Technology
Aramco shares upstream technology advances at Offshore Technology Conference
Aramco raised awareness and shared technology achievements at this year’s Offshore Technology Conference.
Aramco raised awareness and shared technology achievements at this year’s Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), which tripled in attendance over the previous year’s hybrid format due to COVID-19. Nearly 7,000 attendees traveled from outside the U.S. for 44 technical sessions presenting more than 300 technical papers.
Aramco was strongly represented on the technical program with 12 presentations accepted on a broad range of topics from “Circular Economy Initiatives at Upstream Surface Facilities” to “Automated Subsea Pipeline Leak Detection Using Real-Time Downhole Gauges,” and “Latest Applications of UAVs, Drones and Robotics in the Oil and Gas Industry.”
In-booth presentations from Aramco’s centers in Houston, Detroit, and Boston highlighted projects and technologies pioneering new approaches from the collective efforts of the company’s global research network with innovation hubs in the U.S., Europe, and Asia.
“Our researchers, lab scientists, and engineers are a driving force in the company’s reputation for being an innovative, technology-driven organization,” said Ghaithan A. AlMuntasheri, director, Aramco Americas R&D.
Aramco’s nanotag technology dramatically improves the accuracy of mud logging by increasing the depth correlation accuracy of drill cuttings to support geosteering and well placement.
A microfluidic method for rapid development of reservoir chemicals or “reservoir-on-a-chip” accelerates screening for reservoir chemicals, optimizing chemical formulations for enhanced oil recovery surfactants or acidization treatments. Aramco is leading petroleum research in creating a realistic representation of a carbonite reservoir on a microchip.
Artificial intelligence and digitalization in upstream operations is being applied in several ways, such as with virtual flow metering to reliably predict the flow rates of oil, gas, and water from the well; wellhead monitoring of equipment and emissions, such as methane to carbon dioxide; and image mapping of well sites to monitor equipment and detect potential emissions from the wellhead.
“Our research centers in Dhahran and across the globe are developing game changing technologies that are creating immense value in addressing our operational challenges,” said Ashraf M. Al-Tahini, manager of EXPEC Advanced Research Center.
Researchers in Detroit are taking the company’s experience with mobile carbon capture for cars and trucks and applying it to shipping. Aramco’s involvement with the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative and its Transport Workstream group supports work showing that carbon capture on ships is technically feasible and has a long-term role to play in meeting the shipping industry’s decarbonization targets.
For a third consecutive year the OTC/SPE Energy4Me program was sponsored by Aramco. Local teachers attended a workshop with topical lectures, classroom materials, and an exhibit hall tour as part of the company’s support for STEM education in the classroom.
Aramco professionals from Recruitment and Staffing, Procurement and Supply Chain Management, and Public Affairs were on hand to engage with visitors.
Historically, OTC participants have brought game changing technology and technical innovation that has revolutionized offshore exploration and production since the conference was founded in 1969.
