a brand new image and identity.

With distinctive colours of orange and black the new logo style carries the strapline ‘Specialists in Vehicle Safety’ reflecting the changing direction of the company which pioneered commercial vehicle reversing safety systems in 1986.

Sentinel MD, John Little explains, “Whilst the company still offers reversing systems, these are greatly enhanced from the early days and now use radar or ultrasonic sensor technology. But today the most popular products are camera and recording systems so we wanted our new identity to show that our real focus is on overall vehicle safety.”

Demand for Sentinel Systems products continues apace with the company increasing its staffing by 25% through the recruitment of additional service engineers, procurement and management staff.

The lifeblood of any company is innovation and it is this which will underpin future growth at Sentinel Systems. It’s the development of telematics – the integration of telecomms and data – for vehicle operator end users that Sentinel is very much involved with. Here it is expanding its fleet management software for enhancement of encrypted data analytics and offer host companies video footage in the cloud. This will mean that Sentinel can warn and interact with its customers giving them a ‘Live View’ at all times.

Sentinel Systems’ hosting is now on cloud based Microsoft Azure, giving evidence of live video, with instant uploads available to review on the platform at any time.

John Little comments, “These are all very exciting developments designed to give our customers much greater control of information from vehicle camera systems. We are also trialing a new camera tracking platform shared by Sentinel and a vehicle operator which gives faster integration of information – we would be delighted to hear from any tracker companies who would also like to integrate with us.”

Other developments underway at Sentinel are enhancements of its award-winning Bike Hotspot system. Here an audible warning, heard by cyclist and driver, overlays onto the monitor illustrating to the driver which sensor has produced the warning and how far away the cyclist is from the vehicle.

For Sentinel Systems, growth and development won’t stop at road vehicle operators. Plans are afoot to explore and expand opportunities for its safety systems in industrial plant areas, such as forklifts, mining and quarrying vehicles.

Sentinel prides itself in its customer service and high quality products, which has led to an exceptional number of returning customers who opt to install its products on new fleet additions. The company works closely with each of its customers to determine the right safety solution for the vehicles, taking into consideration the daily challenges faced by the drivers. Sentinel develops and improves on its products to meet the current demands of fleet operations, especially as more cyclists, pedestrians and smaller vehicle drivers are taking to the roads.

As one of the leaders in commercial vehicle safety and camera solutions, Sentinel Systems has over 30 years of experience in creating and supplying safety systems to leading companies in many sectors, including the major logistic fleets, supermarkets, refuse disposal, bulk tankers, courier vans, buses, trailer builders and motorised caravan manufacturers.

The company’s most popular products include its Bike Hotspot system, designed to detect cyclists riding up the nearside of commercial vehicles, which won innovation awards on its launch; its 360° SurroundView camera solutions; and radar and ultrasonic derivatives of its patented Safetystop TM reversing systems, which are offered with autobraking or LED alerter options.

Sentinel Systems also offers a breadth of camera and recording solutions which are proving to be increasingly popular in combatting vehicle fraud and crash-for-cash claims, as well as helping operators with driver training and, most important of all, helping them protect vulnerable road users.

Their solutions range from standard reversing cameras with in-cab monitors through to sophisticated multi-camera systems. All are available with up to 50 days’ recording, combining high-resolution images with intuitive video analysis software and the opportunity to monitor vehicle operations remotely.

It is Sentinel’s aim to help eliminate risks associated with large vehicles operating in congested areas. To further this, Sentinel is an associate member of FORS (The Fleet Operators Recognition Scheme) which aims to achieve best practice amongst fleet operators. Sentinel offers vehicle safety equipment to meet bronze, silver and gold standards. The company also offers maintenance and emergency servicing for all its customers, so that no matter what the product or who supplied it, the company will send out an engineer to fix the problem.

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Dropsafe, the leading global provider of Dropped Object prevention technology, has announced a new exclusive distributor partnership with Pacific Automation, the Australia-based distributor of industrial equipment to the Oil and Gas (O&G) industry. The partnership will bolster Dropsafe’s regional presence as the market seeks to tackle the prominent safety, reputational and financial risks posed by Dropped Object incidents at Australian O&G sites.

Pacific Automation partners with premium manufacturers of industrial automation, electrical, lighting, hazardous area and mining products. The adoption of Dropsafe’s Net, Pouch and Barrier products into the Pacific Automation equipment range is indicative of the critical role that Dropped Object prevention technology has to play in the overall health and safety strategy of site owners and managers.

According to Safe Work Australia, dropped and falling objects were the second largest cause of workplace fatalities in Australia between 2010-2014, resulting in 125 workplace fatalities and over 15,000 serious compensation claims. While the industry is increasingly adopting Dropped Object prevention solutions, the risk remains prominent. In 2017, 8% of work-related injuries in Australia were caused by being hit by a falling object.

Australia now has an opportunity to set a benchmark Dropped Object prevention, tackling a four-fold threat that consists of the risk of injury or fatality to personnel, risk of equipment damage, and their financial and reputational consequences. By adopting solutions which are impact resistant, have high structural integrity and are manufactured to a high quality, companies can demonstrate a commitment to upholding the highest safety standards.

As the market takes an increasingly thorough approach to Dropped Object risk mitigation, Dropsafe has seen a significant spike in demand for its market-leading prevention systems. The Dropsafe Net and Barrier have become the preferred solutions for operators seeking to prevent fixtures falling from height, and equipment dropping from raised walkways.

Rob Schlipper, CEO of Dropsafe said “This increased demand clearly shows the emphasis that mining operators are putting on managing this prominent risk. Our new distribution partnership signifies that Dropsafe Nets, Pouches and Barriers have become an essential part of the tool kit for Australian O&G operators.

Schlipper continued “The new partnership in Australia allows us to expand our distribution and support network, enhancing the service we offer to our current and future customers in the region. Pacific Automation has a long-standing reputation for sourcing and supplying best-in-class, high-quality products and therefore was a natural fit for Dropsafe.”

Darren Wright, Managing Director of Pacific Automation said “We are really excited to begin our partnership with Dropsafe, as we believe its premium quality products will greatly benefit our customers across a range of applications and work sites. We look forward to working with the team to supply the Dropsafe product range throughout Australia.”

About Dropsafe

Dropsafe is the global leading provider of dropped objects prevention solutions for the oil and gas markets, with a range of innovative and patented products including its pioneering mesh-security and mesh-safety products.

Dropsafe has come to set the industry standard for Drops prevention in the onshore and offshore oil and gas sectors, collaborating with industry professionals to lead the market in enabling customers to improve workplace safety.

Dropsafe’s track record in the industry is illustrated by its customer base of over 300, encompassing exclusive fleet-wide agreements with the largest global oil and gas drilling contractors.

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Global technology leader ABB and Norwegian fast-growing oil and gas producer OKEA have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreement to support OKEA achieve substantial productivity gains using agile and dynamic business models.

The MoU reflects future potential for OKEA to leverage ABB’s global digital leadership and industry experience in sustaining lean and optimized operations for the future – with responsive new business models to maximize operational excellence, reduce time-to-value and support cost-effective field developments at a time of high technological change in offshore operations.

“We are pleased to express our joint efforts with ABB to further develop our collaboration through this MoU, which constitutes a framework for defining a strategic partnership related to digitalization initiatives,” said Dag Eggan, Senior Vice President of Business Performance, OKEA.

“ABB is, and will continue to be, a key partner for OKEA in realizing our ambition to operate Draugen until 2040.”

The MoU will support OKEA in their strategy to maintain an efficient organization and scale production by leveraging ABB’s expertise in autonomous operations, digital solutions and advanced services.

“With deep-domain expertise and more than 50 years experience supporting oil and gas operators worldwide, we are confident ABB will create tremendous value for OKEA with this strategic collaboration,” said Tor-Ove Lussand, Local Business Manager, Norway, Energy Industries, ABB.

“ABB Ability™ – our unified digital offering extending from device to edge to cloud – combined with innovative business models, will enable a direct link between the technology and services we deliver, and the value created for OKEA.”

OKEA

OKEA is a fast-growing oil and gas producer operating on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) aiming to bring undeveloped discoveries with less than 100 million boe in reserves into production. We are a trusted partner on a local, regional and national level with a clear ambition to create value for owners, employees and society as a whole. Our overall vision is to be the leading company on the NCS in terms of delivering safe and cost-effective field developments and operational excellence, while maintaining a competent organization with direct management engagement in all of our projects. OKEA was established in June 2015 and founded with capital contributions from the active E&P manager Seacrest Capital Group, and the four founding members of management. OKEA is listed on Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker “OKEA”.

ABB Energy Industries

ABB is writing the future of safe and smart operations for industry, with ABB Ability™ delivering integrated and secure digital solutions that deliver value for customers with increasing autonomy, sustainability and optimized performance. ABB Energy Industries brings deep domain knowledge and technical expertise in energy and water, oil and gas, specialty chemicals and primary pharmaceutical industries. Building on our heritage, a spirit of collaboration and innovation inspires our digital leadership as we engineer and provide products, services and solutions that support our partners for success, both today and tomorrow as we look ahead to a new energy future.

ABB

(ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a pioneering technology leader with a comprehensive offering for digital industries. With a history of innovation spanning more than 130 years, ABB is today a leader in digital industries with four customer-​focused, globally leading businesses: Electrification, Industrial Automation, Motion, and Robotics & Discrete Automation, supported by its common ABB Ability™ digital platform. ABB’s market leading Power Grids business will be divested to Hitachi in 2020. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 147,000 employees. 

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“This product-development funding further validates the work we are doing to revolutionize market research,” said Rival Founder and CEO Andrew Reid, one of the first Canadian tech-industry leaders to raise funds without a broker. “By opening our doors to external investors for the first time, we also gain new perspectives and opportunities for collaboration. I am extremely proud of the growing team at Rival for their ground-breaking contributions to expanding our business and positioning us as a world leader in the market research software industry.”

By integrating chat, voice and video solutions into SMS, social media and messaging apps — in other words, into technologies people actively use on a regular basis — Rival’s end-to-end insight platform, Chat Lab , helps companies reach consumers in more engaging and authentic ways to understand their attitudes, opinions and preferences. With a global and growing client base, which now includes the National Football League, A&W Canada, and the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks, marketers are making the most of this compelling solution to the email-overload and survey-fatigue crisis threatening the future of the $76-billion market research industry.

As Rival’s annual recurring subscription revenue approaches $1 million, the company is actively adding to its team in order to meet fast-growing demand. “I am incredibly proud of the platform and culture we’ve built so far at Rival,” said Jennifer Reid, Rival’s Senior Methodologist, Andrew’s sister, and an investor in the close-knit company. “By attracting passionate, courageous and talented people who are committed to providing the best technology for consumer engagement, everyone at Rival is helping organizations capture the authentic voice of their customers and improve business outcomes in the process.”

Led by industry veteran Matt Kleinschmit, Reach3’s full-service research and consulting practice leverages Rival’s technology and conversational research design philosophies to capture insights companies can use to drive business outcomes. Reach3’s clients now include Jagermeister, Johnson & Johnson, RXBar, Cineplex and Snapchat.

About Rival Technologies

Rival Technologies is rethinking research with voice, video and chat solutions that integrate into technologies that people actively use on a regular basis. The company’s platform, Chat Lab, makes it easy for companies to create mobile agile communities of customers, fans, and employees that can be engaged continuously for insights into their preferences, opinions, and habits. The company’s innovations rival traditional surveys and online communities by employing conversational technologies that reach a broad range of demographics through SMS, social media and messaging apps. Andrew Reid, Founder and Former President of Vision Critical, serves as the CEO of Rival Technologies. Rival is part of the Reid Campbell Group and a sister company to Reach3 Insights, a full-service consultancy that uses immersive and in-the-moment research and dynamic digital storytelling approaches to deliver experiential insights that inspire action. For more information, visit www.rivaltech.com.

There was also an announcement on June 4th 2019 about the Business Development Bank of Canada’s new $250 million fund to help modernize legacy sectors as well as the fact that the Maritimes is experiencing such an exciting time in innovation and tech-sector development.

On average, 81% of Canadian businesses believe we are an innovative country, and in order for Canada to be seen as a global leader in innovation, 79% believe it is essential for all sectors to digitize.

Digital adaptation is greatly benefiting the oil and gas industry, as 59% say their competitive advantage has increased as a result. Yet, business leaders are hesitant to adopt new tech. 40% of businesses believe it’s difficult to get information on how to use emerging tech (automation, AI, big data) and 25% say they’re not sure how it can help their business grow. Data shows the oil and gas sector isn’t increasing its use of technology as much as other sectors. Only 5% of companies plan to use big data and analytics in the next three years compared to the 30% of Canadian businesses overall. 

It’s critical for business to adopt technology and digitization to succeed in today’s world. To emphasize this, Salesforce has decided to travel across Canada, stopping at various industry conferences, to connect with companies coast to coast to show the advantages of digitization and help them achieve their growth goals.

The OGM:
What trends are we seeing in the survey that will impact the oil and gas sector and why?

Salesforce: According to Salesforce research, oil and gas companies were least likely to say they have increased their use of digital technologies/apps compared to other sectors. However, nearly 60% of high growth large businesses credit automation and digitization for driving growth.

Salesforce: With one in five businesses in the oil and gas industry saying that they are expecting a difficult year ahead, this is a crucial time to embrace technology. Our research shows that they plan to overcome this challenge through increased implementation of connected devices/IoT, eCommerce, CRM software and data management platforms. (For a full list, see Figure 1 below). 

The OGM:
When you say ‘digitize’ what exactly do you mean?

Salesforce: Digitizing at its core is increasing the use of technology and applications within a business’ operations and upgrading existing technology. For example, where there used to be a form to complete, businesses can now use an app, helping them save time and increase productivity. In fact, 29% of business leaders surveyed have said that an increased use of technology has given them greater competitive advantages like expediting business processes and unlocking greater efficiencies.

The OGM:
What are the primary areas of growth/opportunity in this digital era and the coming year?

Salesforce: There’s never been a more innovative time for businesses which means that growth opportunities are endless. For example, companies that have increased their use of digital technology and applications are able to connect with their customers in more meaningful ways with 40% of business leaders saying its increased customer engagement. In fact, 23% of customer service organizations are using AI chatbots, which are often in voice form, helping them to deliver optimized customer experiences.

The OGM:
What innovations do we expect to see leading the way in the next five to ten years and beyond?

Salesforce: According to Salesforce’s report, Future Ready: Advancing Canadian Business in the Digital Economy, the most widely adopted technologies, and those anticipated to grow over the next three years are the internet of things (IoT), eCommerce, and customer relationship management (CRM) systems. 

Salesforce: Canada is poised to see adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and chatbots more than double over the next three years. The impact of voice technology isn’t limited to customer engagement, though – 51% of the workforce believes that voice assistants will transform how they work, and 38% report that they already use one during their workday.

The OGM:
If you could invest in any technology right now, what would it be?

Salesforce: Companies that want to drive growth and customer loyalty need to invest in a CRM solution. Not having a CRM solution today is like driving without a GPS system – you don’t know where you’re going. A CRM solution will help you track interactions with customers, prospects, and contacts; automate workflows; provide analytical insights into your business; and help your company make informed, data-based decisions so it can succeed.

The OGM:
What are the top three attributes that will help companies thrive in the world of global competitiveness in the digital era?

Salesforce:

1. Enhancing customer experience: 69% of Canadian customers say their standards for good customer experience are higher than ever and are willing to pay more for that great experience. Not only understanding your customers’ unique needs but exceeding their expectations is a business imperative — 80% of Canadian customers say the experience a company provides is as important as its products/services.
2. Investing in new technologies: Companies have a noticeably more positive story to tell about their business growth if they increase their use of tech. They’re twice as likely (27% versus 13%) as others to say their business has seen strong growth over the past three years. Similarly, they’re more optimistic about the future of their business.
3. Training or upskilling employees: Upskilling employees results in increased productivity, employee retention, and revenue. 34% of companies say training or upskilling employees has facilitated growth.

The OGM:
Define the traits of a good leader in the digital era?

Salesforce:
Today’s great leaders have a beginner’s mind, meaning that they are adaptable and open to change. They stay curious about emerging tech and its applications, while investing in the training required to help their employees and businesses succeed in this global economy.

Funded by a $1.94 million grant from Sustainable Development Technology Canada and Emissions Reduction Alberta, SAFCell, an innovative fuel cell company, has teamed up with Alberta-based Calscan Energy to develop a Near Zero Emissions Well Control System that is fuel flexible, inexpensive, and durable, with the capability to drastically reduce methane emissions caused by existing well sites.

In light of the recent mandate imposed by the governments of Canada and Alberta to reduce methane emissions by 45% by 2025 (relative to 2012), oil and gas industries are looking for new, innovative ways to reduce their carbon footprint. As Canada prioritizes policy changes for a more sustainable future, SAFCell anticipates a growing demand for its technology having successfully deployed multiple fuel cell units with Canadian O&G partners, including Shell Canada, Husky Energy, and others. Converting Western Canada’s 185,000 well sites to SAFCell power has the potential to reduce carbon emissions by 10,451,000 tCO2 each year, the equivalent annual GHG emissions of approximately 2,218,896 passenger vehicles!

About SAFCell

What is SAFCell?

• Founded in 2009 with proprietary technology from the California Institute of Technology, SAFCell
  develops transformative Solid Acid Fuel Cells for stationary and portable power applications in the oil
  & gas, military, industrial, and commercial sectors.
• SAFCell’s remote power products are rugged, reliable, and fuel flexible, operating on existing
  commercially available fuels including methanol, ethanol, propane, diesel, and natural gas resulting in
  lower operating and maintenance costs.

RP-50-M Power System

• SAFCell’s RP-50-M remote area power system (50-watt unit) is a low-cost, fuel efficient, and
  dependable energy solution for the oil & gas industry and outperforms alternative solutions with
  respect to installation and operating costs.
• Applications in the oil & gas industry include SCADA, electronic control and injection systems, and
  other systems requiring reliable off-grid power.
• SAFCell has launched its RP-50-M power system in Canada with install partner Calscan Energy and oil
  & gas operators Shell Canada, Husky Energy, Repsol Oil and Gas Canada, Cenovus Energy, and Bellatrix
  Exploration.

RP-50-M Advantage for Canadian Oil & Gas

• Fuel-Flexible: Operates on readily-available onsite field-grade methanol minimizing the need for
  additional fuel and delivery costs.
• Fuel Efficient: 10x more efficient than thermoelectric generators and 5x more efficient than internal
  combustion engine generators which save thousands of dollars per year in operating costs while
  reducing CO2 emissions.
• Reliable: Rugged military design built for demanding oil & gas field conditions and extreme
  temperatures of Canadian winters and summers; can be transported and deployed quickly with little
  to no maintenance required.

Calscan Energy and SAFCell Partnership

• Founded in 1995, Calscan is a leading instrumentation and control company based in Edmonton,
  Alberta.
• Calscan created the Bear Solar Electric Control System for the electrification of new and existing well
  sites to significantly reduce GHG (methane) emissions. These durable systems have been deployed at
  over 350 well sites in Canada.
• SAFCell and Calscan have now partnered together to develop a Near Zero Emissions Well Control
  System (NZE WCS) to eliminate methane emissions from oil & gas production facilities in Canada.

Near Zero Emissions Well Control System and Emissions Reduction Potential

• The NZE WCS combines SAFCell’s RP-50-M methanol fuel cell with Calscan’s solar/battery powered
  Bear Control System to create a reliable, efficient, and rugged power source for well sites.
• The system offers a clean alternative to standard pneumatic equipment that is currently the greatest
  source of methane emission from the oil & gas industry and under heavy regulatory scrutiny in Canada.
• The current deployment initiative is funded by a $1.94 million (CAD) grant from Sustainable
  Development Technology Canada (SDTC) and Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) to address the
  mandate from the governments of Canada and Alberta to reduce methane emissions by 40-45 per
  cent by 2025 (relative to 2012 levels).
•  SAFCell powered systems can generate $324-551 million in carbon credits for Alberta over the next
  four years.

SAFCell and Calscan Field Trials in Canada

• Near Zero Emissions Well Control Systems have been deployed at multiple Canadian oil & gas sites
  operated by 11 partner companies including Shell Canada, Cenovus Energy, Repsol Oil and Gas
  Canada, and Husky Energy.
• In 2018, a successful eight-month trial was completed at the Shell Canada Rocky Mountain House well
  site in Alberta deploying multiple RP-50-M units and demonstrating operability in the field at both low
  and high temperatures.
• In the winter of 2018/2019, trials were extended to Cenovus Energy, Repsol Oil and Gas Canada, and
  Husky Energy. The first RP-50-M commercial units were deployed with Bellatrix Exploration under a
  SAFCell early access program and are currently in operation.
•  SAFCell will be extending the commercial rollout of the RP-50-M and pilot rollout of the RP-250-M
  (250-watt unit) across Canada, starting with 185,000 well sites in Western Canada.

“The SCJ-50 Cube Jack represents a significant advance in safety, ease-of-use and productivity in compact, portable lifting solutions,” said Peter Crisci, Product Line Director, Enerpac Heavy Lifting Technology. “The incremental system mechanically locks the load as each cribbing block is manually added or removed, instead of being held by hydraulic pressure. Once the mechanical lock engages, the lift cylinder retracts and another cribbing block can be added or removed. This safer, simplified operation sequence can be accomplished with 50 percent fewer cycles than climbing jacks, yielding a substantial increase in productivity as well,” Crisci noted.

The SCJ-50 Cube Jack is based on an operating principle similar to Enerpac’s proven 125-750 ton Jack-Up Systems, but in a vastly smaller footprint and without the need for electrical controls. Up to eleven 35-lb. (16kg) steel cribbing blocks can be safely and easily stacked onto the compact Cube Jack base frame yielding a maximum height of 79 inches (2m). The base frame footprint measures just 19.8-in. x 16.9-in (502mm x 430mm), making it ideal for portability and restricted operating space. A low 19.4-in. (494mm) minimum initial jacking height increases flexibility and reduces operational startup time.

The SCJ-50 Cube Jack operates with standard 10,000 psi (700 bar) hydraulic pressure and is compatible with standard Enerpac pumps, such as the Split-Flow Pump that offers the ability to synchronously operate multiple Cube Jacks.

Crisci added that the compact size and portability of the Self-Locking Cube Jack offers a powerful solution for numerous applications, such as equipment maintenance, vehicle unloading or jacking a transformer, module, or bridge.

To learn more about the new SCJ-50 Self-Locking Cube Jack and find your local Enerpac distributor, visit the company’s website www.Enerpac.com

About Enerpac

With legacy that spans over a century and a 60-year history providing industrial solutions, Enerpac is a global market leader in high-pressure hydraulic tools, controlled force products and innovative solutions for precise positioning of heavy loads. From the smallest hydraulic cylinders to complete computer-operated lifting and positioning systems, Enerpac products are available worldwide through a network of 1,400 distributor partners. With 28 facilities in 22 countries, Enerpac offers unsurpassed technical support and hydraulic expertise, industry-leading products and engineered solutions to meet the world’s most monumental lifting and positioning challenges.

Understanding this dilemma Waterford Energy Services set out in 2016 to invest in the development of a solution utilizing Artificial Intelligence to help address this significant industry problem. A team of data scientists and software development experts were hired to form Waterford’s Data Science Team. After several years of development, the result is a new software tool called “LessLer”. LessLer allows individuals to quickly access unstructured documentation in a mentored environment to solve their problems, answer their questions and ensure that past lessons are indeed learned, not lost.

With industry changes in staff demographics, forced retirement, layoffs, and a transient workforce, we now have a new era of business from which to work. Teams with lower experience levels have to plan and execute highly complex projects while doing it on time and on budget without harm to the environment. These teams must educate themselves on past practices and processes as a fundamental stepping stone in their success.

Blair MacDougall, President of Waterford Energy Services says, “With the recent downturn in the industry, key personnel have left at an alarming rate taking their tribal knowledge with them. Most of this knowledge is documented in massive amounts of unstructured data which, in our opinion, is too difficult to utilize effectively. It gets lost on shared drives, lost when staff leave, too difficult to access, and so on. We are curbing the tribal knowledge loss by providing a tool that ingests all of that documentation and presents it to the tech-savvy, yet less experienced teams that appear to be more prevalent today.” MacDougall continues, “We’ve also listened to our customers who want the ability to have Subject Matter Experts and mentorship functionality within the LessLer platform.”

Lessler is software under development in Waterford’s offices that is a step change in how unstructured data is utilized in the industry. It is a software tool that organizes virtually all documents and transforms it into actionable knowledge. Mike Cullymore, Senior Software Specialist with Waterford Energy Services, says, “Think about all the data we acquire in a day, let alone a year. It’s massive intellectual property that drives a company forward. LessLer is designed to harness the company’s history in the form of emails, documents, reports, equipment manuals, product specifications and incident reports.”

As a mentoring tool, Lessler also permits oversight by subject matter experts, or other stakeholders such as regulatory agencies and service companies. This enhances the learning experience of users and ensures that key decisions using LessLer are peer reviewed.

Lessler is intuitive using data visualization techniques to create a vibrant user experience. Data Scientist Mateus Pereira, a native of Brazil, applies his specialist skills in data visualization and ranking initiatives. He says, “LessLer presents data in a rich graphical interface that simplifies the user experience to find answers to complex problems. The user experience is currently being perfected so unwanted responses can be rejected and acceptable responses promoted, allowing LessLer to learn from the user.”

Overseeing the overall construction of LessLer is Lead Data Scientist Elham Etemad, PhD. Her focus is the integration of two main components: A.I. and Mateus Pereira’s data visualization. LessLer uses natural language processing (NLP) techniques to find candidate documents for solving the user’s problem. This component consists of query processing and document retrieval modules. The query processing module applies query correction and suggestion to help the users in improving their questions’ precision. The document retrieval module finds the most relevant documents and sort them based on their textual similarities with the question and feedback from users.

What is known for certain is that the world is changing and it’s changing quickly. Within Exploration and Production companies, there are unprecedented amounts of documentation that is highly under-utilized. Companies who will lead the industry are those that adapt, learn, and implement tools to use their data effectively, creating value through effective decision making. The next generation of energy workers are in need of better ways to unlock their historical data to ensure high risk decisions are informed decisions and LessLer is being developed to do just that.

Waterford Energy Services Inc.- LessLer Team Developers: (From Left to Right) Blair MacDougall (President), Manav Sharma (Data Scientist), Raghav Gupta (Developer), Navkaran Kumar (Developer), Elham Etemad, PhD (Sr. Data Scientist), Mateus Pereira (Data Scientist), Kalene Hines (Project Engineer), Mike Cullymore (Sr. Software Specialist).

To learn more about LessLer and arrange a demo, contact: Mike Cullymore (mike@wesi.ca). FINAL

The continuous rise in the number of connected and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, connected and autonomous cars, content streaming, and multiplayer games will accelerate the edge computing market at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 36.3% from 2017 to 2022. With the number of connected devices set to triple by 2025, and with most of these applications requiring close to zero-latency data transfer, the $768 million global edge computing market is forecast to touch $3.62 billion by 2022. The fastest-growing edge segments will be small and medium capacity, which are likely to grow at a CAGR of 63.7% and 30.9%, respectively.

“Edge data centres are particularly focusing on high-density cooling solutions such as rack-mounted cooling and advanced cooling solutions like evaporative/adiabatic cooling, direct liquid cooling/immersion cooling, and economizer segment/free cooling,” said Energy Analyst Vasanth Krishnan. “Meanwhile, market participants are expanding their data centre footprint to Tier II and Tier III cities to develop their network at the edge, creating opportunities in these cities for other participants in the value chain.”

Frost & Sullivan’s recent analysis, Global Impact of Edge and 5G Technology on Data Centers, Forecast to 2022, examines the forms of edge computing, 5G and its advantages, and the major trends that will shape the market for edge-based data centres. It also presents the current and future revenue estimates for the data centres, and the strategies adopted by cloud, colocation, and enterprise-class data centre providers.

“It is important for market participants to forge partnerships and leverage existing relationships in the industry in order to unlock new revenue streams,” noted Krishnan. “Colocation providers will look to penetrate Tier II and Tier III cities where the workload potential is expected to increase, while enterprise-class users are likely to opt for edge-based colocation services or push their own networking infrastructure to the edge.”

The current market ecosystem for edge data centres is diverse, with all classes of providers looking to pursue edge as part of their strategy. For greater growth opportunities, data centre operators and owners need to:

• Invest in edge through a merger, acquisition, or collaboration with an edge-focused firm.
• Continue to ensure zero downtime with best-in-class latency standards.
• Expand in Tier II and Tier III cities.

Global Impact of Edge and 5G Technology on Data Centers, Forecast to 2022 is part of Frost & Sullivan’s global Energy Storage Growth Partnership Service program.

About Frost & Sullivan

For over five decades, Frost & Sullivan has become world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success

IRSCA’s goal is to advance remote sensing technologies (space-borne, airborne and ground segment), as well as the data analytics that convert sensor data into insights that support decision making. The initial IRSCA project established C-CORE‘s presence in the Arctic with a small satellite reception station and advanced the company’s geospatial analytics capability as well as its capability to analyze various concepts of operations through modelling and simulation techniques.

C-CORE’s Arctic ground station has been receiving greenhouse gas emissions data for the past 18 months from GHGSat’s world-leading satellite technology. IRSCA2 builds on the previous project’s developments and expands C-CORE’s ground station capability to include mission management and control functions for airborne and satellite platforms.

Over the next 18 months, IRSCA2 will result in an integrated mission management and control system for C-CORE’s ground segment that can fly multiple platforms. Seamatica Aerospace, also based in Canada, will be contracted to develop an expert system to work with the mission management and control system, and autonomously fly various airborne systems.

“The confidence that Boeing has placed in C-CORE with the IRSCA initiative has been extremely helpful in expanding C-CORE’s services and markets,” said Paul Griffin, president and CEO, C‑CORE.  “We have developed innovative satellite ground systems and, more importantly, a relationship with Boeing that is building towards future systems.”

Boeing’s partnership on the IRSCA2 project is a result of the Government of Canada’s Industrial Technological Benefits (ITB) policy that promotes innovation, technology development, job creation and economic growth in Canada.

“For more than 100-years, Boeing has consistently supported the Canadian aerospace industry, contributing more than CAD$4 billion of economic benefit to Canada each year working with a strong team of partners and suppliers,” said Roger Schallom, senior manager, International Strategic Partnerships, Boeing Defense, Space & Security.

“To date, Boeing has completed more than CAD$11 billion in IRB and ITB commitments and Boeing guarantees it will fulfill 100 per cent of the requirements, working with Canadian companies of all sizes and specialties, in all locations across our defense and commercial businesses.” Boeing is also facilitating the Integrated Remote Sensing for the Arctic (IRSA) network that expands the IRSCA concept internationally with partners in Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Finland, the U.K., and Germany.

Mission management and control systems will be deployed in several countries with the end goal of demonstrating autonomous aircraft and large UAV flights. C-CORE’s role in IRSA includes implementation of the ground segment and data analytics and leading the formation of an operationalization entity for IRSA services.

“IRSCA2 provides a critical path to grow C-CORE’s capabilities from a single ground station in Inuvik into an international player,” said Paul Adlakha, managing director, C-CORE’s LOOKNorth Centre of Excellence. “Boeing is being truly strategic by building various industrial partnership programs internationally into a focused initiative that will collectively build a high-value system of systems for Arctic safety and security, and support for climate change resilience.”

C-CORE is a separately incorporated corporation of Memorial University of Newfoundland that creates value in the private and public sectors by undertaking applied research and development, generating knowledge, developing technology solutions and driving innovation. Established in 1975 to address challenges facing oil and gas development offshore in Newfoundland and Labrador and other ice-prone regions, C-CORE is now a multidisciplinary R&D organization with world-leading capability in remote sensing, ice engineering and geotechnical engineering.

Y Combinator is a world-renowned accelerator program with an unparalleled record of successful startups. Previous companies to be accepted into Y Combinator include Airbnb, Dropbox, Reddit, and Twitch. With a portfolio worth over $100B and an acceptance rate of approximately 1.5%, Y Combinator ranks as one of the most competitive and successful accelerator programs globally.

Y Combinator presents a significant opportunity for CoLab to connect with top global investors and mentors while accelerating the development and growth of the company. Y Combinator will also contribute to CoLab’s seed financing and help acquire new customers.

“Our mission is to empower engineering teams to build the future faster – Y Combinator is going to accelerate our growth and pair us with some of the brightest and most successful entrepreneurs in the world. We are excited to leverage Y Combinator to provide our customers with industry-leading products while expanding our team and customer base,” says Adam Keating, CEO and Co-Founder at CoLab.

The acceptance into Y Combinator comes at a time of significant growth for CoLab. While executing a successful beta program in 2018, CoLab raised a $600K pre-seed financing from Killick Capital, Pelorus Venture and Panache Ventures. The company has doubled in size to 14 employees since completing the financing and is now working with some of the largest automotive and industrial companies in the world.

CoLab developed Gradient, a cloud-based collaboration tool that helps engineering teams streamline the design review process, simplify program management, and resolve issues faster. Gradient’s technology was recently extended to the production floor to provide teams with an integrated Industry 4.0 experience for collaboratively managing issues and sharing lessons learned.

With plans to onboard a number of industry leaders in the next 6 months, CoLab is expanding their team with open positions in software development, QA, IT/Security, engineering, digital marketing, sales and customer success.

We live in a knowledge-based economy; A place where innovation and digitalization are taking over every aspect of life on earth. It’s a playground for inventors, visionaries and energy pioneers.

These are exciting times because we are creating energy solutions that were not even a dream let alone a reality, just ten short years ago.  It’s a new and sustainable underwater world! Here’s what’s about to come…

ABB Subsea Factory

TRUE PIONEERS IMAGINE WHAT “CAN BE”

Having visited the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, I had the privilege of meeting with and interviewing some of the greatest minds of our time; Pioneering souls who are changing the oil and gas landscape with everything from unmanned rigs, to electrical substations supporting oil and gas production, on the seafloor. Extremely impressive was the work of ABB on subsea power and automation systems that expand oil and gas operations capacity, extend the lifespan of an oil field and reduce costs for oil and gas fields.

They call is subsea to market, where the future of oil and gas is in the entire processing plant under water. In other words, production, separation and storage of oil and gas happens sight unseen, below the surface. It’s mind-boggling.

Check out the subsea power distribution station video:

THE SUBSEA FACTORY

Distributing electricity in water is almost unthinkable, yet it has been done in such a way that it will revolutionize the way we work and live.  Seven years in the making, ABB, has turned a vision into reality. Svein Vatland, Vice President Subsea Technology Program has made it his life’s work to enable a power distribution station to work on the bottom of the sea. He says, “This technology allows operators to move into deeper waters and enable a cost efficient way of developing these fields, at depths of up to 3000 meters.”

Subsea oil and gas exploration is done in an extremely harsh environment. New technology that goes beyond today’s current capabilities is required. The target of a five-year Joint Industry Project (JIP) being led by ABB and the Norwegian oil company Equinor, was to develop the technology required to seamlessly power tomorrow’s underwater facilities. Together with their partners, ABB and partners have investment of over $100 million dollars to develop this new-age energy generating system. Imagine over 100 MW of power distributed on the ocean floor supporting oil and gas production. That is the future.  A future that has subsea facilities operating on the ocean floor providing electricity to the drilling process, directly at the point of seafloor operations.  A future that means smaller FPSO’s, subsea tieback efficiency, a self monitoring and self testing system with more efficient oil and gas production overall.

Beginning in late-2013, ABB has been developing electrical equipment that can reliably provide power, (equivalent to what is needed to power a small city), subsea at depths down to 3,000 meters over distances up to 600 km, and then to distribute the power to multiple users.

Svein Vatland, Vice President of Subsea Technology Program at ABB

ABB has become a leading supplier of electrification solutions that operate with little to no maintenance in a highly corrosive ocean environment. Their solution they have engineered is appropriately called the Subsea Power Station and  it reminds you of something out of a sci-fi movie, except it’s not on another planet, it’s under the sea.

What does it take to build a power station at sea? You only have to think about the diverse range of challenges that a power station submerged in water has. Imagine a fully functional underwater facility transmitting 100 MW of power up to 600 km’s away from the shore, at depths of 3000 meters, on the ocean floor. It’s the pie in the sky dream that has become a reality!

The brilliant minds of ABB had to engineer solutions that addressed challenges like:
Building a safe system that works underwater
Underwater control systems
Overcoming water/electricity challenges
Mechanical considerations
The possibility of leaks and breaks
Underwater extreme pressures
Tides and water temperatures
Water depths
Component maintenance
Operating efficiencies
and so much more.

The ABB team did not waver from the task, they pioneered with a solutions mindset, and that’s what brings dreams into reality.

ABB technology built to distribute electricity on the ocean floor.

THE GAME CHANGER

It takes a tribe to build new power systems on the ocean floor. Seven years of planning, poking, prodding, and testing has been the work of the ABB subsea team, to get this right. And it’s finally here.

From the initial ABB subsea installation in the 1970s to a full subsea station utilized for oil and gas production, it is an uncustomary truth that has arrived right on time.

This work is similar to sending a satellite up in space. Both work in conditions that once the technology is installed, fixing anything is very difficult. This ABB system, will be free of people working and servicing it. It will be fully automated. The premise is safety and efficiency whereby oil platform workers will be relocated to shore-based control rooms reducing risk at sea.

Underwater oil production seems like a pipedream for the wild minds of fools but it’s actually steeped in very sound energy generation and oil production principals. Underwater operations;
increase safety
greatly reduces operational costs
reduces the energy needed to recover oil
reduces or eliminates marine pollution
simplifies decommissioning
boosts oil production with increased flow rates
provides services closer to the reservoir
minimizes capital and operating expenditures
improves oil and gas recovery rates
creates the environment to explore longer, deeper and in colder fields
provides a predictive model of operations for peak, reliable performance

ABB Drive being submerged underwater

While the technical challenges of this initiative have been beyond imaginable, the payoff will be huge for oil companies of the future. Svein Vatland, Vice President of Subsea Technology Program at ABB and his team have had the privilege of creating the unthinkable and making it real. This project is the bridge to a new energy future. It’s sustainable, and it’s a dream come true.

Where will these subsea factories be placed around the world?  Svein Vatland says, “We are now analizing where our systems will be best utilized. This is a global game and we are looking at all the the various deep water sites around the world that this system will support.”

The ultimate goal is to have a self controlled, fully autonomous system that has no human interaction at all. That’s the future to come…

It’s clear, subsea factories will change the way we live and work. It’s the possibility of underwater distribution of energy that’s not unsightly to our landscapes, but instead silently and efficiently tucked away on the seafloor creating the energy we need on the surface of the earth.  Given that our planet is 70% submerged under water, the new energy producing ‘water world’ is a game changer for us all.

SOURCE AND PICTURES: ABB, EQUINOR

THE OGM will be attending OTC this year and if your company would like to profile products, processes or people in The OGM magazine, please contact TinaOlivero@TheOGM.com to set up a meeting at OTC.  +1 709 770-0677.  Currently, The OGM has .5 million readers and viewers around the globe. WWW.TheOGM.com.

MEET UP

The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) is where energy professionals meet to exchange ideas and opinions to advance scientific and technical knowledge for offshore resources and environmental matters.

Celebrating 50 years since 1969, OTC’s flagship conference is held annually at NRG Park (formerly Reliant Park) in Houston. OTC has expanded technically and globally with the Arctic Technology Conference, OTC Brasil, and OTC Asia.

OTC is sponsored by 13 industry organizations and societies, who work cooperatively to develop the technical program. OTC also has endorsing and supporting organizations.

WANT TO ATTEND?

WHERE: NRG Park Houston, Texas, USA
WHEN: 6–9 May 2019
WHO ATTENDS: Engineers, technicians, executives, operators, scientists, and managers from more than 100 countries and all fields in the offshore energy sector. FREQUENCY: Annual
FOUNDING DATE: 1969 2018

PRELIMINARY STATISTICS:

Exhibiting Companies: 2,000+ representing 40+ countries (including divisions and subsidiaries) and 23 international pavilions
Exhibit net square feet: 500,000+ sq. ft., including outdoor exhibits
Attendance: 60,000+ attendees representing 100+ countries (includes exhibit personnel)
Technical Presentations: 350+ technical presentations, 22 topical breakfast and luncheons, and 11-panel sessions
Media Coverage: 300+ journalists from around the world
2018 Final Statistics: Attendance: 61,300+ representing 100+ countries (includes exhibit personnel)
Economic Impact: Since 1969, OTC has made a USD 3 Billion economic impact in Houston
ORGANIZER: Offshore Technology Conference 10777 Westheimer Road, Suite 1075, Houston, Texas 77042
Telephone: +1.972.952.9494; Facsimile: +1.713.779.4216 Email: meetings@otcnet.org
Website: 2019.otcnet.org

HMi Elements – Refined Strength Computers For Harsh Environments

HMi combines nearly four decades of experience of developing class-leading specialist hazardous area computer hardware with the energy and drive of a start-up. Based in the UK, they innovate relentlessly, pushing the boundaries of what is possible – driving technology, themselves and their customers forward. They work only in the oil and gas industry and supply some of the world’s biggest companies including amongst many others, National Oilwell Varco, Canrig, Halliburton and Baker Hughes.

Backgrounder

Formed in the late 1980s and known originally as ISIS PRODUCTS (ISIS is an acronym for Intrinsically Safe Intelligent System ) we designed and manufactured Zone 0 HMI’s for the Fine Chemicals and Pharmaceutical markets. Acquired by the TECHNOR Group of Norway in 1999 the emphasis was re-focused towards the Oil and Gas industries, a range of Zone 1 products was launched and the business was renamed TECHNOR ISIS. In 2009, after a management buyout, we renamed to iSiS-Ex and a range of Zone 2 products were added together with a Zone 1 drillers display unit and wireless access points. In 2016 iSiS-Ex was dropped to avoid any association with the Islamic State of Iraq & Syria and renamed. Little did they know that another company had branded and registered a product with the same name, so at the end of 2017 they re-branded to HMI-Elements ^™

Howard Gould BA(Hons)
Chief Executive

Howard joined ISIS Products in 1989 as General Manager when the business was first formed. Under his direction a range of new products were launched and he established a worldwide network of Agents and Distributors. By 1999, when the firm was sold to the Technor Group, he was Managing Director of the parent company, Beacon Controls Ltd.

In 2007 Howard rejoined Technor ISIS as Interim Managing Director and went on to lead the Management Buy Out in July 2009. He now serves as Managing Director of HMI Elements and President of its US subsidiary iSiS-Ex Inc.

OTC 2019

HMi Elements are attending this year’s Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) on the 6^th– 9^th of May in the energy capital of the world; Houston, Texas. HMi will be exhibiting in Block A on stand number 1339-D, showcasing our latest technological innovation; the 1301-Z1. The 1301-Z1 is our newest hazardous area HMI; a rugged PC that leads its class with extreme usability and toughness, combined with a beautifully engineered design. Slim and lightweight with a super-bright 19”, 1,000 NIT display the HMi 1301-Z1 is stunning and suitable for Zone 1 areas.

OTC is the key global event for the sharing of industry knowledge and advancements among leaders in the energy field. Industry professionals from all corners of the world flock to the event to make connections and learn about the latest science and technology developments in the energy sector. To see the 1301-Z1 and other ground-breaking hazardous area HMI’s – such as the 1302-Z2, stop by the HMi booth at OTC and say hello.

]]> https://ourgreatminds.com/2019/04/22/digitalization-programmatic-power-at-work-for-you/ Mon, 22 Apr 2019 16:19:33 +0000 https://theogm.com/?p=18592 Today, the digital world is highly competitive. You have to be smart, digital-savvy and have an excellent local and global reach! The old model of issuing an RFP, posting a job ad, or hoping a client walks in the door, no longer works! Technology is the reason why.

PROGRAMMATIC COMMUNICATION POWER

Programmatic content development is an online automated process of targeting buys. It’s really simple; You create content that supports your business goals by reaching highly targeted and relevant viewers. Real-time algorithm-driven content is pushed to potential buyers, vendors, partners, clients or employees, who have an interest in what you are doing. Programmatic communication dramatically changes the way that marketers select venues for digital advertising placement. Approaches vary depending on the company goals.

A new way to communicate and connect, around the globe!

THE DIGITALIZATION ERA!

To compete in today’s hyper-competitive online world, you can’t sit back and wait for the right suppliers, employees or clients to show up! You have to adapt and digitize. You need to be able to communicate online in a way that creates an EXPERIENCE for potential clients, vendors, and employees in such a way that they intimately understand the benefits of working with you.

The solution to attracting key clients, employees and supplies are now accessed through PROGRAMMATIC TECHNOLOGY. In other words, allowing computers to do the work for you by tracking the digital footprint of potential clients, suppliers, and employees, that could be the right match for your company.

Because of advanced programmatic algorithms, it is now possible to reach local and global markets for a fraction of the cost, giving you more options, lower engagement costs, optimizing your processes and unparalleled global access.

Through highly strategic content development disseminated online, we paint a picture that reaches people at a much deeper level. We take the time to architect content in new digital ways that serve to attract suppliers, employees, and clients, like never before.

Through aggregated content, we can reach thousands of online publications around the globe with the push of a button. Never before have we been able to avail of such reach and tap into so many unknown and viable markets! It’s pioneering, and it’s exciting.

Business is nothing more than a network of conversations. It’s all about communication power, and programmatic algorithms are the way of the future. It gives you unprecedented reach with unprecedented target markets.  A new way to communicate and connect, around the globe!

ATTRACT VENDORS

With programmatic technology, you can now attract vendors with over 1 million relevant, specific, targetted, viewers around the globe!

HIRE THE RIGHT PEOPLE

Bring our people back home to work on the greatest projects in Atlantic Canada through superior online communications tools!

TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY

Bring in global experts who will transfer technology to this region!

GROW YOUR BUSINESS

Utilize strategic experiential content that converts to a sale! Finally, programmatic solutions provide unique, in-depth insights into your product and services!

GLOBALIZE

Today it’s easier than ever to do business around the world with like-minded individuals. Where there is an online seller, there is also a buyer. Programmatic algorithms are simply the technology that bridge the two!

FOR A FREE DIGITALIZATION CONSULT CONTACT:
Tina Olivero – The OGM
TinaOlivero@TheOGM.com
www.TheOGM.com

]]> https://ourgreatminds.com/2019/03/15/large-diameter-flex-hone-optimizes-performance/ Fri, 15 Mar 2019 18:00:26 +0000 https://theogm.com/?p=18543 Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM) has a long history of solving difficult finishing problems with brushing technology.

As a full line manufacturer of honing tools, abrasive nylon brushes, deburring brushes, automotive brushes, power brushes, twisted-in-wire brushes and the Flex-Hone® Tool, they stand ready to assist clients in finding the best solution for finishing needs.

BRM can help with finishing and deburring. The Flex-Hone® tool, also known as ball hones or the ball cylinder hone, is great for deburring, edge blending and surface finishing, while the tube brushes and other twisted-in-wire brushes are the perfect solutions for cleaning soot and carbon deposits from pipes and other metal components.

BRM: Large Diameter Flex-Hone

APPLICATION IN THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY

In the oil and gas industry things break down. Industry challenges include: failing to perform ongoing maintenance on equipment can have severe consequences including reducing equipment service life, causing unplanned shutdowns and degrading performance.  Ongoing maintenance is required to remove rust, corrosion and other accumulated material from the inside diameter (ID) of valves, pumps, piping, diesel engines, motors, natural gas compressors, flow meters and other large bore equipment.  Often, this maintenance work is performed in the field under harsh conditions. 

Large diameter Flex-Hone tools are the ideal solution because they can be run with virtually any rotating spindle, are self-centring, self-aligning to the bore and self-compensating for wear.

The Flex-Hone tool is a resilient, flexible honing tool with a soft cutting action that provides a superior surface finish with a non-direction or crosshatched pattern. Whether it’s deburring a hole or blending an edge, removing corrosion or machining marks, using the tool results in increased product performance and longer product life. The Flex-Hone is designed for a variety of automotive, hydraulic, pneumatic and industrial applications in standard sizes as large as 36.”

^{In Norway, state-owned oil projects often have upwards of 60% ownership in their oil and gas projects. This model of investment in the energy industry has served them well. Norway is now sitting pretty with the largest nest egg in the world; A sovereign wealth fund with over US$1 trillion in assets, including 1.3% of global stocks and shares. In May 2018 Norway’s fund was worth about $195,000 per Norwegian citizen. It also holds portfolios of real estate and fixed-income investments. Newfoundland should do precisely that.}

^{The trillion-dollar Government Pension Fund that Norway has created, pushes for more transparency and focuses on doing the right thing. It shuns individual companies and entire sectors like tobacco peddlers, and nuclear weapons makers because it’s the right thing to do. They operate from a higher good. They can afford to. That is a smart oil and gas strategy and societal formula. One we can all aspire to!}

^{Newfoundland, through Nalcor Energy, has marginal ownership in producing oil projects, ranging from 4.9% to 10% equity shares. This model promotes jobs and short-term needs but loses on the long term investment growth and security model, that Norway has been so successful in achieving.}

^{Oil and gas production in the Norwegian Continental Shelf comes from 107 identified fields with 85 fields currently in production. Comparatively, Offshore Newfoundland has four oil-producing fields. It’s time to catch up!}

^{This year and the next Newfoundland will have upwards of six aggressive drilling players offshore, with an estimated 80+ wells to be drilled. Not only is our drilling/find ratio high, at one in five wells, but we also have unprecedented exploration happening like never before. One significant find and we are on a fast track to future projects and the same opportunities as that of the North Sea.}

^{But before we go any further, we need to be oil asset owners and managers.  Canada should be smart enough to realize that oil and gas is the catalyst to new energy both from a monetary and infrastructure perspective.} 

^{Clearly, the smartest thing we can do with oil and gas is own our projects and use oil and gas to build new sustainable energy infrastructure. Oil and gas is the foundation of new energy coming on stream and given world demand it’s not going to be one energy source or the other; it’s going to be an energy mix of resources for the next 40-50 years. Those are the facts.}

^{It’s time for Canada to invest in our offshore projects and create investment successes like that of Norway. Why not? We have a proven infrastructure, the perfect investment climate, and unprecedented world-class opportunity offshore Newfoundland.}

^{If Canada doesn’t get the perspective right when it comes to oil and gas, perhaps it would be right for Newfoundland to join Norway.  In a time of globalization, aligning with the world’s energy giant and masterful investment strategist just might be the ultimate solution for our kids here in Newfoundland and Labrador. Having said all that, it looks like the next 2 to 5 years will see the most prolific growth in the industry to date, offshore Newfoundland.}

^{I often wonder what would happen if Newfoundland left Canada and joined Norway.  I imagine a different future. Aligning with the Norwegian model of developing our oil and gas, fishery and tourism sectors would allow Newfoundland to flourish as Norway’s has.}

^{That idea would entirely change Newfoundland history.}

Gas detectors provide a reliable, highly responsive way to assess and monitor oxygen, flammability, and toxicity levels. When equipped with the necessary site-specific sensors the presence of gases can be quickly identified, ultimately keeping your workers safe during routine work duties, confined space entry or rescue operations. Gas detectors should support; continuous readings of gas hazards, fully visible and audible alarms, tracking capabilities, wireless connectivity to an attendant, supervisor or a central office, complete with full data logging and recording.  Wireless monitoring capabilities can be integrated with your risk management, predictive analytics forecasting, and facility monitoring systems for centralized real-time data access and alarm warnings.

GAS DETECTION AND DIGITALIZATION

Gas detection is now state-of-the-art. Digitalization has allowed for a total safety solution for hazardous environments, protecting the lives of workers wherever they’re at risk. Gas detection also turns safety into a strategic advantage – by reducing costs, increasing operational uptime, and driving productivity. Advances in technology have allowed for head-to-toe personal protective equipment; fixed and portable gas detectors, as well as software, sensors, and other connected technologies for real-time safety monitoring, analytics, and safety administration.

Real-time Alerts in the palm of your hand

Today’s technology has advanced so much that alerts for an SOS, man down, trips or falls, gas detection and missed check in with GPS locators is all available and systems are so efficient they alert offsite and onsite first responders through 24/7 real-time communication and monitoring systems. EnviroMed has a suite of solutions for oil and gas companies, fire safety organizations, and other industrial sectors that have gas event or lone worker considerations. That makes things a lot safer, and safety managers can sleep at night knowing that risks have been mitigated and people will go home safe every day.

GAS DETECTION CONSIDERATIONS

Ensuring unseen hazards are identified and mitigated is the goal of making gas detectors one of the primary foundations of best safety practices on the worksite.

Have you identified places where potential gas leaks may happen?
Do you know when and how a lack of Oxygen will affect your safety?
Do explosion hazard zones exist at your worksite?
Are there areas where toxic gas accumulations can occur?
Has your workplace been assessed to ensure all the unseen hazards are mitigated?
Are you equipped with qualified professionals to identify hazards that ensure you have the right equipment on hand to guarantee everyone will go home safe at the end of the day?
These are the questions of the industrial world today.

OIL AND GAS APPLICATIONS

• Acid production
• Confined space entry
• Data-logging/industrial hygiene – workplace exposures
• Emission testing
• Fixed point
• Hydrocarbon production
• Inert gas blanketing
• PPM hydrocarbon leak detection
• Shutdown and turnaround
• Speciality chemical production
• Valve and flange checkpoints

TYPICAL GAS HAZARDS IN THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY

• Acetone
• Acetylene
• Ammonia
• Benzene
• Bromine
• Carbon monoxide
• Carbon Dioxide
• Chloride
• Chlorine
• Chlorine dioxide
• Chloromethane
• Ethylene
• Ethylene oxide
• Hydrochloric acid
• Hydrogen sulphide
• Methylene
• Methyl ethyl ketone
• Nitric acid
• Nitrogen Dioxide
• Phosphine
• Propane
• Propylene
• Sulphur dioxide
• Sulphuric acid
• Toluene
• Volatile organic compounds
• Xylene
• Combustible Gases
• Oxygen deficiency/enrichment

Invisible Gases are a part of the oil and gas industry – EnivroMed’s job is to manage and Eliminate those risks!

Invisible dangers present themselves in unsuspecting places which is why EnviroMed Detection Services of Paradise, Newfoundland has spent the last three decades developing safety systems for invisible dangers at work. Lee Parmiter, CEO of EnviroMed says, “We supply gas detectors because they support the unseen risks on the job. Harsh and rigorous conditions on job sites can affect gas detection and sensors, so we promote a method of bump testing confirmed with regular calibrations and a qualified team that ensures safety is always number one.”

Part of having a reliable gas detection solution for your company is working with qualified professionals in gas detection. Tony Fowler, Field Service Technician CTech with EnviroMed Detection Services says, “When it comes to fixed gas detection systems, they are meant to operate and detect gases 24/7 and to give people peace of mind that they are working in a safe environment. Most of these systems operate so seamlessly that people tend to forget they are even there and sometimes overlook the essential maintenance aspect. As with regular smoke detectors in your home, you may see lights on it, but you should test it and/or replace it on a set schedule to ensure it works when you most need it too. The same goes for fixed gas detection systems in the workplace. You want to know it is protecting you and will work when you need it too and that involves having the required service and maintenance completed as recommended by the manufacturer. Nearly all gas detection systems today are recommended, required, or legislated to be assessed a minimum of every 6 to 12 months.”

EnviroMed will assess work settings, test for gas detector inaccuracies and ensure systems are in place and working at optimal levels. Greg Bourden, PTech Service Technician with EnviroMed, says, “Bump Testing – It is a simple test that could save a life! The safest course of action is to expose the sensors to a concentration of target gas that is capable of initiating a low alarm condition before each day’s use. Even a manual Bump Test is very simple and takes only a few seconds to accomplish. Just apply a known concentration of calibration gas that is capable of activating the audible and visual alarms. The only thing worse than a portable safety gas detector that doesn’t work is a portable safety gas detector that you DON’T KNOW doesn’t work!”

Lee says, “There are so many different ways that harmful gasses can contaminate the air or displace Oxygen on a job site or work setting. This makes gas detection a primary ‘safety first’ consideration in any safety plan as lives are at stake from this Invisible Danger! The cost of not having the right gas detection equipment and not ensuring it’s operating properly could lead to the loss of life, injured workers and a company reputation disaster. Not being prepared is not an option and industry stakeholders have responded and mandated gas detection throughout most industrial work settings.”

Greg Bourden, PTech Service Technician with EnviroMed – bump testing.

Lee says, “We are committed to working with our clients to keep their safety record perfect. We offer a highly qualified team that can assess, monitor, advise, bump test, calibrate and commission so that alarm and controls equipment monitoring the unseen dangers of workplace settings are fully equipped, operational and working successfully. It’s quite simple, we take care of the invisible dangers, and you keep your people safe!”

To Learn more about the 10 Workplace Safety Topics for Meetings to Bookmark Click Here

___________________________________________________________________________

GAS DETECTOR SPECIAL OF THE MONTH

DOWNLOAD THIS PDF FOR THIS MONTH’S SPECIAL
Now, for a limited time, the Honeywell BW™ Clip4 is available at the exceptionally low list price of $595.00 CAD. Take advantage of this offer until March 15, 2019.

ENVIROMED DETECTION SERVICES

EnviroMed Detection Services, 145 McNamara Drive Paradise, NL A1L 0A7 CANADA
Call us now: (Tel) 709-368-9000 | (Toll Free) 1-800-561-0043 | (Fax) 709-368-1256
For more information go to:  EnviroMed.ca and to place requests please contact Brenda: br@enviromed.ca

SOURCE & GRAPHICS:  EnviroMed, Honeywell

This is the go-to-meeting point for game changers, disruptors and innovators to showcase, AI, machine learning, VR, drones, wearables and other new technologies.

This conference is the fifth of the Data-Driven Drilling & Production Conferences and a perfect milestone to add perspective to our exploration of the next step in digital data – production optimization. The time is ripe for major transformative changes in drilling and production.

New applications driven by advanced data digitalization are popping up all over the upstream oil and gas industry.

The oilfield and all the stakeholders will benefit from integrated solutions that transform operations and deliver tangible business value.

True transformations will bring real-time visualization, wearables, and other techniques for human/machine driving improved decision making, greater efficiencies, reduced risk, and reduced pollution.

Exciting developments are occurring in upstream, in supply chains, smart drilling, life-cycle management, cloud storage, proactive maintenance, and production optimization.

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES?

■■ Optimizing a multitude of potential ways to develop digital data-driven applications

■■ Obtaining buy-in from stakeholders

■■ Solving the digital divide between tech-savvy and field experience in a mobile workforce

■■ Building decision-making based on quality sets of the right data

■■ Addressing security concerns and legal issues

■■ Developing open standards Digital data is changing the way we think about information, how knowledge can be leveraged using data analytics, machine interfaces, and other creative applications.

Stakeholders – stockholders, workers, customers, and vendors – have a vested interest in better understanding the potential benefits (and risk) involved, and how these new technologies will impact their investments, jobs, and lives. The challenge becomes capturing field experience and engineering experience fora unified workforce aided by visualization, wearables, and other outputs from data digitization that can be readily applied to oilfield situations.

Decisions are only as good as the data behind the decision making. The challenge is to create quality data sets measuring the right information. Cybersecurity continues to be a challenge for everyone and everything.

JOIN THE DATA DRIVERS OF 2019

WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER …

Minimize Downtime, Enhance Safety and Deliver Digital Transformation:

• Data collection, management and integration: Hear from the leaders in data management and how they are driving efficiency gains across operational units by improving data availability, utility and visualization.
• Data analytics and predictive maintenance: Wield new automated and integrated systems to dramatically reduce downtime and OPEX at scale

• E&P automation and control systems: Witness real-time support technology, measurement and downhole edge capability innovation to improve well placement accuracy and minimize personnel exposure.
• Change management: Refine your operating model, optimize your business processes and learn about the latest enhancements to the human-machine interface.
• Data driven drilling optimization: Get the low-down on drilling automation, robotics, technology, the skills and culture required to adopt digital technologies and much more on our day-long drilling track! 

IN CONJUNCTION WITH DDDP 2019, 11-12 JUNE, HOUSTON 3

Open standards will lead the way to redefining access to data and the ease at which different groups can benefit from the vast data collection underway.

Upstream operations in drilling and production are on the brink of disruptive change with bigger, better data, improved decision making, and potentially the largest use of blockchain outside the financial sector.

Exciting developments are being spotted in the upstream arena as digital transformations become more visible everywhere.

These are all topics that will lead the agenda at the exciting DDDP 2019 in Houston, Texas on 11-12 June 2019.

JOIN THE DATA DRIVERS OF 2019

REGISTER OR FIND OUT MORE HERE:  https://www.upstreamintel.com/data

PODCAST
LISTEN TO THE FULL COMMENTARY HERE! Simply press this link and press play.

The solution to climate change is not eliminating cars and the solution to oil spills is not eliminating oil production or pipelines.

Oil is the foundation of our world. It’s the most sought-after commodity on the planet because it is in everything we have and do. From the phone in your hand to the gas in your car, the petroleum industry saturates everything.

So to say that oil spills are bad, oil companies are greedy, and that’s why oil spills happen in Canada, is just wrong. 

What’s true is that oil is a necessary foundation of our lifestyles just as cars are and we need to be continually improving with our resources. There will be times when accidents happen. It’s more about what we do with those accidents, rather than believing that they should never happen at all.

ACCIDENTS HAPPEN

As an energy nation, our focus has to be in a safe environment and people and to mitigate risk and reduce accidents where ever possible.  The oil and gas industry in Canada is already extremely good at that. Canadian oil companies and their subcontractors are among the top environmental and safety Stewarts in the world. That is a fact.

What’s troubling about oil industry rhetoric is that it’s most often out of context, over-reactive and irresponsible. For example, we accept that we are going to have cars and a certain number of accidents in cars. We even have insurance to protect us from that reality. We also need that same level of knowledge, understanding, and acceptance of the oil and gas industry and its operations and limitations. Otherwise, we are merely working against ourselves, trying to eliminate that which sustains us and our current way of life.

Canada’s the world’s 3rd largest producer of oil. Because of oil and gas, we have enjoyed prosperous economic conditions and it is the foundation of Canada’s economy. What happens to our entire economic system if we take that down? Have we thought it all through? The world won’t work without oil and gas. Canada won’t work without oil and gas.

You only have to look at the last 24 months in Canada to see the results of the oil price collapse. 40,000 + job layoffs meant a socioeconomic impact that was unprecedented and staggering.  People need purpose and focus in life and the oil and gas industry, directly and indirectly, has been a strong foundation for many Canadians in this light.

We don’t want to lose that foundation and end up with extreme socioeconomic impacts that affect each of us right here at home. Impacts like a rise in addiction, spousal abuse, suicide, and mental illness, all of which we have seen on the rise in the last year or so across Canada especially in oil and gas regions.

A WORLD WITHOUT OIL

Many of the protestors of pipelines across Canada haven’t thought it fully through. What’s Canada worth without oil?  How does oil and gas support our healthcare, our infrastructure, our progress? How can we even think about getting to new energy without oil? The reality is, there is no new energy without the support of oil and gas.

THE NEW ENERGY MIX

Wind turbines are made of petroleum products. Trucks used to transport and erect a wind turbine use gas.  The wind can’t blow 24-7, so you need another energy substitute when the wind doesn’t blow. That can be a petroleum fuel. Get the picture?

When Bob Dylan said, “The answer my friend is blowing in the wind,” he was right. New energy is where we need to go, and low and behold, its oil and gas that is going to get us there.

OIL AND GAS IS THE BRIDGE TO NEW ENERGY

Let’s talk about the reality of oil and gas and how the smartest thing we can do with it, is to use it to bridge us to new energy models that will provide a sustainable future. And as we build that future, we’ll need to supply world oil demand and simultaneously bring in solutions like solar, wind and other forms of energy into the mix with petroleum products.

Are we always going to do it perfectly? No. Are we constantly improving? Yes. Is oil and gas production always safe and incident free? No.

The goal is not perfection the goal is to be as safe as possible and mitigate risk where ever possible. Will there be oil spills? Yes. Like it or not, life’s comforts always come with some setbacks.  Sometimes environmental and in extreme cases, just like car accidents, sadly the loss of life.

We are human; we make mistakes. Oil spills will occur under oil demand and oil and gas production.  Oil education needs to be understood at an entirely different level because what we see in the mainstream finger-pointing media about oil spills, is neither accurate nor helpful.

OIL SPILLS WILL HAPPEN

Given that oil is our number one commodity on the planet we need to calculate into the production equation that oil spills will happen. From there, our next consideration is how to prevent a spill from reaching the shore, reduce its impact on marine life, and speed up the degradation of any unrecovered oil.  All of that can prove even more difficult if the weather conditions are hazardous at the time of the spill. 

Offshore Newfoundland conditions are often the harshest and most extreme in the world. And yet we build islands in the sea and progress at a level of ‘genius’ in spite of all of that. To do so requires recognition and a standing ovation in my view, not a finger pointing blame game that sounds something like, ”money hungry oil companies don’t care.”  Nothing could be further than the truth.

HUSKY ENERGY OIL SPILL

If there’s a car accident in extreme weather, we don’t poo poo all over the car driver and the accident itself. We have compassion and understanding and try to mitigate that risk in the future. That’s the responsible thing to do. And that’s what we also need to do when it comes to oil spills in our own backyard. In the most recent oil spill which happened offshore Newfoundland in November of this year, conditions were extreme, and it’s a learning opportunity for us all.

Husky Energy does not in any way want to dismiss or downplay the significance of the oil spill.  Any spill is a concern to the company, and they have done their best to ensure that such things don’t happen in their operations again.  

Husky Energy takes full responsibility for the oil spill and has put appropriate measures in place to try and ensure they don’t happen again. Trevor Pritchard is the Senior Vice President of Husky Energy for the Atlantic region. He is responsible for overseeing operations and explains the recent oil spill that took place 350 kilometres offshore from the SeaRose FPSO, The spill caused 250,000 litres of crude to spill into the sea marking it as the largest offshore oil spill in eastern Canada. The root cause of the incident happened with the FPSO Flowline connectors. “Currently Husky doesn’t know if the flowline connector failed as designed or failed at below operating conditions. We are continuing to develop a plan to recover the flowline connector and have it analyzed.”

Detailed Overview Map of Oil Spill Response

OIL SPILL RESPONSE

Husky Energy reported, “As soon as oil was observed by our standby vessel, we activated our Oil Spill Response Plan and deployed tracker buoys from the supply vessel and the SeaRose FPSO. The incident happened while warm crude from the SeaRose was being circulated through the subsea network to warm up the flowlines before restarting production.”

Husky Energy has remorse and is building improvement models to correct this in the future, “We are deeply sorry for the incident and are committed to learning from it and putting measures in place to ensure it does not happen again. We have identified, and are already taking steps to address, areas for process improvement especially around the areas of:

Troubleshooting; Non-standard or infrequent conditions; and Adverse weather and challenging conditions.

We are working on improving how we identify and manage non-standard or infrequent operating conditions.

We are also revising our Adverse Weather Policy to add more formality around the process of restarting production.

We have implemented enhanced oversight on critical activities to raise the awareness of potential risks and to provide team back up.”

Flow Line Connector in question

OIL IS NATURALLY OCCURRING AT SEA

As much as one half of the oil that enters coastal environments comes from natural seeps of oil and natural gas, so the question to ask is if oil seeps are naturally occurring why do we worry so much about oil spills?

The answer to that lies in the amount of oil, in and the nature of oil and the rate of oil spilt, which will then either disintegrate naturally or create harm to the environment.

Oil seeps are often found in places where oil and gas extraction takes place as well. As a result, many surface slicks caused by seeps are often wrongfully attributed to oil releases from oil and gas platforms. Not in the case of the recent Husky Energy spill, however, we need to keep an eye on that and consider it when drilling offshore.

Oil seeps tend to happen in clusters around the world in places like California and the Gulf of Mexico but are still relatively unstudied when it comes to their impact and importance in the overall ecosystem. Organisms and wildlife around these regions adapt to the seeps and can even feed off of them.

In locations where oil seeps are found, oil flows slowly up through cracks in the seabed. Lighter oil compounds that escape into the ocean will rise to the surface and evaporate or become they are taken off by ocean currents. Heavier oils rest on the seafloor and collect over hundreds or thousands of years. 

Oil seeps from the ocean floor can be a source of nutrition in deep-sea areas where light is scarce, and unique species needs oil as a source of food. It’s important to note though that the material flowing from seeps is often heavily biodegraded by microbial action and can be handled by the ocean’s ecosystem. It’s non-intrusive and non-disruptive.

In contrast, the production of oil resulting in an oil spill often results in high-volume oil sheens in places that have never experienced significant exposure to oil and the ecosystem will find it intrusive and damages will occur.

This illustration shows the route traveled by oil leaving the subseafloor reservoir as it travels through the water column to the surface and ultimately sinks and falls out in a plume shape onto the seafloor where it remains in the sediment. (llustration by Jack Cook, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

SEAROSE OIL: ENVIRONMENT & WILDLIFE IMPACT

If this were a car accident we’d say, he was lucky and walked away from the accident with a few scrapes and bruises. That’s also the case with this oil spill, overall the environmental impact of the SeaRose oil spill was minimal and could have been a lot worse.

Pritchard and the Husky team takes this situation very seriously, “Any amount of oil is of concern to us, and we will investigate fully to understand how this happened and to put measures in place to prevent a recurrence. We are conducting our own investigation into the incident, and are cooperating fully with the C-NLOPB in its investigation. We are working with the C-NLOPB, our certifying authority, and federal agencies including the Canadian Coast Guard, Canadian Wildlife Service and Environment and Climate Change Canada to ensure that appropriate oversight and mitigations are identified and in place prior to starting the recovery and plugging process.”

Pritchard says, “Concerning impact on wildlife, we observed 18 oiled seabirds. Of six recovered and brought to St. John’s for treatment, two murres have been successfully released back into the wild. During the response, we conducted on water an aerial surveillance for affected wildlife and worked closely with the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) and other federal agencies to develop and conduct searches. A total of 26 search grids were completed, each 9km x 9km in size.”

OIL SPILL

The oil that was released offshore Newfoundland is considered medium weight, which is lighter than water and would have migrated to the surface quickly. A certain amount of it would have evaporated, reducing the volume of oil on the sea surface.

Given the wind and sea states at the time, waves would have broken up the oil on the surface into small drops which would have dispersed into the water column. No oil sheens have been observed since November 18, 2018, and there’s a reason for that. With the extreme weather conditions that occurred and 8.4-meter waves thrashing around, the oil on the surface was allowed to dissipate rapidly.

In this case, one could say that oil and water did mix and thankfully the results of this oil spill were minimal all things considered.

What the oil and gas industry really needs is for the public to be educated about the industry and its positive impact on our nation. We need to applaud the work of progress and ensure that when accidents like oil spills do happen, we learn from them and move forward.

Canadians need to work together to collaboratively elevate this nation.  Oil and gas is the foundation for our future and it is the gateway to a new energy sustainable future.

PODCAST
LISTEN TO THE FULL COMMENTARY HERE! Simply press this link and press play.

The solution to climate change is not eliminating cars and the solution to oil spills is not eliminating oil production or pipelines.

Oil is the foundation of our world. It’s the most sought-after commodity on the planet because it is in everything we have and do. From the phone in your hand to the gas in your car, the petroleum industry saturates everything.

So to say that oil spills are bad, oil companies are greedy, and that’s why oil spills happen in Canada, is just wrong. 

What’s true is that oil is a necessary foundation of our lifestyles just as cars are and we need to be continually improving with our resources. There will be times when accidents happen. It’s more about what we do with those accidents, rather than believing that they should never happen at all.

ACCIDENTS HAPPEN

As an energy nation, our focus has to be in a safe environment and people and to mitigate risk and reduce accidents where ever possible.  The oil and gas industry in Canada is already extremely good at that. Canadian oil companies and their subcontractors are among the top environmental and safety Stewarts in the world. That is a fact.

What’s troubling about oil industry rhetoric is that it’s most often out of context, over-reactive and irresponsible. For example, we accept that we are going to have cars and a certain number of accidents in cars. We even have insurance to protect us from that reality. We also need that same level of knowledge, understanding, and acceptance of the oil and gas industry and its operations and limitations. Otherwise, we are merely working against ourselves, trying to eliminate that which sustains us and our current way of life.

Canada’s the world’s 3rd largest producer of oil. Because of oil and gas, we have enjoyed prosperous economic conditions and it is the foundation of Canada’s economy. What happens to our entire economic system if we take that down? Have we thought it all through? The world won’t work without oil and gas. Canada won’t work without oil and gas.

You only have to look at the last 24 months in Canada to see the results of the oil price collapse. 40,000 + job layoffs meant a socioeconomic impact that was unprecedented and staggering.  People need purpose and focus in life and the oil and gas industry, directly and indirectly, has been a strong foundation for many Canadians in this light.

We don’t want to lose that foundation and end up with extreme socioeconomic impacts that affect each of us right here at home. Impacts like a rise in addiction, spousal abuse, suicide, and mental illness, all of which we have seen on the rise in the last year or so across Canada especially in oil and gas regions.

A WORLD WITHOUT OIL

Many of the protestors of pipelines across Canada haven’t thought it fully through. What’s Canada worth without oil?  How does oil and gas support our healthcare, our infrastructure, our progress? How can we even think about getting to new energy without oil? The reality is, there is no new energy without the support of oil and gas.

THE NEW ENERGY MIX

Wind turbines are made of petroleum products. Trucks used to transport and erect a wind turbine use gas.  The wind can’t blow 24-7, so you need another energy substitute when the wind doesn’t blow. That can be a petroleum fuel. Get the picture?

When Bob Dylan said, “The answer my friend is blowing in the wind,” he was right. New energy is where we need to go, and low and behold, its oil and gas that is going to get us there.

OIL AND GAS IS THE BRIDGE TO NEW ENERGY

Let’s talk about the reality of oil and gas and how the smartest thing we can do with it, is to use it to bridge us to new energy models that will provide a sustainable future. And as we build that future, we’ll need to supply world oil demand and simultaneously bring in solutions like solar, wind and other forms of energy into the mix with petroleum products.

Are we always going to do it perfectly? No. Are we constantly improving? Yes. Is oil and gas production always safe and incident free? No.

The goal is not perfection the goal is to be as safe as possible and mitigate risk where ever possible. Will there be oil spills? Yes. Like it or not, life’s comforts always come with some setbacks.  Sometimes environmental and in extreme cases, just like car accidents, sadly the loss of life.

We are human; we make mistakes. Oil spills will occur under oil demand and oil and gas production.  Oil education needs to be understood at an entirely different level because what we see in the mainstream finger-pointing media about oil spills, is neither accurate nor helpful.

OIL SPILLS WILL HAPPEN

Given that oil is our number one commodity on the planet we need to calculate into the production equation that oil spills will happen. From there, our next consideration is how to prevent a spill from reaching the shore, reduce its impact on marine life, and speed up the degradation of any unrecovered oil.  All of that can prove even more difficult if the weather conditions are hazardous at the time of the spill. 

Offshore Newfoundland conditions are often the harshest and most extreme in the world. And yet we build islands in the sea and progress at a level of ‘genius’ in spite of all of that. To do so requires recognition and a standing ovation in my view, not a finger pointing blame game that sounds something like, ”money hungry oil companies don’t care.”  Nothing could be further than the truth.

HUSKY ENERGY OIL SPILL

If there’s a car accident in extreme weather, we don’t poo poo all over the car driver and the accident itself. We have compassion and understanding and try to mitigate that risk in the future. That’s the responsible thing to do. And that’s what we also need to do when it comes to oil spills in our own backyard. In the most recent oil spill which happened offshore Newfoundland in November of this year, conditions were extreme, and it’s a learning opportunity for us all.

Husky Energy does not in any way want to dismiss or downplay the significance of the oil spill.  Any spill is a concern to the company, and they have done their best to ensure that such things don’t happen in their operations again.  

Husky Energy takes full responsibility for the oil spill and has put appropriate measures in place to try and ensure they don’t happen again. Trevor Pritchard is the Senior Vice President of Husky Energy for the Atlantic region. He is responsible for overseeing operations and explains the recent oil spill that took place 350 kilometres offshore from the SeaRose FPSO, The spill caused 250,000 litres of crude to spill into the sea marking it as the largest offshore oil spill in eastern Canada. The root cause of the incident happened with the FPSO Flowline connectors. “Currently Husky doesn’t know if the flowline connector failed as designed or failed at below operating conditions. We are continuing to develop a plan to recover the flowline connector and have it analyzed.”

Detailed Overview Map of Oil Spill Response

OIL SPILL RESPONSE

Husky Energy reported, “As soon as oil was observed by our standby vessel, we activated our Oil Spill Response Plan and deployed tracker buoys from the supply vessel and the SeaRose FPSO. The incident happened while warm crude from the SeaRose was being circulated through the subsea network to warm up the flowlines before restarting production.”

Husky Energy has remorse and is building improvement models to correct this in the future, “We are deeply sorry for the incident and are committed to learning from it and putting measures in place to ensure it does not happen again. We have identified, and are already taking steps to address, areas for process improvement especially around the areas of:

Troubleshooting; Non-standard or infrequent conditions; and Adverse weather and challenging conditions.

We are working on improving how we identify and manage non-standard or infrequent operating conditions.

We are also revising our Adverse Weather Policy to add more formality around the process of restarting production.

We have implemented enhanced oversight on critical activities to raise the awareness of potential risks and to provide team back up.”

Flow Line Connector in question

OIL IS NATURALLY OCCURRING AT SEA

As much as one half of the oil that enters coastal environments comes from natural seeps of oil and natural gas, so the question to ask is if oil seeps are naturally occurring why do we worry so much about oil spills?

The answer to that lies in the amount of oil, in and the nature of oil and the rate of oil spilt, which will then either disintegrate naturally or create harm to the environment.

Oil seeps are often found in places where oil and gas extraction takes place as well. As a result, many surface slicks caused by seeps are often wrongfully attributed to oil releases from oil and gas platforms. Not in the case of the recent Husky Energy spill, however, we need to keep an eye on that and consider it when drilling offshore.

Oil seeps tend to happen in clusters around the world in places like California and the Gulf of Mexico but are still relatively unstudied when it comes to their impact and importance in the overall ecosystem. Organisms and wildlife around these regions adapt to the seeps and can even feed off of them.

In locations where oil seeps are found, oil flows slowly up through cracks in the seabed. Lighter oil compounds that escape into the ocean will rise to the surface and evaporate or become they are taken off by ocean currents. Heavier oils rest on the seafloor and collect over hundreds or thousands of years. 

Oil seeps from the ocean floor can be a source of nutrition in deep-sea areas where light is scarce, and unique species needs oil as a source of food. It’s important to note though that the material flowing from seeps is often heavily biodegraded by microbial action and can be handled by the ocean’s ecosystem. It’s non-intrusive and non-disruptive.

In contrast, the production of oil resulting in an oil spill often results in high-volume oil sheens in places that have never experienced significant exposure to oil and the ecosystem will find it intrusive and damages will occur.

This illustration shows the route traveled by oil leaving the subseafloor reservoir as it travels through the water column to the surface and ultimately sinks and falls out in a plume shape onto the seafloor where it remains in the sediment. (llustration by Jack Cook, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

SEAROSE OIL: ENVIRONMENT & WILDLIFE IMPACT

If this were a car accident we’d say, he was lucky and walked away from the accident with a few scrapes and bruises. That’s also the case with this oil spill, overall the environmental impact of the SeaRose oil spill was minimal and could have been a lot worse.

Pritchard and the Husky team takes this situation very seriously, “Any amount of oil is of concern to us, and we will investigate fully to understand how this happened and to put measures in place to prevent a recurrence. We are conducting our own investigation into the incident, and are cooperating fully with the C-NLOPB in its investigation. We are working with the C-NLOPB, our certifying authority, and federal agencies including the Canadian Coast Guard, Canadian Wildlife Service and Environment and Climate Change Canada to ensure that appropriate oversight and mitigations are identified and in place prior to starting the recovery and plugging process.”

Pritchard says, “Concerning impact on wildlife, we observed 18 oiled seabirds. Of six recovered and brought to St. John’s for treatment, two murres have been successfully released back into the wild. During the response, we conducted on water an aerial surveillance for affected wildlife and worked closely with the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) and other federal agencies to develop and conduct searches. A total of 26 search grids were completed, each 9km x 9km in size.”

OIL SPILL

The oil that was released offshore Newfoundland is considered medium weight, which is lighter than water and would have migrated to the surface quickly. A certain amount of it would have evaporated, reducing the volume of oil on the sea surface.

Given the wind and sea states at the time, waves would have broken up the oil on the surface into small drops which would have dispersed into the water column. No oil sheens have been observed since November 18, 2018, and there’s a reason for that. With the extreme weather conditions that occurred and 8.4-meter waves thrashing around, the oil on the surface was allowed to dissipate rapidly.

In this case, one could say that oil and water did mix and thankfully the results of this oil spill were minimal all things considered.

What the oil and gas industry really needs is for the public to be educated about the industry and its positive impact on our nation. We need to applaud the work of progress and ensure that when accidents like oil spills do happen, we learn from them and move forward.

Canadians need to work together to collaboratively elevate this nation.  Oil and gas is the foundation for our future and it is the gateway to a new energy sustainable future.

_______

MORE ABOUT OFFSHORE NEWFOUNDLAND

Source and Graphics: Husky Energy, OEA Consulting, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Robert Glenn Richey, Jr., Ph.D. is a Harbert Eminent Scholar in Supply Chain Management. Having followed international oil and gas distribution for two decades, he branched out to teach supply chain management, distribution, and import-export on six continents including the oil and gas-rich regions in the Middle East, North Africa, South America, the Gulf of Mexico, and Scandinavia.

Interviewing Richey has been an interesting mission for The OGM as Richey answers some of today’s pressing questions about the price of oil. He predicts an oil price upturn and here’s why!

“Over the last four weeks of November, while oil prices and energy stocks have plunged, at the same time, insider buying in energy companies jumped. That’s a great indicator that oil prices have hit bottom and are on the way up. OPEC cuts and the increased consumption of energy over the holiday season will only push the price of oil higher.”

What are the current oil price factors?

Richey’s wholistic oil perspective describes what he believes are the top oil price factors.  He says, “At the highest level, the primary factor impacting oil price, is, of course, supply and demand and market sentiment. Market sentiment relates to both investor sentiment and consumer sentiment. Supply and Demand are dynamically complex and heavily influenced by sentiment and government intervention. But I would summarize it this way:

• World economic growth and oil demand
• Seasonal usage
• Supply Disruption. For example a supply chain inefficiency such as a trucking crisis, natural disaster, hurricane, or man-made disasters like Iraq
• Industry-based production agreements for supply management (OPEC)
• Interventionism in free markets (Canada and perhaps the USA)

Globally, what’s happening with oil price?

OPEC

OPEC has a heavy hand in determining global prices since they still account for 60% of the petroleum traded internationally. Despite two years of attempts to control costs and lower breakeven points, the major OPEC players need cash. We tend to think of these economies as being similar to our own, but that isn’t the case. When the monarchy stops paying for things, the people get upset and soon the King is out of a job.  Salman has a number of internal issues (as well as a significant international issue) to manage, and he still funds his government largely through oil and gas. He even uses Oil and Gas revenue to import sand to the dessert for construction purposes! He needs to be heavily in the black. When financial analysts report the Saudi breakeven price, always expect that price to ignore much of the country’s future (and perhaps hidden) domestic policy.

OPEC likes to float policy and price changes to the media to test the water for where production might land.  It seems that once again, consumers and the media were caught off guard, but I don’t believe the sky is falling. Short-term estimates suggest Brent around 72-75$ in early 2019 and WTI around $65-$68(USD). 

Derek Leith at EY suggests a 2019 price near $70. US shale producers are pencilling in $55-$60-a-barrel prices for their 2019 budgets. Deloitte thinks the Saudis will back off the 500000 bbl reduction.

RUSSIA

Russia is a different story as Putin sees O&G (largely gas) as an opportunity to expand his influence and recent events show how serious he is about that expansion, especially towards the EU.

QATAR

Qatar has declared to leave the OPEC group. This is a small hit for the collective in terms of revenue, but a big blemish when it comes to keeping the group cohesive. As the power players construct more policy in isolation, expect smaller economies with healthier corporations and lower breakeven points to create turmoil.

IRAN

Iran is an unknown variable. Pending relationship problems with the West, who knows what will happen here!

USA

US production is stepping back from the “drill baby drill” 2017 run towards $54/bbl. President Trump pushed heavily for increased production but seems to be stepping back from that original move. It may be that his team recognizes the impact oil company success has on our North American economies. Lower gas prices help manufacturing, transportation, and the customer at the pump, but the profitability of O&G companies impacts the nation’s economic status. Since the Trump administration views the economy as its main calling, expect O&G companies to be provided the opportunity to improve top-line revenue. This is also related to Canada’s direct call for reduced production.

ALBERTA, CANADA

Alberta has increasingly become a cornerstone of the new North American oil and gas economy. The region has contributed substantially to our increasing oil and gas independence. OPEC production cuts will only make this region more important, and production from the region stands to reduce some of the price volatility in North America if the market is allowed to adjust. I fully understand the concerns Suncor Energy Inc., Husky Energy Inc., and Imperial Oil have with future government-mandated production cuts in Alberta and Canada. That type of move is more traditional to state-owned companies, resources, and nations that don’t subscribe to free market-based economies.

When you are encouraged by the market to increase capacity, and then you are told by your government that you will not be using that capacity – business strategy breaks down, and oil prices climb.

Rather than cut production, perhaps the Canadian government should push companies like Cenovus and CNR to become more efficient making them more price competitive and extending that savings to the local customer.

OFFSHORE NEWFOUNDLAND CANADA

If the Hibernia type mega oil field is what industry expects, it could be a huge economic gain for Canada similar to the deep water success of Norway in terms of production and innovation.

However, if the government insists on manipulating the market, don’t expect exploration bids to continue at a lucrative pace. Exploration is one of the most expensive parts of the oil and gas business and in a world where fracking is cheap, interventionism could have a negative impact on the future of the Canadian natural resource exploration and expansion.

What is the ideal oil price for global economic prosperity and why?

That’s a great question, and the answer is a balance.  Truthfully, if anyone could pinpoint the answer to this question, he or she would be one of the most important people in the world right now. Ten out of the last eleven US recessions have been correlated with economic downturns preceded by oil price hikes. Major price fluctuations interfere with consumer’s spending and business strategies. We need stability, and that is why our countries have pushed for energy independence, but complexities in global supply make oil prices volatile and difficult to predict.

What’s going to happen with new energy plays?

We should all be looking for new sources of energy and have goals of improving environmental conditions and our general quality of life.  However, I honestly believe we aren’t there yet. For alternative sources to make a real impact, there will have to be a Schumpeterian shock.

While our politicians and green parties fight the environmental fight, the consumer keeps on trucking via oil and gas. This is why the projections continue to show growth well into the middle of the 21st century. Unless the customer is forced to change, oil and gas consumption will continue to grow.

Consumer behaviour experts seem to think that providing premier parking spots for electric cars and minor tax advantages for solar will dramatically change behaviour.  I’m here to tell you, that is like trying to melt the Columbia Ice-field with a hairdryer.

My research shows that even the most environmentally oriented customer will “morally disengage” from alternative forms when they incur new costs. Liberal-leaning college students like electric cars for environmental reasons, but as a group refuses to spend more on alternative transport.  They don’t even want to spend more on recycled commodities (e.g., paper). Only extreme changes in policy and major world events will change this behaviour.

Consider the fact that 17 countries have now proposed some form of ban on non-electric vehicle sales with start dates from 2020 to 2050, yet the worldwide consumption projections continue to grow.

For environmental adjustment to take place, it must be global. For instance, in Alabama, we ship dirty coal to Colombia in exchange for clean burning coal. It is a 4-hour flight to Colombia from here, so that’s not doing a lot to help the environment of the Americas, but it does comply with our national environmental policy. It isn’t a solution that works. Again, we aren’t there yet. Nevertheless, emission reduction is a major environmental issue and political platform, so expect the electric and alternative options to become more of an issue past 2050.

What’s the long-term vision for oil price and production?

If you watch the nightly news, you might expect that we will all be driving electric cars soon. That isn’t what the US energy information administration is forecasting. They report that the 2747 billion light vehicle miles recorded in 2016 will reach 3302 billion miles by 2050.  The growth trend is steady. Only domestic shipping shows a 1% mileage decrease heading towards 2050, which I find highly unlikely as we continue to UBERize urban freight delivery. We are probably trading modes of transportation and consuming more oil and gas in the process.

The long-term vision is efficiency, innovation, and exploration of alternative sources. The reality is that fossil fuels remain highly sought after and will continue to be one of our most important resources.

OGM INTERVIEW

This interview with Robert Richey is brought to you by The OGM.
Robert Glenn RICHEY, Jr., Ph.D.
Harbert Eminent Scholar in Supply Chain Management
Harbert College of Business @ Auburn University
446 Lowder Hall: 405 West Magnolia Ave., Auburn, AL 36849
Text/Mobile: 205-310-5973

With asset utilization critical and community and regulatory pressure always looming, it is essential that tank farm owners proactively prevent any loss of containment with reliable, cost-effective corrosion protection.  This is crucial since atmospheric corrosion is one of the main culprits of tank leaks, containment loss, and early replacement.

As oil depots and terminals are often comprised of ample pipeline through which to draw product, it is also vital to address corrosion under insulation (CUI), which can cause serious problems including forced shutdowns, lost production, etc.  CUI, which involves the corrosion of vessels or pipe beneath insulation due to water penetration, is insidious because it can remain undetected until leaks occur or the insulation is removed for inspection.  Consequently, dealing with CUI and inspecting for it are very costly.

Fortunately, by addressing a few important considerations regarding corrosion, tank farm owners can stop corrosion and CUI for years to dramatically extend tank and pipe service life.  In doing so, they can also improve safety, reduce downtime, and expedite maintenance turnaround.

Go Beyond Barrier Coatings

Tank farm corrosion protection typically involves applying polymer paints and rubber type coatings.  Such methods create a physical barrier to keep corrosion promoters such as water and oxygen away from steel substrates.  However, this only works until the paint is scratched, chipped, or breached and corrosion promoters enter the gap between the substrate and coating.  When this occurs the coating can act like a greenhouse – trapping water, oxygen and other corrosion promoters – which allows the corrosion to spread. 

Instead, as a better alternative, a growing number of the world’s largest petrochemical companies with tank farms are finding success with an innovative approach toward stopping corrosion.

To extend the service life of tank farm assets, including those already experiencing atmospheric corrosion, owners and facility managers are turning to a new category of tough, Chemically Bonded Phosphate Ceramics (CBPCs) that can stop the corrosion, ease application, and reduce production downtime even in very wet, humid conditions.

One example of this is EonCoat, a spray applied inorganic coating from the Raleigh, North Carolina-based company of the same name. 

In contrast to traditional polymer coatings that sit on top of the substrate, the EonCoat corrosion resistant CBPC coating bonds through a chemical reaction with the substrate. The surface of steel is passivated as an alloy layer is formed.  This makes it impossible for corrosion promoters like oxygen and humidity to get behind the coating the way they can with ordinary paints. 

Although traditional polymer coatings mechanically bond to substrates that have been extensively prepared, if gouged, moisture and oxygen will migrate under the coating’s film from all sides of the gouge. 

By contrast, the same damage to the ceramic coated substrate will not spread corrosion because the carbon steel’s surface has been chemically transformed into an alloy of stable oxides.  Once the steel’s surface is stable (the way noble metals like gold and silver are stable) it will no longer react with the environment and therefore cannot corrode.

Visible in scanning electron microscope photography, EonCoat does not leave a gap between the steel and the coating because the bond is chemical rather than mechanical.  Since there is no gap, even if moisture was to get through to the steel due to a gouge, there is nowhere for the moisture to travel.  This effectively stops atmospheric corrosion on carbon steel assets.

Address the “Silent Killer” CUI

Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI) is the root cause of many of the global petrochemical industry’s most serious problems including forced shutdowns, lost production, early repair and replacement, as well as safety and environmental consequences that can cost millions of dollars per incident.   

“CUI is the silent killer,” explains Merrick Alpert, President of EonCoat.  “The insulation creates a terrarium on the steel in which corrosion is guaranteed to occur if traditional coatings are used. And the insulation then hides the corrosion from being detected until it’s too late.”

Pipe is particularly susceptible to mechanical damage from shipping, installation, or facility operation that may breach traditional coatings and accelerate CUI. 

Because of the risk of CUI, a dedicated team is often required to inspect vessels or extensive piping on a virtually continuous basis.  However, removing pipe insulation and spot-checking that portion of pipe does not eliminate the risk of CUI along the entire pipe network at the tank farm.

As an alternative that helps to curtail this costly inspection and maintenance cycle, a CBPC coating like EonCoat provides a corrosion barrier that is covered by a ceramic layer that further resists corrosion, water, impact, abrasion, chemicals, fire and high temperatures.

In this way, the ceramic layer provides a tough outer coating that dramatically reduces mechanical damage and any potential breach of the coating. 

The CBPC coating’s chemical bond further ensures that even if moisture were to get through to the steel due to a gouge, it would travel no farther than the boundaries of the gouge.  This quality effectively prevents the hidden spread of corrosion, which is arguably the most insidious aspect of CUI.

Faster Turnaround Time

One of the greatest benefits of the CBPC coating, however, is the rapid return to service that minimizes facility downtime.  The time saved on an anti-corrosion coating project with the ceramic coating comes from less surface preparation, the elimination of the intermediate coat and expedited curing time. 

With a typical corrosion coating, near white metal blast cleaning (NACE 2 / SSPC-SP 10) is required to prepare the surface.  But with the ceramic coating, only a NACE 3 / SSPC-SP 6 commercial blast is typically necessary.

Furthermore, with traditional coatings, extensive surface preparation is required and done a little at a time to avoid surface oxidation, commonly known as ‘flash rust’, which then requires re-blasting. 

However, with the CBPC coating, the flash rust is no issue.  There is no need to ‘hold the blast’.  The reason for this unique CBPC characteristic is due to the presence of iron in the rust, which helps to create the magnesium iron phosphate alloy layer.  It is this alloy layer that allows CBPCs to so effectively protect carbon steel from corrosion.

For traditional ‘three-part system’ coatings utilizing polyurethanes or epoxies, the cure time may also be days or weeks before the next coat can be applied, depending on the product. 

In contrast, a corrosion resistant coating for carbon steel utilizing the ceramic coating in a single coat requires almost no curing time.  Return to service for tank farms can be achieved in as little as one hour, which can potentially save hundreds of thousands of dollars per day in reduced facility downtime.

Boosting the Bottom Line

For petrochemical tank farms with massive carbon steel structures, corrosion and CUI have been a costly, perennial problem.

Now, however, by proactively using best in class anti-corrosion products like CBPC coatings, facility managers will be able to deter corrosion and CUI for decades, reduce downtime, and postpone tank and pipe replacement, all of which will significantly help the bottom line.

Visit www.eoncoat.com

Gas alert, gas alert! Those are words you hope you never hear. Hazards left unchecked put people in danger. Your best chain of defence against unimaginable outcomes and explosions is to ensure that gas detection and monitoring is well thought out and executed in your organization.

Are you prepared?

Poisonous gas puts people at risk. Are you prepared?

WHO USES GAS DETECTORS?

At an industrial facility, on oil rigs, in manufacturing facilities, processing units, and throughout the firefighting sector, gas detection has become common place as a foundation of safety! And with good reason, our team’s safety depends on a working environment gas monitoring is a priority and sensors that alert you to the presence of gas leaks are readily available. 

Gas detection and monitoring devices can be found in industrial plants, refineries, manufacturing plants, fumigation facilities, paper pulp mills, aircraft and shipbuilding facilities, hazmat operations, waste-water treatment facilities, vehicles manufacturers, distilleries, indoor air testing and even in our homes.  Applications are varied and wide.

PORTABLE GAS DETECTORS

Portable detectors are used to monitor the atmosphere around workers on the job and are either hand-held or worn on clothing or on a belt/harness for convenience sake. These gas detectors transmit warnings via audible and visible signals, such as alarms and flashing lights, when dangerous levels of gas vapours are detected and they may be monitored at another location especially in the case of remote gas monitoring.

FIXED GAS DETECTORS

Fixed type gas detectors may be used for detection of one or more gas types and are generally mounted near the process area of a plant or control room, or an area to be protected, such as a residential bedroom. Industrial sensors are usually installed on fixed type mild steel structure and a cable connects the detectors to a SCADA system for continuous monitoring.

HOW DO GAS DETECTORS WORK?

Gas detection equipment is used to detect a gas leak or other emissions and can interface with a control system so a process can be automatically shut down. A gas detector can sound an alarm to operators in the area where the leak is occurring, giving workers the opportunity to leave safely. There are many gases that can be harmful and it’s your job to understand those hazards and mitigate them if you play a role in your companies safety regime.

HOW DO GAS DETECTORS WORK?

Gas leak detection is the process of identifying potentially hazardous gas leaks by sensors and alarms that alert people when a dangerous gas has been detected. Exposure to toxic gases can also occur in operations such as painting, fumigation, fuel filling, construction, excavation of contaminated soils, landfill operations, entering confined spaces, so it is important to ensure the right type of gas detectors are used with the right application.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF GAS DETECTORS?

Common sensors include combustible gas sensors, photoionization detectors, infrared point sensors, ultrasonic sensors, electrochemical gas sensors, and semiconductor sensors. More recently, infrared imaging sensors have come into use.

CEO, Lee Parmiter of EnviroMed Detection Services in St. John’s, Newfoundland says, “At the end of the day, we want to ensure people to come home safe to their families. Gas monitoring is essential, and gas leaks must be detected so that hazardous environments are eliminated.  Gas detectors can be used to detect combustible, flammable and toxic gases, and oxygen depletion so they are essential in the infrastructure of most industrial companies and any business really that has processing facilities.”

WHAT IS GAS LEAK DETECTION ALL ABOUT?

Gas leak detection is the process of identifying potentially hazardous gas leaks by sensors. These sensors usually employ an audible alarm to alert people when a dangerous gas has been detected.  Today technology is so advanced that systems not only alert to a gas leak but also alert incidences and failures in systems.  We have vastly advanced the gas detection world with the advancement of new tracking and monitoring devices.

Gas leak detection is essential in your facility.

HOW TO SELECT YOUR GAS DETECTOR

How to select the gas detector primarily depends on your operation, and it’s functions. You will want to consider what systems will ensure the safety of workers and help your company save time and money.

Lee Parimeter says, “There are several models with constantly evolving technologies are available on the market. It is therefore essential to understand the available features and options to make an informed decision.  Understanding the systems that are out there and ensuring your system is right for your facility is key.”

SELECTING THE RIGHT SYSTEM
5 KEY POINTS FOR GAS DETECTION & MONITORING THAT YOU MUST KNOW

According to Don Galman of Honeywell Analytics, selecting the right gas detection considers the following, “There are many gas detection products on the market that might appear to be the same, but a closer inspection of specification, functionality, and features reveals major differences in what products can do and the potential value they can offer. Similarly, individual applications are also unique in their respective designs, needs and processes undertaken.

1. DO A RISK ASSESSMENT

Before beginning to consider gas detection equipment, a risk assessment needs to be conducted. Any company employing staff should conduct risk assessments to identify potential hazards, and these can include potential gas, vapour or Oxygen deficiency risks. If gas hazards are identified, gas detection is applicable as a risk reduction method.

2. IDENTIFY YOUR PRIME OBJECTIVE

Depending on the processes being undertaken and the gases being detected, remote or off-site alarm notification plus event data logging/reporting may also be required for Health and Safety management records. Another factor impacting on the need for enhanced reporting functions might be regulatory compliance or a condition of insurance.

3. ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

Having identified the primary objective, the suitable equipment is selected by asking a number of key questions. These fall into three broad categories:

• The gases to be detected and where they may come from

• The location and environmental conditions where detection is to take place

• The ease of use for operators and routine servicing personnel

Identify the gases to be detected and where they may come from

The risk assessment should identify the gases to be detected; however, experienced gas detection equipment manufacturers and their approved distributors are often able to help in this process, based on their experience of similar applications. However, it is important to remember that it is the end user’s responsibility to identify all potential hazards.

It is also essential to identify the potential source of a gas release as this helps determine the number and location of detectors required for a fixed gas detection system.

4. CONSIDER THE ENVIRONMENT

The performance, accuracy, and reliability of any gas detection equipment will be affected by the environmental conditions it is subjected to. Temperature, humidity and pressure levels at the location all have a direct bearing on the type of equipment that should be selected. Additional factors such as potential variations resulting from a production process itself, diurnal/nocturnal fluctuations and seasonal changes may also affect the type of device which is suitable.

5. UNDERSTAND THE PRODUCT

The next area of consideration relates to additional product functionality. Aspects like wiring configuration are important, especially when retrofitting into an existing application. If the apparatus is being integrated into a separate safety system, certain communication protocols may also be required such as HART®, Lonworks or Modbus®.

Consideration will also need to be given regarding the requirement for local displays on transmitter units, and local configuration of the unit and gas displays may also be a useful addition.

MEASURE EASE OF USE AND MAINTAINABILITY

Routine maintenance is another important consideration. Some gases and vapours can be detected with a number of different sensing technologies, e.g., Hydrocarbon gases with catalytic beads or Non-dispersive Infrared NDIR. Catalytic beads do not provide fail-to-safety operation and therefore can require a high frequency of routine maintenance; however, NDIR based solutions tend to have a higher initial purchase price but may require less routine maintenance. In-house resource to undertake such routine maintenance needs to be identified, and in the absence of such a resource, budgeting for third-party maintenance is an important factor in selecting the right equipment.”

ENVIROMED DETECTION SYSTEMS

EnviroMed Detection Services, located in St. John’s Newfoundland has been serving the industrial based businesses in the region for 30 + years. EnivroMed is a safety/environmental instrumentation company specializing in the sale, installation, and servicing of life-saving detection instrumentation. As an ISO 9001:2008-certified, a full-service laboratory, EnviroMed offers repairs, N.I.S.T. traceable calibrations, maintenance, service and training on most of the equipment it provides today.

In addition to its specialization in gas detection equipment, EnviroMed also sells, rents and leases a wide variety of products in the areas of Gas Detectors, Water, Soil & Noise Monitors, Ambient Air, Indoor Air Quality, Meteorology, and other specialty areas related to safety/environmental instrumentation.

EnviroMed’s expertise and instrumentation inventory assist in providing an additional three-month labor warranty on most equipment purchased, refurbished, or calibrated at its facility. All installations, stationary or portable, must meet our quality assurance/quality control program, verified by a preventative maintenance schedule. Working closely with our clients, EnviroMed continues meeting today’s environmental challenges while understanding industry’s regional and economic requirements.

CEO, Lee Parmiter says, “The complexities of choosing, installing and maintaining gas detectors can be overwhelming. That’s why we’ve created a full-service detection and monitoring company that ensures we support our customers in the best possible way.  We work every day to ensure that people onsite, in confined spaces and requiring a high level of protection, get what they need.

The Blackline G7 Gas Detection Safety Monitor reports back to your head monitoring office. The Blackline G7 is state-of-the-art technology and is Ideal for remote location monitoring.

DON’T FEEL UP TO THE JOB OF SELECTING YOUR GAS DETECTOR?

For many people not directly involved in the gas detection and monitoring sector of their industry, the whole process can be overwhelming. Lee Parmiter says, “EnviroMed Detection Systems, with their gas detection consulting specialization, take the headache out of assessing and implementing your safety worksite systems. Are you bump testing? Did everything calibrate and is it up to date? Know who’s safe and not safe on site? Does your team know how your systems work and are they compliant right now, in the field today? Can I locate a person in the field in real time if something goes wrong? These are the safety questions that EnviroMed will take care of you.”

With the EnviroMed locally serviced and supported wireless real-time monitoring system, sensor deterioration and other unit shortfalls are relayed in real-time through the customer’s choice of media and with an established protocol to its operators and supervisors for appropriate recall and the avoidance of false alarms creating unnecessary downtime expense in operations.  Lee says, Our products are new state-of-the-art systems that are fit for the times, for example, EnviroMed G7 Gas Detection Tracking and Monitoring System covers all the bases of your situation. In my 35+ years of using, servicing and promoting safety in gas detection applications, this system hits a ‘grand slam home run’!

For more information go to www.EnviroMed.ca

YES, I WOULD LIKE A FREE CONSULT WITH ENVIROMED ABOUT MY GAS DETECTION AND MONITORING SYSTEM

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Fire safety just got even safer with advances in technology that are saving lives. EnviroMed Detection Services CEO, Lee Parmiter, of St. John’s, Newfoundland, is excited about the world of safety for those working in the industrial sector.  Lee says, “Technology is now working where it matters most, with safety. With new devices that offer safety alerts, monitoring, tracking and full transparent communication, we are now much more connected and much safer than ever before.”

Knowing where people are, how they are, where evacuation needs to take place, real-time response, remote area access, real-time incidence response, and following leading indicators of “near misses”, are all possible with the new state-of-the-art G7 Blackline system and other systems, that are offered by EnviroMed Detection services.

Lee Parmiter says, “Technology mitigates risk. It’s that simple. New advances in detection and response are so effective that we reduce human error dramatically. For example, the Blackline G7, which is a real-time, state-of-the-art, electronic gas detection unit is far outperforming what humans can do in much less time. These days people have full access and communication in difficult places, remote locations, and hazardous regions. This is the future of safety.”

Lee says, “The ConneXt Pack that we provide gives our clients real-time information and it has become the new standard in safety, productivity, and compliance. It is the first wireless, portable, confined space gas detection system that significantly enhances safety. With ConneXt Pack, pre-configured wireless gas monitors report hazardous gas information and a man down alarms to a remote host controller. The ConneXt solution delivers lifesaving value to and first response operations. Data retrieved from wireless gas monitors can alert attendants and incident commanders instantly of toxic gas situations, allowing them to respond more quickly to emergency situations.”

With applications in utility tunnels, fluid storage tanks, boilers, septic tanks, electrical vaults, and any area where there may be a fire and gas hazard, the ConneXt Pac supports onsite wireless solutions. It is a turn-key, application-focused combination of wireless four-gas QRAE 3 monitors and an EchoView Host portable controller. An attendant, using the EchoView host, has full visibility into the readings of the gas monitor worn by the confined space entrant. By receiving detector readings and man-down alarms, the attendant can know what is happening in a confined space, in real time.

EnviroMed Detection services are proud to be elevating the game of safety with new technologically advanced solutions.

TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES

Technology is expanding at exponential rates and has the capacity to make things happen faster and easier. In the world of safety that could never be more true, as new state-of-the-art solutions are emerging for industries around the globe.

Tracking and Responding

Technology has allowed our workplaces, remote locations and hazardous environments to be much safer. New detection, tracking and responding devices are taking over the scene and allowing us to feel much better about our workspaces and goals of zero incidences on the job. Technology is now working where it matters most – safety. With safety alerts, monitoring, tracking and full transparent communication, workplaces are now connected and much safer.  Knowing who’s on your site, where people are, how they are, where evacuation needs to take place, real-time response, remote area access, real-time incidence response, and following leading indicators of “near misses”, are all possible with the new state-of-the-art G7 Blackline system.

Lee Parmiter, CEO of EnviroMed Detection Services says, “Technology mitigates risk. It’s that simple. New advances in detection and response are so effective these days that we reduce human error dramatically. For example, the Blackline G7, which is a real-time, state-of-the-art, electronic gas detection unit is far outperforming what humans can do in much less time. Detection and reporting are replacing human reporting. Extensive gas detection training is no longer necessary. These day’s people have full access and communication in difficult places, remote locations and hazardous regions. This is the future of safety”

The G7 tracks workers and their performance and positioning. For example, if a worker trips, falls and goes down a G7 alert is triggered, transmitted and help is on the way within seconds. It’s all automated and immediate.

The G7 is breaking new ground through no motion detection, fall detection, missed check in’s, gas detection and just about anything you can think of on the job. It provides operator tracking, real-time tracking and communication, remote communication, third-party communication, in-house monitoring with two-way voice communications and on-the-spot Reporting. The system itself takes care of data logging so that follow-up and paperwork becomes a thing of the past.

Think Ahead

The G7 excels in proactive safety protocols. It provides an SOS Pull-Station Emergency feature for on the job emergency situations. It also allows for gas detection monitoring and “PREDETERMINED” maintenance execution which mitigates the possibility of accidents in the future.

Lee says, “offshore or on land this G7 devise works via satellite or cellular, allowing a full scope and range of communication, tracking and detection. We are extremely proud to be supplying such an advanced system to the industry because at the end of the day, our goal is the same goal as our clients – zero incidence.  We sleep at night knowing that the technology we provide keeps people safe.”

Would you like to know about the upcoming Blackline G7 device for your company?

Let us know how to reach you and we will have an ENVIROMED representative contact you.

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Publisher & Content Strategist

Tina Olivero is the Publisher and Content Strategist for clients around the globe through TheOGM.com and The OGM magazine.

With a passion for progress and a sustainable high tech future, tina combines digital strategies into a conversation that builds your business.

SPEAK TO TINA:  
To gain more insight into how content can support your business goals please contact:
tinaolivero@theogm.com

Dr. Ciaran O’Shea, a co-founder of AOMS, has acted as the Director of Occupational Health and Medicine providing Governance for all medical operations while his wife and owner, Laura O’Shea, overseeing day to day operations until their son Liam took over the day to day operations. Dr. O’Shea said, “We are proud of the clients that we have in this region and are honoured that they continue to seek our services and advice. We work hard with our clients every day to maintain our title as a Best in Class in Oil and Gas service provider.”

Having safe, healthy workers is key to any oil and gas company or contractor, and therefore the treatment of offshore workers medically has to be thorough and diverse. The vision for AOMS is to provide medical solutions that embrace a full range of physiotherapy and occupational services utilizing state-of-the-art equipment and advanced therapies.

Liam O’Shea, Chief Executive Officer of AOMS, explains their offerings, “We have an established network of designated physicians across the island of Newfoundland and in Labrador, and in other provinces throughout Canada, as well as abroad. AOMS physicians perform pre-employment medicals and independent medical assessments on behalf of our oil and gas clients. We are extremely excited about the expansion of our business to include our new Rehabilitation Suite. Our services now include outpatient physiotherapy services and occupational rehabilitation services. We feel that the introduction of physiotherapy and occupational rehabilitation services in collaboration with the occupational physician management will greatly enhance the currently available models in the Province. Our model will also serve the public, and the Occupational physician will collaborate with the treating GP whenever possible to engage all primary health care providers and get the patient back to work/full fitness expeditiously and safely. The true collaboration between occupational physician, third party care practitioners and treating GP’s should be the model from our perspective here at AOMS. Finally, AOMS also will be offering tele-health solutions to any individuals that are in remote environments or rural areas across the island, but this is a conversation that our Physio and Occ Rehab clinic team will have with you!”

Rehabilitation Clinic
Treatment of Orthopaedic conditions including: Low Back Pain, neck pain, whiplash, post-surgical rehabilitation, osteoarthritis, sciatica, tennis elbow, sport-related injury, overuse injury, plantar fasciitis, jumpers knee, Achilles tendonitis, general strength, and conditioning programs.

New Clinic Services & Equipment
Occupational Rehabilitation:
AOMS is now offering a full suite of Occupational Rehabilitation services including Functional Capacity Evaluations, Targeted Functional Evaluations, Work Site Occupational Rehabilitation, Work Station Reviews, Adjudication Assessments, Physical Demands Analysis, and the Progressive Goal Attainment Program for the treatment of pain-related disability.

Specialized Equipment:

TDX spinal mechanical traction: a specialized mechanical traction device offering the latest technology in spinal traction to assist with back pain, herniated discs, spinal movement disorders and other disorders of the spine.

Shockwave Therapy:
AOMS has acquired a Shockwave Medical Device from Shockwave Canada that has been shown through peer-reviewed scientific studies to improve clinical outcomes for the following conditions significantly: Achilles tendonitis, tendonitis of the elbow, wrist, and hand, plantar fasciitis, patella tendonitis, rotator cuff tendonitis, calcific tendonitis of the shoulder and frozen shoulder. Clinical improvements typically seen in shockwave treatment include decreased recovery time, reduced pain, decreased movement loss, decreased the lost time from employment and sporting activities and decreased time delay for return to full function. Tendonitis, one of the common on-the-job complaints.

More information on AOMS services

In a collaborative effort, designed to improve vital protection of offshore assets, the Oil & Gas Technology Centre (OGTC) in Aberdeen, UK is successfully conducting trials of an advanced anti-corrosion coating on two North Sea offshore platforms.

The mission of the OGTC, which is jointly funded by the UK, Scottish, and Aberdeen governments, is to establish a culture of innovation that will consolidate Aberdeen’s and North-East Scotland’s position as a global hub for oil and gas technology and innovation.

The challenge, however, is that the UK’s North Sea is one of the most brutal climates in the world.  Often ice cold and windswept, the rigs in the North Sea face a constant corrosive onslaught of waves and salt spray. 

Traditional coatings simply cannot withstand the environment.  The cost of maintenance on a rig can be up to 100 times as expensive as land based maintenance because crews and supplies often have to be helicoptered out to the site, so when coatings fail it costs the asset owner enormous amounts of money.

After extensive research, OGTC identified a spray applied inorganic coating called EonCoat, from the Raleigh, North Carolina-based company of the same name, as a method of delivering long term protection for the offshore assets.  The anti-corrosive coating represents a new category of tough, Chemically Bonded Phosphate Ceramics (CBPCs) that can stop corrosion, ease application, and reduce offshore platform production downtime even in humid, storm or monsoon susceptible conditions.

OGTC worked with EonCoat’s UK distributor and applicator, SPi Performance Coatings, to implement two trial programs.  With OGTC’s vision and sponsorship, SPi applied EonCoat to a Total E&P platform and a Nexen platform, each of which is located on the UK continental shelf in the North Sea.

Total is a global integrated energy producer and provider, and a leading international oil and gas company, with operations in more than 130 countries.

Nexen, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, is an upstream oil and gas company responsibly developing energy resources in the UK North Sea, offshore West Africa, the United States and Western Canada.

Total E&P Trial

SPi applicators, along with EonCoat material and equipment, were helicoptered to Total’s Elgin ‘A’ Wellhead platform on December 17, 2017.  The coating was applied to areas of the platform’s lower deck that were suffering from severe corrosion, and a topcoat was added for aesthetics. 

Surface preparation for the trial was carried out by Muehlhan, a global provider of surface protection and industrial services with operations in shipping, oil and gas, renewables, and industry/infrastructure segments.

In the trial area, the existing coating system was completely removed from structural steel tubulars and flat plate.  The structure was power washed and degreased to remove contaminants.  All tubulars were blasted to SA2.5, and flat plate mechanically prepped to ST3. 

While rust rashing was visible on areas prior to spray application of the anti-corrosion coating, this was deemed acceptable due to its unique properties.  It can be applied to a damp substrate with rust rashing/flash rusting, and high salt levels do not degrade the coating, which reduces surface preparation requirements. 

The coating can cure in a single coat 15 minutes after application, depending on climatic conditions, which expedites completion, compared to traditional coatings, which require extensive drying time between coats.

In contrast to traditional coatings, which only form a physical barrier to corrosion until breached, EonCoat chemically bonds with bare substrate surfaces, providing an iron magnesium phosphate layer that prevents steel corrosion.  This process provides a very thin layer (about 2 microns) of permanent protection. 

A second layer – a tough ceramic outer shell – provides further protection, and also acts as a reservoir to re-phosphate the steel if needed.  This ensures the alloy layer remains intact, and allows it to “self heal” if it is ever breached by mechanical damage.

During this ongoing trial, testing has been done via cross cuts of about 6-8 inches in length down to the substrate to provide evidence of EonCoat’s self-healing properties.

Nexen Trial

After the early success of the Total E&P trial, a second offshore trial is now being conducted.  SPi applicators, as well as EonCoat material and equipment, were helicoptered to Nexen’s ‘Buzzard’ platform on June 18, 2018. 

After Stork, a Fluor company and global provider of integrated operations, maintenance, modification and asset integrity solutions, assisted with fabric maintenance and surface preparation, SPi applied the anti-corrosion coating to platform areas suffering from severe corrosion. 

While results from this second trial are still under consideration, they look extremely promising. 

“As oil and gas E&P companies look to combat offshore asset corrosion, extend safe production and reduce the need for costly maintenance and downtime, we look forward to working with OGTC, Total, Nexen, Muehlhan, Stork and other platform owner/operators in the North Sea,” concludes Merrick Alpert, President of EonCoat.

For more information, call 754-222-4919; visit www.eoncoat.com; or write to EonCoat, LLC at 551 Pylon Drive, Unit D, Raleigh, NC 27606.

“The FlexForm Collector is the culmination of almost four decades of work and is one of my proudest engineering achievements,” said Alexander, president and founder of EigenTherm Solar. “It was designed from the start to achieve the lowest possible costs in concentrating and collecting solar thermal energy and while it is an elegantly simple design, it is also highly effective.”

The FlexForm Collector’s reflector consists of a thin, specular reflective membrane suspended over prepared ground. A linear receiver placed above the reflector optimally The FlexForm Collector’s reflector consists of a thin, specular reflective membrane suspended over prepared ground. A linear receiver placed above the reflector optimally absorbs the concentrated sunlight into a heat transfer fluid. Only the receiver moves to track the sun, while the reflector is stationary but changes shape under the influence of a partial vacuum to maintain optimum concentration – hence the name FlexForm. It is a revolutionary, very low-cost and high performance concentrating solar thermal collector for the cost-effective production of utility scale electric power that can deliver power when coupled with proven thermal storage and power block technologies. At scale, EigenTherm Solar expects to be able to deliver electric power at costs significantly lower than fossil fuels, including combined cycle natural gas in the United States.

Link to the EigenTherm Solar FlexForm Solar Collector: http://www.eigenthermsolar.com/technology/

“The long-term goal of all renewables is to displace most fossil fuels worldwide. Our vision is to do it with a combination of direct-from-the-plant power and power to sun-poor regions from liquefied hydrogen transported globally from EigenTherm Solar plants located in sun-rich regions. These goals require sub $20/MW per hour power around the clock, which I believe the FlexForm Collector coupled with low-cost thermal storage will achieve,” added Alexander.

About EigenTherm Solar
EigenTherm Solar’s mission is to develop and bring to market the FlexForm Solar Thermal Collector technology. The FlexForm Collector is a revolutionary, very low cost and high performance concentrating solar thermal collector for the economical production of utility-scale solar electric power 24/7 when coupled with proven thermal storage and power block technologies. For more information, please visit: www.eigenthermsolar.com

 The BVCA Management Team Awards celebrate the performance of UK-based companies that are backed by private equity and venture capital. Cyberhawk is one of four companies which were named regional winners in Scotland.

Backed by Scottish Equity Partners (SEP) and the Scottish Investment Bank (SIB), Cyberhawk is the world leader in asset management using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and sophisticated cloud-based software. The thriving company was presented the award after judges recognised its strategic growth success, on an international level, and its “game-changing” visual asset management software, iHawk.

Chris Fleming, CEO at Cyberhawk said: “The Cyberhawk management team is thrilled to accept this award, which is testament to the hard work shown daily by the entire Cyberhawk team.

Malcolm Connolly, Cyberhawk founder and technical director, and Chris Fleming, Cyberhawk CEO

“Our performance to date has been outstanding and we have already added six key people to our team this year, with further recruitment ongoing. We have expanded our global footprint, achieved world-firsts across numerous industries and we continue to significantly invest in the development of iHawk. We are particularly pleased to see the BVCA recognise this industry-leading software platform and its potential for the future.

“The support we have received from SEP and SIB has been fundamental to iHawk’s commercial development, and has also played a key role inpropelling Cyberhawk into its next phase of growth.

“We are delighted with the evening’s results and I am extremely proud of the entire team for its continued enthusiasm and commitment to the company.”

Winners from last night’s Scottish event will now be forwarded into the national final to compete with companies from across the country, before the UK winners are announced at the BVCA Gala Dinner on 29 November 2018 in London.

Headquartered in Livingston, Scotland, and with bases in Houston, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, Cyberhawk carried out the very first UAV industrial inspection in 2009 and since then, has completed more than 25 world firsts to date, with blue-chip energy companies in more than 25 countries on four continents.

For more information about Cyberhawk please visit: www.thecyberhawk.com

The threat posed by dropped objects on industrial sites such as offshore O&G platforms, rigs, vessels, and onshore facilities is well-established; with drops among the top 10 causes of fatality and serious injury in the O&G sector.

[1] Furthermore, they commonly result in a significant cost – both financial and reputational – to management teams.

While solutions such as slings have been used in the past in an aim to prevent objects from falling, there has been a growing recognition in the industry that these measures are unfit for purpose and offer inadequate protection against incidents. They additionally often prove to be a repeat cost, due to the regular need to replace and repair them.

As the industry increases its focus on driving up safety standards, longer-term solutions such as high-quality mesh nets are becoming the favoured solution to these challenges. Over its 20 years manufacturing safety and security technology, Dropsafe has seen demand for its leading mesh-security and mesh-safety products increase, with the technology being deployed to project sites across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and the USA and to all leading operators.

Dropsafe nets securely enclose and tether overhead fixtures such as lights, speakers, and CCTV cameras, to prevent dropped objects falling from height and threatening the safety of personnel. The technology, developed in collaboration with O&G industry professionals, offers application-specific solutions for a wide range of fixture types, enabling customers to confidently improve workplace safety and minimise risks to operational integrity.

With senior teams often held liable for injury and damage, the installation of high-quality nets also protects against the significant financial, legal and reputational consequences that can arise from an accident, including liability for employee compensation, the costs of material damage to project infrastructure, and the reputational damage caused by a high-profile safety incident.

Mike Rice, Commercial Director at Dropsafe, said: “We’ve been in this market a long time and we’ve seen exactly what can happen when things go wrong. When project managers and their HSE teams fail to invest in appropriate drops prevention technology, they risk not only the safety of their people, but also the financial and reputational stability of their own business.”

“We’ve been pleased to see demand for our leading mesh net products increase significantly since Dropsafe was established, pointing to the increasing commitment of the O&G sector to high standards of safety and quality. Now, the industry must ensure that this progress is not arrested by cost-cutting measures as the industry enters a period of squeezed margins. When times are tight, protecting against the human, financial, and reputational damage caused by dropped objects only becomes more important.”

For more information about Dropsafe, please visit: https://www.dropsafe.com/

About Dropsafe

Dropsafe is the global leading provider of dropped objects prevention solutions for the Oil & Gas markets, with a range of innovative and patented products including its pioneering mesh-security and mesh-safety products.

Dropsafe has come to set the industry standard for Drops prevention in the onshore and offshore Oil & Gas sectors, collaborating with industry professionals to lead the market in enabling customers to improve workplace safety.

Dropsafe’s track record in the industry is illustrated by its customer base of over 300, encompassing exclusive fleet-wide agreements with the largest global Oil & Gas drilling contractors.

To find out more, visit: https://www.dropsafe.com/

Wood has secured a new multi-million dollar contract with Hyundai Engineering to provide detailed engineering services and material supply for a steam methane reformer, part of a new Wood-licensed hydrogen production unit for the Melaka Refinery Diesel Euro 5 Project in Malaysia.

Wood will deploy its leading proprietary Terrace Wall^TM technology for hydrogen production as part of the contract, which will be delivered by the company’s process technology specialists based in Milan.

Bob MacDonald, CEO of Wood’s Specialist Technical Solutions business, said: “Our extensive hydrogen technology expertise, global capabilities in the design and supply of fired heaters and our decades of experience in providing innovative modular solutions, positions Wood ideally to deliver this important contract for Hyundai Engineering.”

Wood is a global leader in the delivery of project, engineering and technical services to energy and industrial markets. We operate in more than 60 countries, employing around 55,000 people, with revenues of around $10 billion.  We provide performance-driven solutions throughout the asset life cycle, from concept to decommissioning across a broad range of industrial markets, including the upstream, midstream and downstream oil & gas, power & process, environment and infrastructure, clean energy, mining, nuclear, and general industrial sectors. We strive to be the best technical services company to work with, work for and invest in. www.woodplc.com

THE EVOLUTION OF WOOD

History of Amec/Foster Wheeler – Acquired by Wood in 2017

The cranes were ordered at the dawn of the year and began arriving in April. By the end of May, all six were delivered. It’s a rarity that a half-dozen pieces of brand new stock from the same manufacturer are delivered so close together, so Dawes took advantage of the opportunity by taking a family photo of the newly acquired cranes on the banks of Lake Michigan.

“These are all versatile machines,” said Stew LaPointe, Dawes rental coordinator. “As a full-service dealer of the Link-Belt brand, there’s no better way to showcase their power and flexibility than by making them available for rental across the deep reservoir of construction and contracting professionals throughout Wisconsin. This equipment can be used for everything from residential carpentry to all types of construction—setting structural iron, precast concrete, HVAC work. They will be highly in-demand by our customers.”

As with every ALL Crane branch, Dawes cultivates a reputation for maintaining a crane fleet consisting of the latest model years. This acquisition helps to offset the recent sale of some older equipment.

“We like to have the latest equipment in the rental fleet. Having six cranes come within a month and a half is something you don’t often see, but it demonstrates our commitment to staying current,” said LaPointe. “Our hope is that customers know they’re dealing with a company that’s dedicated to not only updating our fleet, but also employing the safest crane technology on the market today.”

The cranes will be dispersed among Dawes’ locations in Milwaukee, Madison, and Kaukauna, Wis.

About ALL

The ALL Family of Companies is the largest privately held crane rental and sales operation in North America. Their strategically located branches have access to one of the world’s largest and most modern fleets, operating under the ALL, Central, Dawes, Jeffers, and ALT names. ALL provides rental, sales, service and jobsite analysis, helping to ensure that customers have the right equipment for the job. For more information, contact ALL Erection & Crane Rental at 4700 Acorn Drive, Cleveland, OH 44131. Phone: 216-524-6550. Toll free: 800-232-4100. Fax: 216-642-7633. On the Web: www.allcrane.com.

I thought a lot about that and realized that discontent comes from the disparity between where we are and where we can be. It’s that uncomfortable edge that has an annoying call that just won’t quit. There’s a reason for it. When it comes to Newfoundland’s offshore oil exploration and production rate, there is that same level of discontent. A disparity between where we are and where we could be.

Most other oil nations of the world have far surpassed our drilling success in the same amount of time.  Places like Norway and Abu Dhabi are booming and have their own investment funds which will secure their future. It took a national mindset with state-owned oil companies to get there. Underdeveloped countries like Guyana are setting out at a record pace. Check out Guyana

What’s stopping us?

Back in 1992 when John Crosbie, Cabot Martin, and other esteemed business community members, took the bull by the horns they invited the federal government to invest in our first offshore oil project, Hibernia. The federal government became a critical partner to ensure the project went ahead. That one move alone, ultimately became the catalyst for our offshore industry as it exists today. Government driven, that was entrepreneurial minded. We need more of that.

The Hibernia oil platform looked like it was never going to happen in the early 1990s when project stakeholder, Gulf,  pulled out of the project. At the time, the Canadian government had already offered $2.7 billion in loan guarantees and grants and then went on to further take an equity stake in the project. It proved to be an undeniably profitable move. The government still owns its stake in the Hibernia project and has done so for twenty years. In 2017, the government garnished $75 million in profit. The overall project picture is positive for the nation with $1.8-billion in dividends garnished since oil started flowing in 1997 which is an average of about $100-million a year. Investing in further offshore projects simply makes good business sense.

Fast forward to today. While I’m really proud of our four world-class oil-producing projects, I am also discontent with the disparity between our resource potential and our resource output. I’ve seen other oil regions of the world far surpass our drilling and finding ratio’s offshore. Not because we don’t have oil. We do. We are 1.5 times the size of the North Sea. And by all indicators have just as much oil, or more.

Newfoundland could have been as lucrative as the North Sea.  So why aren’t we?  Some say it’s political. Others say it’s regulatory issues.  Some say it’s the cost of labour and unions. Everyone has an opinion as to why we aren’t there yet. But where do those opinions get us? They get us a whole pile of reasons and justifications as to  “why not” and don’t really advance us. What we really need is the team that will make it happen regardless of the challenges.  The answer to our success is having people make it happen. Those who are willing to go beyond the status quo, like John Crosbie did, all those years ago, and make the “damn thing” happen. Get the job done.

That’s the attitude and leadership we need to drive exploration and drilling offshore. We need to get the federal and provincial government to step in like we did so many years ago and built our own oil exploration programs. Offering seismic data for other companies to become stronger, profitable and global in our region is one thing. Exploring and producing ourselves is another. We could be the “owners” of our own drill bits. And friggin’ well, why not?

Oil exploration is the key to oil industry growth in the region.

Oil Potential: The difference between a ‘have’ and ‘have-not’ province.

We have accumulated 60 years of data offshore, identified 650 leads and prospects and analyzed 112 offshore wells. All that data is available on the Nalcor Ness system designed to inform, educate and attract investors. Lets use that important information and invest in ourselves.

We have 20+ basins offshore Newfoundland and Labrador with very strong oil indicators. We could be so much further ahead. The conversation that it’s still “early days” doesn’t feel so good when we look at the North Sea having drilled 6000 + wells in about the same amount of time. Compared to the North Sea, offshore Newfoundland is 1.5 times bigger and we have drilled less than 200 wells offshore Newfoundland. 

With 20 + basins, does it mean that we could potentially be 20 times the offshore industry we have now? I feel it right down to my fog-filled bones; the answer is yes. Imagine 20 oil-producing basins with 3 or 4 oil projects producing in each one. An industry 20 times that of what it is today. Now that’s a game worth playing.

In this part of the world, we build castles in the sea. Giant concrete castles that bring oil to the surface. The greatest technological advances in the world happened here. The greatest minds are here. We don’t need the transfer of technology from other regions any longer. We are the technology.

With all that potential the only difference between being a “have” and a “have not” province is the decision and leadership to do so.  Shag the deficit, lets rise above all that and be profitable as a province and a nation, with energy.

Offshore Newfoundland: Nalcor Energy has identified 20+ basins. Graphic: Nalcor Energy

Invest in ourselves

Why are we waiting for other companies to invest offshore Newfoundland when we should be putting much more skin in the game and further investing in ourselves. That’s what entrepreneurs do; they take a huge, massive leap of faith and jump. That’s what the Feds did with Hibernia, and it worked to the tune of $billions in royalties for Canada and Newfoundland. That’s what Danny Williams was doing when he was in office creating equity for the province in our own projects. Thanks to the foresight of the Mulrooney government all those years ago, that initial federal investment paid off in spades. All indicators suggest that when it comes to oil and gas, investing in ourselves works. Newfoundland and Labrador has enjoyed yearly royalty returns of as much as $2.8 billion from the offshore oil industry. Imagine what that figure could be if we owned majority shares in our projects. All indicators point to one thing “do it yourself”.

That’s what Norway did with Statoil (STATE OIL). Today, it is a national oil company of stellar, record performance. Statoil was formed by the 2007 merger of Statoil with the oil and gas division of Norsk Hydro. As of 2017, the Government of Norway is the largest shareholder with 67% of the shares, while the rest is public stock. The ownership interest is managed by the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy. Newly named Equinor, Statoil has evolved with a new brand and identity that embraces the new energy era. “The world is changing, and so is Statoil. The biggest transition our modern-day energy systems have ever seen is underway, and we aim to be at the forefront of this development. Our strategy remains firm. The name Equinor reflects ongoing changes and supports the always safe, high value and low carbon strategy we outlined last year,” says chair of the board in Statoil, Jon Erik Reinhardsen.

We can wait for the oil price to be right, we can wait for other companies to explore but it’s slow going bye’s. Slow as molasses, and it costs us our potential and global advantage. When I think about the 40,000+ Canadians who lost their jobs because of the oil price drop, you quickly realize that we have not secured our own future in Canada. We have not created a scenario of success regardless of market trends and outside influences. Provincially, we have not created the “no fail” solution for our offshore industry. Why haven’t we, when clearly the best insurance we have, is in developing our own resources ‘with’ our own resources?

Focus on what ‘can’ be done

We know that we have 25.5 billion barrels of oil and 20.6 trillion cubic feet of gas potential. Let’s get the stuff out of the seabed now because there is no promise of tomorrow. Let’s find that oil and double, triple or quadruple our current discoveries. We need to be like pirates going for the gold. Driven beyond driven. Not only does it take the tremendous seismic work that Nalcor did, to make oil and gas happen at the rate it should, but it also takes us having the guts to put our money where our mouth is and invest in ourselves, explore for oil ourselves, find oil ourselves. Forget fighting over Muskrat Falls project overruns. Focus on what ‘can be done’. It’s the fastest route to success.

Five years is the window of opportunity that we have for oil and gas exploration and infrastructure development before things dramatically change. Things like world oil demand in developing countries, world oil markets changing, pipeline access and security, established shipping lanes to market, global trade alliances, developing oil nations, the emergence of new energy and exponential technological advances will all impact our ability to succeed with oil and gas. We have five years to become the ‘owners of our destiny’. I’m afraid the 2030 plan may be a little too late.

Oil exploration and production have a lot of moving variables. We have to be strategic and laser sharp focused like the oil companies and get in there and make it happen. You have to ask yourself, are we going to act and be globally competitive and overcome oil market variables or are we going to sit around fighting with each other about policies and procedures and environmental agendas of nay-sayers. Do we have time for that?

We need to be a ‘hotbed’ of oil discoveries in this regions because success breeds success. We could have the entire world’s eyes on us as we show the world how to succeed with our resources. That’s exactly what Norway did with oil and gas and their fishery. That’s what Silicone Valley did with Technology. That’s what Dubai did with real estate. It’s a business play, and we can be in that game.

If we are not leaders, we will be followers

If we are not leaders, we will be followers, and we will feel the “direct impact of being a follower” and all the angst and loss that comes with it. Money loss, taxes loss, medical system loss, lifestyle loss, job loss, pension security loss, health, and wellbeing loss. We already saw it happen with the oil price drop and it wasn’t pretty. Imagine if we lose our oil foothold globally as the number three oil resource-rich nation in the world. We won’t be talking about oil environmental policy then, because we’ll be busy fighting for a job to pay the rent.

It seems like the federal focus is on new energy which is great and will provide us with a sustainable future. But people who work in the energy business know that new energy won’t happen without oil and gas. Oil and gas is the bridge to new energy. You can’t have one without the other. Oil and gas is the foundation of everything else we do. Oil is the one resource that makes every other industry work. Think of transport. Think plastics. 

With an idealistic view, as honorable as it may have seemed at the time, Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, had the vision of a zero-free carbon city until they realized it wasn’t possible without oil and gas. Let global experiences be our teacher.

The entrepreneurial mindset

When I started The OGM magazine six years before we had any oil in this province, I had no resources, no money, and no experience. But I created something from nothing. All guts as they say. No major credit to me because I’m not the only one. The majority of businesses in Newfoundland and Labrador are small to medium-sized companies who all did the exact same thing. We, as Newfoundlanders are bullish for business. We are hearty people, full of guts and determination. We had to be, we came from the fishery. That level of stamina and our “make it happen” attitude is our greatest resource.

I am now 55 years of age and have lived my life through the eyes of the oil and gas industry. I am informed and experienced enough to know that we aren’t even close to where we could be as an oil and gas nation and as a new energy provider. I want to be proactive and secure our future and the future of our companies and families. This is the place where the new energy mix arises. Where oil and gas will remain the leader in energy consumption overall. It is a time of exponential technological advancement. It is a time to strategically make it happen. It’s now or never.  It’s bull by the horns.

Sources, Graphics and Pictures:
ExxonMobil, Equinor, Nalcor Energy, Masdar, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador

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STORIES OFFER PERSPECTIVES AND INFLUENCE

If you would like to create content for the new digital era please let us know.
We will get your message to the market.

TINA OLIVERO: Publisher & Content Strategist for clients worldwide.

To gain more insight into digital media support and training please contact:
tinaolivero@theogm.com.

Tina Olivero

NALCO CHAMPION

Nalco Champion is an Ecolab company with one million customer locations; within more 40+ industries in over 170 countries. They are a mammoth company and are now located in Newfoundland. A strategic partnership between Nalco Champion and local company Alpha Chemicals, came together to supply the Hebron project with production chemicals and other chemical associated services. “The strategic partnership didn’t happen overnight, said Paul Rawding, Vice President, Alpha Chemical Limited. This has been in the making for decades and it all culminated with us winning the Hebron contract, making Nalco Champion a company that is now firmly rooted in Newfoundland.”

CHEMICAL OPERATIONS

Nalco Champion’s current focus is the execution of our ExxonMobil Hebron oil field chemicals program. The project ensures asset integrity, flow assurance, and oil/water separation to meet regulatory and fiscal requirements. That’s a lot of chemical movement and it requires a lot of safety structure to execute. With this base of product and service offerings, Nalco Champion is now well poised for other contracts that will arise in the oil and gas industry. Offshore Newfoundland represents a world-class resource with an estimated 60 billion BOE. There is a lot more business in the future.

Oilfield speciality chemicals are risky business and require the utmost of professionalism and safety for pristine operations. Nalco Champion was up for the task. To execute the Hebron project a facility operation was needed on the ground floor for the local supply and service of chemicals in St. John’s Newfoundland. District Manager and Director of Technology for Nalco Champion in Eastern Canada, Christopher Morrison says, “Internally, our supply chain adheres to “Zero Defect Delivery” standards. Externally, our chemicals are used to ensure facility asset integrity so that there are no breaches of containment. As well we provide flow assurance and oil/water separation ensuring environmental compliance in the environmentally sensitive Grand Banks. From manufacturing through supply chain, to our offshore personnel, all staff is trained in the safe handling of production chemicals.”

CHEMICAL SAFETY

When it comes to people, first and foremost, Nalco Champion new hires have to embrace and live Nalco Champion’s “Goal Zero” safety philosophy. They believe that zero accidents, incidents, and environmental releases are achievable.

Frank Brockerville says, “There many tools and methods in our arsenal to help us achieve our safety goals. I believe that safety policies and procedures have to be strictly adhered to, no “shortcuts”. I believe that a strong safety culture is developed over time by a positive discussion around safety during daily operational toolbox talks (everyone has a voice in safety), routine safety audits/safety meetings and incorporating safety lessons learned into daily routines.”

THE FUTURE

Garrett Rogers, Area Manager of Oilfield Chemicals for Nalco Champion says, “We know there will be a lot more drilling offshore Newfoundland with the exploration and production programs that are happening. It’s an exciting time when you realize that more oil discoveries are happening. Just last week we had another oil find.”

Being a part of Newfoundland, its culture, workforce, and future are most important to Nalco Champion. Garrett says, “We see an opportunity for Nalco Champion to grow with customers in this region. Our goal is to have a strong local footprint and capabilities that enable us to bring our global expertise and leading technology to Newfoundland’s oil and gas customers.”

Ross O’Dell, Nalco Champion, VP OFC North America says, “At Nalco Champion, we have a division focused solely on deepwater CapEx projects and ongoing support for the production from new oil through the mature field. We like being alongside the best operators, in growing markets, in the most challenging environments. We are excited to have set up operations to bring world-class support to the deepwater oil and gas industry here in Newfoundland.”

Ross says, “Talent is a big priority for Nalco Champion around the world. Talent will fuel our future growth. That is why we are focused on attracting, hiring, and retaining outstanding teams. We also like to hire and develop talent from the communities in which we work while giving strong support from our global network of experts. We believe that we are enhanced by having diverse and inclusive teams.”

NALCO CHAMPION FACILITY – GRAND OPENING

The brand new facility in White Hills includes the Nalco Champion office, warehousing, and chemical lab. It is a state-of-the-art operation designed for handling chemical operations.

June 21st marks the grand opening and guests will join team members for a showing of the facility and learn about the vision for expansion.

Guests will take a tour of the facility and will discover that it was designed by high-level, world-renowned, fire and safety specialists, RJ Bartlett Engineering, who adhere to or exceed US and Canadian fire regulations and specifications. It’s an incredible world-class chemicals handling site.

From idea to completion, the St. John’s Nalco Champion facility is now a reality. Frank Brockerville says, “Congratulations to all those involved in making this a success and for elevating Nalco Champion to be a leading chemical provider in Eastern Canada.”

“It is time to reimagine the traditional trade show and focus on education and training for the energy industry,” says Wes Scott, President and CEO of EventWorx Corporation, which purchased the Show from dmg events in 2017.

Scott says exhibitors want to see more of the right people attending, and the right attendees want access to more education, training, live demonstrations and networking options.  “We have spent a lot of time talking to exhibitors and attendees, to help us shape a new focus to a more grass-roots approach,” says Scott.

“A lot of business still needs to be done face-face – large contracts in the energy sector are built on relationships and fostered by face-face interactions. We look forward to generating a refreshed platform for both companies and individuals to get together to find innovative supply chain solutions.”

Like the industry it supports, the upcoming Atlantic Canada Petroleum Show is evolving to include clean technologies, renewables and environmental technologies.  For the first time in the Show’s history, for example, the Newfoundland & Labrador Environmental Industry Association will be hosting a new clean technology pavilion.

Kieran Hanley, Executive Director of the Newfoundland & Labrador Environmental Industry Association, (NEIA), says the association’s new clean technology pavilion will include members with environmental, clean and renewable technologies. NEIA is celebrating its 25th year in 2018.

 “What we want to do through participation in the Show is to start telling the story about the connection between cleantech and oil and gas, and continue to build that story and encourage others to really get involved and explore opportunities in that space,” says Hanley.

 The pavilion is important as it begins to shift the Show from primarily an offshore oil and gas event, towards becoming Canada’s east coast premier all-energy event.

 “We’re a not-for-profit association of businesses that are involved in the development of cleantech and the growth of the green economy here in Newfoundland & Labrador,” says Hanley.  “The Government of Canada is now aggressively supporting clean technology, environmental sustainability. Newer studies have shown that if Canada is to gain a competitive advantage in the clean technology business it’s likely going to be related to our natural resource sectors,” says Hanley.  “NEIA sees a real opportunity for Atlantic Canada to leverage its expertise in ocean industries and ocean technology to really become competitive globally in the clean technology space. And of course, from a Newfoundland & Labrador perspective…we see a great opportunity to really become leaders on a global scale in terms of how clean technology can apply to oil and gas.”

Curtis Jerrom, President of DHVI (Downhole Video & Intervention), is a long-time supporter of Atlantic Canada Petroleum Show. DHVI, a Calgary-based company supplies the oil and gas sector in Canada with downhole video camera and calliper inspection services for leak detection, fishing assistance, fluid entry surveys and mechanical failures.

Jerrom has been exhibiting at the show for 12 years.   “One of the things I like about Newfoundland it’s a different type of oilfield environment. They’re down-to-earth people. They’re easy to talk to. They still do business the old way. They like to do meetings face-to-face,” says Jerrom, adding the Show is a great place for him to get exposure for his company. “We’re bringing new technology. By the time we get to that Show, we’ll have our latest and greatest camera sitting in that Show for the first time.”

The Show is proudly held in conjunction with the Newfoundland & Labrador Oil & Gas Industries Association’s (Noia) annual conference.

“People don’t want to just come and walk the aisles – they don’t have time for that,” says Scott. “They need solutions to their challenges and have questions answered.  Atlantic Canada Petroleum Show will allow for that real connection and collaboration.”

Atlantic Canada Petroleum Show will attract 125 exhibiting companies and over 2,000 attendees. Fresh content on the Show floor includes the “Meet the Experts” Series – a parade of experts on a variety of different topics across the supply chain, which allows attendees to get questions answered during scheduled meet-ups. Live, interactive demonstrations and ample networking events will add more value to the Show experience. Networking experiences include the VIP Industry Reception with live entertainment, food and refreshing cocktails from the Martini Ice Bar; The Fish and Chips Day on the Show Floor on June 21, and Craft Beer Tasting to close out the last two hours of the Show on June 21.

The consensus in Alberta for a number of years, mainly in the oil and gas industry is this; bigger is better. Large tanks allow for a truck to sit at a job for a long period of time before having to go to a dump site, and larger trucks typically have a higher capacity for power, which gets the job done efficiently no matter what obstacles are presented. Realistically large trucks have often worked in the oil and gas industry in Alberta, where the majority of the work exists in the rural countryside. As such, these trucks are not as conscientious of their scope and the impact they have on their environment because there is so much space for this equipment to operate. With a surplus of equipment in Alberta and a history of building big trucks, companies all over have assumed that a big truck is all you need to do any job, even in urban climates. However, with tighter quarters, these large trucks don’t have the luxury to interact in the same way they do in the country, and that’s exactly where the ideology of SmartVac comes into play.

What is SmartVac?

SmartVac is a subsidiary of TKS Industries Ltd. that was founded in 2014. TKS Industries is a service company that has been operating vacuum and water trucks in the Alberta Oilfield since 2004. In 2013 TKS Industries decided to open a new division of lightweight hydrovac trucks to service local municipalities and utilities. After an exhaustive search, management concluded that there simply wasn’t a good enough truck available in the single-axle market to justify purchasing a fleet of them. This is when the SmartVac project got the green light. The goal was to develop a hydrovac truck that would be substantially more reliable, have a lower operating cost, and be much easier to operate than what was available on the market. They wanted a truck that was so easy to operate that you could send it out with an 18-year-old with almost no training. This meant that the truck had to be designed to protect itself from abuse and damage. The engineering team went to work and came up with an initial concept that was highly innovative and exciting, quickly garnering the support of Alberta Innovates – Technology Futures and the National Research Council of Canada. SmartVac owns the patent rights to the boom and tank on every one of their units. All of the manufacturing for SmartVac is done right in the heart of Alberta, where the quality control staff can keep an eye on the entire build process. They have an obsession with quality and refuse to provide customers with anything less than the best.

SmartVac began building advanced single-axle hydrovac trucks with the equivalent power of a large tri-drive vehicle. Having only one axle allows the vehicle to be operated by a wider range of drivers, as they only need to carry a class 5 license and air brake ticket in Canada. It also reduces the cost of purchasing, operating, and maintaining the truck. Not every job requires a big truck, and many big trucks are so heavy they are unable to haul more than the SmartVac without being over-weight. Similarly, this truck has the capacity to work in tight quarters and manoeuvre under a multitude of circumstances. The main difference between SmartVac and other single-axle hydrovac’s comes down to weight and power. SmartVac is a lighter and more powerful truck compared to its competitors. Thus, it can carry a higher load while still being road legal, and it can dig faster. How much power difference are we talking? It depends which competitor, but for illustration, let’s compare vacuum blowers. Some of its competitors use the Roots 59 URAI blower, their blower needs about 30 horsepower to turn at max speed. The SmartVac’s Roots RAM 624 blower needs about 120 horsepower. That’s like comparing a 1 litre Ford Focus with a Porsche 911 Turbo. Recently, SmartVac began building tandem units with the same philosophy and innovation as that of their single-axle units.

The innovation and concept of the SmartVac remains rooted in its values of efficiency. This truck has the capability to be run by a single operated touch screen or remote control. Additionally, SmartVac can work in all climates, as it consists of a winterize feature that purges all lines at the touch of a button. Hydrovac trucks are often obtrusive when on the job, however SmartVac has a uniquely engineered cabinet that lowers the decibels to 84db, the equivalent of a food blender. When it comes to size, volume and manoeuvrability, this truck is perfect for municipalities.

SmartVac has since built trucks to operate in Canada, China and the USA. In 2018, SmartVac partnered with Camex Equipment as their exclusive North American distributor.

What’s Next?

Introducing SmartBoom! As SmartVac begins to grow, we have been engaged in creating the future of Boom technology. SmartBoom is a safety feature integrating sensor technology on our patented boom with the capabilities to detect any overhead obstructions (ie. power lines, errant wires, environmental interference).

Learn more by clicking here: http://www.smartvac.ca

SUITS has been developed by Martek Marine Ltd to improve the safety of surveyors and crew members when inspecting tanks, eliminating the need to enter hazardous, confined spaces on board.

SUITS combines the latest in enclosed space drone technology and VR software allowing the operator to deliver a collision tolerant drone through the hatch / confined space entry and then remotely control it via a control console and video screen – the full inspection can be carried out from a safe location.

Inspecting a confined space can present the danger of an oxygen-depleted atmosphere or the ingress of another toxic gas allied to the risks of working at height.

“A preliminary survey of MAIIF members reveals that there have been at least 101 enclosed space incidents resulting in 93 deaths and 96 injuries since the Recommendations were adopted in November 1997”

SUITS has been developed by Martek as the latest product to improve ship safety at a time when there is more focus than ever on ship managers fulfilling their ALARP obligations (risks being “as low as reasonably practicable”). Even when procedures are fully followed there still remains a significant risk from gas pockets, sudden ingress from damaged pipework, falls, trip and the dangers of working from height when traditional rope or scaffolding is used for inspection.

“SUITS will revolutionise confined space inspection to make operations safer, faster and ultimately cheaper,” commented Paul Luen CEO.

The OGM: How is the Saudi royal family working to create unity globally?

Dr. Ellen Wald: The Saudi royal family, known as al Saud, is most concerned with its geopolitical priorities of 1. Counteracting the power reach of Iran and 2. Making money.

For the first goal, it has prioritized its relationship with the U.S., but it is also hoping that Europe, Canada, and others will side with them and with the U.S. against Iran. There are credible rumours and some clear evidence that the threat of Iran has also brought Saudi Arabia into an official relationship with Israel, but we will have to wait to see where that goes.

To pursue the second goal, profit, Saudi Arabia has built friendships across the globe but most notably in East Asia. This, however, has been pursued mostly by the national oil company, Aramco, with some assistance from the Oil Ministry and the king.

The OGM: Please explain the intricacies and vision of the Saudi royal family for Aramco and how this will impact offshore oil and gas exploration and production around the globe.

Dr. Ellen Wald: Historically, al Saud saw an independent and healthy oil industry as a vital component of its rule. There is a saying there that “oil is a gift from God,” and revenue from a well-run oil industry has been the reason that the country has modernized and prospered and the reason that al Saud has maintained a stable monarchy.

Now there are signs that the rulers may wish to exert greater influence over the direction of Aramco. However, so far Aramco has been able to maintain its independence and has consistently led the way in Exploration and Production investment.

I have been told by Aramco executives that they do not plan to purchase oil rights outside of the kingdom anytime soon, but they will invest in any and all opportunities within Saudi borders and off the Saudi coastline.

The OGM: How will Aramco’s vision impact the price of oil?

Dr. Ellen Wald: Aramco itself does not run the oil ministry, which is a government agency. However, since 1995 the oil minister has always been a former Aramco CEO, so they say that Aramco has significant influence. Aramco does not need higher oil prices right now, because the company is profiting well and still investing for the future. Some analysts speculate that Saudi Arabia wants higher prices in anticipation of an Aramco IPO, but the Saudis have provided no evidence for this theory to date.

The OGM: What are the three most impactful initiatives of Saudi Vision2030?

Dr. Ellen Wald: One part of Vision2030 is to bring more foreign businesses into the kingdom to create jobs and build an entrepreneurial atmosphere. For a country that was once extremely insular, this is part of a decades-long trend to open to the international community. Still, there are questions about how global corporations will mix with an authoritarian and religious society on a larger scale.

Vision2030 also incorporates a new plan for the sovereign wealth fund. Called the Public Investment Fund Program, this plan would see the fund grow to two or three trillion dollars while investing in a mix of projects, including foreign business operations in Saudi Arabia, Saudi-run businesses, and global startups. Part of this plan is to promote job opportunities in Saudi Arabia, but it is a significant dedication of capital to a program that—as of now—has not described how it will financially help the people or the government budget.

Vision2030 also incorporates centrally planned development areas, most notably Neom. Neom is intended to be a 10,230 square mile industrial and tech city in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Plans call for it to be powered by renewable energy and be open to people of all countries and faiths. Still, the concept is only in its infancy and it is unclear how much of the vision will actually be realized.

The OGM: How will technology play a role in the Aramco vision?

Dr. Ellen Wald: For a while now Aramco has been a major technological innovator, much like Exxon or BP. In the 1990s, Aramco built its Shaybah facility, which is still seen as cutting-edge upstream technology. When the company takes journalists or dignitaries on tours of its facilities, it stops to show off the top innovations such as its carbon capture vehicles or its nanotechnology. Aramco has also been exploring alternative energies since the 1970s when it was still partially American-owned. Back then the company was using solar panels to power desert installations, and the company outwardly maintains a devotion to developing effective alternative energy. It sees itself as an energy company, not just an oil company. It is evident that Aramco is devoting significant research and development funds to developing new energy technologies and, in particular, those that can increase the life of Saudi Arabia’s oil reserves.

The OGM: How will globalization play a role in oil developments with Aramco?

Dr. Ellen Wald: In 1986, Aramco first invested in an international downstream facility, with a partial ownership of what is today Motiva. Since then, Aramco has expanded its downstream operations, most notably in East Asia. Oil is a globalized business by its nature, but Aramco’s strategy has focused significantly on customers, distribution channels, and downstream partnerships over the last 15 years. Aramco is still far behind the largest IOC’s in terms of downstream capacity, but the company’s strategy continues to focus on developing midstream and downstream assets.

The OGM: How will the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) grow to the predicted $2 trillion in the next 2-7 years?

Dr. Ellen Wald: It is a mystery how the PIF will grow to $2 trillion or more in such a short time, and it is unlikely to happen. In September of 2017, the PIF had assets of less than $225 billion. One possibility is to give government shares of Aramco to the PIF. This would immediately grow the size of the PIF, but unless the PIF sells more shares in Aramco after the IPO, those assets cannot be invested in anything new. (Note that even the most generous projections only see a $100 billion sale for the five percent of shares that would be issued in an IPO).

Another possibility is to take cash from the state treasury, but that would be difficult since the government has run a deficit in recent years. The last option would be to grow the PIF through returns, but the government claims to be seeking returns of between four and five percent annually, which will not create that kind of growth.

The OGM: What’s the smartest thing Canada and the US could do right now to advance oil and gas exploration and production?

Dr. Ellen Wald: The U.S. and Canada need to incentivize E&P investment. Most IOCs are behind in their CapEx spending, meaning we may not have enough production in the coming years. Building better transportation infrastructure is also necessary as transportation costs eat into the profits of each barrel produced.

The OGM: Are there plans to align Aramco with further opportunities in the US and Canada?

Dr. Ellen Wald: Aramco goes where the profit opportunities are. Aramco already owns the largest refinery in the United States, as well as innovation centers across the continent, and a venture capital arm that invests in startups here. Aramco claims it does not yet foresee investing in oil rights outside of Saudi Arabia, but they have indicated an interest in investing in natural gas assets in North America.

If Aramco is going to be the IOC it sees itself as, then it will be open to working with any U.S. or Canadian opportunity. Aramco knows from its American past and American heritage, that there are few better partners than U.S. and Canadian companies.

The OGM: Where is the price of oil headed?

Dr. Ellen Wald: Ali al-Naimi, the former Aramco CEO and Saudi oil minister, once said that only Allah (God) knows where the price of oil is going. That said, I believe the drop in prices from 2014 to 2017 was the result of overproduction. Of course, the impetus for the actual drop was the decision by Saudi Arabia in June and November 2014 to allow for essentially unlimited production from OPEC.

Saudi Arabia did not want to enact OPEC cuts that it alone would suffer for while the rest of OPEC cheated and non-OPEC producers (Russia, North America, and others) increased production to make up for Saudi reductions. Now, Aramco and Saudi Arabia have achieved what they wanted—they forced the weaker producers in US shale and Venezuela to cut production involuntarily and they forced the rest of OPEC (and even non-OPEC partners like Russia) to comply with new cuts. There is no reason, at this point, for any producer to seek lower prices. The question is whether demand or geopolitics will force prices up.

When it comes to understanding Saudi Arabia and Aramco’s goals, it is important to look at their past. One must understand what drove them to success and what they are planning for in the future.

The Mont Sainte-Marguerite (MSM) wind farm in Quebec, has installed technology which has been in use across much of Europe for many years and greatly reduces the environmental impact of light pollution from the warning lights on local residents. The aviation warning lights have to be very bright so that they can be seen by aircraft from several kilometres away. However, in very clear atmospheric conditions (no low cloud, no fog or rain) these lights can have their brightness reduced, down to as little as 10% output, without compromising their effectiveness. Conversely, in foggy or poor visibility conditions, the lights’ brightness can be turned up to the maximum output to ensure that they can be seen.

The Biral visibility sensors are mounted on the top of the turbines and monitor the atmospheric conditions in real-time. They then adjust the lights’ brightness depending upon these atmospheric conditions and thereby reduce any light pollution caused to a minimum.

Biral sensors have been used across Europe for several years in this application and are a standard fit for most of the world’s largest turbine manufacturers.

Biral is the manufacturer of the VPF and SWS Visibility and Present Weather sensors which are used worldwide. The renowned VPF range of visibility and present weather sensors are the most durable on the market, with a proven track record of more than 20 years, and are designed for use in safety-critical applications.

Biral VPF sensors are used to automate visibility and present weather measurements in a wide range of applications, providing improved safety and reduced costs. They are well known for their high durability, reliability and accuracy. A VPF sensor will provide many years of problem-free operation requiring minimal attention and use Forward Scatter Meter (FSM) technology to calculate the Meteorological Optical Range (MOR).

The SWS sensor series was introduced in 2009 and shares much of the advanced technology used in the VPF range. With a powder coated, all-metal enclosure, the sensors are proven to be reliable for extended periods of operation. All SWS series visibility and present weather sensors meet ICAO and WMO requirements for use in national meteorological networks as well as aviation applications such as RVR and AWOS systems.

The biggest influencer on oil price is supply and demand. When world oil supply is high oil prices most often go down. When the supply of oil is low and demand is high, oil prices often go up.

Supply and demand are impacted by population, politics, economics and a range of other factors. Let’s take a look…

POPULATION

Our ever-expanding global population and the importance of energy in developing countries creates higher oil demand.

Just how much will oil and gas be impacted by population growth? Oil demand is expected to increase by close to 100 million barrels of oil equivalent a day (mboe/d) between 2015 and 2040. That figure remains even with renewable energy coming on stream. It’s not an either-or situation – it’s both.

OPEC

OPEC stands for The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. OPEC is a consortium consisting of 13 of the world’s major oil-exporting nations including Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Venezuela.

OPEC manages the supply of oil in an effort to set the price of oil on the world market. The goal is to avoid fluctuations that might affect the economies of both producing and purchasing countries. OPEC countries act together as if they were a single producer and is able to fix price for oil without unnecessary competition and market disparity.

Oil Production and Consumption

Because of so many oil influencers, even OPEC doesn’t always get it right. In 2014 OPEC maintained its production level of oil despite lowering demand in Europe and China. The result was an oil excess in the market and a falling oil price which had a negative impact on the world.

In 2015, US shale oil producers steadily increased and pushed US oil production to 9.4 million mbpd, reducing the OPEC market share. The result was an increased supply of oil in the world oil market and a historic drop in oil price which we have all just experience. It also created a shale oil boom for oil producers in the US simultaneously. Things ebb and flow.

IMPACT OF LOW OIL PRICE

The direct impact of low oil prices spans far and wide. It affects oil producers, major contractors, suppliers, supporting industries and the people who work in them. To give you an example of how hard-hitting low oil prices can be, consider this: In 2015, oil exploration and production declined significantly. The number of drilling rigs declined 44 percent in the first quarter of 2015.

How did that impact the world’s oil exploration, production, drilling progress, oil supply, companies, and employees? The magnitude was staggering. Of the more than 440,000 layoffs that happened globally during the recent depressed oil price regime, it is estimated that:

178,466 or 40 percent of those jobs were lost in the United States;

124,000 or 28 percent of the layoffs were from the UK North Sea,

and 46,000 people or 10 percent lost their jobs in Canada.

The employment situation that resulted from the low oil was a global tragedy.

Job loss has a domino effect in terms of; spin-off business in the oil and gas sector, overall economics, individual spending, household income, individual health and well being, family health, quality of life and many other socio-economic impacts. It was tragic and may have been prevented with stronger, global collaboration.

The ‘Declaration of Cooperation’ Combats low oil price

To combat low oil prices and its impact on the energy sector and the world, on November 30, 2016, OPEC extended production cuts to 1.2 million barrels per day to the end of 2018. This ensured that high demand and lower production would drive the price of oil back up.

Reacting to the global demise, on December 2016, a decision of the 11 non- OPEC producing nations also agreed to voluntarily make production adjustments over the same time period as OPEC. The drawdown of the stock overhang and bring the oil market rebalancing forward. These adjustments by a total of 24 participating nations, now known as the ‘Declaration of Cooperation’, have since been renewed to the end of March 2018. The price of oil rose to that it is today. $70 and rising. It worked.

OTHER INFLUENCING FACTORS

Seasonal weather conditions impact oil based on consumption. For example, winter’s colder weather results in higher energy consumption which in turn increases oil demand.

The dollar price impacts the price of oil. When the dollar declines, oil revenues decline and simultaneously costs go up. Recession impacts the price of oil. In a domino effect, the most likely scenario of a recession is an economic decline, that leads to a spending decline, an oil consumption decline and then an oil price decline.

Natural disasters impact the price of oil. For example, Hurricane Katrina affected 19% of the US oil supply in 2005 causing prices to climb $3 per barrel.

Political dynamics impact the price of oil. In January 2013, oil prices rose when Iran played war games near the Straits of Hormuz causing a potential threat to this oil shipping lane. Based on a perceived decrease in supply, by February 8, oil had reached $118.90/barrel. That sent gas prices to $3.85 a gallon by February 25, 2013. The strait of Hormuz transports oil and gas from Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE. Any disruption to this region will have significant effects upon global crude prices, given the impact on supply.

Today, we are experiencing a number of factors impacting oil and gas price; The volatility in Venezuela impacts oil as Washington is considering sanctions against Venezuela. There is an increase in demand for Nigerian oil, however, there are ongoing Nigerian domestic problems causing an unstable exploration and production climate. China has been at unrest in the South China Sea. Before this article is published there will be more.

We will always have political influence on oil production so it’s really about how we unite to mitigate and manage them. Political variables and circumstance change constantly and come with their own set of policies, negotiations, and cultural discourse. They move with time and leadership. We can understand the regional implications of political influence on oil and gas but it’s now time to look at the big picture overall and make global political decisions simultaneously understanding regional influence. Media could be paramount in achieving this.

The Oil Price Spike: Being Smarter

The current upward spike in oil price is a great indicator of how variables merge and create changes rapidly. We’ve seen a dramatic increase in price in a matter of months. The game is unpredictable at best, economically devastating at worst. But without oil, life as we know it would come to a screeching halt. Not having oil as an energy source, is not an option. So these are the times of global perspective, unity among nations and energy collaboration for the good of all. This era demands that we be smart with oil and gas and use it for it’s highest good. We must use oil to bridge non-renewables to renewable energy sources. Oil and gas will bring in new energy as it is the foundation of that energy play. It willfuel new energy into existence.

We need to be ensured of energy supply with a cleaner energy source for the survival of our growing population and our beautiful planet.

Right now, the oil price is hovering between $75 – $80 per barrel. We will never perfect the oil price game because there are too many moving parts. But we can lessen the degree of impact and mitigate risk.

Our global goal should be to unite where possible, make global production decisions that benefit all, mitigate natural disasters and climate change where possible by ensuring our planet is clean and safe.

Given that every person on the planet is impacted by oil and gas, we need to make global decisions rather than local ones. The Declaration of Cooperation is one step closer to global unity. Next, it’s to harness the potential of developing nations and bring them into the equation in an inclusive and energy conscious way.

If we have learned anything from the recent oil price decline and it’s impacting global demise, it is that values of cooperation and unity are not soft skills and fluffy ideals, they are the foundation of our future.

Our oil and gas plan moving forward is clear; take careful consideration of as many oil and gas impacting variables as possible and when all is considered, then and only then, take the best action forward.

Just as it is our duty to ensure we have clean air to breathe on a pristine planet, it is also our duty as a global energy consuming world to ensure it’s availability. They work together.

Holistically, we must leave our people, places and things in better shape than we found them.

Source: OPEC.org

ISource, Charts, Graphs: www.OPEC.org

H2Oil & Gas was formed in 2006 to provide specialized offshore water treatment technologies and services to the Oil and Gas industry, focusing on sulphate removal technology, seawater reverse osmosis and processes associated with water injection for enhanced oil recovery, H2Oil & Gas is unique in this sector in that it provides specialist technical input at project inception through equipment specification, selection and supply, commissioning and long-term plant operation support (healthcare).

H2Oil & Gas, an Aquarion Group company, has completed a contract to design and supply equipment for a produced water treatment plant in Malaysia.

The high pressure (117 bar) system reduces the oil in water content from 3000ppm down to <20ppm with an optimized process design that uses the existing gas in the system, eliminating the use of additional fuel gas used on standard Compact Flotation Units. This design, together with a carefully developed layout, produced a low weight compact skid for use on an offshore module that was at a critical weight limit.

H2Oil & Gas sourced a local fabrication company in Malaysia, familiar with all in-country standards and practices, to ensure these were met the first time. This approach resulted in the package being delivered to the client’s yard much earlier than scheduled.

Scott Barrie, Managing Director of H₂Oil & Gas, stated, “We are delighted that all savings from the optimized design and layout of this package were passed on to the client, and I am proud of our team’s hard work to ensure an early delivery and a high-quality competitive solution.”

When it comes to hidden gas hazards every location is suspect. It’s the role of leadership and management in corporations to ensure gas safety is a top priority.

Considerations for gas detection devices vary. With many options and variations, safety officials need to ensure they are getting the kind of gas detection products that are specific to their individual needs and delivers on ensuring the well-being of their workforce.

EnviroMed Detection Services of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada is committed to gas detection at the highest levels. Lee Parmiter, CEO of EnviroMed says, “No matter where gas hazards hide, you have the power to protect your people with the right tools. At EnviroMed we have the ability to analyze our client’s needs and offer the right solutions, devices and methodologies that will keep people safe. For example, our Touchpoint Plus Controller is wall mounted and provides sixteen channels of gas detection. That’s just one of our many devices and options.”

Touchpoint Plus Controller

Touchpoint Plus takes the user experience to the next level. With its unique user interface, operators are able to take control of their gas detection system, safe in the knowledge that their site and staff are protected and productivity is maintained.

Designed to work across multiple industries, Touchpoint Plus’ modular architecture enables you to customize your system to meet your specific application requirements.

Large touchscreen LCD 
Built around its intuitive, ergonomic touchscreen, Touchpoint Plus is designed for ease. From here operators can configure, operate and maintain their gas detection system simply and efficiently by simply touching the screen. The multilingual interface simplifies operation, reducing training requirements and costs. Real-time data is presented in an easy to navigate menu system, whilst historical data can be downloaded to monitor developing threats.

At a glance system visibility
When fast and informed decisions need to be made, Touchpoint Plus’ full-colour traffic light style status indicators provide clarity from a distance allowing operators to see system status at-a-glance and make time-critical decisions easily.

Unique industrial design
Made of high-impact polymer plastic, Touchpoint Plus is versatile and durable. It is dust-proof, water-proof and has been tested to withstand the toughest environments in which our customers operate – indoors and out. Touchpoint Plus can be directly wall mounted, or for an easier 1-man installation there is an optional mounting plate. Behind the hinged front cover, there is plenty of space for wiring and a unique tiered terminal arrangement for easy access. Cable entries are pre-drilled and sealed ready to use, further reducing installation time and cost.

Full system solution
Touchpoint Plus provides a reliable safety solution for small-scale gas detection systems across a wide range of applications and industries. As the heart of your gas detection system, Touchpoint Plus is designed to work with Honeywell’s industry-leading gas detectors and drive actuators, audible and visual alarms to provide a complete end-to-end, highly configurable safety solution.

The Touchpoint Plus gas detection is an easily configurable, wall mounted control system that supports up to sixteen channels of gas detection. Its intuitive user interface and modular approach enable you to take control of your safety system and configure it to meet your needs for a wide range of applications.

Features and applications

Quick and easy setup and use
Intuitive touchscreen user interface
Traffic light style status at a glance
Ergonomic industrial design
Suited to a wide range of industries
Supports up to 16 channels of gas detection
Accepts 2 or 3 wire mA or mV inputs
Touchscreen LCD
Built-in powered alarm relays.

Sensepoint XCL

Sensepoint XRL is a fixed point gas detector with Bluetooth that allows the user to connect the gas detector to a smartphone or tablet running the Sensepoint gas detector app.

Sensepoint XRL is available as a flammable gas detector for the detection of potentially explosive gases or as a toxic gas detector for the detection of a range of toxic gas hazards commonly found in industrial applications.
Winner of both iF and Red Dot design awards, Sensepoint XRL is designed with simple and quick installation in mind. And for initial calibration, all you need is our Sensepoint App on your smartphone and a cylinder of calibration gas — no need for walkie-talkie guidance with the control room. Use the Sensepoint App to create a profile for the detector, choose alarm set points, run test procedures and automatically generate a commissioning report, which you can send from your phone to other stakeholders or store for easy access in a safety inspection. No need for paperwork.

Sensepoint XRL’s smartphone-based experience significantly reduces the time you spend on gas detector maintenance. And when doing maintenance checks, our Sensepoint App puts diagnostic information at your fingertips.

It has bright indicator lights visible from a distance, making it easy to locate a detector requiring maintenance.  And the Bluetooth connection is non-intrusive so there is no need for a hot work permit.

You can also save valuable time with easy reporting on the Sensepoint App. Whether you need a maintenance report for a certain detector or a gas history for a safety audit, just select the right report on the app and send it to other parties — or store it for easy recall.  For a complete gas leak detection system, Sensepoint XRL has the perfect partner in Touchpoint Plus, a configurable, easy-to-use controller for up to sixteen channels of gas detection.

Sensepoint XCL is a fixed gas detector that delivers the safety and compliance you expect. It was designed especially for commercial and light industrial applications, delivering just the right amount of functionality to protect people on your premises and ensure compliance with regulations.

Sensepoint XCL combines a simple yet robust mechanical housing with a gas detector app, so you can use everyday technology to set up and maintain your gas detector — and quickly get back to business.

Sensepoint XCL is available as a flammable gas detector for the detection of potentially explosive gases or as a toxic gas detector for the detection of a range of toxic gas hazards commonly found in commercial premises.

Features & Benefits

Manage installation, commissioning and maintenance of the gas detector app on your smartphone
Aesthetic design blends into the environment
Simple, robust housing with our easiest ever installation and maintenance
Integral gassing port for hard-to-reach locations
Compatible with Touchpoint Plus and other industry-standard controllers
mA loop or Modbus RTU output with optional relays
Multi-colour LED status indicator
Operating temperature −20 to 50°C, ingress protection IP65
Choice of toxic, oxygen or flammable sensors

KEEPING THEM SAFE
_______________________________________________________________

YES, I would like more information on EnviroMed Gas Detection solutions.

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The use of drones for inspections enables remote live on-screen object inspection, which can result in the elimination of the use of costly and risky access equipment such as scaffolding and cherry pickers, and in the instance of external inspections resource intensive rope access teams. This technology used in this way in turn then offers additional substantial benefits to shipowners and managers such as; reduction in the time to carry out a survey, minimising of risk, as well as cost savings.

The collaboration extends the services of RIMS to allow for inspections across the marine and offshore industry as they are now able to service inspections for assets including ship hulls, mobile offshore structures and cranes.

David Knukkel, CEO of RIMS: “Corporation with DDC offers us a new service which we can extend to our customers. Collectively we not only have the best equipment and skills to execute a top-class inspection, but we have all safety systems and permits in place to ensure full compliance with all regulations (legal and customer specific), enabling us to act quickly on market demands. Having such a partnership in place means that we can offer a quick and efficient service for all our customers’ inspection needs.”

Feye de Zwart, CEO of DDC: “We are a fully certified drone operator and currently the only company allowed to carry out inspection flights in the Controlled Traffic Regions (CTR) around airports. A large area of the Rotterdam harbour is located in this CTR . So being able to expand our service through the partnership with RIMS means that we can really offer added value to our customers, providing a trusted, reliable, quick and all-encompassing service.”

Forging of new partnership allows RIMS to offer full drone package service to shipowners

About RIMS

RIMS are a global project and maintenance consultancy to help revolutionise maintenance strategies with smart drones and robotic. RIMS’ high tech expertise in combination with smart asset management solutions means customers benefit from much safer, more sustainable and cost-efficient surveying and maintenance solutions. RIMS have successfully achieved class approval with; ABS, Bureau Veritas, Korean Register, Lloyd’s Register and RINA.

About DDC

Dutch Drone Company (DDC) was founded with the goal to provide the industry with solutions for faster and safer inspections. DDC offers a wide variety of services with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and is certified to operate in the Controlled Traffic Regions (CTR zones) around airports in the Netherlands.

Oil producers laid hundreds of miles of gathering pipelines to keep pace with Shale Boom across North America from 2009 to 2017. Produced water production has increased exponentially with oil and gas production. U.S. oil and gas wells alone now produce over one trillion gallons per year of produced water, the inadvertent byproduct that must be contained and transported to disposal or reclamation sites1. The everyday use of trucks to carry this dirty water creates its challenges such as cost, safety and traffic congestion. A Barclays report stated, “Reducing transportation costs will inevitably drive investment in pipeline infrastructure for both produced water and freshwater. Although building pipeline infrastructure carries a high upfront capital expenditure, it reduces operating expenses down the line.”

Produced water, like crude oil, is considered hazardous to the environment. It is prudent to consider cost-effective options for leak detection on these pipelines as well as on the crude gathering networks. The December 2016 leak detection study, “PIPELINE LEAK DETECTION – FIELD EVALUATION OF MULTIPLE APPROACHES FOR LIQUIDS GATHERING PIPELINES”, commissioned by the state of North Dakota, and written by the Energy & Environmental Research Center, the University of North Dakota3 states the following:

“Field evaluation results suggest that the addition of CPM to an unpressurized gathering system could provide a 96% reduction in total spill volume when compared to daily flow accounting and would reduce the time to detect to less than 2 hours.”

The produced water pipeline infrastructure gathers produced water from temporary storage available at production sites and typically uses automatic pumping to transport the produced water to temporary storage, to a disposal site, or a reclamation facility. The crude gathering network collects crude from the wells and carries it to temporary storage or delivers it directly into a transportation pipeline. Crude gathering networks and the produced water networks typically share some unique challenges for leak detection:

• Product composition is variable depending on the specific well, the production field, and the region, and there are usually no density measurements available to the SCADA from each well
• Gathering networks can have many injections and deliveries
• Implementation speed; well-pads can be added weekly as new production comes online
• Dynamic nature of injecting from numerous wells at different flow rates
• Limited access to the right-of-ways to add instrumentation at the branch connections, so typically there is only flow and pressure data available from the LACT units at the wells and at the outlet
• Constrained communications bandwidth limits the SCADA update rate to minutes at best
• Draining or can cause slack in the network pipelines filling as injection pumps operate intermittently

Such challenges explain why many leak detection methods that work on transmission pipelines may be unsuitable for a gathering system or produced water system. Factors that influence the performance of leak detection technology for these upstream systems include:

1. Number and quality of sensors on the pipeline
2. Availability and quality of the telecommunications system
3. Pipeline operating scenarios such as transient events from continuous start and stop of injections and deliveries and slack flow conditions

Pumps on the wells at inlets of a gathering system frequently start and stop and flow rates change often; there is seldom a steady state as normal operating conditions tend to always be in transient. Some technologies are hard-pressed to cope with transient behaviour and must desensitize to avoid frequent false leak alarms, sometimes to the level where they even mask leaks normally detected during steady state.

This paper explores the ability of the four main leak detection methods to overcome the unique challenges of crude oil gathering networks and produced water pipelines. Fiber optic leak detection was not considered because its high cost is unattractive in this price-sensitive industry, because of the risks in deploying it on existing pipelines, and cannot provide the size of a spill.

Table 2 shows that the only two systems with the ability to successfully detect leaks during transient conditions are the Statistical Corrected Volume Balance system and, to a lesser extent, the Real-time Transient Model (RTTM) system. The Statistical Corrected Volume Balance system can detect leaks under all operating scenarios; shut-in, running, and transient operation. The RTTM system, on the other hand, must raise the minimum detectable leak size threshold during transient operations (virtually all the time in gathering lines) to reduce false leak alarms and may require additional costly instrumentation.

Performance of Leak Detection Systems on gathering networks and produced water pipelines

Volume Balance

Volume balance can detect leaks on upstream systems if the detection time windows are sufficiently long, however, the North Dakota study found that the speed of detection appeared to be a function of pipeline conditions over the past day, pump operations, and leak size.³ The transient nature of a gathering system and the constant packing and unpacking within the pipeline system make line balance systems unreliable.  Simple line balance systems have far longer detection times for leaks when used with extended scan rates, resulting in significantly larger spills before detection. 

Negative Pressure Wave (NPW) based leak detection

Although negative pressure wave systems only require pressure transmitters, they typically require high data bandwidth to provide readings every few milliseconds.  The high data rate allows for better location accuracy, but additional data acquisition units and high bandwidth communications are required.  In these remote areas, high bandwidth data can be difficult and costly to achieve.

Effective negative pressure wave LDS requires pressure data from every junction

NPW systems only need pressure transmitters, but a pressure sensor should bound each branch. Adding this intermediate instrumentation can be difficult as land-owners often oppose access to install the additional pressure sensors and hardware at the intermediate junctions. When there is access to install this hardware, the NPW option can provide very sensitive leak detection and detect leaks faster than the other three systems under review. Recent advances in non-intrusive sensor technology make it easy and cost-effective to add non-intrusive pressure sensors and even flow sensors anywhere along a pipeline (if the land-owner permits access), even in locations that lack power, or communications. There is no longer a need to drill or cut a pipeline at any intermediate position to add instrumentation. High-speed data collection and transmission devices can collect flow, pressure and temperature data and perform the leak analysis locally, so the devices need only transmit the leak alarm and leak location back to the control room in cases where communication bandwidth is limited.

Real-time transient model (RTTM) based leak detection

A well maintained RTTM that accurately models the real-life behaviour of a pipeline can provide good leak detection on transportation pipelines.  However, as explained above the nature of produced water and crude oil gathering networks make them impossible to model with reasonable certainty.  The RTTMs cannot accurately model the transient behaviours caused by pumps frequently stopping and starting across the network and must degrade leak detection at such times to avoid frequent false leak alarms. 

An RTTM cannot accurately model the continually shifting composition and viscosity of the crude or the produced water rising from the well-pads.  The product compositions frequently change in each well-pad, change from well-pad to well-pad, and from oilfield to oilfield. The time taken to model additional pipeline sections as new wells come online makes it difficult to have an effective RTTM-based leak detection system.  Furthermore, an RTTM requires accurate product temperature and density readings from the field, and these are seldom available.    

Statistical Corrected Volume Balance (SCVB)

The statistically corrected volume balance leak detection system has been successfully deployed on numerous crude gathering systems and produced water pipelines, and is the prevalent method used in the new Shale boom pipelines because it has demonstrated significant advantages over the other methods in real-life applications and rigorous testing in the field.  For example, the RTTM and volume balance methods rely on accuracy, whereas, the statistical corrected volume balance leak detection system relies more on the repeatability of the measurements, making statistical corrected volume balance the better choice regarding instrumentation requirement and scan rate.

The statistical corrected volume balance system can achieve good reliability and sensitivity even with the existing instrumentation of limited accuracy if the meters are repeatable, avoiding the high capital investment to upgrade instrumentation accurate enough to support an RTTM.

The Energy & Environmental Research Center tested the statistical corrected volume balance system alongside volume balance systems in the North Dakota study.  The report says, “Ultimately, Company B2’s product identified all withdrawals without an erroneous false positive indication. Progress to detection was consistent during all tests despite pump cycling and slack variation, and detection occurred under steady-state, static, and transient conditions—all within a single CPM LDS package. Additionally, Company B2’s LDS was the only LDS evaluated that provided leak location estimates”³. Company B2 used the statistical corrected volume balance system. 

The statistical volume balance system proved itself again when installing on a produced water network with multiple injections in Canadian winter conditions.  It detected a leak at a well-pad in the first quarter of 2018 and located the leak with sufficient accuracy to allowed the producer to quickly minimize the damage. It would have been difficult to detect this produced water leak visually because of snow cover and the produced water freezing soon after spilling out.

Based on the instrumentation requirements, infrastructure needed to support the CPM scan rate, transient functionality, and high tolerance of composition change, the Statistical Corrected Volume Balance (SCVB) technology is the most suitable for gathering systems.  Cases 1 and 2 below are two of many examples of the successful applications of the statistical corrected volume balance technology on upstream pipeline networks.

REAL SYSTEMS DEPLOYED

Case 1: A crude gathering network

Early in the shale boom, the Atmos Pipe statistical corrected volume balance leak detection system was successfully implemented on several complex gathering systems, some collected crude and others collected produced water. 

The first case shows a crude oil gathering system in Texas, which has maintained the SCVB LDS successfully for several years.  The SCVB was first implemented onto the gathering system with 20 inlet stations.  Since then the gathering network has expanded to over 80 wells as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Gathering system following 2 years of expansion from 20 to over 80 well-pads

The initial SCVB LDS was installed with a 1% minimum detectable leak size sensitivity and maintained the same sensitivity as the network grew with complexity. The operators regularly test the system with physical product withdrawals and simulated leak tests to verify the system’s performance on the continually expanding gathering network.

Case 2

The second case is an example of the statistically corrected volume balance leak detection system installed on a large produced water gathering system in Texas. Figure 2 shows only a section of the entire gathering system. This gathering system has multiple sectionalizing flow meters to segment the network into separate hydraulic sections. The separation allows the client to optimize the performance of the leak detection system in each segment and maintain sensitivity as the produced water network expands unceasingly.

Figure 2: Part of a produced water gathering system

The leak detection system can detect a minimum leak of 1% of the nominal flow in 60 minutes in some sections, and can detect a minimum leak of 2% of the nominal flow in 60 minutes in the remaining sections. These thresholds are set to assure high reliability to minimize disruption to operations from false leak alarms.

Conclusions

Oil and gas producers continue to add crude gathering and produced water pipelines in this shale-driven renaissance of North American energy production. With a rising demand for nimble, efficient and cost-effective pipeline leak detection, the statistical corrected volume balance technology has proven to be the most suitable and reliable leak detection technology for gathering systems. Field deployments show the SCVB LDS functions well with minimum instrumentation and slow data scan rates. Independent, third-party trials have proven that this cost-effective system detects and locates leaks during transient operations, and easily tolerates changes in product composition. This system continues to prove itself in the production fields, detecting real leaks quickly.

References

1. Reed, B. (2017, February 25). These Facts Suggest That Water “Commoditization” and a Water Price Index Is The Future Of Upstream Energy Water Management Cost Reduction. Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.comhttps://www.sourcewater.com/blog/water-commoditization/

2. Barclays, Impact Series – 02, “Water and oil and gas, finding the right mix”

3. Energy & Environmental Research Center, University of North Dakota. “PIPELINE LEAK DETECTION – FIELD EVALUATION OF MULTIPLE APPROACHES FOR LIQUIDS GATHERING PIPELINES”. December 2016.

Carbon Neutral

What’s all the buzz about Carbon footprints and why are we in pursuit of a carbon neutral goal?

The answer is simple. We are no longer willing to sit around and watch the planet die of pollution. People are becoming conscious about the earth like never before. Climate Change is the catalyst but so is our own desire to do and be better. A fundamental commitment to create a sustainable future for our kids. We are moving into the era or environmental responsibility and ensuring a sustainable future. It’s simple – we give a damn!

Calculate your companies carbon footprint and offset what you emit! Turn emissions into trees!

The Post-Carbon Economy

In an effort to reduce carbon emissions the global consensus believes that we can do two things to make it happen. Reduce carbon emissions and if you can’ fully reduce them, purchase carbon credits to offset carbon emissions. The combination of both allows us to fulfil the goal of being a carbon neutral, company, organization, town or city.

Said in another way, Carbon neutrality, or having a net zero carbon footprint refers to achieving net zero carbon emissions by balancing a measured amount of carbon released with an equivalent amount to offset it or buying enough carbon credits to make up the difference. Best practice for organizations and individuals seeking carbon neutral status entails reducing and/or avoiding carbon emissions first so that only unavoidable emissions are offset.

Carbon offsetting is the process of paying others to remove carbon dioxide emitted from the atmosphere by methods such as planting trees or funding ‘carbon projects’ that lead to the prevention of future greenhouse gas emissions, or by buying carbon credits to remove them through carbon trading. These practices are often used in parallel, together with energy conservation measures to minimize energy use overall.

Masdar City, Abu Dhabi

I lived in Abu Dhabi in the Middle East for three years. Abu Dhabi is progressively well known as one of the worlds great oil and gas developing nations. What’s not as commonly known is how progressive they are in renewable energy. My home was situated just outside Abu Dhabi in a place called Khalifa City. Out my front window, I overlooked what is touted as one of the most progressive Carbon reduction projects in the world – Masdar City.

Masdar is a testament to how fresh innovative ideas and collaboration can create eco-friendly outcomes. Masdar is home to some of the greatest minds on the planet when it comes to sustainable energy and it is now the Middle East’s largest exporter of renewable energy.

Masdar City was hooked into the public system and by 2016 it achieved incredibly advanced renewable energy solutions. The home of IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency) is housed in Masdar, along with a major graduate research university – Masdar Institute of Science and Technology. A visit to Masdar City takes approximately 60-90 minutes, including the driverless vehicle experience in our personal rapid transit system and a comfortable walk through the city.

Today, Masdar is powered by 54 acres of solar panels with additional panels on the roofs. There are now light switches or water taps in the city; movement sensors control lighting and water to cut electricity consumption by over 50%. Approximately 80% of the water used will be recycled and wastewater will be reused as grey water for crop irrigation.

You get the picture. Not only companies, but entire cities are emerging with the goal of becoming net zero, and it’s happening fast.

Greener Buildings In Canada

Today, LEED v4 is the most rigorous green building rating system in the world. From improving energy performance to emphasizing human health and integrative building design, LEED is encouraging project teams to operate beyond the status quo and create new and innovative green building solutions.

Canadians are stepping up, with over 350 registered projects to date and the early adopters have proven their abilities and helped drive change in the industry including greater manufacturer transparency and disclosure.
From buildings to operational efficiencies, to our overall green footprint, the game of energy efficiency and carbon reduction is changing at exponential rates. It’s proving to be a place of job creation, economic savings and environmental sustainability. That’s the good news.

For more information on LEED:
LEED video

Eaight Avenue Place, Calgary, Alberta has earned LEED Platinum Status: Featuring a winter garden, green roof, thermal monitoring and control. Source: Flickr

A Greener Oil and Gas Industry: Sharp Management + Aker Solutions

Offshore Newfoundland, Aker Solutions is breaking ground by progressively committing to a carbon neutral goal. Aker Solutions is the first company operating in Newfoundland’s oil and gas sector to purchase carbon credits from Sharp Management, that are generated from wastewater treatment facilities in Appleton-Glenwood and Stephenville.

“We don’t have to wait for someone to tell us what to do. Carbon neutrality is the right thing to do”, said Dave Billard, Newfoundland’s Aker vice-president and general manager. Aker of St. John’s is currently assessing operations and predicts they will purchase between 100 and 200 equivalent offsets along with other green goals that will allow them to achieve a carbon neutral status.

Newfoundland and Labrador’s First Carbon Offset Project

Glenn Sharp, President of Sharp Management is planning information sessions for companies interested in environmentally conscious action. The goal of Sharp Management is to assess companies and allow them to purchase credits if need be. Working with the oil and gas industry, municipalities and construction, Sharp Management is poised to offer carbon reduction solutions before it is even mandated in the province.

Glenn Sharp says, “For the first three months, the carbon credits are selling for $25 per tonne and are offered exclusively to Newfoundland and Labradorian companies. After that three month period, we will be offering carbon credits internationally. I’m excited that Aker has taken the first step and has become a leader in environmental initiatives such as this carbon reduction program. We’re looking to work with other companies like Aker Solutions that wish to follow suit and make a difference in the environment. We predict many companies will be interested in doing the right thing before it is legislated.”

Glenn Sharp (left) presents an official Newfoundland Climate and Ecosystems Conservancy Project carbon credit to Aker Solutions Canada HSE manager Melissa English-Barbour and vice-president and general manager Dave Billard. Credit: The Telegram/SaltWire Network

The Newfoundland Climate and Ecosystems Conservancy Project (NCECP) is publicly listed on the CSA Clean Projects Registry and has been 3rd party verified under the ISO-14064-2 by Fournier Toupin CPA Inc. The project mitigates greenhouse gas by engineering wetland systems for wastewater treatment, thereby offsetting carbon. Treating wastewater and sludge from municipalities eliminates environmental impacts of discharging raw wastewater and produces fewer greenhouse gases (GHG). A first for the province.
You can calculate your carbon footprint at www.carbonzero.ca/projects/ncecp and you can also contact Sharp Management for an assessment.

It takes a provincial commitment to ensure a sustainable energy future and working together in our own unique ways will achieve that goal. An expression of unity and collaboration, the goal of carbon zero is an objective that we can all get behind and be proud of. It is our future after all.

Publisher and CEO, Tina Olivero says, “Creating a globa publication that bridges to readers and buyers around the globe is what we do.  Perhaps our client wants to attract investors or garnish new hires from around the world, we pride ourselves in finding creative ways to make that happen. We love the challenge of using new programmatic technology and algorithms to bridge the gap between the seeker and the solution. It’s a creative process that bridges the business development gap for our clients. I’m hoping in the not too distant future there won’t be any such thing as marketing, just ‘direct to sale’. That would make life alot easier for everyone. We have the solution that’s the closest thing to it!”

The OGM network spans over .5 million viewers online and has special print distribution for exhibitions and subscribers. It’s world class presentation puts it in a league unto itself. It’s credible, positive and always focused on connecting and uniting the industry.  The game of business takes a tribe of committed and dedicated people and The OGM has the privilege of working with those people every day.

Take a video adventure through some of The OGM’s great brands and realize just how many companies entrust their message with The OGM.

Ask us about programmatic solutions where we can reach people who searched for your product or services by broadcasting out to over 2000 other magazines, thereby reaching 1-2 MILLION viewers in a month! The results are simply the most cost effective in comparison to any other medium on earth. Programmatic solutions are the future folks, so learn everything you can about it.

LEARN ABOUT PROGRAMMATIC NATIVE CONTENT
Find out more on programmatic native content right here:

SEE PROGRAMMATIC IN ACTION
See how our clients used programmatic native content to fill up their CAD training program with strategic content, a multi-media mix, and a lead generator.

HERE’S WHAT OUR CLIENT HAD TO SAY:
“Rounding up students for our CAD training was a real challenge and to be hones, we were getting nowhere. After several months of spending huge sums on traditional advertising, in came Tina Olivero from The OGM who completely revamped our marketing approach. It felt a bit like Gordon Ramsey Boot Camp. But coming out the other side, we began to see real results. The problem flipped to being overwhelmed by responses!  The winning formula Tina developed combined targetted social media with sponsored content. In simple terms, our internal team managed the social media messaging which included a link to the OGM article with a call to action. The key her was the combined effects of targeted social media messaging reinforced by the OGM article which was effectively a third-party recommendation. Three months on and we’re still up there on google with a constant stream of inquiries from around the globe. The world is suddenly much smaller!”  Gareth Owen – Partner and General Manager, Metroworth & North Atlantic Technical.

Enjoy the ride!

Tina Olivero

GREAT BRANDS IN THE OGM

YES! I WOULD LIKE TO ACHIEVE MY BUSINESS GOALS WITH THE OGM. Please contact me.

Tracking and Responding

Technology has allowed our workplaces, remote locations and hazardous environments to be much safer. New detection, tracking and responding devices are taking over the scene and allowing us to feel much better about our workspaces and goals of zero incidences on the job. Technology is now working where it matters most – safety. With safety alerts, monitoring, tracking and full transparent communication, workplaces are now connected and much safer.  Knowing who’s on your site, where people are, how they are, where evacuation needs to take place, real-time response, remote area access, real-time incidence response, and following leading indicators of “near misses”, are all possible with the new state-of-the-art G7 Blackline system.

Lee Parmiter, CEO of EnviroMed Detection Services says, “Technology mitigates risk. It’s that simple. New advances in detection and response are so effective these days that we reduce human error dramatically. For example, the Blackline G7, which is a real-time, state-of-the-art, electronic gas detection unit is far outperforming what humans can do in much less time. Detection and reporting are replacing human reporting. Extensive gas detection training is no longer necessary. These day’s people have full access and communication in difficult places, remote locations and hazardous regions. This is the future of safety”

The G7 tracks workers and their performance and positioning. For example, if a worker trips, falls and goes down a G7 alert is triggered, transmitted and help is on the way within seconds. It’s all automated and immediate.

The G7 is breaking new ground through no motion detection, fall detection, missed check in’s, gas detection and just about anything you can think of on the job. It provides operator tracking, real-time tracking and communication, remote communication, third-party communication, in-house monitoring with two-way voice communications and on-the-spot Reporting. The system itself takes care of data logging so that follow-up and paperwork becomes a thing of the past.

Think Ahead

The G7 excels in proactive safety protocols. It provides an SOS Pull-Station Emergency feature for on the job emergency situations. It also allows for gas detection monitoring and “PREDETERMINED” maintenance execution which mitigates the possibility of accidents in the future.

Lee says, “offshore or on land this G7 devise works via satellite or cellular, allowing a full scope and range of communication, tracking and detection. We are extremely proud to be supplying such an advanced system to the industry because at the end of the day, our goal is the same goal as our clients – zero incidence.  We sleep at night knowing that the technology we provide keeps people safe.”

Would you like to know about the upcoming Blackline G7 device for your company?

Let us know how to reach you and we will have an ENVIROMED representative contact you.

____________________________________________________________________________

[contact-form-7]

____________________________________________________________________________

Publisher & Content Strategist

Tina Olivero is the Publisher and Content Strategist for clients around the globe through TheOGM.com and The OGM magazine.

With a passion for progress and a sustainable high tech future, tina combines digital strategies into a conversation that builds your business.

SPEAK TO TINA:  
To gain more insight into how content can support your business goals please contact:
tinaolivero@theogm.com

The NOIA Outstanding Contribution Award recognized exemplary individuals who have influenced the development of our local oil and gas industry and who have demonstrated qualities of vision, integrity and leadership through their work and lives.

Noia awarded this honour to Bill Fanning, president and country manager for Kvaerner Canada. Bill is a senior oil and gas executive with over 30 years of international upstream oil and gas experience who has held many management positions throughout his career.  For most of the first two decades, he worked with Mobil Oil Canada in western and east coast Canada.   He moved on to work with HMDC and the Hibernia Project for 10 years, and since then has served as director of Atlantic XL Inc. (which he also co-founded), president and CEO of Spectrol Group and senior vice president and GM with SNC Lavalin. For the past six years, Bill has held his current position with Kvaerner Canada.  Bill has also served six years on Noia’s Board of Directors and was a key leader in the development of Noia’s Redefining Oil strategy.  He currently sits on Newfoundland and Labrador’s Oil & Gas Industry Development Council.

Rising Star Award
Stephen Edwards, ExxonMobil Canada

The Rising Star Award was launched in 2014 to recognize the talents of an impressive individual who are 40 years old or younger and have made remarkable strides in their role in the local oil and gas industry.

This year’s NOIA recipient was Stephen Edwards, P.Eng., engineering & HUC manager – Hebron Project with ExxonMobil Canada. Stephen has been directly involved in the Hebron project since joining the project team in 2010. His work over the past seven years has significantly and directly impacted design and operational decisions taken on the project and contributed to the project’s success, culminating in first oil on November 27, 2017.

Both Bill Fanning and Stephen Edwards were celebrated at Noia’s Industry Achievement Awards luncheon on Friday, March 9, 2018.   CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU BOTH!

Yes, business is an online network of solutions.  A network that’s powered by “search” and executed by the keenest online minds who understand online positioning and presentation.  Most businesses have not had the time to become digitally savvy and digital ready.  But it’s a must or you will be left behind.

Here are 5 fundamental considerations to set you on your to being digitally competent and prepared.  While it may seem like a cumbersome task, results prove time and time again that the innovation and efficiencies of online business will often save your company money, time and will reduce costs at alarming rates. Some companies have reported cost reductions up to 90% because of the adaptation of online innovation, digital solutions and web-based integrations. So it’s worth it!

1. Everything you put out is an asset.

Your email, LinkedIn page, e-news, magazines, presentations, PDF docs, website, videos and your sales assets, are all an integral part of your next client saying YES! They all have to look good, feel good and attract the clients you truly want to work with.

2. Think of your business as a communications hub.

Everything you develop and send out can influence your bottom line. Is your company optimized in the digital world to achieve your desired goals, sing to your clients and have the WOW factor?

3. We are in the self-publishing era.

So great digital assets that build your marketing and sales collateral is key! Are you optimized to achieve your business development goals online?

4. Let’s face it. Your online presence is the new front door of your business.

Your clients want to open that door and trust that you can deliver exactly what they are looking for. Working a digital consultant can provide smart solutions that will save you a LOT of time and money. Your digital collateral is a client reaching asset that should be engaging and ACTION-ORIENTED. You will be surprised…..online there’s more business than you think and as you build out your digital assets you will find solutions and profit portals that you never even considered.

5. Your digital assets must support your goals…otherwise, what’s the sense of having them?

Goals like growth, hiring, influencing, partnerships, investment, sales, making announcements, leads, launching products, adding team members, profiling awards and accolades…and really anything on your agenda! What would it mean to you… to succeed with that goal?

Tina Olivero – Publisher, Content Strategist & Digital Collateral Consultant
Reach out – let’s chat:  tinaolivero@theogm.com
+1 709-770-0677

But despite the undeniable benefits of these advances, the march of progress can sometimes be a slow one, especially in industries with longstanding precedent like the Oil & Gas industry. Legacy data monitoring systems currently being used in oil production only provide limited downhole visibility, necessitating that operators physically check each well regularly, regardless of individual need. Not only does this waste operator time and company money, but it also facilitates human error/oversight, leaving problem wells untended and expensive equipment potentially damaged. Additionally, significant installation costs aim these products squarely at top tier, high performing wells, and are simply uneconomical to apply to the less prolific, mature wells that comprise over 80% of the market.

The oil production industry is overdue for a technological makeover. Management teams want comprehensive, real-time well visibility, they want it cost efficiently, and they want it in the palm of their hand. Enter Ambyint.

Ambyint sensor

Ambyint is on a mission to take the legwork out of the day-to-day operations associated with managing low-producing wells. The company began selling its market-leading leading controllers and VFD packages to customers in Canada in 2006 under the name Pumpwell Solutions, and by 2012 was actively acquiring data, monitoring, and optimizing over 1,000 horizontal and vertical wells across Western Canada at an unheard of data sampling frequency of 5 milliseconds. In 2014, the team rebranded, and the freshly minted Ambyint first introduced the immense power of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to Western Canada’s oil patch. Utilizing the already massive pool of data gathered from its Pumpwell days, Ambyint set about taking optimization technology to an entirely new level. Through combining and leveraging proprietary hardware (IoT or ‘edge’ devices based on embedded systems electronics, you’re your smartphone) with “best-of-breed” software to deliver a data-powered reporting, analytics, and recommendation engine, Ambyint hopes to give every oil well in operation the compelling ability to benefit from intelligent optimization.

From its inception, Ambyint has consistently shown its products to be superior to the incumbent product offerings. With 20%+ in operating expense reductions and 10%+ in production improvements to E&Ps, Ambyint’s customers benefit from <6-month paybacks, even on low-value stripper wells. Ambyint’s magic formula is the ability to remotely collect, monitor, and analyze data from every single stroke of a pump to enable a level of intelligent automation that takes the density of human interaction out of the equation.

By digitizing the visual input from over 33 million dynamometer cards (or dynocards, for short), Ambyint’s AI-based platform can perform micro-pattern analysis to diagnose downhole and surface anomalies, optimize well parameters, and even predict potential system failures.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS

Since the 1960’s, production engineers have largely relied on a control system called SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) to collect their well data. SCADA gathers information, such as pipeline pressure readings, transfers the information back to a central site using programmable logic controllers and discrete PID controllers to interface with the process plant or connected machinery. The system alerts the home station that an out-of-bounds (based on manually configurated alarms) pressure event has occurred via the operator interface, which enables monitoring and the issuing of process commands such as controller setpoint changes. Then, real-time control logic is performed by networked modules, which connect to the field sensors and actuators. This allows SCADA to carry out necessary analysis and control, such as determining if the leak is critical and then display the information in a logical and organized fashion.

However, “logical and organized” doesn’t always equate to ease of use, and it certainly doesn’t mean the data coming in is comprehensive. SCADA has a data sampling rate anywhere upwards of 30-second intervals, meaning that any anomalies that occur in between those 30+ seconds might go unaddressed – and that can spell big trouble for well operators in the long term.

AMBYINT BYPASSES SCADA

Ambyint has provided what they think is the next logical step in the evolution of SCADA. Thanks to connected, pump-mounted sensors and secure wireless networks, essential data from onsite machinery is now collected at a fraction of the cost it once did. Moreover, at 5-millisecond intervals, Ambyint’s High-Resolution Adaptive Controller (HRAC) procures pumpjack data at an order of magnitude increase in sampling data rate over SCADA, meaning more downhole clarity and significantly fewer unnoticed problems.

Once data is collected, the HRAC transmits it to a modern, user-friendly platform where it is analyzed and structured into a single configurable interface, meaning fewer clicks and faster cycle time to well optimization for well operators. Google-like full text and parameter driven search also allow for finding problem wells easily without having to scroll through pages of wells.

After the analysis of each well, the HRAC automatically and autonomously reads and initiates specific micro-adjustments to each individual pump stroke, thereby maintaining optimal production and efficiency – all without the operator having to lift a finger.

But here’s where it gets even cooler: that captured data can also be used to predict the future. By tracking the wear on machinery, Ambyint’s proprietary algorithms can preempt possible equipment failure, alerting operators to pending disruption and thereby minimizing machine downtime, not to mention increasing site safety. Effectively, you end up with an autonomous, self-driving well. The only thing left for the operator now is to figure out what to do with all that extra time…

Alex and Chris Robart – Twin brothers overseeing Ambyint operations in North America

ALEX ROBART

CEO, Ambyint 
Alex Robart is an entrepreneur with a fervent passion for technology and energy. He has launched, built and sold two data/research companies focused on upstream oil and gas, and has proven himself as a savvy investor in numerous early-stage energy and technology startups. Alex’s past consulting efforts have focused on market analysis and strategy development, as well as investment due diligence for oilfield services, equipment, consumables/materials companies, and investors. 

As someone with deep expertise in the complex oilfield services value chain and market, as well as the emerging “digital oilfield” landscape, Alex is excited about Ambyint’s future.

“My twin brother and I are focused on the North American market,” Alex explains. “I oversee the entire company from Canada while he is driving the USA business from Houston. We are excited about Ambyint because of the value we deliver to our customers. In short, Ambyint saves operators time and money.”

“We have been extremely fortunate to have some of the world’s leading minds in well optimization come to the table with Ambyint. Our investors include Mercury Fund, Statoil, GE Ventures, Cottonwood Venture Partners, Station Houston and Unconventional Capital. Our investors understand the power of digital oilfield technology and the advances that predictive computational horsepower will bring to the industry.”

Ambyint saves operators time and money in several distinctive ways:

SITE VISITS

Ambyint incorporates an exception-based management system to monitor data inputs from the well, so operators only need go on-site visits when a problem is identified. Ambyint’s tech has shown an 87% reduction the need for in well site visits by operators.

WELL PERFORMANCE

By monitoring and optimizing based on weather conditions, time of year, electricity pricing, oil pricing, etc., Ambyint improves overall well performance by 10% on average. In a case study, Ambyint increased production revenue across five wells by over $52,000 –that’s almost $10.5k per well.

REDUCING EXPENSES

A physics-based analysis is complemented with artificial intelligence on Ambyint’s scalable cloud-based platform, resulting in high-performance output. This ultimately reduces lease operating expenses for operators by 20% on average, a figure that is currently unsurpassed in the market. In a trial with one customer, Ambyint saved $100k in annual operations costs across 40 wells.

MAXIMIZING WELL POTENTIAL

Ambyint harnesses the full oil potential of a well with a full and complete feedback loop. Because the tech is tied to the Internet of Things, it is constantly refining and improving its knowledge, tracking, and feedback. Predictive modelling takes over, integrating the most current best practices for optimization potential. Ultimately this provides operators with a consistent ever-efficient dataset that keeps their wells at peak performance. In fact, Ambyint provides on average a 19% reduction in strokes per day and a 69% average reduction in callout cycle time.

ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY MEANS SAVINGS

The proprietary Production Optimization Platform (POP) provides for monitoring, operations, management, and optimization. It can integrate with customers’ existing SCADA infrastructure, or deploy in combination with Ambyint’s HRACs, which provide higher resolution data and control/optimization capabilities.
Ambyint delivers unparalleled insights with POP but can deliver improved insights and real-time actions at the well site with the end-to-end solution that leverages its HRACs. Typical SCADA total cost of ownership (TCO) is about $35,000 and the Ambyint TCO is $5000. 1/10 of the cost.

AMAZON WEB SERVICES

Allowing scalability, computational modeling, and intelligent systems to interact with well data, Ambyint has elevated its platform using cloud-based Amazon Web Services (AWS). Amazon Web Services allows Ambyint to focus on well optimization while they provide a scaling platform model for expansion and efficiency. AWS provides the speed, security, flexibility and pay-as-you-go options needed for Ambyint to ultimately save operating costs for their clients.

Security is also a factor in drilling data. The Ambyint HRACs, operating under the AWS platform, deliver secure cloud-based operations that are immune to attack and allow for encrypted storage. Operators having to piece together that model of operation on their own would simply not be cost-efficient.

The traditional production operating methodology was “visit every well, every day”. Thankfully that era is now over. Pump by Exception operations have advanced to new and exciting heights with digital technology, and it’s happening at exponential rates.

So at a time when operators are constantly struggling to improve performance while reducing costs, Ambyint, AWS, and digital advances are extremely good news.

And we’ve only just begun….

Branching out of Nisku Alberta, Norm Spence, President of Spence Corrosion Services Ltd. has seen the potential for expansion in Newfoundland and Labrador.  With a new location in the city of St. John’s, Norm expects that his company will be hiring 40 – 100 people to facilitate contracts in the corrosion business in the oil and gas sector as well as other industries province-wide.

Gerry Sullivan the National Business Development Manager is radically supporting efforts in the region, bidding on contracts and setting up operations. He say’s it’s been an exciting time, a time of enormous work and commitment to enter and succeed in a new market. But it’s worth it. This summer Spense had an official launch and opening, announcing to industry their vision and intentions. Since then they have been diligently developing the infrastructure necessary for new contracts.

Currently working on projects in the province and positioned for new projects, Gerry Sullivan says, “It’s our time to build and grow in this region. We have been implementing an assertive business plan and we expect to support the corrosion challenges that come with offshore developments, weather conditions and other corrosion factors.  We have a new office location on Job Street in St. John’s and I am excited about starting this endeavour from the ground up!”

Having secured a maintenance contract with the Hebron project and poised for West White Rose, Spence is committed to battling corrosion problems within major oil and gas projects.
Additionally, the company is working with Vale in the mining sector and are positioned for other diverse industrial sectors.

Corrosion is a part of industrial operations in any project and it’s also a challenge to mitigate risks associated with Corrosion. Spence Corrosion is designed to mitigate corrosion risk as well as prevent and maintain operations where corrosion is a factor.

The Brad Gushue Team taking the Brier 2017

What does curling have to do with recycling?

Well, nothing really.

But the latest green-innovation for industrial workwear has just raised a game-changing flag.  It’s a new-age solution for industrial waste management that has captured the attention many including, World Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist Brad Gushue.

Brad Gushue won the 2006 Winter Olympics gold medal for curling. Brad and team Gushue took home Canada’s first Olympic gold in men’s curling and Newfoundland’s first gold medal in any sport. Since his Olympic experience, Brad has become a Canadian household name. He is currently the owner of several companies in Newfoundland including Orangetheory Fitness in St. John’s, Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt in St. John’s and Mt. Pearl, a he is a real estate investor and a public speaker. As well as an entrepreneur Brad is a strong supporter for innovative solutions that serve our people.

Brad recalls, “I met Tom Legare at a golf tournament near Red Deer, Alberta. We had a great time together and I could see Tom’s passion for his safety apparel business. As I learned more about his business I felt they were doing something really great. With everything going on in the world today, it is becoming more and more apparent that we need to take care of the place we live. We all need to start thinking about the world we are going to leave to our kids and our grandkids. If we can make use out of something that has been used before, we should do it. That’s what this project is all about. I admire this project because the end result is that the product they make is just as good, if not better, and everyone gets a chance to do that little bit extra to help.”

The new workwear solution – Recycled workwear

Recycling Industrial Workwear – It’s a really GREAT idea!

Most of us in the industrial business world, wear safety clothing but we don’t really take the time to think about where our safety gear goes after we are finished with it. Discarded Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) workwear is typically disposed of in landfills which mean that 85% of our collective apparel ends up creating mountains of clothes.

Workwear is often non-biodegradable, chemically treated, and potentially toxic. Discarded safety clothing usually ends up in the garbage and ultimately landfills. This makes industry and government huge contributors to industrial waste and to landfills. This is not only long-term harmful to the environment it also is expensive in terms of disposal costs!

Industrial waste accounts for about two-thirds of waste in landfills. Over the last 50 years since the development of man-made, fire resistant fibers and fabrics for workwear this type of industrial waste has had a big impact on landfills. Industrial workwear that is fire retardant or chemically treated also may also carry harmful chemicals that, over time, could also leach from the landfill and potentially be damaging to the environment.

The landfill disposal solution becomes a concern when you consider that landfills create Methane. Methane gas is far more dangerous to the environment than C02 emissions.  Methane gas is 21 times more potent than CO2 and 22% of methane pollution in Canada comes from landfills. Reducing methane emissions is key in the fight to reduce greenhouse gases. If we reduce waste sent to landfills, we can reduce methane gases from being released into the environment.

Recycled inventory in various colours and sizes

Here’s the good news!

Recognizing that safety and fire resistant workwear is a potential hazard to the environment, Canadian entrepreneurs Ted Parker and Dave Kasper, set out to find a better solution for used work wear than landfills. The answer came in recycling. Taking old fire retardant work clothes and recycling them into brand new fire-resistant clothing. What a full-circle concept!

Through innovation, much persistence, significant investment, and extensive R&D efforts, the founders of General Recycled came up with a game-changing solution.  A solution that allows companies and their employees to be “green” with work wear.

This is a recycling solution that is a win-win for all stakeholders involved:
1. It’s a win for the companies that purchased industrial clothing and now have a new green disposal solution.
2. It is a win for the environment that benefits from the reduction of methane and CO2 emissions.
3. It’s a win for future wearers of PPE clothing in that the recycled goods are equal to and or better than regular PPE work wear, meeting PPE safety clothing standards and demands.

It’s a practical, cost-effective, feel-good solution all the way around. Your company would be environmentally conscious!