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Conference in Houston
Highlights Latest in Offshore Drilling Technology
By Greg Flakus
12 May 2006
 One of the oil and gas
industry's biggest annual events was held recently in Houston (May 1-5).
It's the Offshore Technology Conference, which focuses mainly on methods
of exploiting energy resources that are under water, whether along
coastlines or out in deep-water environments. The search for such
resources has intensified as demand for energy has grown and the price
of oil has risen dramatically.
As the name of the conference implies, technology is the main topic
here. And there are a lot of interesting devices, machines and materials
to see.
A representative of PV Fluids described her purpose for attending and
wearing a costume. "Hello, I am Aegis and I am here with PV Fluids and I
am representing an aeromatic resistance elastomer."
That's a flexible rubber used in tubes. Tubes and pipes are a big part
of this industry and improving their efficiency at moving oil and gas is
a big focus of research and development.
 Aspen Aerogel
Aspen Aerogels has a
feather-light gel that is 95 percent air and is considered the best
insulation material on Earth, but it's very fragile. Using
nanotechnology applications, this company now produces this same
insulating material in a flexible form that, when used in a pipe,
reduces the size and cost considerably.
The Milton Roy Company brought some alternative energy to the hall. One
device is a pump that can operate on its own, using either solar or wind
power.
Tom Day
Company representative Tom Day says it can save offshore platform
operators money by continuously pumping anti-corrosive chemicals into
the oil extraction pipes. "You don't need a lot of it, but you need to
inject it at a pressure greater than the wellhead pressure and that is
what this will do."
Most participants come to the Offshore Technology Conference every year
to hear speakers and panel discussions and to read papers
on new technology and methods.
Osten Olorunsola, a Shell Oil executive from Nigeria, says there are two
main reasons he comes. "One, it's really to see the trend of technology
in oil and gas development and one, of course, is also to meet with
people and share experiences."
More than 59,000 people came to this year's conference, drawn to a great
extent by the chance to meet and talk with each other.
Izeusse Braga is Communications Director for Brazil's state-owned oil
company, Petrobras. "The Offshore Technology Conference is for us a very
important event. As a matter of fact it is the most important event for
the petroleum industry. And for us it is a very important opportunity to
meet a lot of people in only one trip. If we had to plan to see, to
visit, all of these people in their own countries, probably it would
take six months, seven months."
Petrobras has become a worldwide player in the energy business by
developing cutting-edge technology, especially in deepwater operations.
The Brazilian company is using its technology to compete with U.S.
companies in the Gulf of Mexico.
The president of Petrobras America, Renato Bertani, is enthusiastic. "We
are ready to drill. We have the rigs for that and we're gonna drill one,
probably two wells [in the] second half of this year."
Bertani says floating platforms developed by Petrobras could be
especially effective in the hurricane-prone Gulf. "You simply disconnect
with two or three days notice, move out of the way, and once the
hurricane passes, a week later or ten days later, you come back,
reconnect and start producing again."
The promise of these new oil and gas-producing technologies is what
gives participants in the Offshore Technology Conference something to
celebrate. |
