Welcome to the first quarterly edition of Strathclyde’s Oil and Gas
Institute News - October 2014
The last few months have been a very exciting and eventful
period for the University of Strathclyde Oil and Gas Institute
since its launch at the end of June. The Institute has world-class
academics and researchers, leading edge testing and
development facilities, high quality graduates and a wide range
of training courses for industry. Our aim is to maximise the
economic benefit of these considerable resources for business
benefit.
I hope you enjoy reading our news and please do contact us if
you would like any more information or would like to arrange a meeting to discuss how
the Institute might be able to support your business. The electronic version of our
Prospectus can be accessed here.
Simon Puttock, Director, Oil and Gas Institute
Launch of Strathclyde Oil and Gas Institute
The launch of the Institute took place on 25 June 2014 and included
guest speakers Melfort Campbell, Dave Dickson, VP Safety &
Operational Risk (North Sea) BP Exploration and Production, and
Bob Keiller, CEO of the Wood Group.
The Oil and Gas Institute brings together expertise in the
technologies and processes needed for the effective management of
assets, in areas including; structures, materials and manufacturing;
condition monitoring and inspection; corrosion and erosion; power,
micro-grid and control systems; fluid flow, measurement and assurance; decision
support; and decommissioning.
Melfort Campbell OBE, Chairman of IMES Group, has been
among the industry partners helping to drive the direction of
the new institute. He said “the focus on Asset Integrity aligns
well with the University’s proven strengths in this area and
resonates strongly with many of the key challenges that the
sector is facing”.
A large number of company visits have been made since the
launch and these are continuing. Please contact us if you would like to discuss how the
Institute might be able to support your business objectives.
Oil and Gas Innovation Centre
Strathclyde is an active member of the new Oil and
Gas Innovation Centre (OGIC) that has been
established to accelerate the development of
demand led innovative technology in the Oil & Gas
Industry. OGIC aims to deliver and part-fund over
100 projects in the next 5 years and simplify the way
that industry can access the best of Scotland’s
academic resources and know how. More information on OGIC can be found here.
Strathclyde in partnership with Glasgow and Aberdeen Universities has been awarded
£1.1m by OGIC to install and operate a new high power CT Scanner to support
industry led, oil and gas sector projects.
Andrea Hamilton, senior lecturer, University of Strathclyde said "this top end X-ray
computed tomography scanner, complete with a newly developed torsion, fluid and
temperature cell will soon be available to solve complex 4D problems in the oil & gas
sector. The scanner will be available for use in the spring of 2015 although we would
welcome early discussions with companies on potential projects".
Strathclyde Awarded First OGIC Project
The Mechanical and Aerospace Department has been
funded to help Aberdeen based Hydrasun Ltd develop
a new hose product for well intervention activities.
Hydrasun is a leading specialist provider of integrated
fluid transfer, power and control solutions to the energy, petrochemical, marine and
utilities industries worldwide. The company has a track record for successfully
delivering flexible hoses, hydraulics, integrated instrumentation products, umbilicals
and extruded solutions and integrity management services worldwide.
Maximising the production of oil from existing subsea wells is a critical activity in the Oil
and Gas Industry, as the number of new oil field discoveries diminishes. A key factor in
maximising the economic recovery of oil from a well is to keep it, and its associated
control equipment, clean and free from flow restrictions or blockages such as hydrates
or wax, which can reduce the rate of oil being produced. This is traditionally carried out
by performing a so called light well intervention, by utilising a rig and steel coiled tubing
to pump cleaning fluids into the well, the overall costs of which can be significant. An
alternative to the use of a rig for light well intervention work, which has been successful
in recent years, is the use of a specialist vessel. However, further reductions in costs
are required which has led to the development, by Hydrasun, of a new well intervention
hose. The work being carried out in the collaborative project is the preliminary stages of
qualification of the complex flexible composite product, which is a new technology for
use in the oil and gas industry.
Jonathan Hill, Head of Development at Hydrasun said "Hydrasun selected Strathclyde
University as the academic collaborator due to their comprehensive proposal,
professional, enthusiastic approach, coupled with state of the art facilities and
academic expertise. The open dialogue that took place prior to proposal submission
ensured that the project deliverables were clearly aligned with our needs as an
Industrial partner. The structure of the final proposal has also gone beyond the initial
scope to enable future collaboration that will enable Hydrasun to further enhance our
knowledge and understanding".
For further information contact Dr. Jim Wood: j.wood@strath.ac.uk.
Industry Doctorates
Two new Industry Doctorates (PhD) have been approved this quarter. These company
supported and part-funded PhDs are an extremely cost effective means of conducting
high quality research in an area of interest to the business. Projects include:
1. Erosion / Corrosion Mapping in Oil / Water Solutions - BP with Professor
Margaret Stack
2. Understanding the colloidal interactions at rock / oil interfaces via combination of
direct measurements and large-scale molecular simulation - Schlumberger with
Dr Zhenyu Zhang and Professor Maxim Fedorov
Please contact us if you have a longer term business need where an Industry
Doctorate might be appropriate.
Silverwing Agreement
Silverwing is the leading provider of structural
inspection equipment for storage tanks,
vessels and pipe work within the oil, gas and
petro-chemical industries.
A new 10-year agreement involving Gordon Dobie, Charles MacLeod, Walter Galbraith,
Gareth Pierce and Tony Gachagan from Strathclyde will see fundamental automated
Non Destructive Evaluation research deployed as part of future Silverwing systems.
Researchers from Strathclyde will also be seconded into the company to further
accelerate technology transfer. Ultimately such developments will enable Silverwing’s
customers to perform safer, higher quality inspections, reducing the risk of unplanned
outages and premature asset failure.
For more information please contact Dr Gordon Dobie: gordon.dobie@strath.ac.uk.
Conferences, Events and Presentations
Below are a selection of conferences, events and presentations attended by Strathclyde
staff relating to the Oil and Gas sector:

Dr. Erkan Oterkus from the Department of Naval Architecture
and Marine Engineering gave a paper in July at the Energy
Challenges and Mechanics international conference in
Aberdeen, entitled ‘Hydraulic Fracturing Simulations by Using
Peridynamics ‘.

Strathclyde hosted a seminar on 19 September on A Novel
Method for Resource Forecasting – the outcome of the work
of one of our researchers, Dr Abigail Hird. Developed for environments
characterised by uncertainty and complexity, the method allows for relatively
accurate, objective, repeatable and timely resource information. The method
enables: a streamlined bidding and tender process; “what-if” scenario planning;
transparent and consistent planning free from bias; and early insights into the
effects of scope change.
The event was well attended by Oil and Gas companies and a number are
following-up to explore opportunities within their organisations. For more
information about the method please contact Dr Abigail Hird:
abigail.hird.100@strath.ac.uk.

On 27 August, Oil and Gas UK staff delivered an excellent full day of training to
over 50 academics and researchers working in the Strathclyde Institute.
Strathclyde bridges gap to bring together particles and fluids
expertise
More than 40 Strathclyde researchers have come together to form
a new ‘Particles and Fluids’ research network, with expertise
highly relevant to the oil and gas sector including; multiphase flow
and flow assurance; solid-liquid-gas phase behaviour; pump
design; process control and measurement; geophysics and
geology; environmental and marine engineering; safety; molecular
modelling and molecular design for enhanced recovery; high
performance computing; and mathematical modelling.
Network organiser Dr Mark Haw commented, “there’s a unique and exceptionally wide
range of relevant expertise across Strathclyde; the network’s aim is to bring it all
together across the different sectors and disciplines. One of the places we hope it will
really help is addressing the multidisciplinary challenges and opportunities of the oil
and gas sector”.
For more information on how the Particles and Fluids network can help, please contact
coordinator Dr Mark Haw: mark.haw@strath.ac.uk.
BP Summer Research Internships
This summer, BP supported a programme of 13
paid student research internships in areas
relevant to their business. The internships gave
the students hands on experience of the
research environment and the challenges that
face industry.
Projects covered topics such as wireless
communication in offshore environments, the
control of particle structure and viscosity
measurement. At the end of the internship, students presented their work in a ‘journal
style’ article and at a poster presentation which was attended by Peter Namey and
Mathew Tatner of BP who had the opportunity to talk to each student about their
projects.
Centres for Doctoral Training (CDT)
Centres for Doctoral Training bring together diverse areas of expertise to train
engineers and scientists with the skills, knowledge and confidence to tackle today's
evolving issues, and future challenges. They also provide a supportive and exciting
environment for students, create new working cultures, build relationships between
teams in universities and forge lasting links with industry.
CDT in Oil and Gas
This innovative project will be formally launched in October 2014 and is a collaboration
of academic partners (including Strathclyde) and industry sponsors (British Gas, BP,
ConocoPhilips, E.On, Maersk Oil, OMV, Shell, Statoil and Total). The CDT receives
funding from the Natural Environment Research Council and within the next 3 years will
be supporting 93 PhD students.
Research focuses on four key areas for the oil & gas sector; Unconventional
Hydrocarbons, Extending the Life of Mature Basins, Exploration in Challenging
Environments and Environmental Impact and Regulation. A key feature of the CDT is
the collaboration between academia and industry to ensure that students conduct their
research with appreciation of the practical and operational issues faced by practitioners
in the field. The first of three Strathclyde students funded by the CDT, Silvia Sosio de
Rosa, recently started her PhD studying the influence of faults on the flow of oil and
gas through rocks.
More information can be found here.
CDT in Offshore Oil & Gas, Renewable & Marine Technology
With strong growth forecasted in the modern offshore oil and gas, renewable and
marine industry sectors, a new world-class Strathclyde Centre for Doctoral Training
(CDT) in ‘Computational Fluid-Structure Dynamics in Offshore Oil & Gas, Renewable &
Marine Technology (FORMAT)’ has recently been established. FORMAT will focus on
training the next-generation of CFD (computational fluid dynamics) and fluid-structure
interaction researchers.
FORMAT’s lead academic, Dr Qing Xiao explains, “the CFD industry is worth billions of
pounds, representing one of the core businesses in Scotland and the UK. In the past
decade, there has been a considerable growth in CFD development and application in
all aspects of fluid mechanics and fluid-structure interactions. The establishment of
FORMAT is therefore at the right time to provide technical training of a multidisciplinary
workforce with the skills to develop future offshore oil, gas and marine engineering
technologies”.
For more information please contact Dr Qing Xiao
Potential greenhouse gas emissions from unconventional gas
extraction in Scotland
Unconventional gas is a growing industry and there is interest in its development in
Scotland (particularly coal bed methane and shale gas). Given the Scottish
Government's ambitions for a low carbon economy, it is important to understand the
potential greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with unconventional gas
extraction, and what could be done to mitigate or reduce the risk of any such
emissions.
To this end, Dr Jen Roberts, Professor Zoe Shipton and Dr Elsa João from the
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, together with researchers from the
University of Aberdeen, undertook a desk-based study to estimate the GHG emissions
associated with the extraction of onshore unconventional gas in Scotland, from
exploration to the point of fuel production. The work reviewed the current published
work, and assessed how much potential emissions may vary due to Scottish contextual
factors (such as environmental regulation, geology, current land use, infrastructure)
and modern techniques and practices.
They found that clearing land to build infrastructure such as drilling platforms, pipelines
and roads can have large associated emissions in areas with peat soil. This is because
peat soil holds carbon which will be released when the soil is removed or drained. The
study concludes that the GHG emissions per unit of energy from unconventional gas
extraction in Scotland are likely to be equivalent to those of conventional gas extraction
in Europe, if best practice is followed and building on peat is avoided. They also
identified where regulation and practices could significantly lower the potential GHG
emissions and recommended where technological improvement should focus.
This work was commissioned by ClimateXChange and prepared for SEPA (Scottish
Environmental Protection Agency). The peer-reviewed report is available from the
project webpage.
Work With Us
For more information on how you can work with the University of Strathclyde’s Oil and
Gas Institute or for general information please contact us on oilandgas@strath.ac.uk.
Contact
For more information about the Oil and Gas
Institute or if you have any suggestions
about this communication, please contact
Simon Puttock.
The University of Strathclyde is
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