European Oil and Gas Issue 117 Final Edition

issue 117 ď ˇ FINAL

oil&gas european

europeanoilandgas.co.uk f r o m e x p l o r a t i o n t o e n d u s e r

supply A strong

Discussing the unique supply chain needs and challenges in the industry

Leading the way The importance of enhancing the industry’s leadership reserves Good data Unlocking the potential of big data for oil and gas

this ISSUE: Asset protection

Editors Editors Chairman Andrew Schofield Group Managing Director Mike Tulloch Managing Editor Libbie Hammond libbie@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Editor Matt High mhigh@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Staff Writers Jo Cooper Andrew Dann Steve Nash Art Editor Gérard Roadley-Battin Production Manager Fleur Daniels Sales Director David Garner Corporate Advertising Sales David King dking@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Sales Joe Woolsgrove Head of Research Philip Monument Business Development Manager Mark Cawston Research Managers Edward Hipperson Natalie Griffiths Editorial Researchers Marke Boote Jeff Johnson Kate Jones Wendy Russell ­Office Manager/Advertisement Administrator Tracy Chynoweth

Logistics complexities can quickly drive up costs and eat into profits if not well managed”

The

oil and gas industry is truly global in its nature, and increasingly we are seeing projects in some of the most difficult, hard to reach locations imaginable. In an era where cost saving and maximising efficiency is foremost in everyone’s mind, the challenge for energy companies is ensuring that their operations in these areas are served by a fast, efficient and effective logistics chain. After all, how can you expect to explore or drill when an ineffective supply chain hampers you?

For our first issue of 2015 we look at the unique supply chain needs in the oil and gas industry and discover why the implementation of a successful logistics management solution is essential to ongoing success. “Oil and gas supply chains are among some of the most complex in the world,” says Jonathan Shortis of DHL, the world’s leading logistics company, in our cover feature.

If streamlining your business is at the top of your agenda as we start a new year then as Jonathan highlights, your supply chain may be a good place to start. “Logistics complexities can quickly drive up costs and eat into profits if not well managed, which is why many businesses are placing growing emphasis on finding and eliminating waste in their supply chains.” Turn to page four to find out how you can start doing this, and how it may benefit your operations.

editor matt high

© 2015 Schofield Publishing Limited all rights reserved 10 Cringleford Business Centre Intwood Road Cringleford Norwich NR4 6AU T: +44 (0) 1603 274130 F: +44 (0) 1603 274131 schofield-media.com please note: The opinions expressed by contributors and advertisers within this publication do not necessarily coincide with those of the editor and publisher. Every reasonable effort is made to ensure that the information published is accurate, but no legal responsibility for loss occasioned by the use of such information can be accepted by the publisher. All rights reserved. The contents of the magazine are strictly copyright, the property of Schofield Publishing, and may not be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or reproduced without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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Regulars

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Lead Feature

Discussing the unique supply chain needs and challenges in the industry

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IT

Unlocking the potential of big data for oil and gas,

by Chris Shannon

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News

Some of the recent developments within the oil and gas industry

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Lead Feature

The importance of enhancing the leadership reserves in the oil and gas sector

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Special Feature - asset protection

The importance of protecting assets from sand erosion

Profiles

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23 Pipeline Technique 27 Coltraco Ultrasonics 30 UBH International 32 A.Hak Drillcon 32 35 IHC Vremac Cylinders 37 Marine Fabricators 40 BHDT 42 Top Oilfield Industries 44 Bowtech Products 47 Kongsberg Maritime

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Contents

50 Parkburn Precision Handling Systems 53 TTS Offshore 55 Oilon 58 Ampelmann 62 Total Refinery Leuna 65 Advanced Actuators 68 Litre Meter 62 71 Rubis Terminal 74 Technip Umbilicals

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78 Pittsburgh Corning Europe 81 EV 85 85 NOV Wellbore Technologies

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supply A strong

Jonathan Shortis of DHL on the unique supply chain needs and challenges in the oil and gas industry

Below Jonathan Shortis, vice president energy EMEA

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odern oil and gas exploration, characterised by complex operations involving numerous companies and in harsh, remote and extremely challenging environments makes the implementation of an effective and efficient logistics programme a highly demanding task for businesses. The sector has a range of unique demands that if not correctly overcome can have a detrimental impact on projects worldwide.

As European Oil & Gas Magazine recently discovered, the energy industry provides a level of complexity and wide geographical spread that makes operating an effective, efficient supply chain a challenging prospect. We spoke

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with Jonathan Shortis of DHL, the world’s leading logistics company that has been supporting the energy industry for more than 40 years, providing integrated energy logistics services and solutions that create a competitive advantage for energy organisations.

“The energy industry is characterised by high levels of complexity and a broad geographical spread – increasingly with a focus on difficult and demanding locations,” he explains. “It is made up of a number of key sub-sectors, including upstream oil and gas, downstream oil and gas, energy mining, and the power and utilities and renewables markets. At DHL we recognise the unique supply chain needs and logistics challenges of these various segments of the

Lead one

energy sector, and we support the largest energy companies across the globe, from international oil companies, service companies and drilling companies, through to petrochemical businesses, power and utilities companies, as well as leading players in the renewables sector.�

As Jonathan explains, the oil and gas market presents a number of unique challenges to businesses looking to operate an effective logistics operation. “The key challenges presented by the industry can include HSSE and compliance, particularly related to third-party contractor activities; large scale, highly complex operations that involve multiple stakeholders, drilling locations and a wide diversity of materials and logistics requirements; difficult

data exchange due to long, multinational and typically fragmented supply chains; impact on local communities, meaning that good community relations are essential; dynamic operations that are exacerbated by changing plans; multiple supplier management; and difficulties sourcing materials and equipment.�

With such a wide range of potential challenges and complexities within the oil and gas supply chain it makes effective management of that logistics operation essential. Whether companies are constructing a new oil refinery, running a drilling operation, mining, generating or distributing power it remains essential that efficient utilisation of labour, infrastructure and equipment takes

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place. “DHL recognises the unique supply chain needs and logistics challenges among the various segments of the energy sector, which is why we have developed integrated supply chain management solutions targets at each of the main sub-sectors,” says Jonathan.

“The integrated supply chain concept spans the entire project lifecycle, with DHL becoming involved at the design stage (pre-FEED or FEED) to develop the solution in parallel with the design of the facilities/drilling programme,” he continues. “This efficient, optimised supply chain solution can then be implemented for the capital project stage and transitioned to support the production/operations phase

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thereafter. A data-driven, outsourced supply chain provides a number of benefits to energy companies, regardless of their segment: visibility and traceability, simplified communication, supply chain optimisation and significant cost reduction, service enhancement and performance management.

“With better visibility and more predictability we can reduce risk and increase time and cost certainty, while at the same time build more confidence in the supply chain itself. It’s all about the implementation of a common system platform, better integration with our inbound logistics providers, and a standardised organisation and process that supports a more consistently executed supply chain.

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Logistics complexities can quickly drive up costs and eat into profits if not well managed, which is why many businesses are placing growing emphasis on finding and eliminating waste in their supply chains

In difficult, demanding, developing geographies the key to success is control, and by applying the best outsourcing techniques and lessons learned from other industries – automotive, technology and heavy industrial – conventional and unconventional energy companies can reap the benefits of increased productivity, increased asset availability and hence, improved production.”

Of course, the industry is characterised by demanding and developing geographies, as well as complex, innovative techniques that increase the challenges for operators.

One area of note is the developing unconventionals market. A contentious and divisive sector in its nature, as

Jonathan explains, it also brings its own unique supply chain challenges. “The unconventional energy market is relatively new and booming,” he says, “and often it is in an undeveloped and remote area where pipeline infrastructure does not exist. Because the sector is so new the supply chain support system is equally new and is evolving rapidly.

“Logistics complexities can quickly drive up costs and eat into profits if not well managed, which is why many businesses are placing growing emphasis on finding and eliminating waste in their supply chains,” he continues. “The logistics burden associated with unconventionals is high due to large flows of pipe, casing, water, proppant and chemicals

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to support the drilling and hydraulic fracturing activities.

As a result logistics cost is a high proportion of overall production cost, and the provision of an efficient, effective supply chain can therefore have a marked effect on overall project economics.”

In the field of unconventionals, where companies must ensure minimum disruption to communities whilst maintaining optimum production, DHL provides effective logistics management services, beginning with an early engagement in the project lifecycle to design a robust, efficient supply chain that can support every phase of the project. This ensures a strong foundation for the business to proceed, after which the company focuses on establishing an integrated supply chain solution in order to manage the logistics from supplier to worksite.

“We are one of the few companies capable of supporting the stringent and substantial demands of unconventional energy exploration and production anywhere in the world,” Jonathan comments, “and we have significant experience of supporting these types of oil and gas operations around the world, with live projects in the US, Eastern Europe, North Asia and Australia. We focus on the implementation of an end-to-end supply chain approach for such projects, managing the supply chain from international for domestic suppliers through to the physical well site or drilling location. We use a control tower approach to ensure

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standardisation of systems and processes across the supply chain, with particular emphasis on HSSE and compliance across the sub-contractor community. In addition, we ensure visibility and traceability of materials through the use of an integrated supply chain visibility tool. This ensures that well engineering team productivity is maximised, asset up time is increased, the time from Final Investment Decision (FID) to production is minimised and hence production levels are enhanced. In this way DHL can deliver real value to its unconventional oil and gas clients.”

A key factor in many objections to the implementation of unconventional projects is the potential impact such work can have on the local environment and community. Whilst this is naturally a responsibility of the energy company, Jonathan highlights that an effective logistics operation can greatly benefit this aspect of the operation. “Logistics requirements for unconventionals are far greater than for conventional oil and gas activities, thus there is a real need for professional logistics services to reduce community and environmental impact. We can achieve this by strong planning and scheduling of logistics activities, and by regular engagement with the local communities in partnership with its client organisations.”

In fact, as Jonathan goes on to point out, DHL places considerable emphasis on working with local communities in its operations, both at project level and across its

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Oil and gas supply chains are among some of the most complex in the world, making the implementation of successful logistics management solutions essential for ongoing success

global operations. “We provide a single point of contact to the customer to help drive service level improvements and reduce total logistics costs – we are responsible and accountable for design, management, cost and operational performance of the key supply chain functions and systems, and as such local engagement is extremely important, including co-operation with local regulatory authorities and communities. We work to provide efficient supply chain solutions, with the emphasis on compliance, HSSE, service reliability, transportation scheduling, consolidation to reduce vehicle movements to a minimum, standardised systems and process delivery and reporting. We are also striving hard to maximise local content and capitalise on local capabilities by recruiting, training and developing local talent. We strike a balance between our central control tower operations and strong, local representation on a case-by-case basis, which allows us to create sustainable business models for the future while also meeting the aspirations of our customers.”

Over the coming years there is little doubt that unconventional projects will continue at pace, and similarly, oil and gas production is expected to take place in ever more demanding and challenging environments. For such remote activities in particular there must be considerable emphasis on improving supply chain management for companies moving forwards. Oil and gas supply chains are among some of the most complex in the world, making the

implementation of successful logistics management solutions essential for ongoing success. “The energy market is more dynamic than ever, with that demand expected to keep rising while resources become more diverse and increasingly expensive to develop. This, coupled with operations in harsh environments means that the sector must invest in new technologies and geographies while always looking for ways to balance risks and costs,” Jonathan points out.

“Furthermore, while the increase in gas production has improved global energy security downward price pressure is causing concern for the major producers, and ever more stringent regulations, HSSE and regulatory compliance have created more supply chain challenges and made logistics requirements even more demanding for businesses.

In the face of these challenges we are seeing that energy companies are redefining their business models with a view to outsourcing more of their non-core activities. In particular they are looking to logistics suppliers that are specialised in the sector in order to gain access to technology and talent, while cutting costs and sharpening their focus on their core business. We have a global team of sector specialists who understand the needs of the energy industry and who can offer smarter, simplified solutions. They work closely with customers to optimise their complex supply chains and manage logistics costs better so that the customer can focus on their core activities.

“By offering a single point of contact to energy companies it is possible to improve overall control through meticulous advanced planning, standardisation of systems and processes, end-to-end supply chain visibility and continuity, with efficient supplier management, comprehensive KPI reporting and enhanced data integrity. As a result customers experience increased productivity and rig uptime, effective maintenance, and operational support, lower total cost, increased on-time delivery and inventory availability, with reduced levels of stock,” he concludes.

DHL Jonathan Shortis is vice president - energy, EMEA, a position he has held since the start of 2013. Within his current role Jonathan is responsible for leading the growth agenda for DHL's Global Energy Sector across EMEA. Key aspects of this role include sales leadership, leading major transformational growth projects, and supporting the regional and country teams with the development of their energy strategies and major project opportunities. He is also responsible for managing the key global accounts and account relationships. DHL is the global market leader in the logistics and transportation industry and "The logistics company for the world".

For further information please visit: dpdhl.com

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data Good

Unlocking the potential of big data for oil and gas,

by Chris Shannon, CEO, Fotech Solutions

M Below Chris Shannon, CEO Fotech Solutions

any downhole processes still suffer from limitations in terms of monitoring and analysis. As a result, operations such as hydraulic fracturing, borehole seismic, gas lift, flood front monitoring and leak detection stand to gain significantly from new technologies capable of delivering enhanced efficiency and efficacy.

One such technology is Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS); an extremely powerful tool for collecting and interpreting data during downhole operations to provide engineers and site monitors with critical information, which can be analysed in real-time or retrospectively. DAS uses a fibre optic cable to detect acoustic vibrations so that engineers can ‘visualise’ and record what is going on downhole at every point of the well in real-time. This allows well engineers to focus time and effort on value-adding activity and, ultimately, increase recovery.

However, by adding a new layer of monitoring, DAS is also increasing the data that needs to be processed and analysed in downhole operations. Therefore, DAS providers are turning to new ways of optimising their solutions to provide the clear and actionable information that engineers need and maximising the potential usefulness of this big data.

The aims of gathering real-time information DAS is solving two major issues for oil and gas engineers.

Firstly, operators want to see data in real time while an operation such as hydraulic fracturing is taking place. These

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operations currently have significant limitations in terms of the ability to monitor and analyse what is happening.

Hydraulic fracturing is inherently difficult to monitor and the existing tools are extremely limited. Completion engineers will often have no way of knowing that a fracture has been successful across all zones – which is frequently the case!

DAS adds a new layer of intelligence that allows engineers to essentially ‘acoustically visualise’ the in-well activity.

DAS can gather data to a level that gives engineers a realtime log of the fracturing operation to an accuracy of one to two metres, providing an indication of fracture success in the exposed formation. Throughout any operation it is collecting and interpreting acoustic data to help build an understanding of the fracture operation itself, including ball seating, gun firing and perforation. The DAS system can then help engineers gain visibility of the fracturing activity and propagation, including the sensing of fluid and proppant flow through the perforations. From this data, engineers can ensure that the process is being carried out safely and efficiently, as well as establishing whether there are any issues that need to be dealt with.

Secondly, operators want to ensure that production at each well site is being maximised during a series of operations over a longer period of time. Analysing DAS data from a larger sample of operations can help engineers to ensure that the well is being stimulated efficiently and effectively, determine operational inefficiencies and assess what may need to be changed in future.

IT Cutting through the noise DAS is a powerful tool in facilitating both of these analytical processes. One of the challenges of DAS is not in collecting the information, but maximising the potential of the huge volume of data being produced in each individual operation.

Whether DAS is being used to analyse information in realtime or over a longer timespan, operators are currently likely to be dealing with tens of Terabytes of data for each individual monitoring period. Considering this data is collected from well sites, often in rural areas without access to high-speed broadband, it is rare that computing hardware powerful enough to handle it is available on-site.

Furthermore, sending huge packets of data to a different site via satellite connection is virtually impossible.

Currently the data collected from each operation has to be stored on physical hard drives and transported to locations where the sophisticated analysis can be carried out retrospectively on more powerful computers with the processing power to handle the reams of real time information. However, the data collected by DAS is extremely valuable for engineers looking to spot trends and potential anomalies that may show inefficiencies with a certain process. Therefore, having the ability to conduct real time analysis engineers only need the most critical information that gives them a clear picture of what is happening downhole at a given time. In order to provide this, the data needs to be compressed to a more manageable amount by filtering out the ‘background noise’.

Furthermore, transporting the data across a network to conduct analysis in real time also increases the value of using technologies such as DAS. Optimising the solution being used to a point where data can be broadcast to different locations from the well site in near real-time means data can be analysed by experts off site as the operation happens.

At Fotech, we encourage our customers and partners to view DAS as part of a wider solution rather than a standalone technology. For example, combining a DAS system with advanced data compression software, delivers a solution where data is collected, interpreted and compressed to a manageable size, in near real-time. Our partnership with Interpretive Software Products (ISP), data modelling and interpretation software specialist, means data can be compressed into packets that are small enough (Gigabytes, not Terabytes) to be sent across a network from the site, without any loss of critical information.

By compressing data to a more manageable level, the combination of DAS and sophisticated data compression tools enables far quicker delivery of in-well reports. The use of the data compression approach also means that transmitting information to operational platforms around the world in close to real-time can be achieved at far lower bandwidths than would be possible otherwise. The ability to transmit data across a network as it is collected also opens up the possibility of genuinely global access to data from the well as it happens, allowing for distributed decision making by the key company stakeholders.

A multi-layered approach to well monitoring As the adoption of powerful data analysis and interpretation technologies such as DAS continues to rise – operators and engineers will look for a solution that delivers the invaluable data they need in the most easy-to-use and optimised package for them. Combining DAS with sophisticated data compression software will constitute a step-change in the way DAS is delivered, demonstrating how the commercial value of data to well operators and high-level decision makers can be increased.

On a wider level, I believe the industry is due a change in its overall approach towards technologies such as DAS. To experience the ROI budget owners within oil and gas operators need to see, engineering decision makers need to see DAS as an enabling part of an overall solution. Rather than taking the benefits of real-time monitoring at face value, a more sophisticated and beneficial approach is to ensure the information is being delivered in a way that suits your individual needs most. Whether that’s providing the missioncritical information required, as it happens, to simply alert engineers of potential issues that must be dealt with immediately, or if it’s generating reams of data from a series of operations to be analysed closely in order to fine-tune particular downhole processes to extend the life-time of a well. The key is to ensure that DAS is being used in the most effective manner possible.

fotech solutions Chris Shannon is CEO of Fotech Solutions, which was established in 2008 and specialises in the development and delivery of Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) based solutions. Operating primarily in the oil and gas and pipeline sectors, Fotech has developed the Helios system, which converts an optical fibre up to 40km long into a solution that is equivalent to tens of thousands of individual vibration sensors. Real-time detection of the vibrations caused by acoustic disturbances along the fibre is translated into information that will aid the oil and gas operator in exploration, production and delivery activities, or a pipeline operator with intrusion detection, leak detection or pig tracking activities.

For further information please visit: fotechsolutions.com

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Above: Amarinth API 610 OH1 pump for subsea well response project

A vital service Amarinth has been appointed by Expro to deliver $1 million of API 610 OH1 pumps for the Subsea Well Response Project. In light of recent serious oil spill incidents such as Macondo, in the Gulf of Mexico, nine international oil and gas companies, including BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Petrobras, Shell, Statoil and Total, are working together through the Subsea Well Response Project (SWRP) in collaboration with Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) pooling expertise and resources to develop and make available to the international oil and gas industry a global containment toolkit that can support subsea well incident response if well shut-in is not immediately possible.

Expro North Sea, selected by the Operating Committee to deliver the transfer pumps and coolers for the project, implemented a rigorous full quality supplier audit before finally awarding Amarinth the $1M contract for ten API 610 OH1 B Series pumps with Plan 53B Seal Support systems.

The audit, conducted over three days, involved tracing a high percentage of components right back to their original manufacture and not allowing work to proceed through the stages of manufacture until all approvals had been received by them.

Oliver Brigginshaw, managing director of Amarinth, commented: “We are delighted to be supplying our pumps to the Subsea Well Response Project, which has such huge potential to protect the global environment in the event of a subsea incident.”

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Remote control Sub-Atlantic has secured three international contracts with a combined value of over £3.5 million for the manufacture of three specialist remotely operated vehicles (ROVs).

The firm will provide IKM Subsea in Norway, Italy’s Globe Exploration and Total Marine Technology of Australia with state-of-the-art observation class vehicles that are widely used across the offshore energy and defence industries.

Sub-Atlantic, which is part of the Forum Energy Technologies group, has its operations hub in Aberdeen and a manufacturing base in Kirbymoorside, Yorkshire. This announcement follows a significant investment in the group’s Kirbymoorside facility to create a manufacturing centre of excellence. The company is also on a recruitment drive to boost its operational workforce in Aberdeen and add 20 manufacturing jobs in Yorkshire where it employs 300 people.

Ryan Lumsden, global product director for Sub-Atlantic, said: “By bringing Sub-Atlantic’s manufacturing capabilities alongside the Perry facility in Kirbymoorside and investing significantly in additional resources, plant and machinery, we have created a real centre of excellence which brings together our combined expertise and innovation and is unrivalled within our industry globally. Aberdeen remains a crucial centre of operations for us and we are looking to strengthen the team there to ensure we continue to meet our client’s needs.”

Considering the future While positive measures have been taken to attract investment in the UK’s exploration and production (E&P) sector, low oil prices and the country’s high tax burden mean that more significant changes are required to make new developments commercially viable, says an analyst with research and consulting firm GlobalData.

During the annual Autumn Statement, UK Chancellor George Osborne announced a supplementary charge reduction, which will decrease the overall tax rate on the country’s E&P sector from 62 per cent to 60 per cent, effective from 1st January 2015.

According to Will Scargill, fiscal analyst for GlobalData, this move will improve the sector’s profitability to some extent, but the simultaneous removal of the price-based trigger mechanism, which could have reduced the total tax rate by 12 per cent, will not be considered a beneficial tradeoff by E&P investors if the oil price does not rebound from its current levels.

He says: “Overall, the UK is sending positive signs to E&P firms, but high operational costs mean that the recent tax amendments are no game-changer for the investment climate. Without investment in extending the lives of producing fields, existing infrastructure will be decommissioned earlier. This will have the knock-on effect of reducing the commercial viability of smaller fields, which depend on such infrastructure, leaving resources below ground and ultimately resulting in a decline in sector size and associated tax receipts.”

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News

Equipped to succeed Ashtead Technology has seen a sharp increase in equipment sales since the Aberdeen headquartered business secured a number of exclusive global sales agreements with world-leading manufacturers such as Seabotix, Innova,

Above: Phil Saxton, general manager of Drager Marine & Offshore UK, second right on the back row, with Drager’s Aberdeen team

Sound Metrics, ECA Robotics and SubC Imaging.

To build on the global growth in

A balanced future

equipment sales, Ashtead Technology has appointed Kevin Murray-Taylor as global product sales manager. Based

Energy: A Balanced Future, the National Conference organised by NOF Energy, the business development organisation for the oil, gas, nuclear, offshore and renewables sectors has quickly established itself as one of the most talked about events on the energy calendar.

Taking place at the prestigious Sage Gateshead, 10th and 11th March 2015, professionals from the UK and international energy industry will head to North East England to discuss the future of the energy sectors.

Caroline Lofthouse, business development manager at NOF Energy, said: “Energy: A Balanced Future was always going to be a key event, but to have attracted so much interest this early on is very encouraging.

“It shows the appetite for dialogue as some of the top names including BP, Technip, DONG Energy, Petrobras, Dana Petroleum, Wood Group PSN and GE Oil & Gas in the industry come together to discuss the latest developments and find ways they can work together to build an energy-focused future.”

Phil Saxton, general manager of Dräger Marine & Offshore UK, said: “Our passion for safety in the oil and gas industry can be seen in everything we do and we’re very proud to be aligned with this event – one of the highlights of the 2015 calendar.

in Aberdeen, Mr Murray-Taylor is

Supporting role

sophisticated subsea equipment.

AGR is pleased to announce it has been awarded the Well Management Services Contract with Edison Norge AS. AGR will support Edison across its operating licences, including its first exploration well on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS).

AGR will deliver services relating to well construction, operational support, project management and rig intake services on the Edison-operated PL616, Haribo exploration well.

Sjur Talstad, AGR’s executive vice president for Norway and Russia, said: “AGR is honoured to support Edison in their Above: Sjur Talstad, executive vice president for Norway and planned and future operations on the Norwegian Continental Russia at AGR Shelf (NCS). We have assisted several new operators on NCS and our key individuals have extensive detailed regional knowledge from the location of the Haribo well. We are looking forward to the collaboration between the Edison and AGR teams.”

The three-year contract has extension options, which could see it extend to five years in total.

thirty years, Ashtead has evolved

responsible for product sales within Ashtead, providing a central focus for both customers and the regional sales teams in Aberdeen, London, Houston and Singapore.

The focus on equipment sales is part of an overall global growth strategy, which will see Ashtead Technology deepen its services and increase its market share. The company also recently launched the Ashtead training academy, which meets global demand for improved competency in the configuration, operation and maintenance of increasingly Ashtead Technology’s commercial director, Tim Sheehan, said: “With a strong heritage stretching back some from a rental business to become a much more integrated provider of subsea equipment solutions, offering custom solutions to meet the needs of the subsea industry from survey to engineering, procurement and construction companies, and to the inspection, repair and maintenance sector. We have invested heavily in our fleet and in securing global agreements with the leading manufacturers, which ensure that we are able to provide the technology our customers want."

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way Leading the

Sherief Hammady discusses enhancing the leadership reserves in the oil and gas industry

S

hort-term business challenges combined with long-term uncertainty in the oil and gas industry have made building the talent pipeline a difficult challenge for companies.

In addition to this, an ongoing focus on building technical expertise within businesses has resulted in a serious deficit in potential leadership candidates for energy companies, seriously threatening future business and longterm potential.

European Oil & Gas Magazine was fortunate to recently speak with Sherief Hammady, a director and global partner at global management consultancy Hay Group to discuss the leadership reserve challenges facing the sector, and the steps that leaders and organisations need to consider to get a better return on their investment in people and move ahead of their competitors. Hay Group has recently published a report on the topic titled ‘Enhancing you leadership reserves’, with the results making compelling reading.

Hay Group collected data from 33 oil and gas organisations, and supplemented this with interviews of 20 organisational leaders in the sector. The report recognised that industry leaders are seriously at risk of seeing the reserves of leadership potential run dry over the coming years. For example, only half of respondents said that they had enough employees ready to take on the necessary leadership positions, which could seriously jeopardise their future business goals. It was also noted that the industry’s Below focus on building reserves of technical and engineering Sherief Hammady, professionals – seen as a key driver by many businesses in director and recent years – has resulted in individuals taking leadership global partner at Hay Group positions who potentially lack the commercial experience to act on leadership issues.

Compounding this issue at present is a complex mix of short-term business challenges and long-term uncertainty across the sector, which makes building the talent pipeline in the oil and gas industry a difficult and often challenging task. Sherief begins by pinpointing why this lack of potential future leaders exists in the sector. “The leadership element of

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building the business is something that is often overlooked in many cases,” he explains. “At present there is a significant focus on building and developing technical expertise within businesses, which is generally seen as more important than general leadership, and because it is an issue that manifests itself in the short-term it continues to take precedent. The short-term aspect of this makes it an important issue as companies are trying to balance the need to plan for the future against addressing the challenges of the present.

The other problem we face at present is that as individuals progress within an oil and gas organisation it still pays to be a ‘senior expert’, and therefore for many the leadership aspect becomes something of an ‘add on’ and is not necessarily seen as an inspiring career end in itself.”

The focus on technical expertise is to a certain extent understandable, with the industry being driven by technology, innovation and operational expertise but, as Sherief explains, it is having a detrimental effect on future leaders. In fact, the Hay Group report discovered that just 53 per cent of respondents felt that their employees were encouraged to develop beyond their areas of expertise.

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“I often use the analogy of having a difficult or ‘problem child’, where they understandably get all of the focus and attention, and although there are some very gifted and brilliant children out there, who in this case would be potential leaders, they are often overlooked. The other reason why leadership is a less dominant focus is that there is a purveying attitude of ‘I do what I enjoy most’, with many people enjoying the technical element of their job more than the possible leadership aspect of operating in a business, which is often regarded as a distraction from someone’s area of work.

“Of course, we are not denying that it is a very technical industry, so you can naturally understand why the dominant focus would be on that area and why leadership roles have been overlooked, and in some cases it is often for good reason,” he continued. “But what we are saying is that yes, there is a baseline whereby you do need to be capable technically, but from an organisational point of view the question that companies really have to pose is what will make them more successful in the future?

If you’re thinking ten to 15 years into the future then it’s really important to consider whether it is simply

the technical knowledge and skill that will make you successful, or take you to the level of the next Shell, BP or other majors, or is it having strong and commercially skilled leaders in the key position as well?”

There clearly needs to be a balance between both roles, and a key factor in improving the leadership talent pipeline is in companies doing more to identify potential candidates early on in their career, before they are firmly entrenched in a more technical role. The most successful organisations at present are those that accurately determine what skills they need to ensure their future success and then identify the talent pools and the individuals that could potentially provide those skills.

Indeed, many of those involved in Hay Group’s report stressed the importance of identifying future leaders early in their careers, spotting any weaknesses and acting to redress them quickly and effectively. It would be prudent for example to look at fundamental areas such as ambition and the drive to learn and develop, and good interpersonal skills, and to invest heavily into the commercial aspects of leaders’ developments by planning their route into management early.

“At present we are not really building the breadth and

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If you’re thinking ten to 15 years into the future then it’s really important to consider whether it is simply the technical knowledge and skill that will make you successful, or take you to the level of the next Shell, BP or other majors, or is it having strong and commercial skilled leaders in the key position as well?

identifying the potential early on, so companies aren’t necessarily thinking as strategically as they should be,” Sherief explains. “We are maybe thinking about the next two or three years, but as I explained previously, not really forecasting ahead to the next ten years or further in terms of HR, recruitment and investing in people. At Hay Group we believe that the key issue is using your resources to discover very early in someone’s career if there is the desire, as well as the ability, to be a leader in the future.

“We have a framework that looks at potential leaders, which is about really delving into the ‘raw’ skills and capabilities of a possible candidate. So, it is based around four key elements; does someone have the hunger to want to learn? Do they have the conceptual flexibility – so can they operate in a flexible way in the face of challenges or problems? Are they interpersonally effective? And finally, do they have the ability to manage themselves effectively, and do they have the understanding of their own emotions and abilities and how to manage those within the work environment? Looking at it in a simplistic way, if someone fulfils these attributes early on then you know that you have the nucleus for an effective leader within your business. The key question then is do you work hard to nourish it, to give them the opportunity and discuss the future with them so

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that they can grow in the best possible way, and often we are seeing that these opportunities are lacking.”

In many cases these opportunities are lacking due to systematic cultural issues that are embedded within many companies in the industry. There is widespread concern about performance management cultures within the sector, with many believing that leaders are predominantly focusing on performance management and business outcomes to the detriment of input into people performance. “The industry is complex, and it swings like a pendulum,” Sherief comments.

“Our concern in this respect is that as prices fluctuate the companies take immediate action to address the problem, with the consequence being that the people development and performance management aspect of the business can be cut, reduced or overlooked.” As noted in Hay Group’s report, the lack of performance management is being driven by a number of key factors: 66 Rapid growth 66 Diversity 66 Alignment 66 Capability 66 Culture 66 Retention 66 Rewards

Lead two

While there are many programmes and other initiatives around leadership and people succession available, if companies are to solve the leadership reserves challenge then it is important for them to focus on using radical new techniques in order to release untapped potential.

Importantly, the cyclical nature of the industry means that it is vital for companies to ensure that their strategies are up to date in order to face the future challenges. This means being very responsive and flexible, while creating and maintaining a motivated working environment in which talent can be nurtured. Companies must look to inspire future leaders and to set out a clear set of company values in which individuals can grow; this in particular is a good way of starting much needed cultural change.

At the same time as recognising the need for more effective business skills, companies are looking towards executive training, which can include courses in such things as strategy, commercial acumen, financial analysis and leadership.

“There are some great practices out there right now and a lot of leading businesses that are doing some great robust things around leadership,” Sherief points out. “However, the key is also establishing intelligence throughout your leadership pipeline so that you know exactly what is going on and what is planned for the future. Naturally that requires a little more

thinking and more in-depth planning on what the future may look like, but with careful planning it is possible.

“Moving forwards there are other things that companies can be doing. In terms of management they need more professional managers rather than graduating their technical individuals into leadership positions. So the future will be about working hard to resource them, addressing how you are working on these aspects of the business in terms of drilling down deep into the values, communication and clarity of the business, and this is where the current leaders can really make the difference. So there are a lot more things to do aside from simply looking at best practices on talent.

It will be very important to be clear on strategy and focus of the business as this is the only way to give the direction on equipping people with the necessary skills to make a difference in the future.”

Ultimately, just like technical development, improving leadership effectiveness is a journey that must continue.

There is already much being done in the industry, with most oil and gas companies having recently implemented leadership initiatives or are planning to in the coming years, making it an exciting time for the sector. Summarising, Hay Group’s report noted four key steps for companies to consider: 66 Building adequate leadership pipelines, including early career identification 66 Effective people performance management 66 Bottom-up engagement to make change happen 66 Making leadership interventions profound and longlasting through frequent practical interventions “Everyone can be a leader, it is just that some will be more effective than others. As part of our research we spoke to many HR leaders and we are very pleased that there are a lot of great things happening right now, especially given the cycles of investment in the sector. Companies have to continue to look strategically and longer-term to develop leaders that will be valuable to their business and the industry, and we hope this will continue over the coming years, in spite of any turbulence and fluctuating business cycles,” Sherief concludes.

Sherief Hammady Sherief Hammady is a director and global partner at Hay Group and is the UK lead for oil and gas consulting. Over the past 13 years he has worked with senior leaders in FTSE 100 and large private sector organisations from around the world, focusing on the human issues that underpin business performance.

For further information please visit: haygroup.com/uk

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pipelines Protecting

John Peters of NEL discusses sand erosion in pipelines and how companies can protect their assets

C

ombating sand wear, erosion

Sand was once dismissed by the oil and gas industry as it only represented a small fractional percentage of flow from an oil/ gas well. However, because the industry is now more aware of the severe damage caused by sand particles, the presence of sand in many well flow streams is now well documented.

Sand production is now of increasing concern as the field ages, because many fields are becoming ‘mature’ and sand production levels always tend to increase. Also, as new, more difficult fields (i.e. conditions such as higher pressures, temperatures and higher sand levels), are developed, they often have higher starting and ongoing levels of sand production.

It is therefore important that the presence of sand is anticipated and that oil and gas production systems, from downhole right through to the processing facilities, are designed to handle the sand safely and reliably, because the production stream can be highly erosive due to the sand particles contained within the fluid. The size of the sand particles varies widely from as little as 15-30 microns (fines), up to 180-250 microns (moderate) to 450-600 microns (large), with each well and field having its own characteristic.

Worldwide, sand erosion costs the oil and gas industry billions of dollars annually due to increased wear and maintenance downtime, which manifest themselves as cutbacks in production, un-planned shut-downs or failures of equipment, with possible loss of containment and consequent environmental damage. Both the drilling and production sectors of the industry must therefore consider

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the risk of potential sand erosion damage and wear more seriously and ensure they are using validated equipment that is fit for purpose.

Although the sand present in the flow may still represent only a fraction of one per cent, if this is flowing in the piping system or inside components such as choke valves at high velocity it can cause significant erosive damage or even penetrate the wall or body leading to loss of containment - a very serious risk. Also, if sand particles become trapped in equipment with sliding or rotating parts with very small clearances, such as a valve, they can cause the operating force to increase significantly making it difficult to operate or to reliably close and seal, in some cases even causing the valve to seize. These scenarios are often potentially high-risk situations.

To control and limit the production of sand, operators often install sand screens downhole to retain sand particles but still allow a reasonable flow of fluid. However the smaller grains, typically <60 microns, will still pass through, and these can still cause erosive damage, albeit at a slower

Special feature

rate. A downside of installing sand-screens is that they can sometimes block and fail.

The only realistic option is to make the whole production system ‘sand-tolerant’, which inevitably makes it more expensive. However, for fields likely to be producing sand (even low levels), in the long-term an investment in sandtolerant equipment will pay dividends with its benefits of extended life, increased reliability and lower risk.

Equipment validation For equipment and pipework that is susceptible to sand erosion, how can operators be assured of the equipment’s performance and integrity? Verification or validation, also known as type testing and qualification testing, is increasingly becoming the answer for both manufacturers and operators.

A number of ISO standards and API specifications include such tests and procedures. as well as some manufacturers and operators having their own procedures.

Rather than relying solely on their own product capability

- asset protection

claims, manufacturers are finding that independent evidence, as part of the verification process, delivers a competitive edge as it assures purchasers that the product indeed performs reliably, particularly under arduous conditions.

However, operators are faced with a complex problem: not only are equipment designs and technologies often evolving in advance of an appropriate standard, every individual field they develop will have different attributes.

For new equipment for which there is no relevant standard, the first step is to ask what standard is similar or closest to being applicable (if any), and assess whether it may be used as a basis to form a tailor-made test programme. This needs to be done in collaboration with the operator, who best understands the conditions under which the equipment will operate; the manufacturer, who is familiar with their product’s design and material specifications; and the test authority. Consequently such equipment is often not tested to a specific existing standard, but tested using a recognised ’industry best-practice’ approach.

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Erosion tests have shown that there are different areas of wear within pipework and equipment depending on a number of factors, including local geometry and shape of the flow path, the fluid/ particle velocity, sand concentration, particle size, shape and hardness

The importance of verification testing equipment that may be subject to erosive conditions is becoming increasingly evident as the industry experiences more ‘loss of integrity’ or leak incidents. For example, high profile incidents such as the Deepwater Horizon disaster means that the performance of production equipment is now under even greater scrutiny, particularly if it is located in an erosive environment. As a consequence, rigorous testing, to demonstrate the equipment’s performance, is now increasingly part of the delivery process.

Inaccurate flow measurement For regulatory, fiscal and allocation flow-metering requirements, operators are responsible for ensuring that their flow meter readings are accurate. However, depending upon a meter’s location, eg upstream or downstream of the separator, particle erosion may have a significant adverse impact on a flow meter’s accuracy, reliability and body integrity.

Upstream of the separator, sand particles are likely to be in the flow stream all the time, the sand concentration (level) varying throughout the life of the well. Flow meters located downstream of the separator are likely to receive flow streams relatively free of sand particles, depending upon the effectiveness of the separator in trapping and removing the particles. However, whenever there is a production upset in the separator, sand particles (potentially high levels) could pass through the flow meters and this could easily cause the

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meters to have significant errors.

By knowing how particulate flows and erosion affect the performance of different types of flow meter, a meter’s design and performance may be improved, and meter selection can be optimised, resulting in improved accuracy, reliability and improved service (wear) life. Planned meter inspection, calibration and maintenance procedures can also be suitably optimised, resulting in a sizeable reduction in operating costs and downtime.

To evaluate some of the effects of sand erosion on flow meter uncertainty, NEL, supported by the UK’s National Measurement System (NMS), recently designed and constructed a sand/water Erosive Flow Test Facility. An experimental investigative test programme supported by NMS was then undertaken on a number of different meter types - coriolis, turbine-meter and venturi.

With sandy water flow streams of around five per cent sand by volume, an average particle size of ~280 microns and flows of up to 1500 l/min, this will enable meter performance to be measured under controlled erosive flow conditions.

Subsequent examination of the meters and data analysis will provide knowledge of the performance characteristics, uncertainty and responses of the meters under erosive flow conditions. A report on the Coriolis meter tests has recently been issued and a copy is available from NEL. The flow meter project plays an important role in terms of

Special feature

- asset protection

CFD erosion modelling

life extension of existing assets and fields within the oil and gas industry. Any unforeseen downtime caused by erosion to equipment has a direct and major impact on operator performance and productivity. The erosive flow facility enables industry to fully investigate the effects of erosion and implement control measures on equipment. This is vital for ensuring the long-term viability of the industry.

Erosion testing NEL has undertaken a wide range of erosive flow tests on components and equipment in both sand/water and gas/ sand flow regimes. Erosion tests have shown that there are different areas of wear within pipework and equipment depending on a number of factors, including local geometry and shape of the flow path, the fluid/particle velocity, sand concentration, particle size, shape and hardness. Also different flow regimes- gas/sand, liquid/sand and gas/liquid/ sand, all have different erosive flow patterns and wear characteristics.

The flow path also influences significantly where erosion occurs in equipment, for example sudden expansion or contraction, bends, or a series of bends where rapid changes in velocity or direction often have significant adverse erosion implications. Particle velocity dominates erosion and erosion rates - typically, doubling the particle (fluid) velocity gives a six-fold increase in erosion rate.

To further understand and predict how components and equipment are likely to perform under erosive flow conditions, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) erosion modelling can be used, for example, during the design phase of wellheads, piping systems and equipment. Critical erosion levels and potential erosion hot spots can be identified and the wear life predicted. CFD erosion modelling therefore provides an invaluable tool in the product development phase to assist designers in identifying critical erosion areas and to then optimise the design to minimise erosion.

However, CFD erosion modelling prediction techniques are still evolving, so results cannot be relied on without validating the CFD model with erosion test data. Such physical testing is undertaken using erosive flow loops, where under controlled flow conditions, known quantities of sand flow through the equipment or component under test, allowing engineers to accelerate erosion effects.

By subsequent examination and measurement of erosion levels, the test data can be compared with the CFD erosion model test predictions and the model adjusted if required.

In NEL’s experience, erosion tests often identify critical erosion areas or hot spots that the CFD modelling does not reasonably predict in terms of location or the level of erosion. The “adjusted” CFD model can then be used with greater confidence to estimate erosion levels at field operating conditions and predict component wear-life.

While erosion is difficult to stop, operators and manufacturers are able to take steps to minimise or control the level of erosion and reduce the risk of serious failure.

For example, at the design stage of the pipeline, wellhead or equipment, using CFD erosion modelling, erosion hot spots can be eliminated or reduced to acceptable levels.

By a combination of physical erosion testing and CFD erosion modelling, the test data can be used to validate the erosion model. This preventative approach enables equipment manufacturers and operators to estimate the lifetime costs of equipment, and to plan and manage an inspection/maintenance programme.

NEL John Peters is principal consultant at NEL, a world-class provider of technical consultancy, research, measurement, testing and flow measurement services to the energy and oil and gas industries, as well as government. Part of the TÜV SÜD Group, the company is a global centre of excellence for flow measurement and fluid flow systems and is the custodian of the UK’s National Flow Measurement Standards.

For further information please visit: tuvnel.com

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Anyone can give you the answers you want.

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PROFILE

Pipeline Technique

arc Welding the

Following a review

of working practices, procedures and welding methods in pipeline construction, and an evaluation of the industry’s future needs, the potential for the introduction of automatic welding techniques was highlighted. It was at this point in 1998 that Pipeline Technique Ltd (PTL) headquartered in Huntly, Scotland was established, focused on specialising in the niche area of automatic pipeline welding in the oil and gas sector.

Growth of the business has proven to be rapid with employee numbers rising from an initial 15 in 1998 to a peak level of 350 throughout the world. Although a UK business, the majority of the company’s turnover is overseas and is largely for work on pipelines being installed in ultra-deep waters. A US subsidiary was established in 2002 to service the American market, and the company has an additional permanent presence in Australia and Asia, reflecting international demand of the skill set that includes double, quad and hex joints, collars, tendons and connectors, pipe-in-pipe systems, ultra-deepwater pipeline and riser

systems, ultra-heavy wall thickness tubulars, reeled flowlines, risers, J-Lay welding, pipe spool and structural fabrications.

Initial success in contracts with Heerema Marine Contractors (HMC) led to an eventual takeover bid in 2008, which saw HMC buying 51 per cent of the business, whilst founder Duncan McGreggor maintained a 49 per cent stake as CEO, reflecting the important role PTL would play in the years to come. Because oil and gas companies regularly call on HMC to enable full offshore field development in the toughest of environments in all of the world’s seas, PTL’s order books, as a subsidiary, are healthy. However, as a specialist in its own right, PTL works frequently with other pipeline installation contractors as well as some of the large owning companies.

“Whilst we have been very active across a number of fields, over the last eight months our focus has been on the delivery of a major project off the Australian coast,” begins Peter Coward, group commercial and business development manager. In 2012 HMC was awarded a contract European oil & gas

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Testing, calibrating, advising.

Bridging the gap between ‘what if’ and ‘when’...

In a market where asset assurance is a fundamental principle, Exova has a proud track record of supporting organisations at the forefront of global oil and gas exploration, production and distribution.

Exova can help you get to where you're going, get in touch for a chat. t. + 44 (0) 330 222 0321 e. europe@exova.com w. www.exova.com

Eurpoean_Oil&Gas_Magazine_2014.indd 1

31/03/2014 13:41:51

PROFILE

Exova Exova is proud to work closely with Pipeline Technique as one of its major suppliers. In a market where asset assurance is a fundamental principle, we have a proud track record of supporting organisations such as Pipeline Technique through the provision of technically demanding testing. We are a partner for life, independently assuring the performance of assets from R&D, through to operation, life extension and disposal.

We are experts in corrosion, coatings, asset life management, failure analysis, metal testing, environmental testing and Immersion Ultrasonic Testing (IUT).

Our teams of oil and gas testing experts are committed to delivering independent assurance on safety and performance. We also have recognised capabilities in critical but routine weld testing, including weld procedures, weld certification and metallurgy for pipelines and other oil and gas assets. When you are under the world’s spotlight, it is the silence of our results that are the measure of success

to transport and install infield production flow lines, riser line, subsea structures and moorings for the Ichthys Project, contracting all pipeline production welding, both onshore and offshore to PTL. “Reel lay activities will be implemented using the new deepwater construction vessel (DCV) Aegir, with a 2 x 2000 tonne reel capacity. Utilising a purpose built spoolbase site in Batam, Indonesia we are welding 12 metre lengths of pipe together to produce 500 metre sections, which are then reeled onto the spools.

The scope additionally requires operations at a multi-joint site close to the spoolbase where quad joints are produced for the J-lay capabilities of the vessel.”

Speaking from the R&D centre that concentrates purely on the fundamental basis of the business; automatic welding, Peter explains: “We have actually developed our own automatic welding system here in Scotland, which we began designing in 2007. We utilise our ‘HALO’ system wherever possible, and have a team constantly working on its development. Initially the system was a single torch/single head design, which we developed into a dual torch design.

Subsequently we have been able to tie that design into various different welding machines, so it may be used with most welding power sources on the market.” Rossweld Engineering has supplied the company with welding packages consumables and contract peripherals for UK and international contracts since 2007.

“Primarily we work in the offshore business,” says Peter. “However, our expertise on occasions

Pipeline Technique

results in responding to the demand of constructing land based pipelines. As such, we are currently involved in the installation of a 42” diameter line in Australia that we expect to complete by February 2015.

“Working in locations around the globe that are extremely strict on local content legislation, it was necessary to establish a solution to develop the right skills to operate the specialist equipment both onshore and offshore. For training purposes a complete mock up of the vessel welding stations were developed at our centre in Huntly. Having selected a crew from Australia, we brought them back to the simulator for intensive and specific training, qualifying in line with the project requirements.

The success we have achieved and the level of dedication from all involved is something of which we are very proud.”

The importance of the R&D has been highlighted in the success of securing projects worldwide. Equipment must be constantly developed to ensure the business stays at the front-end of this sophisticated niche market, and in its development centres, research is permanently ongoing. “We are also very active in field joint coating developments, undertaking concentrated testing before procedure qualification testing. Our FJC mock up facility allows us to do that, and through imitating actual site setup for land based lines and offshore environments, we are able to further automate and improve the equipment with new processes and consumables,” Peter highlights.

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PROFILE

Pipeline Technique

The drop in oil price has been considerable in recent months, but despite that, PTL continues to see clients’ commitment to projects with future activities lined up on works relating to a large offshore project in West Africa. Providing a brief insight into the market, Peter adds: “It was actually the period between 2012 and 2013 when we were at our quietest. Things have really picked up over the last 12 months and 2015/16 is looking positive. We are progressively developing into new segments offshore, securing a shallow water contract earlier this year, which commences in January 2015.”

Working within a specialist environment is indicative of the very narrow margin for error, and one aspect, which PTL heavily promotes, is that of dedication to quality. “We work to some very high standards and high specifications, and in the history of the business we have achieved many ‘worlds firsts’, particularly with large diameter pipework and deepwater climates. The specifications that we are working to are highly stringent and extremely critical,” says Peter, highlighting that PTL’s next project offshore West Africa commences soon: “This region is

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Applus RTD Applus RTD is pleased to be able to supply our specialist non-destructive testing and inspection services to Pipeline Technique, wherever we have a joint presence across the globe.

Our UK business association with Pipeline Technique is also a source of pride to us and we look forward to building and further developing our relationship in the years ahead.

recognised as a tough location for numerous reasons, and projects here hold an interesting challenge. However, over the next few years it is important that we increase our client base, as well as nurture existing relationships from strength to strength. Ultimately it is our intention to be the welding contractor of choice.”

Pipeline Technique pipelinewelders.com

Services Pipeline and riser welding contractor

PROFILE

Coltraco Ultrasonics

assets Protecting

Above Portagauge Below Portascanner

Since its inception in 1987,

Coltraco Ultrasonics has been an industry leader in the design and manufacture of ultrasonic measuring devices with applications within a broad base of primary markets comprised of fire safety, defence, shipping and vessel management, offshore oil and gas platforms and installations, power generation as well as energy distribution utility companies and distribution sub-stations.

Furthermore Coltraco is present within several industry sectors in rail, mining, steel and aluminium, banking, telecommunications, data centres, automobile manufacturing, pharmaceutical sectors, high rise buildings, server rooms and switching gear rooms, where most of these applications are now protected by expensive FM-200 or NOVEC 1230 fire

systems. Many of these systems are ideally suited for Coltaco Ultrasonics’ Portalevel liquid level indicator, demonstrating the company’s lead in the niche field of non-invasive, portable and ultrasonic liquid level measurement and contents monitoring for clean agent fire suppression systems.

Today Coltraco Ultrasonics is the OEM of the Portalevel and Portascanner technologies, which it has manufactured for over 20 years. To date the company has supplied more than 15,000 units to clients in 104 countries, which has proven to be the driving force in propelling the business to becoming the leading manufacturer that it is today, with a specialised portfolio of 14 systems and products.

Within the oil and gas sector Coltraco Ultrasonics has supplied many of the industry’s leading operators. Its Portalevel series of products and systems have been successfully deployed in both onshore and offshore applications including most of the North Sea’s 160 platforms in both the UK and Norwegian sectors. At sea Coltraco Ultrasonics units are present aboard most types of vessels including gas carriers, bulk carriers, oil tankers, chemical and product carriers. Furthermore Portalevel MAX Marine products are also applied within other maritime sectors including ferries, cruise ships and defence, where the company has delivered large amounts of equipment to the fleets of the US Navy, Royal Navy and various Commonwealth and European navies.

The manufactured products provided by Coltraco Ultrasonics include the UL-approved Portalevel MAX 8th generation portable ultrasonic liquid level indicator, which was developed over the course of two years to ensure that the unit provides the quickest and simplest method for identifying the contents of CO2, FM200, NOVEC 1230, FE-13, FE-25 & FE-36, Halon and a variety of similar liquid gaseous fire suppression agents, as well as most oil and water based substances. Additionally, the Portalevel Standard 7th generation portable ultrasonic level indicator provides the ideal ultrasonic solution for land-based applications in identifying cylinder content of CO2, FM200, NOVEC 1230 and a variety of similar clean agent suppressant systems.

These units are vital in monitoring and maintaining substance levels in a host of safety critical fire protection systems that might otherwise suffer from diminished levels due to accidental discharge or slow seepage of contents.

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PROFILE

The Portalevel Standard and Portalevel MAX are supported by the Portalevel Datalogger, which represents the world’s first ultrasonic level indicator that is capable of recording, storing and downloading readings. This provides operators with a simple, efficient and cost-effective solution for collecting and storing up to 1000 cylinders worth of readings for evidential work. Again, this unit is capable of operating with a wide range of high value fire extinguishing agents.

As Coltraco Ultrasonics approached its 25th anniversary it was proud to unveil its Permalevel Multiplex fixed fire suppression system monitoring system with remote monitoring capability and with integrated data recording. The system allows the continuous monitoring of fixed gaseous fire suppression systems 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year from any location on the planet. This offers clients peace of mind that no accidental discharge or leakage goes unnoticed, and it is compatible with any existing alarm system and central control station in order to relay current status and alert any change in level, making the system ideal for high value assets and hazardous environments.

“Permalevel Multiplex is the world’s first ultrasonic fixed contents monitoring system for clean agent suppression systems used in offshore oil and gas installations to safeguard this critical infrastructure from accidental discharge or slow leakage of these pressurised systems,” says Coltraco Ultrasonics CEO, Carl Hunter. “It contains a datalogger so that all measurements are recoded and three layers of remote monitoring; in the cylinder room, integrated into the alarm system and a remote monitoring capability so that the whole system’s contents can be monitored from a central monitoring point. Business continuity values of an offshore oil and gas installation, which itself can be up to $2 billion, often exceed $500,000 per day. It is to aid this essential business continuity that we designed this system.”

Coltraco Ultrasonics is also able to support the business continuity of high-value offshore assets through the provision of its Portaguage III ultrasonic thickness gauge and its ultrasonic watertight integrity test indicator, Portascanner.

Often oil and gas installations operate within harsh marine environments where corrosion and metal fatigue are constant threats, particularly to the aging infrastructure found in the North Sea oil fields. The Portaguage III, launched in March 2013, provides an incredibly robust, reliable and accurate solution to the vast majority of

Coltraco Ultrasonics

thickness gauging requirements including the corrosion testing of any metal.

Additionally the Portascanner II ultrasonic watertight integrity test indicator is capable of inspecting any watertight, airtight or weather tight seals for areas of leaking or reduced compression in the seal, particularly in watertight compartment doors and multiple cable transit areas. This is a vital consideration in offshore and subsea installations where leaks can lead to the damage or destruction of equipment housed within the legs of offshore platforms or even the capsizing of structures.

As such, the combined portfolio of Coltraco Untrasonics represents a comprehensive package of high-quality and safety critical systems for the offshore oil and gas sector.

As the market leader in ultrasonic measuring devices, exporting 95 per cent of its output to 104 countries, Coltraco Ultrasonics is present in markets all over the globe and has earned a trusted reputation for quality and integrity.

Indeed, the company offers a uniform pricing policy for all of its clients regardless of their location, so that customers can order from Coltraco Ultrasonics in complete confidence that they will receive the highest level of quality at a fair price.

As the business grows, it will continue to rely on the support of both its clients and its partners within the scientific community, as Carl concludes: “Coltraco Ultrasonics has a commitment to science and we are proud to support British graduate and postgraduate physicists and mathematicians. We have received an incredible level of support from the British research community, particularly from UK universities. We aim to design and manufacture the most mathematically accurate products and systems in our fields of ultrasonic measurement and monitoring. Science is our underlying basis to provide the offshore oil and gas industry with the best equipment in our fields of clean agent fire suppression system monitoring, watertight integrity testing of W/T compartment doors, and Cable Transit Areas.”

Additionally the Portascanner II ultrasonic watertight integrity test indicator is capable of inspecting any watertight, airtight or weather tight seals for areas of leaking or reduced compression in the seal, particularly in watertight compartment doors and multiple cable transit areas Above Watertight doors

DuPont™, FM-200®, and FE-241™, FE-13™, FE-25™, FE-36™ are trademarks or registered trademarks of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company

Coltraco Ultrasonics coltraco.co.uk

or its affiliates. Novec™ 1230 is a trademark owned by 3M™. Coltraco, Portalevel®, Permalevel®,

Services

Portascanner®, Permascanner® Portagauge® and

Ultrasonic design and manufacture

Portasonic™ are trademarks or registered trademarks of Coltraco Limited.

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Tank

commanders

Enjoying a worldwide reputation for excellence in design and quality UBH International (UBHI) is the UK's only manufacturer of the full range of inter-modal tank-containers for the secure transportation of bulk liquids (both chemical and food-grade) and gases.

Inter-modal tank-containers can be used interchangeably for road, rail and sea transport worldwide, and this means that they have considerable ecological advantages, being almost infinitely reusable with a service life that can easily exceed 20 years. They are strong and damage resistant, and so minimise the danger of accidental release of potentially harmful pollutants into the environment.

The history of UBHI began over five decades ago, and it has been through various evolutions to become the market leader it is today. A constant feature of these changes has been UBHI’s willingness to adapt, as Tom Harding, sales director, highlighted: “In the late 1990s, UBHI was the world’s second largest producer of tank-containers. However, recognising the threat posed by low-cost manufacturing in China, UBHI embraced the situation, licensing its standard designs of tank-container to a Chinese container builder at the start of what became a spectacularly successful ten-year alliance, which has seen its licensee become the world’s largest manufacturer of standard tank containers.

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“At the same time UBHI itself moved away from the standard market to focus on building higher added value, specialist tank containers, optimising and exploiting its accumulated expertise to build a new, highly profitable niche business.”

As a result of this approach, the company consistently returns a healthy manufacturing profit from its UK operations, whilst most of the employees, who number around 75, have a shareholding in the company and thus benefit from the company’s success by way of regular dividends.

This success has continued since UBHI was last featured in European Oil & Gas Magazine in 2013, as Tom was happy to confirm: “The last year has seen very high levels of production of larger offshore tanks (10 ft and 20 ft DNVapproved tanks) for the oil and gas industry, as well as continued high demand for the more familiar 4000-litre offshore chemical tanks.

Steady demand has also held up for the 2000and 3000-gallon nitrogen tanks, which the company supplies for well stimulation operations around the globe and for specialist equipment such as mud-gas separators, which represent a niche product in which UBHI has developed an excellent reputation thanks to its engineering and specialist vessel manufacturing skills.”

2013 also witnessed the outright purchase of the company’s production facility (hitherto

PROFILE

leased) covering 100,000 sq ft. on a four-acre site. Tom explained that this investment was the beginning of a sustained period of progress, which has included installing larger cranes to allow the handling of higher capacity and higher pressure gas tanks, as well as the mud-gas separators and larger offshore tanks for which the company has developed a strong reputation.

“We have also acquired new welding equipment to improve weld integrity and manufacturing efficiency, and made general improvements to the fabric of the buildings to enhance safety, efficiency and economy,” added Tom. Given the careful attention to detail and a constant determination to improve the design, safety and effectiveness of tank equipment, it is no surprise UBHI has a steadily growing reputation within the oil and gas industry. “The company’s principal products are transportable tanks and tank-containers for chemicals and cryogenic gases, and a wide range of such tanks are required in the oil and gas industry for both on- and offshore operations.

“As well as transportability and robustness, safety is key, and UBHI has developed a range of tanks which responds to the rigorous expectations of oil and gas clients,” Tom continued. “Ease and economy of transport to and from the well-head is assured, with tanks being mounted in strong protective frames equipped with slings and fork pockets, and with DNV, CSC or other relevant approvals as required. With damage to tank frames an everyday occurrence in the offshore business, tanks can be built to a bolt-in design, allowing easy removal of the vessel while frame repairs are carried out, and if necessary enabling quick, easy and economical replacement of the entire frame.

“The UBHI range of tanks for the oil and gas industry is bringing benefits to companies around the globe, not only in efficiency and profitability but also, critically, in employee safety

UBH International

and environmental security,” noted Tom. As it enters the New Year, UBHI plans to continue with the great strides it has made in the tank-container market. “Its focus will remain on the development of the range of offshore tank containers and 10 ft and 20 ft DNVapproved tanks to improve safety characteristics, to facilitate ground operation of valves, to minimise tare weight, and maximise capacity, thus optimising the number of tank moves,” explained Tom. “It will also continue to develop its range of cryogenic tanks to encompass the full range of liquefied gas transport needs, including LNG. Particular focus has been placed on enhancing pipework integrity and resilience to optimise performance and durability in the rigorous conditions found in the oil and gas industry. Overall, the company will keep up its attention on the skills and competencies it has already established, in order to maintain its world’s leading position.”

European oil & gas

Ease and economy of transport to and from the well-head is assured, with tanks being mounted in strong protective frames equipped with slings and fork pockets, and with DNV, CSC or other relevant approvals as required UBH International Ltd www.ubh.co.uk

Products Tank containers

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An embedded

Although a relatively

new venture, A.Hak Drillcon (part of A. Hak which celebrated its 50 years’ anniversary in 2013) has developed a leading reputation in the field of trenchless technology, specialising in the design and execution of underground tunnelling and drilling of pipelines, casings, culverts, cables and more for the oil and water, petrochemical, telecommunications and energy industries. “On the 18th of December 2014 we celebrated the fifth anniversary of A.Hak Drillcon,” observes managing director Ronald Van Krieken. “In 2009, we started small-scale and since then we have become a global player in trenchless technology with over 100 highly motivated and hard working staff. We are all very proud of reaching this milestone and we have undertaken some technically challenging and large-scale projects, as well as many smaller drillings.”

To date A.Hak Drillcon has executed a number of highly specialised projects for both internal and many external clients, within Europe, Canada, South America, the Middle East and Asia. Throughout 2014 A.Hak Drillcon has continued to win new contracts within a number of industry sectors as Ronald elaborates: “In September 2014 A.Hak Drillcon was awarded a contract by Energie und Wasser Potsdam (EWP) for the execution of five HDD crossings under the Brauhausberg ('Brewery hill') in Potsdam, near Berlin. These crossings are part of a new 110 kV and 10 kV cable network, which is being constructed in the city of Potsdam. The works comprise of the supply, welding, drilling and pull-in of HDPE ducts in bundles of 4x200mm and 110+160mm. After completion, EWP will pull its electricity cables into these ducts. The total length to be drilled is 1700m. The crossings

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commence at the Geotechnical Research Institute at the Brauhausberg and terminate at various junctions at street level.”

Further to the contracts that it has won with EWP, A.Hak Drillcon has also worked closely with Gasunie Deutschland and Open Grid Europe throughout 2014, as Ronald further explains: “Gasunie Deutschland and Open Grid Europe have recently awarded the drilling works associated with the Elbedüker project to A.Hak Drillcon as main contractor. The project comprises of the tunnelling of a concrete casing under the river Elbe, to accommodate the new gas pipeline that will secure the safe supply of natural gas to Northern Germany and Scandinavia.

“The permits were successfully obtained and on 14th August 2014 drilling commenced in a 24-hours double-shift system and on December 4th 2014 we concluded the drilling. The length of the route is 1525m. The AVMD 2400/AB 3000 machine is deployed for the insertion of the concrete casing. Subsequently, two highpressure gas pipelines of 30’ will be inserted into the tunnel in addition to a few bundles of HDPE ducts for future cable use. The remaining void will then be grouted entirely.”

A.Hak is able to supply its clients with fully turnkey solutions in trenchless drilling technology, encompassing everything from engineering to applying for a license. Once the company has been given the location and the preconditions of crossings it has all of the information it needs to produce a complete design and secure the necessary approval. Once the application is granted, A.Hak will move swiftly into execution of the project. As such, the company ensures that it is able to offer its

PROFILE

clients a full spectrum of trenchless technologies including horizontal direction drilling (HDD), up to 500 ton capacity, micro tunnelling up to OD 3.000mm; direct-pipe drilling; pilot guided auger-boring and impact ramming. Besides its existing technologies, within A. Hak Drillcon a dedicated team works on innovations on a daily basis in order to provide itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clients the best solutions, now and in the future.

Between May 2013 and April 2014, A.Hak was involved in a project that made use of a number of its specialist trenchless technologies for its client, Gasunie. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Gas Hubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; represented a significant investment for Gasunie that would transform into an integrated gas infrastructure utilised for the production, transport, storage and transit of gas for the European market. One of the major operations within this project was the construction of a new gas transport pipeline between the Dutch towns of Beverwijk and Wijngaarden. A.Hak Leidingbouw and A.Hak Drillcon was granted two of the three lots of

A.Hak Drillcon

operations were complicated by the presence of ground water so the rigs were often deployed on mounds and special return pipelines for drilling fluid were constructed both above and below the surface. Throughout the project micro tunnelling was carried out using medium-capacity steel gas pipelines, while in areas containing railroad crossings concrete case tubes were used.

Adjacent to Highway A4 near Hoofddorp, close to Schiphol International Airport, the local N201 road and its neighbouring business park were crossed using the direct pipe method. This method was selected as the available space was limited and this drilling method allows for work with short pipeline sections.

Although A.Hak Drillcon is a relatively new business, it has rapidly developed a leading reputation as a vital partner in trenchless technology through the delivery of several specialised technique and swift, turnkey service.

As such, the journey of A.Hak Drillcon is set to continue for many years.

A.Hak is able to supply its clients with fully turnkey solutions in trenchless drilling technology, encompassing everything from engineering to applying for a license

A.Hak Drillcon B.V. a-hakdrillcon.nl

Services Trenchless drilling technology

this trajectory and thus became responsible for the construction of 60 kilometers of this 48" gas transport pipeline. This was a challenging project, in part because of the surrounding soil conditions and water management requirements and also due to the abundance of railroads and waterways in a varying landscape. This left it up to A.Hak to ensure that it delivered the most suitable drilling solution at every location.

Horizontal directional drilling, for example was employed for long crossings. HDD operations were carried out using a 250, 330 ton mega rig and later a 500 ton mega rig. These European oil & gas

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PROFILE

IHC Vremac Cylinders

MTV Metallveredlung GmbH & Co. KG MTV Metallveredlung is a technology and market leader in the field of functional surface technology as well as the development of new functional coatings for highest corrosion protection and wear resistance. With unit weights up to 120 t and its own R&D department, MTV can plate very big parts and develop application specific coating processes like NiL35 and NICABOR with its customers. For IHC Vremac, MTV electroplates special hydraulic cylinders for the offshore industry, which require a durable seawater resistance.

move The right

Founded in 1958, IHC Vremac Cylinders has a 56-year history in the engineering and manufacture of hydraulic cylinders, swivels and accumulators. The business was incorporated with only four members of staff and has today grown into a global player, with a workforce of over 110 people as part of the Royal IHC group.

Initially Vremac provided repair services for hydraulic cylinders for clients across several industrial sectors, and the company has become synonymous with market-leading design and manufacture. So much so that during 2007 Vremac became part of the IHC Merwede Group after operating as a trusted supplier to the company for many years. Later during June 2014, ICH Merwede became Royal IHC in celebration of its award of the honorary title of Koninklijk (Royal) by His Majesty the King Willem-Alexander, incorporating the name Royal and the image of the crown into its corporate identity. Following this accolade both Royal IHC and IHC Vremac have continued to grow from strength to strength. “Having Royal IHC as a parent company and owning our own production capabilities allows us to fabricate equipment in-house, which means that we understand the full life-cycle of our products at every step of fabrication and engineering,” says sales manager, Jacco Lemmen. “We also share

our clients’ understanding of operation from vessels and rigs as well as what is possible and what are the limitations of these environments.”

The strong foundation provided by Royal IHC and close to six decades of operation within the oil and gas industry has allowed IHC Vremac to continuously adapt it’s product portfolio and service offering to reflect the changing needs of its clients. “IHC Vremac was founded as a repair company then later on we also began to focus on hydraulics and presses,” Jacco elaborates. “After some time the business shifted to focus exclusively on cylinders, however over the past three or four years we have again increased our product portfolio to include piston accumulators and pressure vessels, all of which are in-line with the cylinders. Additionally the company has its own swivel range, the newest and latest is the MaXine a passive heave compensation (PHC) system.”

The MaXine PHC is an engineered solution to the challenges imposed on lifting operations in maritime environments by peak forces that stem from the oscillation of waves. The MaXine range of heave compensators reduces the stress of these forces and extends the weather window, allowing operators to minimise downtime and work for longer periods in high sea states. The system is positioned between the crane hook and the load to keep the rope taut at all times. It reduces the peaks and troughs by following the European oil & gas

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PROFILE

IHC Vremac Cylinders

motion of the sea and allows work to proceed safely, efficiently and in a controlled manner, and can even be used under water. In addition the MaXine acts as a stand-alone system, eliminating the need for an external power source.

IHC Vremac Cylinders has designed a comprehensive range of MaXine heave compensators, which are capable of handling weights of between 50 and 500 tonnes, and it continues to evolve the technology in-line with market needs. During October 2013 for example, the company unveiled its MaXine 50 PHC with a physical demonstration of the product at work, which was attended by a number of heavy lift experts. A series of tests were conducted at IHC Vremac headquarters at Apeldoorn in the Netherlands, in co-operation with Biglift and Mammoet that demonstrated the capability and efficiency of the MaXine PHC system. A 12.2 tonne crane utilised the MaXine 50 PHC unit to hoist a heavy plate from ground level and the crane’s hoisting ropes were gathered together into a single shackle, which was in turn connected to a quick-release hook that was finally welded to the plate itself.

The hoisting of the crane led to the extension of the MaXine 50 PHC in much the same way as a spring and when the quick-release hook was activated, the MaXine PHC contracted and the plate was pulled upwards. The hoisting speed, height and combination of natural frequency and damping were all important parameters highlighted by IHC Vremac and

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the first three successive demonstrations were measured and proved to be exactly correct, a clear indication that the MaXine 50 PHC is fit for purpose. “We received some useful feedback from the crane driver, who was initially sceptical about the demonstration,” commented Jacco.

“However, his opinion was transformed when the hoisting of a five-tonne deadweight ran so smoothly. The energy generated by lowering this weight was successfully consumed by the acceleration of the remaining load and the weight of the MaXine 50 PHC.” The highly successful demonstration of the MaXine 50 and the potential for further product development has generated rapidly increasing levels of interest in IHC Vremac’s products. The company has worked with clients including leading subsea players like Subsea 7 and Technip, and during the course of 2014 open quotations and tenders for its PHC systems have increased from three to four open quotations to as many as 30 to 40 ongoing enquiries. In fact, there has been a very positive response from the market, with a number of outstanding quotations and a continued growth in interest.

However, rather than simply ride the wave of its current success, IHC Vremac is committed to further enhancing its service offering to meet the needs of the offshore oil and gas market.

Presently the company is keen to transform its rich knowledge base into solid solutions lifting through the ocean splash zone and the safe installation of sensitive subsea equipment.

Through further growth and co-operation with prospective future partners, IHC Vremac hopes to redefine the standards of offshore heavy lifting. “We have discovered that the market for PHCs is not very mature at all and it is also a new a market for the operators because up to five to six years ago there was not a solution to solve these kinds of problems. I think all the possibilities are still there to be explored with PHCs, so it is the beginning of a new way of thinking but my vision is that within five to ten years that it will be mandatory that all cranes without active heave compensation to more PHCs,” Jacco says. “For the next 12 months we will continue to focus on cylinders and providing excellent service to customers, while increasing our focus on the MaXine range. These are relatively new but there is a big market for them and we have had a very positive response from the sector, so we will work to make ourselves known and build up our rental fleet.

We currently have four units and I think this number should double next year at least.”

Trelleborg Sealing Solutions Netherlands B.V. Trelleborg Sealing Solutions’ Turcon® M12 excels in virtually any hydraulic application Extensive testing has shown Turcon® M12 has exceptional performance against the most important hydraulic sealing characteristics, such as wear, friction and high-pressure operation.

The PTFE based sealing material is also resistant to virtually all media, including a broad range of lubricants.

The cost-effective material provides customers with extended seal life, as well as a wide operating window in terms of temperature, pressure and velocity, and performs as well or better than specialised compounds in each parameter.

Turcon® M12 is recommended as the material of choice for a wide variety of hydraulic applications.

Features and benefits: S Resistant to virtually all media including a broad range of lubricants S

Outstanding wear resistance and friction characteristics S Provides extended seal life S

Operates in wide temperature, pressure and velocity ranges S

Minimal abrasion of hardware, preventing damage to counter surfaces S Robust for harsh environments S Good resistance to extrusion S

Less environmental impact as it does not include bronze fillers S

Reduced stock holding and fewer items to handle S Cost-effective solution

IHC Vremac Cylinders B.V. ihcvremaccylinders.com

Services Hydraulic cylinders, swivels and accumulators

PROFILE

Marine Fabricators

A lasting

Based in Stockton-on Tees,

With its strong portfolio of completed works, ideally designed fabrication facilities and well-connected location, Marine Fabricators is set to continue long into the future

England, Marine Fabricators has proven to be a trusted provider of medium to heavy fabrication projects designed for a number of applications across the oil and gas, offshore, marine and renewable energy industries. The business has been in operation since 1998 and has earned a strong reputation in the fabrication of bespoke as well as more conventional structures. In fact the company was originally established at the suggestion of some of its clients who saw the potential for its founders to take a leading role in a niche market, as founder and managing director, Steve Reed elaborates: “Originally two of us set the company up. We had previously been employed in similar work; that is to say marine and offshore manufacture. We were encouraged by some of our customers to begin our own venture, and we started with a large project to provide three carousels for a vessel conversion for DSND, as it was then. That company has since become part of Subsea 7.”

Following the successful delivery of its first projects, Marine Fabricators has continued to grow and has increased the size of its fabrication facilities from two bays within the main fabrication shop at Haverton Hill Shipyard (formerly Swan Hunter) to seven bays covering a combined area of approximately 45,000 ft2. During 2008 with financial support from One North East and The European Regional

Development Fund the company installed a new wireless controlled 40 tonne overhead travelling crane, with a second unit arriving in 2011. The fabrication shop is currently served by three 15 tonne as well as the two 40 tonne overhead travelling cranes with maximum hook heights of 10.5 metres and 17 metres respectively.

Furthermore during 2009, to meet project requirements Marine Fabricators manufactured and installed a triple-panel sliding door, 17.2 metres wide and 15 metres high in bay seven of its workshop. This grants the facility effective access to a 2000 tonne capacity load out quay, while the site also benefits from excellent access to the local road network with wide-load access to the A19 and therefore the A1. Other nearby quayside facilities, which are easily accessible, include Tees Offshore Base and the deepwater port Tees Dock. “We originally started with two bays of the old shipyard fabrication hall, around 15,000 square feet, and we have since expanded that to seven bays in response to the increased workload. We are currently mostly involved in the production of cable and pipe laying equipment for ships. We have also undertaken offshore standard and other more specialised fabrication projects too,” says Steve.

“With the increase in the amount of floor space that we had available to us we were able to turnover twice as many contracts and by increasing our workforce to meet demand European oil & gas

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PROFILE

we were able to increase our financial return accordingly,” he adds. “We are almost at single shift capacity now, limited by the floor space. We currently do not have any plans to expand on a permanent basis, however we do have options for the hire of another site. Then of course we would be operating two sites, which is never as efficient. So this is something we will consider in conjunction with our future workflow.”

Previous projects undertaken by Marine Fabricators include overboarding/lay towers with capacities from 60 tonnes to 200 tonnes; sheaves: 600 dia. wire rope sheaves, through to 6000 dia. over-boarding vee-sheaves; carousels: (for flexible pipe and power cable) from 750 tonne capacity 15 metre diameter to 7000 tonne 27 metre diameter, (50+ carousels manufactured to date); tensioner systems: currently up to 30 tonnes capacity, (ten 30 tonne tensioners manufactured to date); pipe handling equipment: hydraulically operated spooling arms and chute structures; ROV launch and recovery systems for Lawson Engineers and the Kizomba TLP and A-Frames up to 150 tonnes capacity.

The company’s investment into its fabrication facilities in anticipation of increasing market demand has allowed the business to double its turnover in recent history and the market is still looking strong. Presently Marine Fabricators is completing a 7000 tonne carousel for MAATS Tech Ltd and is in the process of tendering for a number of major projects for two important clients. Furthermore, the company has a strong order book for the next 18 months, throughout 2015 and into 2016.

Today the company serves a number of clients across a range of industries and its previous customers include 2H Offshore, Amclyde Norson, CTC Marine Projects, Heerema Hartlepool Ltd, EMAS AMC, BAE Systems and Technip Offshore Ltd amongst others. Its main customers at the moment are MAATS Tech as well as AmClyde Norson Engineering and the Norwegian company DEMAnor. Commenting on the company’s current customer base Steve says: “MAATS Tech are by far our current largest customer in terms of capital value and tonnage through the workshop. DEMAnor are a new client and the first Norwegian customer for us.

We manufactured a winch mounting system, which was then shipped to them in northern Norway. We have been discussing several large projects with them for renewables cable storage and handling equipment.”

Marine Fabricators

Indeed Marine Fabricators shows no signs of slowing down as the demand for its largescale production and installation capabilities continues to grow within the renewables and offshore sectors. In this respect, the company’s proven track record is a key asset that continues to drive the business forward, as Steve explains: “We have a strong track record, especially where carousels are concerned. We have shown that we are consistently able to build them very efficiently. We produce good quality products and do so on time – which is crucial.”

With its strong portfolio of completed works, ideally designed fabrication facilities and wellconnected location, Marine Fabricators is set to continue long into the future. The company’s strengths are in its ability to provide solutions in a niche market as well as to take on more standard or larger projects. This diverse range of solutions makes Marine Fabricators Ltd a key partner for clients looking for reliable fabrication solutions.

European oil & gas

Angle Ring Angle Ring has been at the forefront of the steel bending industry for over 60 years and offers the UK’s widest range of bending solutions to meet today’s markets. Significant investment ensures we remain the UK’s number one, and new plate rolls now allow 100mm thick plate to be rolled in widths up to 3000mm. Plate can also be pressed in lengths up to 10,000mm and up to 200mm thick.

Marine Fabricators marinefabricators.co.uk

Services Medium to heavy fabrication

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force Use the

Originally established

as the high-pressure technology division of the Boehler Group, BHDT’s heritage extends as far back as 1958. Since then the company has diversified its services and developed a strong presence in new markets, most notably by expanding into high pressure pumps in 1979 and progressing into the oil and gas industry in 2009; a move that has proven highly fruitful for the company, with dramatic growth of 50 per cent witnessed yearon-year since 2011.

A private entity since 1996, BHDT GmbH adopted its current name in 2007; although the name was synonymous with the specialised design, supply and manufacture of high pressure equipment and components for the chemical and petrochemical industries, BHDT used its knowledge and expertise to successfully develop a reputation for superior products and service in the demanding oil and gas market. These NORSOK conforming products include a wide range of compact flanges, orifice spacers and reducers, which are developed and manufactured with high quality materials such as Duplex, Super-duplex, high strength carbon steel and low alloyed carbon steel. In addition, BHDT produces pipe spools with complex shaped geometry with the highest accuracy.

These pipe spools for instance are widely used as “Inner Pipes” of high-pressure swivels for stateof-the-art FPSOs or FLNGs. BHDT has recently delivered its products for the Prelude, Ichthys

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and Stones floating units.

Since it was previously featured in European Oil & Gas Magazine in July 2014, head of BHDT’s oil and energy department Manuel Prohaska claims that although the oil and gas industry has been affected by oil prices and project delays, the company has enjoyed a strong financial year thanks to an impressive number of orders: “The first two quarters of the financial year have been fantastic, with a lot of orders for our special types of flanges, pressure spools, valves and cladding, which have been used in a number of projects. In fact, two to three months in we have already achieved 60 per cent of our goals for the year; since these positive developments our oil and energy department has unfortunately been severely affected by the postponement of several projects that were announced for the second half of 2014. This has been difficult for us, but by the end of March 2015, when our business year comes to a close, we will see if we achieved our goals for 2014.”

Key to the company’s success is its commitment to maintaining a traditional approach to business while also focusing on the continued improvement of its products and services. Most notably this has involved the development of high-pressure ball valves, as Manuel discusses: “One of our major activities throughout 2014 was to establish an expert group to develop high-pressure ball valves for the subsea market and deepwater applications.

This will more or less complete our product range as these types of valves are only common type of high-pressure valves that we are not yet manufacturing; I have had a number of application talks in November and December 2014. These discussions are now almost finalised and our development group will begin operations in March 2015.

“The most important aspect of developing this new product line is to comply with all relevant API certifications; the required modifications of our processes and quality system are already ongoing. By mid 2015 we will have the first innovative prototypes available. Our goal for the second half of the year is to have the first orders for these high-pressure ball valves to allow us to enter the market. To ensure this happens we will strongly focus on sales activities and approaching clients,” he adds. Although the company delivers approximately 2500 highpressure valves annually, the implementation of ball valves into its scope of supply is viewed as a critical development for the innovative firm. The

PROFILE

relevant API certification will be also finalised by December 2015 at the latest.

This commitment to meeting the stringent and ever changing demands of customers within the oil and gas industry has resulted in BHDT increasing its scope of supply to FPSO’s over recent years and progressing into more complex offshore projects. “A recent notable project for us is the FLNG Prelude project, which is the first project where we have supplied all of the inner piping, flanges, bolts and other equipment in the centre of the turret. This was a very challenging project, as Shell does not allow for any deviation, even if this deviation would have absolutely no impact on performance, and it rejected for instance one of our parts as it was six micrometres too short after performing one demonstration measurement during an inspection. Anyway, we have learnt our lessons and are now well prepared for upcoming projects, e.g. the Browse FLNGs,” explains Manuel. “Meanwhile, the Stones FPSO was interesting for us as it allowed us to do all of the pre-assembly of SBM Offshore’s new piping design

on site so no further assembly was necessary; this way of working reduced costs for the client considerably and increased our involvement, so it was a positive project for both of us.”

Despite the short length of time that BHDT has been active in the oil and gas industry, the company’s flexibility to market demand has led to the accumulation of a number of blue chip clients, such as Petrobras, Shell, BP, SBM Offshore and Aker Solutions. “We are being increasingly selected because we have a unique combination of highly accurate measuring, approximately 100 expert welders and expertise in flange fabrication. On top of this, all of our engineering is in-house, so all drawing, advising and manufacturing takes place in one place,” says Manuel.

“Our vision over the next three years is to become a well-known and respected player in the subsea equipment market, particularly for our high pressure ball valves. Meanwhile, over the next 20 years, we will focus on delivering a total package solution to our customers,” he concludes.

European oil & gas

BHDT

BHDT GmbH bhdt.at

Services High-pressure equipment and high-pressure components

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Manufacturer of Top Oilfield was founded in 1994 in Sharjah, UAE as a drilling equipment repair/ refurbishment service company. Over the ensuing years the company pursued a policy of continuous improvement in terms of the quality, production methods and product offerings.

Significantly, this vision has resulted in Top Oilfield receiving both ISO and API certifications and a region wide reputation for delivering high quality, and timely and value for money products and services.

Ian Midgley, managing director/CEO, expanded further on the company’s offering: “Our services mainly cover the manufacture, refurbishment/re-certification, repair and upgrade of land drilling rigs. Alongside this we also offer specialist manufacture and maintenance services for land and offshore drilling equipment including engine overhauls, as well as supplying mechanical, electrical and engineering field technicians throughout the Middle East and beyond, who undertake vital repair and maintenance projects in support of our clients.”

He added: “Our commitment is that every piece of equipment that leaves our workshops has been overhauled to the highest industry standards, tested and will perform to its design specifications.

We offer a ‘one-stop-shop’ concept, whereby drilling equipment, engines, electrical work and steel fabrication work are all undertaken in-house, by our own personnel. This means that we retain full control over all aspects of the projects we are commissioned to do.

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“In addition, the savings we make (by not sub-contracting work) are passed on to our customers, making us the most competitive service provider in the region.”

Top Oilfield Industries was last featured in European Oil & Gas Magazine during May 2014, and over the past eight months it has maintained its drive to manufacture highly reliable, high performance and fair priced land drilling rigs and equipment. “We have been commissioned to build four rigs for completion in 2015, these are designed for desert operations, are fast moving and because our field engineers and maintenance personnel are available throughout the Middle East, our clients are assured of full after sales support,” Ian noted.

It was also during 2014 that the company opened a new division, Top Oilfield Rentals, for drilling equipment. Ian explained the thinking behind the launch and the benefits it has generated: “Top Oilfield Rentals provides highly reliable, high performance equipment drilling equipment, engines/generators and service equipment on a rental or lease purchase basis. These products are available throughout the Middle East and include BOP control units, independently driven mud pumps, engine/ generator sets and batch mixers, cementing units and so forth. For us the division provides an opportunity to demonstrate the high reliability and performance of the equipment we manufacture. For our customers who wish to restrict their ‘CAPEX’ purchases and use operating revenues to undertake their activities, renting equipment provides them with an economical means to do so.”

The clients that Ian referred to for both rental and purchase are major and minor drilling rig operators throughout the Middle East, India and North Africa. Ian noted that whilst the issues that prevail in such places as Iraq, Libya and Egypt etc. have without a doubt made drilling operations more difficult in these areas, Top Oilfield is still finding opportunities and continued demand in the remaining (nonsanctioned) locations.

Illustrating the organisation’s growing order books, during 2015 the company will be tendering for a number of projects in new regions, as Ian highlighted: “For most of our existence, we have provided products and services to oil and gas drilling rig operators throughout the Middle East. Whilst we continue to develop our traditional regional presence, the company’s reputation has spread and we are now

PROFILE

receiving interest and orders for our products and services in new areas such as the North Sea, Far East and newly emerging oil producers in North Africa.

“Historically we also have supplied highly experienced and qualified field service personnel for projects being undertaken in Norway and other North Sea oil producing nations, and this will continue going forward.”

It is very encouraging that despite the significant drop in oil prices over the past few months, Top Oilfield is still finding strong demand for its products and services within its operating region. “I am optimistic that this will continue,” added Ian. “Long-term, I believe that once the current troubles affecting various Middle Eastern oil producing countries subside, the desperate need for rebuilding collapsed oil/gas producing infrastructure will provide opportunities for companies such as us to be part of the recovery process.”

One month into 2015, Top Oilfield has several significant orders on its books to complete

Top Oilfield Industries

this year, as well as a strategy for further development and growth. “We are dedicated and on course to complete the four new build land rigs I mentioned previously, and our focus is on ensuring that these rigs are manufactured to the highest standards available anywhere in the world and provide highly reliable and high performance service for our customers for many, many years,” concluded Ian. “Looking further ahead, our vision is to become the manufacturer of choice for land rig operators both here in the Middle East and globally. By ensuring that our drilling rigs are manufactured to the highest available standards, are built on time and are priced in accordance with Top Oilfield’s ‘fair pricing policy’, we believe that they will be in high demand.”

European oil & gas

Top Oilfield Industries Limited topoilfield.com

Services Drilling equipment repair/refurbishment

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vision One

From its humble beginnings

as a net importer of US manufactured products specifically designed for the subsea arena, Bowtech Products Ltd has grown over the years to become a specialist in the design, manufacture and supply of underwater harsh environment vision systems, as Mike Winstanley begins: “Bowtech Products Ltd (Est. 1989) began trading in January 1990 with just two members of staff: founder Steve Bowring and myself, then operating as sales executive. Bowtech grew over the next 18 years to become a specialist in the supply of cameras, lighting, connectors and multiplexers. In 2008 we decided to concentrate on the design, manufacture and supply of our own range underwater harsh environment vision systems. Today our underwater vision systems are deployed in the harshest environments within the ROV AUV, oil and gas, defence, oceanographic, nuclear, leisure and marine science industries.”

On the verge of celebrating its 25th anniversary in operation, Bowtech has expanded in all areas over the years as it developed a strong reputation for meeting market demand for innovative and

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game-changing products. Beginning with two personnel, the Aberdeen-based company today boasts 50, of which over 30 are highly trained electrical and mechanical engineers and technicians that strive to provide high quality technical support to the entire product range. The growing numbers of staff operate at Bowtech Products’ brand new headquarters, located in Aberdeen’s major new international business park, ABZ, which it moved into in December. Having secured a prominent entrance plot, the company developed a high specification office and manufacturing facility, which centralised its operations to one site and ensured there is potential to double staff numbers over the next five years.

“The new building is an enabler; with all departments under one roof it allows us to take innovations from concept through design and production as well as the ability to offer training in house now and ongoing support. The new facility is 2.5 x larger than all our previous facilities combined, which will enable us to grow to over 100 personnel in the coming years,” highlights Mike.

Key to this ongoing expansion is Bowtech Products’ impressive portfolio of innovative underwater harsh environment vision systems,

PROFILE

which includes video inspection systems, underwater LED lights, xenon underwater emergency relocation strobes, custom moulded cable assemblies, pan and tilts, underwater electrical and fibre-optic connectors, fibre-optic multiplexers and slip rings for use in hazardous areas or subsea, to 6000 metres.

“Bowtech Products’ underwater vision systems are deployed in the harshest environments within the ROV AUV, oil and gas, defence, oceanographic, nuclear, leisure and marine science industries. We pride ourselves on listening to customers to ascertain their requirements and supply to OEM manufacturers such as SMD, one of the largest suppliers of work class ROV’s, trenchers and ploughs as well as Sub Atlantic and Seabotix who manufacture electric ROV’s primarily for light intervention and observation tasks. Contractors such as Subsea 7, Oceaneering, and ROVOP are key clients as well as drilling contractors such as Transocean. SBM head up the customer base for FPSO’s but are often specified by operators such as BP,” says Mike.

The most recently launched product within the company’s range is the high-resolution Pioneer multipurpose underwater camera with six integral high intensity LEDs. Suitable for general underwater viewing observation at depths as great as 4000 metres, the product measures only 53 mm diameter and 78.8 mm in length, and provides a cost effective solution for projects involving tooling and manipulators.

Enclosed within a high quality titanium housing, the camera is fitted with a fixed focus wideangle lense, thus providing customers with a 58 degrees diagonal angle of view when submerged through its highly scratch resistant and 98.8 per

Bowtech Products

cent optically pure sapphire window.

“The Pioneer is a product that is so typical of how Bowtech create new products. A Norwegian client, FMC, was being supplied by a competitor but found that they were lagging behind in technology and non-responsive. Bowtech listened to the clients’ needs and created with them their ideal solution, which was to fit within the existing space envelope but deliver higher performance,” explains Mike. “The camera is 4000 meter rated with a 720 TVL resolution camera, 300 lines greater than the incumbent. In addition it has greater sensitivity, draws less power and is manufactured with a highly corrosion resistant titanium housing and sapphire viewport. The camera has been designed with other markets in mind and is already being introduced to other clients.”

Although the innovative firm boasts a global client base, the highest areas of activity are the North Sea, Asia Pacific and Brazil, where its products are used in projects involving equipment such as ROVs, semi-submersibles and FPSOs. In fact, Bowtech Products was recently involved in BP’s Quad 204 project, which involves the redevelopment of the Schiehallion and Loyal Fields in the North Sea. The project, which was approved in July 2011 and is due to begin production in 2016, will extend the life of both fields, thus enabling them to continue production beyond 2035. Since being awarded the EPC contract for the internal turret mooring system (TMS) for the Quad 204 project, SBM Offshore subcontracted Bowtech Products to supply its Chain Stopper Monitoring System during the TMS’s installation.

Following this contract win, the global market leader in subsea vision systems announced

European oil & gas

The most recently launched product within the company’s range is the highresolution Pioneer multipurpose underwater camera with six integral high intensity LEDs. Suitable for general underwater viewing observation at depths as great as 4000 metres, the product measures only 53 mm diameter and 78.8 mm in length, and provides a cost effective solution for projects involving tooling and manipulators

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PROFILE

Bowtech Products

the delivery of a new £100,000 Chain Stopper Monitoring System in July 2013; the system will allow visual monitoring of each chain stopper ratchet when chains are being tensioned during the installation phase. The TMS has a total of 20 chain stoppers located on the chaintable on the lower turret; because these will be based approximately 15 metres below sea level during the phase, the company’s scope of supply for the subsea system includes high sensitivity, high resolution monochrome cameras and LED lights. These will be installed on the I-tubes above the chain stoppers to allow downward viewing of operations throughout the installation. Meanwhile, the scope of supply for the topside system includes a video inspection and control system, which will enable viewing and controlling of the cameras and LED lights.

On top of this, Bowtech Products supplied all associated cables, connectors and brackets for the contract.

Having earned a reputation for excellence in the oil and gas industry, Bowtech Products is

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now focusing on its strategy for future growth by taking its products overseas to new geographical markets and continually improving its portfolio in conjunction with its client base. “We want to work with customers to enhance the vision systems and create solutions which make remote operations safer, more reliable and more cost effective,” concludes Mike.

Bowtech Products Ltd bowtech.co.uk

Products Underwater harsh environment vision systems

PROFILE

Kongsberg Maritime

innovation History of

This year Kongsberg, one of

Top Bluewater Aoka Mizu Above Thermopylae House, Aberdeen Below Kongsberg process automation control room

the world’s leading providers of systems for merchant marine, subsea and offshore, is celebrating a milestone anniversary. For two centuries the business has been at the forefront of technology and innovation, transforming from a manufacturer of small arms to a leader in many technological fronts including marine, oil and gas, space and defence. “The company was originally founded in 1814 and is one of the oldest industrial concerns in Norway,” says Dave Shand, general manager offshore at Kongsberg Maritime in the UK. “This year we celebrated our 200th birthday, and we have reached this milestone by constantly developing through innovation.” Indeed, the history of Kongsberg is steeped in innovation, success and a strong vision for development, dating back to 20th March 1814 when Poul Steenstrup established Norway’s first factory – Kongsberg Vapenfabrikk.

Poul was a visionary who believed in industrial progress and technical understanding, combined with national pride and strong determination.

Innovation remained key to Kongsberg as the business continued to develop into the 20th century, being involved in a range of industries and technological developments, from manufacturing world-class rifles to the ground breaking dynamic positioning systems that the Kongsberg Maritime business division is worldrenowned for today.

Kongsberg Maritime itself was established in 1992 to capitalise on Kongsberg’s growing international business within the maritime dynamic positioning sector. Today the

business is a globally respected organisation serving key markets in the offshore, shipyard, and the energy exploration and production industries. Kongsberg Maritime provides a plethora of services and solutions to these sectors; for example in field development it supports construction and offshore vessels with innovative solutions for operation and specialist applications, in production it offers automation systems and software to enhance output and minimise downtime, whereas for maritime transport and offshore vessel clients it offers a complete package of solutions such as navigation, automation, training and safety systems.

“We have several divisions which address the oil and gas industry, including Subsea and Offshore Divisions,” says Dave. “In general we address all phases from exploration through production to transportation. One of our specific focuses is integrated control and safety systems for oil and gas floating fixed production installations. In conjunction with this activity we established a subsidiary, Kongsberg Maritime Engineering, which undertakes EPC contracts to deliver complete packages. We are one of the leading global providers of marine systems in the oil and gas industry, encompassing drill ships and rigs, LNG vessels, offshore support vessels, offshore survey and ROV support vessels.”

Indeed, for the offshore sector the business provides a vast catalogue of products and services that encompasses bridge systems, camera systems, deck systems, engine room and automation systems, engineering, safety European oil & gas

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PROFILE

Kongsberg Maritime

Autronica Fire and Security

systems, simulators, sensors and transmitters, tank gauging and measurements. On a wider scale Kongsberg is even active in other areas of offshore energy through its Kongsberg Oil & Gas Technologies division, such as drilling operations support, integrated operations, process simulation, and riser management.

“One of our main strengths is the ‘Full Picture’,” Dave highlights. “For example, in floating production we can utilise our strengths in marine with our experience in topside to realise a common solution for all control aspects of a production installation. In conjunction with our colleagues in Kongsberg Oil & Gas Technologies we can deliver a solution that includes dynamic process simulation and operator training systems. We have built up a strong customer focused MMO support team in the UK as part of our global support team, which works proactively with the customer to maximise the operation and productivity of their assets.”

The company is globally renowned for its range of dynamic positioning systems, which have been developed to minimise fuel consumption and wear and tear on the propulsion equipment of a vessel. These can be used across a wide range of vessels such as drill ships, cable laying vessels, crane vessels, FPSOs, diving support vessels, floatels, and various other ships and vessels for a wide array of applications.

Kongsberg’s system can be provided as a standalone system or can be offered as part of an integrated system that communicates with other Kongsberg systems on board the vessel including the K-Chief (marine automation system) and the K-Thrust (thruster control system).

Kongsberg Maritime is also a leader in the development and production of subsea systems covering a broad scope of applications and technologies. This can range from acoustic communication and control, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) through to environmental monitoring solutions, seabed mapping and underwater positioning systems.

The ability of Kongsberg to provide an entire suite of products for offshore, subsea and maritime operations ensures the company continually secures major contracts and significant projects. For example, since the business was last featured in European Oil & Gas Magazine in August 2013 it has been selected to supply safety, automation and lifecycle simulation technology for the Johan Sverdrup

field development by Statoil. The business was awarded a Project Specific Agreement, including FEED, for the delivery of its safety and automation (SAS) systems in May 2014, and the deliveries will include Kongsberg Maritime’s industry-proven SAS technology, which is applicable for process control, power distribution control, process shutdown, emergency shutdown and fire and gas systems. Ultimate delivery will also include the company’s latest systems and technology for production, integration, presentation, simulation, training and operation.

The company has already installed a range of similar systems before on ten Statoil production platforms, illustrating the high levels of regard that Statoil holds the Kongsberg name, and this particular project will further strengthen Kongsberg’s position as a leading supplier of automation and safety systems to the global offshore production market.

Also, more recently the business has won a significant contract from BW Offshore to provide all control systems for its new Premier Oil Catcher Field FPSO, which will operate in the UKCS. “This is a significant project for the Kongsberg Maritime business and for the UK business in particular as it builds on the current portfolio of ICSS installations, including Statoil Mariner,” Dave highlights. “It continues our strong relationship with BW, which includes the BW Athena FPSO in the UK sector, and builds on Kongsberg’s strengths in the FPSO market, including Bluewater Aoka Mizu, Hawene Brim and Maersk Gryphon Alpha in the UK sector with many more operating globally.”

With such a strong history and an equally high reputation, there is little doubt that Kongsberg Maritime will remain the leading name in automation systems into the future, as Dave points out: “We are encouraged with the amount and quality of enquiries for our solutions given the current market, but we have technological differentiators that make our solutions attractive in a sector that looks to reduce lifecycle costs.

“We will continue to focus on the oil and gas market, encompassing production control systems and the subsea IRM market, where we have key technologies such as AUV and environmental monitoring systems. Our vision is to be a key provider of ICSS systems in the UK sector, building on our success in the Norwegian sector and what we have achieved to date in the UKCS,” he concludes.

European oil & gas

Autronica Fire and Security is a leading innovator, manufacturer and supplier of fire and gas safety worldwide. Its products ensure safety in applications on land, sea and in the petrochemical, oil and gas sectors.

Oil and gas installations around the world are becoming a safer place to work. Autronica Fire and Security is bold enough to take some of the credit. For years it has been a preferred supplier of fire and gas safety systems in the petrochemical, oil and gas market throughout the world. It makes world-class products, but believes that even the very best can get better.

Appreciative of this, it continuously develops new products whilst providing safety to an entire industry, where thousands of lives depend on Autronica every single day and night.

Owned by United Technologies Corporation (UTC), it employs more than 450 people handling the complete value chain, from idea, development and manufacturing to the marketing, sales and servicing of its products. Autronica Fire and Security is an international company with worldwide offices and its HQ is located in Trondheim, Norway’s technology hotspot.

Protecting life, environment and property.

Consilium Marine & Safety Consilium Marine & Safety focuses on the international shipping and offshore industry and offers products and systems in safety and navigation.

The range of products includes fire and gas detection systems and navigational products.

Consilium’s safety solution; the Salwico fire detection for offshore SIL2 IEC 61508 and Consilium Voyage Data recorder VDR F2 fulfils the latest SOLAS regulation. Over 20,000 ships are equipped with Consilium SAL Speed Logs.

Kongsberg Maritime kongsberg.com

Services Automation Systems

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success The bar of

Operating out of its two UK bases

in Hamilton and Telford, Parkburn Precision Handling Systems is a specialist marine handling systems provider that was rebranded in October 2002 to combine the extensive experience and complimentary products of Parkburn Controls, Dowty Precision Handling Systems and Marine Project Development (MPD). Engineers Dennis O’Hara, Campbell McFall and Andy Lawson, who today remain equal shareholders and owners as well as working directors within the business, originally founded Parkburn in 1989 as a private limited company providing control and drive solutions for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) across a wide range of industries. Later during 2002 Parkburn, having made the conscious strategic decision to become its own OEM product manufacturer, completed the acquisition of its largest customer at that time, Dowty Precision Handling Systems, part of the Smiths Industries Group.

Today, Parkburn has evolved into a total handling systems solution provider to the oil and gas, offshore, naval, and oil and renewable energy sectors. With three engineers running the company, there has always been a total commitment to technical excellence and full customer support. “The company remains engineering driven as well as a strong believer in research and development and continues to re-invest significant turnover in this respect,” elaborates director, Andy Lawson. “Partnerships with both customers and suppliers are key.

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We believe that the best project solution is for all involved to feel that they are a valued team player with a combined ‘desire to succeed’ rather than a ‘commercial fear of failure.’ We do not promote blame culture or complacency and believe that it is a constant learning process in moving ahead and appreciating where improvements can be made.”

Through its commitment to technical excellence and dedicated research and development, Parkburn has been able to deliver many differing types of Marine handling system solutions for applications including diving bell launch and recovery, rigid and flexible pipelay, HV cable storage and lay, seismic and sonar system deployment, deck module handling and seabed landout in both offshore and renewable sectors. Additionally, complete carousel cable or pipe storage and handling systems, land and sea, with payloads of up to 7000 tons have been provided year on year.

Increasingly, as oil and gas operators move into ever-deeper waters the demand for robust and reliable equipment is becoming an ongoing concern. Through its in-depth experience, Parkburn has devised a new deepwater heavy lift fibre rope winch system, which aims to revolutionise deep sea operation, as Andy explains: “With the move into deep water, beyond 1500m depth, for the majority of future oil and gas developments; the need to

be able to safely and economically deploy and recover equipment to and from these depths has brought many challenges to the industry. At depth, the weight penalties of current steel wire systems are becoming a major issue and as we go deeper we will soon reach the point where the wire weight alone will be too much even to support itself, therefore alternative solutions are essential. The industry for the last 12 years has been striving for reliable solutions utilising synthetic rope in lieu of steel wire as this type of rope is effectively weightless in water and has

PROFILE

Parkburn Precision Handling Systems

no penalties associated with depth. Parkburn has worked and developed patented solutions for handling and deploying synthetic ropes as part of its R&D work in addition to its normal project work and after extensive testing, is now looking to take these solutions to the offshore heavy lift and crane sectors in the coming year.

Parkburn’s system, we believe, provides the kindest de-tensioning, handling and storage of rope in the market today and coupled with the rope termination technology of our partners; we believe this will be the game changer for deepwater heavy lifting.”

Further to the development of bespoke equipment that the company delivers, Parkburn is also keen to ensure that it invests in its facilities and testing capabilities to ensure that it is able to fully meet the demanding needs of its clients and to ensure all equipment delivered is fully tested and validated prior to delivery. “In the UK and Europe, there is a major lack of good facilities that would allow winch and handling systems to be thoroughly tested prior to being installed

on to a ship,” Andy says “The cost of these ships at the quayside when not working is very high so downtime for the vessel must be mitigated wherever possible. Our new test facility at Telford will allow a far higher and more thorough set of tests to be carried out on our handling systems, far more like its actual use and installation on the ship. In this way, the client can be thoroughly satisfied that the system will work as required.

Our new test tower is 30m tall and is capable of lifting loads up to 125te, we can also simulate many of the emergency situations likely to be seen in an offshore environment, such as full speed dynamic testing and black ship situations, to ensure safety circuits and back-up systems are fully functioning” Parkburn has a strong dedication to achieving ‘best in class’, which is reflected in its rolling fiveyear plan to raise the bar of what is technically possible. With continued focus on technical excellence and customer support Parkburn is set to remain a vital partner to operators looking for the most demanding and reliable solutions.

European oil & gas

Parkburn Precision Handling Systems parkburn.com

Services Marine handling systems

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PROFILE

TTS Offshore

Steady

progress TTS Offshore (TTS Offshore Handling Equipment AS, TTS Ships Equipment AS and TTS NMF offshore products), part of TTS Group ASA, offers a complete range of lifting and access equipment for offshore vessels, drill ships and rigs. Over the years, the company has invested significant resources into the development of better and safer solutions for offshore and subsea load handling in rough and deep waters, and as a result it now offers a comprehensive product range that includes everything from conventional knuckle boom cranes, telescopic boom cranes and straight boom cranes, to highly advanced active heave compensated cranes with lifting capacities up to 400 tonnes, as well as lattice boom cranes for rigs and windmill vessels.

These can be applied to a variety of operations, including: 66 Offshore load handling (ship-to-ship/platform) 66 Subsea load handling 66 Internal deck lifts 66 Pipe handling 66 Special lifting operations 66 Operation in harsh environments 66 Personnel lifting For offshore vessels TTS also supplies a wide variety of different external doors, moon pool hatch covers, hangar doors, skidding systems, observation platforms, provision platforms and

sideloading systems for cargo.

In the area of offshore cranes, TTS has been an active operator in the market since the inception of the offshore industry in the North Sea. The company recognises that the quality and performance of on board cranes is vital for efficient utilisation of an offshore vessel, ensuring trouble-free operation and reducing downtime, and therefore over the years it has researched and developed robust cranes that can withstand the extremes of such a harsh environment.

Safety is further enhanced by the use of active heave compensation, a technology that TTS offers on several of its products. Active heave compensation (AHC) is a technique used on lifting equipment to reduce the influence of waves in offshore operations.

The purpose of AHC is to keep a load, held by equipment on a moving vessel, motionless with regard to the seabed or another vessel.

TTS OHEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s AHC system is among the most advanced in the market and by compensating up to 99 per cent of the ship movements, based on real time measurements, it is possible to realise very high precision and safe operations at extreme depths.

The company's range of offshore cranes and access equipment are manufactured to meet customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; requirements and can be delivered European oil & gas

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PROFILE

TTS Offshore

The purpose of AHC is to keep a load, held by equipment on a moving vessel, motionless with regard to the seabed or another vessel

in several configurations. With a large customer base operating in the harsh environment of the North Sea, TTS products are known for their rugged construction, with functionality and safety as key design factors. Proven modularised designs are used to tailor solutions meeting the exacting lifting requirements for each vessel, and at the same time securing reduced time to market with optimised production.

Through the operational lifetime of the equipment, TTS also provides a comprehensive service concept with presence in the important locations for offshore operations. TTS has a worldwide network of branch offices, service stations and agents. It provides after sales services covering the major shipping regions of the world. Services include genuine spare parts, inspections and surveys, rapid response service, remote access, service agreements and training.

The training offering includes training courses for operators and maintenance personnel, each tailored to customers’ specific needs and objectives. TTS’ skilled team of trainers can provide both a practical, theoretical or combined learning experience that covers operation and maintenance of mechanical, hydraulic and electrical systems. Courses can be held wherever it’s most suitable, such as at the office or on the actual crane.

While quality and service are always part of the offering from TTS Offshore, the company also benefits from being part of the TTS Group, with its global reputation for excellence.

The group’s activities primarily involve the design, assembly and testing of equipment while, apart from manufacture of certain key components, production is undertaken by a global network of subcontractors. TTS is one of the top three largest suppliers in its specialised

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market segments.

The close, flexible working relationships within the group enable the company to assemble complete project teams when expertise in a range of fields is required. The customers that purchase its solutions, such as Hyundai, Kleven Verft, and DSME - to which TTS has under delivery a complete crane package for a drillship, also illustrate this. The company is always keen to work with further renowned organisations, as well as sustain its global position – for example, in 2013 the company signed a milestone contract with the COSCO Qidong Offshore Co., Ltd shipyard in China, which was the result of co-operation between TTS OHE in Norway and TTS Neuenfelder Maschinenfabrik GmbH (NMF) in Germany.

At the end of 2014, the TTS Group further enhanced its presence in China through its subsidiary TTS NMF in Hamburg, Germany; with the creation of a new joint venture the company established for development, design, assembly, production and services for heavy lift marine and offshore cranes.

The new joint venture company formed with South China Marine Machinery, controlled by China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), will strengthen the economic co-operation and exchange of technical knowledge between the two organisations. With the aim of the Chinese government to focus on localisation in the shipbuilding supply industry, CSSC and TTS’ strategic partnership has reached another milestone.

“I firmly believe that this new joint venture will improve and gain a competitive position in the market. And it will ensure satisfactory economic benefits for each party,” said Björn Andersson, CEO of TTS group ASA.

TTS Offshore tts-group.com

Services Lifting and access equipment for offshore vessels and rigs

PROFILE

Oilon

burn Feel the

Focused on delivering environmentally friendly energy and sustainable energy solutions since its foundation in 1961, Finnish family-owned group Oilon is known across the globe for its company slogan ‘The Warm Way’. Proud to provide customers with excellent service through co-operation, transparency and communication, the group has witnessed rapid growth and developed a significant global market position.

“Since our establishment in 1961 we have developed long-term expertise in combustion technology,” explains business director of Oilon Energy Oy Tapio Murtonen. “We started as a burner manufacturer and this has been our most important business throughout our history, however, in the early 2000s we began the heat pump business for small properties and private houses. This led to the acquiring of Oilon Scancool in 2011 and the expansion of the heat pump business for industry on a larger scale.”

With more than 60 per cent of Oilon’s revenue coming from foreign operations, the group manufactures oil, gas and dual fuel burners for a range of applications such as power plants, industrial processes, hazardous waste incineration plants, district heating plants and vessels. On top of this, the group provides industrial heat pumps and refrigeration solutions for domestic heating and industrial applications; this includes heat pumps, burners and solar heat collectors. “It was in the 1980s that we began to seriously develop our combustion technology for different kinds of liquids and gases; today we can combust any liquid or gas if there is a little

bit of heating value in the fuel,” says Tapio. To ensure customers receive high quality, innovative solutions, Oilon boasts three production facilities in Finland and another in China. Moreover, to complement its company slogan, the group has sales offices in Russia, Brazil and the US in addition to resellers in over 30 countries to ensure a local presence to clients.

Following two key market trends that have remained valid over the last 20-30 years, the group has maintained a strong commitment to reducing emissions and aiding customers in the utilisation of side streams from their processes.

“These market trends have been the same throughout the industries we operate in, be it the steel, chemical, pulp and paper, shipping or oil industries,” says Tapio. “The side stream from industrial processes is something we find particularly important as it is free energy for the plant owners that can be used to achieve the required capacity of the plant.

“Within the oil and gas industry one interesting area is oil refineries as we have had a number of recent projects involving the utilisation of refinery gases; this is a challenge as the hydrogen content and heating value in the fuel changes, which means it is difficult to control. To combust this kind of gas you previously required an expensive component known as a Wobbe analyser, but Oilon has developed a cost effective special control technology that eliminates the need for this product.”

One way the group has successfully provided solutions to market issues has been through a

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Oilon

core focus on research and development, which acquires five to six per cent of the company’s annual turnover.

This dedication to ongoing improvements has resulted in a broad range of combustion solutions for various liquid and gaseous fuels that are used in a diverse number of industries.

Innovative and adaptable, the group has maintained a strong presence across the globe due to its ability to react to changeable markets and customer demand; a notable example of this is its low NOx burners, which have generated increased demand from the market following increasingly stringent emissions regulations.

“We anticipated heavy fuel oil will go down in demand in many market areas where emission is important, while light fuel oil is a more realistic option as one time investments are not that large. However, natural gas is very good when it comes to emissions and is a pure fuel in comparison to many others when it comes to the environment; because of this we believe investments for natural gas should be increased and, as such, have developed superior low NOx burners for natural gas that are among the best in the world,” highlights Tapio.

He continues: “With burner combustion we are able to go far below 100 mg/nm3, three per cent 02 in NOx emissions with natural gas.

If the NOx requirements are lower still, we utilise other means additionally, such as flue gas recirculation (FGR) and over fire air (OFA).

In case of extremely low NOx emissions, less than 30mg/nm3, Oilon has its own state-of-theart technology: the catalytic solution, which is patent pending worldwide. The special feature of this technology is, that with extremely low NOx emission, we are able to improve plant efficiency by lowering the excess air in flue gases from two or three per cent 02 – which is typical in plants – to very low level. In competing systems the 02 goes typically the opposite direction, reaching higher than two or three per cent.”

So far Oilon has delivered more than 7000 MW low NOx burner capacities to district heating plants in Beijing that use natural gas.

One of the group’s low NOx burner types is Ultrax, which has been designed for power plant boilers to ensure they fulfil stringent emission requirements. The technology achieves this by leading fuel into different zones of the flame, while combustion air is also divided into individually controlled chambers and directed to the flame in stages. This flowing of fuel and air causes optimal air envelopes both in and around the flame, which results in long residence time

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and low emissions.

In addition, the group has recently launched Ecopower, the newest product in its burner range, which has the ability to function without a separate fan unit. This means that at full capacity, an Ecopower burner saves tens of kilowatts of electricity per hour in comparison to conventional burners. Furthermore, advanced automation ensures precise, energy efficient control of the burner process.

Moving forward, as Oilon continues to benefit from opportunities in Europe and China, it has also begun sowing the seeds to expand its presence into the US, a market that provides vast potential thanks to its shale gas resources and the group’s developing relationships with potential clients, as Tapio concludes: “We want to be stronger in the existing market areas we currently operate in, while also focusing on this new strategic area. Three years ago we established a company in Brazil, Oilon Brazil, and last autumn we moved to the US with the establishment of Oilon US, so north and south America will be our growth areas for the coming years.”

With burner combustion we are able to go far below 100 mg/nm3, three per cent 02 in NOx emissions with natural gas Oilon Oy oilon.com

Services Heating applications for energy products and the oil and gas industry

LMV â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Innovative electronic airfuel ratio control Control Products & Systems OEM

Economical operation and environmental protection are important criteria with plant for large building complexes and in industrial process heat generation. With large burner and boiler capacities, efficiency becomes a major cost factor. Also, high emission levels can cause problems to plant operators.

Siemens electronic air-fuel ratio control can bring into play a number of benefits: Simpler burner design and greater precision ensure higher efficiency levels while reducing emissions. So, all in all, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s a more economical and more environment-friendly solution.

www.siemens.com/buildingtechnologies-oem

A solid

base Founded in 2007 as a spin-off of the Delft University of Technology, Ampelmann was established with the vision to make offshore access as easy as crossing the street. As such, its mission is to set new standards in safety by operating motion compensation offshore access systems and services all over the world. At the core of the business is the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unique technology: the Ampelmann system. This is a

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motion compensation platform that allows rapid, simple and safe access from moving vessels to inert offshore structures even during high wave conditions. Since it was incorporated seven years ago, Ampelmann has found clients across the world and consecutively doubled its fleet year on year. It presently operates 35 systems worldwide transferring offshore crew from various types of vessels to offshore oil and gas platforms, offshore wind turbines, FPSOs and all other floating and fixed structures at sea.

The Ampelmann solution is a ship-based, selfstabilising platform that actively compensates all vessel motions. Accessing offshore structures can be problematic due to the motions of vessels compared to fixed installations. Ampelmann provides the answer to the problem of accessing offshore structures with a solution that acts similarly to a flight simulator. The Ampelmann design eliminates relative motion by taking measurements of the shipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s motions and then compensates accordingly through the use of six hydraulic cylinders. As a result the top of the platform remains completely stationary compared to the structure. The offshore gangway can then be extended towards the structure,

PROFILE

Ampelmann

The Ampelmann design eliminates relative motion by taking measurements of the ship’s motions and then compensates accordingly through the use of six hydraulic cylinders enabling all personnel to walk to work offshore safely. Indeed, all of the products developed by Ampelmann are designed with safety in mind.

As such critical components are equipped redundantly to ensure, reliable, safe operations at all times. Furthermore the full system is checked and certified by Lloyd’s Register.

Although the technology employed by Ampelmann is relatively new within the oil and gas sector, it has a number of advantages that have made it a highly attractive partner for blue chip companies the world over at every stage of offshore operation from installation, operation and maintenance to final de-commissioning. For example, Ampelmann motion compensation gangway systems can be installed on any vessel with sufficient deck space in around eight hours.

The systems themselves are ‘plug and play’ and operate stand-alone with their own power packs. Operationally, no modifications to the platform are required to enable safe landing with the heave compensated gangway making it a highly cost effective solution. Additionally the Ampelmann system is highly flexible and can be used for cargo transfer as well as the transit of personnel. Several applications have been

developed for small tools, larger equipment such as generators as well as fuel and grout houses.

Indeed, since the Ampelmann system was introduced, it has distinguished itself as a proven and effective solution that is being increasingly adopted by clients. Elaborating on the continued success of the Ampelmann system, CEO Jan van der Tempel explains: “The biggest reason is the improved cost and operational efficiency it offers. Because it can work 24 hours a day, the ship can simply be parked next to the structure and left so that a lot more man hours of actual work are achieved. The platform basically turns the ship into a very versatile working hotel directly next to where the crew is working.”

Presently the Ampelmann system is available in three iterations. The original A-type model, which is capable of compensating actual heave motions up to 2.5 meters and the larger E-type, which can handle sea states up to four meters.

The Cargo Transfer System (CTS), which was successfully tested in the summer of 2014, is the latest innovation of the Ampelmann fleet, and can carry up to ten tonnes to heights of up to 30 metres whilst compensating for motion of up to 2.5 meters. These new capabilities will mean European oil & gas

HydrauRent From the very beginning of the development of Ampelmann, HydrauRent joined their interesting journey to world leader by designing and producing the hydraulic powerpacks for the gangway systems.

Redundancy, small deck space, durability and worldwide service are key words to describe the added value of the rental equipment provided

by HydrauRent, a brand name of Hydrauvision Rental BV. For operating the A-type, Ampelmann uses a set of the HydrauPack 200, and a set of HydrauPack 750+ for operating the E-type.

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Ampelmann

The acquisition of Offshore Solutions adds seven offshore access systems to its fleet, including the personnel to operate, maintain and continue development of these systems

functionality not just for crew transfer but for equipment transfer as well, making it an ideal accessory for offshore construction work.

“Innovation is key to our ongoing success,” explains Jan. “When a product enters the market, that is not the end of it. Once it is out there, clients give us feedback such as wanting a higher reach or to carry more cargo – leading to the E-type. We are also particularly interested in developing client-specific applications for the system. Innovation has been the key to the extremely rapid growth we’ve had over the past five years. Innovation is where we see our business and now that we fully understand the core of our technology, we can continue pursuing that.”

Ampelmann was last featured in European Oil & Gas Magazine during January 2012 and since that time, in addition to developing its

product portfolio and fleet the company has also increased its global footprint. During 2013 Ampelmann announced that it had increased its global presence through the acquisition of Dutch Offshore Solutions. The acquisition of Offshore Solutions adds seven offshore access systems to its fleet, including the personnel to operate, maintain and continue development of these systems. In a press release issued at the time, Jan commented: “We are quadrupling our presence in the Gulf with this acquisition and are broadening our current product portfolio which includes the A-type and the larger E-type, with the offshore access system. Moreover, the Offshore Solutions employees bring along a welcome expansion of knowledge and experience to our fast-growing organisation.”

More recently Ampelmann has continued to increase its global footprint to bring it closer to its clients with new offices in Singapore, Qatar and in Houston, US in 2015. The Singapore office represents a significant milestone for the company following its first project in the area, and in a region in which Ampelmann intends to grow over the coming years with an expanding fleet to coincide with the monsoon season. With a unique and effective transit solution and a growing global presence, Ampelmann is in a strong position to continue to develop its technology and solidify its position as a leading name in offshore access throughout 2015 and beyond.

European oil & gas

RedWave RedWave is a service provider specialising in supplying staff for both onshore and offshore drilling, production, marine contracting and construction and maintenance activities. In addition, RedWave provides medical back-up services for activities undertaken on the Dutch and UK Continental Shelf.

In 2008, RedWave was approached

by Ampelmann to recruit qualified operators for their personnel transfer system. In close working partnership, RedWave and Ampelmann have successfully identified and placed operator mechanics to control and function the Ampelmann system.

Ampelmann ampelmann.nl

Services Offshore access

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market Cracking the

Following a three-year

EDL EDL and Total have been successfully working together for more than ten years. EDL, as an experienced engineering contractor with special expertise in the refining industry, has implemented a great number of challenging, process-oriented revamp projects in different refinery units such as POX, methanol, visbreaker, alkylation, and FCC at Leuna.

At present EDL is involved in the preparation of future projects at Total Leuna.

This trustful co-operation demonstrates how the global player Total relies on EDL’s high-quality work and strict adherence to schedules.

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construction period, the Total refinery at Leuna first went into operation in 1997. The facility is the newest and one of the most modern refineries in Europe producing a comprehensive product range including gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, LPG, naphtha, aviation fuel, bitumen and methanol.

Furthermore, the refinery is Germany’s largest producer of methanol, which is an important raw material within the chemical industry.

The refinery is a 235 kilo barrel (kBOE) per day plant, capable of producing around three million tons of gasoline meaning that it largely covers the needs of Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia, including approximately 1300 service stations located within the catchment area of the refinery that obtain their supplies from Leuna.

Each day the refinery processes an average of around 30,000 tons of crude oil, which is imported primarily from Russia into the plant’s storage tanks via pipeline. The finished products produced at Total Refinery Leuna are delivered to market through its comprehensive road, rail and pipeline links.

“The special focus of Leuna is to produce methanol from the residue at the bottom of the refinery,” says general manager, Reinhard Kroll, commenting on the development of the plant.

“There are only a few refineries in the world that are doing this and it is an important point in the development of Leuna, because when Elf (which became Total) decided to build the refinery, the methanol plant already existed and was quite new at the time. The decision was made to incorporate this because we are an inland refinery, and as such we do not have easy access to the bunker market. At that time no one was talking about changes in bunker regulation and it was difficult for the refinery to access that market, but you can gasify the heavy residue for transport. This is what the POX (partial oxidisation)/methanol plant is doing, it is gasifying the heavy residue and producing a syn (synthesis) gas of hydrogen and carbon oxides, and then transferring it to methanol through synthesis.” europeanoilandgas.co.uk

As such the Leuna refinery has become an important petrochemical hub for the region that incorporates the most modern processing technologies and the efficient use of raw materials, energy and water to ensure that the refinery is operated in an environmentally friendly way. The refinery relies on energyefficient processing and employs a resourceefficient use of water from the Saale River, which is carried by multiple water saving technologies and efficient water treatment plants. As a newly constructed plant, the Leuna refinery is equipped with noise protection technology and the surrounding soil and ground water are protected from contamination by double-walled and double bottom tanks with leak detection systems.

During June 2014 the refinery was shutdown for the third time in its history to undergo a large turnaround and inspection project.

Such fundamental refinery check-ups must be performed by law and preparation for the shutdown started in May 2011 because as part of the mammoth project columns, vessels, heat exchangers, compressors, safety valves, etc must be disassembled, cleaned, inspected, repaired and finally reassembled again. “We have a strategy for a full turnaround every six years,” Reinhard elaborates. “Legally it should be five years, however through a system of inspection it is possible to extend this to six years. The refinery is a highly integrated one, so the units are not simply separate units acting on different products, but they are also highly integrated for energy efficiency and so on. For example, one unit will feed another with hot feed, so it does not make sense to have a partial shutdown of the refinery, and as such we have a strategy to have a full shutdown every six years.”

The shutdown itself lasted some 45 days and involved as many as 60 small, medium and large investment projects valued at around 65 million euros. All of these projects were carried out simultaneously by over 3000 employees from multiple contractors, turning the refinery premises into a major construction site with 85 cranes in operation, including a 1250-ton crane at the site’s cracker at the peak of the turnaround. “It was a huge shutdown,” confirms Reinhard. “Normally you can expect around 800,000 work hours for a big shutdown, however we did 1.2 million work hours. To ensure that this was not a risky operation preparations for the shutdown commenced three years before it took place, so there was a long period of preparation for such a big event, which represents more than just the shutdown as it

PROFILE

also encompasses bringing together the right contractors and organising the correct logistical support including cranes and insulation etc.”

Although the shutdown of the Leuna refinery was a vast operation, steps were taken to ensure that the standstill of operations did not aversely affect fuel customers within central Germany.

Prior to the beginning of operations the tanks located on the refinery premises were filled to the brim with automotive and heating fuels to ensure fuel supplies remained consistent throughout the shutdown. This allowed the refinery’s operators and supporting contractors to focus on completing the task at hand without distraction.

The purpose of the shutdown was to inspect, maintain and upgrade the refinery as well as adjust its focus to better meet the requirements of the current petrochemical and fuel markets, as Reinhard explains: “What we did was invest in the replacement of equipment, which is a normal part of such shutdowns, and we invested in improving our energy consumption as well as in slightly shifting the plant's product focus. The European market is developing in a decreasing direction in general, but mostly in gasoline.

Total Refinery Leuna

Within Europe, where there is a large surplus of gasoline, there is also a slightly decreasing market for diesel. There is however some market for intermediate chemical products, so we have adapted our cracker to produce less gasoline and more chemicals such as propylene. That was really our intent to develop our product portfolio to meet market needs.”

This focus on more efficient, cleaner and increasingly market focused operation will enable the plant to weather the challenges of a decreasing market within Europe and an increasing focus in its native Germany, as Reinhard concludes: “Looking at the German market, the German government is dedicated to shifting the country’s reliance on oil and coal to other energies, so that it can significantly decrease emissions and the number of refineries that are necessary on the market. So there is a level of competition that is associated with operating in Germany, and what we are doing as the newest refinery in the area is working to keep that level of competition in our favour. We want to remain in the group of refineries that are able to survive in the German market.”

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Total Refinery Leuna total.de

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PROFILE

Advanced Actuators

growth Ready for

Wandfluh UK Ltd Wandfluh UK offers a market leading range of hydraulic valves and electronic controllers, using its technical expertise and experience to provide component solutions to most industries’ applications.

Its in house design facilities are used to take control system concepts through to complete bespoke manifold assemblies. In-house test facilities enable pressure and function testing with valves set to customer requirements.

Wandlfuh UK is pleased to be associated with Advanced Actuators and wishes them continued success.

Below Chris Woodhead, managing director Advanced Actuators

Advanced Actuators started business in 1999 in Bradford West Yorkshire, evolving from a company known as Elram International Actuators Limited. In 2005 the business moved to a purpose-built factory outside the town of Skipton, and since that time has focused its efforts on manufacturing a range of electro-hydraulic actuators used primarily for valve controls in the oil and gas, water and power generation markets.

As Chris Woodhead, managing director explained, its products come in a number of guises from linear modulating units to quarter turn actuators for ball and butterfly control.

“With our specialist team of design engineers we also get involved with unusual applications, for instance radio controlling a Chieftain tank for the British Army,” he added. “Hydraulic actuators lend themselves to applications of high thrust or torque requirements, fast speeds or a high degree of positional accuracy, and we address all these with our actuator range.”

The company was last featured in European Oil & Gas Magazine during March 2011, and since that time it has seen several significant developments. Said Chris: “One example of this was the need to establish a general manager for the Middle East, as this is a huge market for valves and actuators, primarily to be used in the oil and gas sector.

“We had tried breaking in to this market at ‘arms length’ by visiting from the UK every four months but this proved to be unsatisfactory, as

even though we were seeing great interest in the product we were not offering support for what is a niche market, where the workings of these products is not well understood. Having studied how our customers cover the region and canvassed their thoughts, it became imperative that we had a general manager based out there, and as a result we appointed Alistair Carson as our Middle East general manager.”

He added: “There are a number of large projects under review in the Middle East at present that we would like to be involved with, and also one of Alistair’s key tasks is strongly pursuing end user approval. Middle Eastern clients require that you have end user approval to do business with them, so this is at the top of the agenda.”

As well as the Middle East, Advanced Actuators is currently involved in new projects in Brazil, and the projects in both countries are on oil or gas field developments, both on and offshore. “In the majority of cases the applications are on choke valves,” said Chris.

“The actuator types being built for these projects are our linear modulating control version and our stepping type actuator. We have also expanded into the Indian and Far East sectors, and our end users include blue-chip names such as Koso, Cameron, Weir, ADMA, Petronas, Petrobras and Statoil.”

Alongside the expansion that Chris highlighted in the Middle East, Advanced Actuators is also growing in the UK, currently European oil & gas

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Advanced Actuators

The Chancellor was ‘hugely impressed’ with the business and our investment in apprentices and the future generations of engineers

being in the process of enlarging the factory by a further 350 sqm. Such has been its success over the past three years that in 2014 Chancellor George Osborne heralded this factory as an example of the national recovery in manufacturing following a visit. “The Chancellor was ‘hugely impressed’ with the business and our investment in apprentices and the future generations of engineers,” stated Chris. “He was shown the depth of innovation taking place within the company, from actuators that have an output torque of over 1.2 million Newton meters to linear actuators that develop 2500kg of thrust from a total power consumption of 50 watts.”

He continued: “In September 2014 we also showed our commitment to developing the future of hydraulic engineering by partnering with the University of Bradford on a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) to employ a graduate on a two year, part-funded government project.” KTP is a national programme supporting UK businesses to innovate and grow by partnering with UK universities and colleges to gain access to the technology, expertise and skills available. “As part of this Evangelia Tsasliagkou has been hired as a mechatronics development engineer to work on the design and prototyping of power generators for remote valve actuation,” Chris added.

This project perfectly illustrates Advanced

Actuators’ dedication to the development of staff, and to ensuring that as the business grows it can continue to find skilled and valuable employees.

“Even though we are not a large company, we have a policy of encouraging young people to look at engineering as a career. Without more students becoming part of engineering, our manufacturing base will go into further decline, and so we are doing what we can to avert this,” Chris stated.

Thanks to its growing order books and new projects in the Middle East, Advanced Actuators is set to achieve 40 per cent growth in 2015.

Chris highlighted what he believes are the key strengths of the company: “Innovation and standardisation are the two key words I would use. We have taken a product that normally sold in quantities of four to ten and standardised it such that we can bulk purchase and compete for quantities of 100 plus. Furthermore, we are constantly looking to see how we can improve what we do whether by design of the product or how we assemble and test the units.”

As we enter 2015 and oil prices continue to decline, Chris and his team at Advanced Actuators are keeping their eye on the market, to ensure that they can meet the future needs of clients. “Even with the oil price heading down on what seems to be a never ending spiral and a number of major players trimming budgets for 2015, from where we stand and for what we want and can offer, the market is still strong,” Chris confirmed, adding: “Even though politics is denying or preventing business with countries such as Russia or Iran at the moment, at some stage these policies will change. Both these locations have huge oil and gas reserves, as well as Russia being a major player in coal mining. So for the longer term we must be prepared to be ready to enter into these markets as well.”

European oil & gas

Leach and Thompson A Cast Metal Foundry with production facilities including, greensand moulding and chemically bonded sand moulding.

Melting is done through Electric Induction Furnaces, alongside in-house testing facilities and accreditation of ISO 9001.

Supplying all industries within the UK and Worldwide. Forging great working relationships with customers such as Advanced Actuators.

Through heavy investment Leach and Thompson now has capacity to take on new work at competitive rates with on time deliveries.

Panda Engineering Limited Panda Engineering Limited is a key supplier of specialist machined components for use in the Advanced Actuator product range. We fully support their strategy of using local manufacturers and are dedicated to producing high quality parts on time and complete to meet production requirements. We are committed to supporting Advanced Actuators in their long-term aim of becoming a global leader for innovative actuator and control solutions.

Advanced Actuators adcomtec.co.uk

Services Electro-hydraulic actuators

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reading A positive

Based in Buckinghamshire, UK, Litre Meter Ltd has developed a leading reputation in the field of flow measurement and has built a well-established name as a quality brand in the design, manufacture and supply of flow meters of all kinds. The company was established in 1975 and will celebrate its 40th anniversary during June 2015, marking an important milestone for Litre Meter that is made all the more impressive considering that its pioneering designs introduced four decades ago are still in use today – although in greatly evolved and enhanced variants.

During the 1970s the company pioneered the development of the Pelton Wheel Flowmeter, an accurate, effective and versatile design suitable for many different fluids including acids, chemicals, fuels water and hot fats at both high and low flow rates. Later, in 1986 Litre Meter introduced the Viscous Fluids Flowmeter (VFF)

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for low and high-pressure applications and the product has continued to develop through to the present day. “The products that we developed during the 1970s and 1980s are the products that we are still making today, which is rather remarkable,” elaborates engineering director, Charles Wemyss. “However the technology involved in them as well as how they work has changed, and the market in which they are used has changed too. Coming forward to today, 70 per cent of our business comes from the oil and gas industry, while ten years ago it was 25 per cent. Meaning it has grown significantly and this is the reason we are so successful at the moment.”

Although demand has declined in recent years, Litre Meter continues to provide its Pelton wheel design, today however it is its VFF design that acts as the company’s flagship product and range’s design has continued to evolve to meet

PROFILE

the requirements of its clients. As such, product development is at the forefront of the service offering that Litre Meter delivers. “Research and development is a massive consideration for us,” Charles confirms. “We do training on our products fairly regularly through presentations and so on and possible improvements come up through those. This has been at an accelerated rate; currently there are three people in the engineering department while ten years ago we only had one. We invest a lot on research and development and we have a simple metric that in three years time 25 per cent of our sales will be due to development carried out this year.”

Furthermore, Litre Meter provides an everevolving range of instrumentation in support of its flow meters. Indeed all of the flow meters provided by the company include a pulse output and most are coupled with instruments to tailor these outputs to meet specific customer

requirements. A new development in this area is the new Flowpod display instrument that was launched on 1st January 2015 as a replacement for the existing FPod display. The FPod was originally designed and introduced in 2005 to provide a solution that would enable Litre Meter to sell into the US and other markets using Exd, which is a US standard and has since proven to be a major driver in increasing the company’s sales. However, following several years of operation and customer feedback several areas were identified that Litre Meter felt could be addressed to provide an even more effective solution. “One of the comments that we got about the FPod was that it was bulky, physically it is a six and a half inch enclosure and when you look at the unit it is substantial. The second area was that there was a blue cable coming from the FPod to the flow meter and again this was picked up on by clients. The third point was the European oil & gas

Litre Meter

Litre Meter Ltd has developed a leading reputation in the field of flow measurement and has built a well-established name as a quality brand in the design, manufacture and supply of flow meters of all kinds

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Litre Meter

ability to programme the electronics, which can be done with the FPod but it is a clunky process using a special cable and a special programme,” Charles says.

“The Flowpod is designed to address these concerns and is encased in an enclosure that is around three inches, making it much smaller than the previous model. The design also does away with the blue cable and there are a number of ways you can programme it, using digital

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communications HART protocol version 7 and you can also use a magnet on the outside of the unit, which is again rather clunky but can be useful in an emergency,” he continues. “It is also possible to open up the housing and remove an internal micro SD card and put it into a laptop for programming. Additionally we will also use the SD card as a data logger, which is a relatively simple tool that will allow us to monitor how the unit has performed and how stressed it has been. This will allow us to further understand the way units are being used to make them even more efficient.”

Presently Litre Meter remains a global player with a unique solution that can be applied within a number of industry sectors. During 2009 the company began a journey to reach a target of £5 million in turnover by 2014. Having reached that goal the company is set to target similar growth for 2019 and with a strong global base and continuing research into new products, the indicators are looking good.

Presently Litre Meter remains a global player with a unique solution that can be applied within a number of industry sectors

Litre Meter Ltd litremeter.com

Services Industry standard flow meters

PROFILE

Rubis Terminal

A changing

system

Fifteen locations Today Rubis Terminal maintains 2.6 million cubic meters of bulk liquid storage and is present across fifteen locations within the Netherlands, Belgium, Turkey and France.

The majority of these operate as fully owned facilities, while others are run as joint ventures between Rubis and its partners. While the business is headquartered in France, in recent years it has undertaken targeted expansion outside of its home market. In 2007, Rubis Terminal expanded with the formation of its Rotterdam terminal followed by Antwerp, the second busiest port in Europe, in partnership with Japanese group Mitsui in 2010.

More than 160,000 cubic meters of versatile storage capacity

Formerly known as

the Compagnie Parisienne des Asphaltes, the Rubis Terminal was originally founded in 1877. By 1992 the total recorded storage capacity of the business peaked at over a million cubic meters across two locations in Rouen and Dunkirk. These coastal locations and connections to the main French pipeline infrastructure provided major strategic assets that allowed Rubis to further establish its presence in the chemical and oil markets within France and later throughout Europe.

Rubis Terminal is a subsidiary of the wider Rubis Group alongside the associated company, Rubis Energie. The Group is an independent, international operator specialising in the downstream petroleum and chemicals sector that has continued to grow and expand through a combination of organic growth and acquisitions.

Between 1992 and 2002 the Rubis Group acquired almost one million cubic meters of additional storage in France by taking over strategic terminals in Brest and Saint-Priest as well Strasbourg Pétrole and the Propetrol Company. These acquisitions raised the total storage capacity to two million cubic meters. Over the course of two decades, Rubis Terminal has successfully grown to be the number one independent operator in France and the fifth in Europe.

The terminal at Rotterdam in the Netherlands represents a significant capacity with construction of the Greenfield site beginning during 2007. Rubis Terminal BV went into operation a year later in 2008 with a storage capacity of just over 85,000 cubic meters.

Since then Rubis Terminal has embarked on a continuing programme to develop the terminal and its facilities, steadily increasing the amount of storage available at the site. “If you look at the development of Rubis Terminal BV over the last two years, we have expanded our capacity to currently encompass more than 160,000 cubic meters of storage capacity, of which half is chemical and the other half is mineral storage,” explains general manager Paul van Herrewegen. “If you look at the size of the current terminal it was originally planned to fill the location to create an efficient terminal in terms of both size and scale, both from a cost and commercial perspective, and

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Rubis Terminal

growth has been a natural process since. Due to the combination of an increased number of clients and the diverse transportation connections we have at the terminal, all stakeholders, but primarily our customers will benefit from this increase in capacity.”

Unique fuel oil configuration

Small and flexible

With a state-of-the-art vapour treatment system, Rubis Terminal BV currently reaches pump speeds up to 1500 m3/hour from its three jetties designed for deep-sea vessels up to 225m. A fully dedicated barge jetty completes the highly flexible infrastructure. This allows clients to react quickly to market demands by homogenising and blending different grade mineral products 24/7.

As the petrochemical market within Europe continues to evolve, Rubis Terminal perceives itself as being well placed to navigate the changing tides of the market. “If you look at our position both geographically and commercially, we are a smaller player that is able to take advantage of the fact that we are small and therefore more flexible,” Paul says. “We have direct contact with clients, short communication lines and rapid decision making. Within Rotterdam, we target our market growth mainly in chemicals. In the longer term I believe the market will see a change in production, which is already becoming apparent through the trends in refineries and chemical production facilities where some locations are ceasing their activities.

This means that North West Europe will change into a predominantly import based continent, which will require more storage.”

Extension area of 4.5 hectares As of January 2014 six new tanks went into operation at Rubis Terminal BV consisting of four 2500 cubic meter mild steel tanks and two 2500 cubic meter stainless steel tanks for chemicals. This represented the last of several phases of expansion for the Rotterdam terminal at the existing terminal, and will now be followed on a site adjacent to the terminal in agreement with the Port of Rotterdam for the lease of 4.5 hectares of land. Presently Rubis Terminal is developing new tank sizes, which will vary between 500 cubic meters and 10,000 cubic meters in capacity and will be suitable for chemicals and niche products. “The present expansion represents the first period of development with all phases scheduled to be undertaken over a ten year period,” Paul elaborates. “We have an extension area of 4.5 hectares of land to develop and we divided the construction into five phases. The first phase will be available during the fourth quarter of 2016 and will deliver extra capacity equal to 35,000 cubic meters.”

Strong interest in different tank sizes “We will expand to almost double our current capacity in ten years time thus offering a wide range of chemical tanks in an even wider range of capacities,” adds commercial manager, Marlies Tol. “We currently see strong interest from clients in different tank sizes that we have on offer. In addition, we also receive a lot of requests for tank sizes we cannot offer, simply because we do not have the right tank sizes available.

Adding additional tank sizes is an important step forward for us.”

Today Rubis Terminal maintains 2.6 million cubic meters of bulk liquid storage and is present across fifteen locations within the Netherlands, Belgium, Turkey and France. The majority of these operate as fully owned facilities, while others are run as joint ventures between Rubis and its partners

The best infrastructure As Rubis Terminal heads into 2015, it will continue to promote itself as a highly buoyant and agile business that is able to deliver bespoke storage solutions to clients within the mineral fuel and chemical sectors. As the market adapts, Rubis Terminal BV will continue to evolve to ensure it maintains the best infrastructure to meet the needs of is clients, as Paul concludes: “There is a big difference in the logistics for mineral products and for chemical products. Fuel oil is only ship or barge related while chemicals require connections via train and truck as well.

It is important to be flexible, especially in the chemical market, where it is very important to be able to adapt in a short timeframe. Generally speaking, when you change the product you also need to change the system.

“Next to being a state-of-the-art terminal for chemicals Rubis Terminal also provides especially designed services for bunker fuels.

The availability of two deep-sea jetties with high pump rate capabilities (up to 1500 m3/hour) and a fully dedicated barge jetty completes the highly flexible infrastructure. Together with our homogenising and heating possibilities it allows clients to react quickly to market demands.”

European oil & gas

Rubis Terminal BV rubis-terminal.nl

Services Independent mineral oil and chemical storage

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connection Building a

With a history dating

as far back as 1977, Technip Umbilicals (TU) has designed, manufactured and supplied subsea umbilicals for the oil and gas industry for more than 30 years.

Formally known as DUCO Ltd., the company has been developing pioneering umbilical designs since the first subsea production systems were installed in the 1970s. Business expanded in the 1990s when these systems became an accepted means of offshore hydrocarbon recovery; the early systems tended to involve short tieback distances installed in water depths accessible to divers, which are typically less than 200 metres, and used umbilicals constructed almost entirely from thermoplastic hose fluid

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conduits. Technip Umbilicals’ track record of thermoplastic umbilical supply showcases some of its previous projects, which contain DUCO manufactured hose.

Steel tube conduits were gradually introduced in the mid-1990s, and their use has escalated in recent years due to increased tieback distances and the exploration of deeper water depths. As such, Technip Umbilicals has been supplying steel tube umbilicals to the industry since 1994, and introduced the first steel tube umbilical to the Gulf of Mexico region in 1995. In some instances, combinations of steel tubes and thermoplastic hoses are employed in umbilicals.

Pioneered by DUCO in the late 1990s, this hybrid concept provides the subsea system designer with greater flexibility in optimising the performance of the subsea production system.

Acquired by the Technip Group in 2003, the company today is a major designer, innovator and global provider of umbilical systems for use by the offshore industry. “We operate globally,” confirms Technip Umbilicals’ managing director Jean-Louis Rostaing. “If you look at our portfolio in terms of current projects we have a lot of work going on in the North Sea, with further demand in West Africa, Asia and Australia. Because of this growth, we decided that integrating our facilities in the UK, the US, Angola and Malaysia was important to show customers that we maintain the same values with regards to safety, quality and ethics as the Technip Group. We changed our name from DUCO to Technip Umbilicals in September 2014, a move that lets our customers know when they deal with Technip Umbilicals Ltd. in Newcastle, UK, or Technip Umbilicals Inc. in Houston, US, they still receive the same level of service in terms of safety, quality and delivery as all segments of the Technip Group.”

Viewing quality, health, safety and environmental (QHS&E) guidelines as key to safe and efficient operations, the ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:1999 certified company places safety at the forefront of all projects.

Taking the rebrand as an opportunity to continue consolidating and developing best practices across the three additional umbilical units of the Technip Umbilicals Group –Technip Umbilicals Inc., Angoflex Ltda. and Asiaflex Products Sdn Bhd. - Technip Umbilicals is keen to not only evolve with market demand, but also maintain the North East’s position as a leader within the subsea industry. “We have

PROFILE

invested vast amounts into our facilities to ensure we have the modern assets needed to meet the capacity and capability demands of the current market, whilst also being prepared for future demand. Technology is also a key strength for Technical Umbilicals, as we have developed products that can comply with client application requirements and meet the needs of the subsea market as it moves into deeper waters. Key to these technological developments is our Research and Development Centre in Newcastle, which is linked with all other research and development centres within the Technip Group; in addition, having a highly skilled and loyal workforce means we have long-term experience readily available in-house,” highlights Jean-Louis.

Considered a fundamental part of the division’s current and future capabilities, the Research and Development Centre receives a significant amount of revenue to ensure Technip Umbilicals continues to provide groundbreaking products and capabilities. Well positioned to handle any challenging requirements in the future, the Research and Development Centre focuses on umbilical/functional component structural improvements to boost performance and reliability, improvements in hardware design to ensure complete protection from harsh environmental conditions, integration of electric power conductors into umbilicals and hardware designs for deepwater dynamic and static service, and the development and improvement of mathematical modelling and analytical tools to further grow engineering capabilities and understanding. With strong links to other Technip Research and Development groups, the team are able to draw on expertise such as flexible pipe manufacture and installation expertise to ensure the optimal installation ability of the umbilical and hardware.

As leaders in technology development, the four strategically located umbilical entities are able to design, manufacture and supply bespoke umbilical products to customers from project inception to project completion. Viewing each clients’ requirements as unique, Technip Umbilicals is a specialist in delivering optimised industry solutions to the shallow and medium water markets as well as the ultra-deepwater markets. In fact, the division as a whole has developed umbilicals for the harsh environments of the North Sea and Atlantic Frontier region and ultra-deepwater locations in the Gulf of

Technip Umbilicals

Mexico and West Africa.

With a strong history of successfully providing thermoplastic hoses to the oil and gas industry, the company’s products offer a broad spectrum of control and chemical injection fluids and are available in seamless lengths in excess of 20,000m depending on bore size. Meanwhile,

steel tube umbilicals can provide high pressure, corrosion resistance, tensile strength and deepwater and long distance operation.

Although diverse in physical characteristics, combining both functional components can deliver technical and commercial advantages.

Having developed a strong reputation for superior services, Technip Umbilicals is currently working on a major contract with Chevron North Sea to manufacture a 28 km umbilical for the Alder field; a critical link in subsea operations as it relays power, chemicals and communications between a platform or support vessel and hydraulically operated subsea equipment. The umbilicals are being wholly manufactured at the Newcastle, UK site to coincide with Chevron’s goal to develop the field via a single subsea well. Meanwhile, parent company Technip’s Aberdeen operating centre will be involved in the engineering, procurement, installation and construction (EPIC) contract for the project.

“This is an important project for us because we are manufacturing a 28 km hybrid umbilical, which merges our original thermoplastic hose technology with steel tubes,” says Jean-Louis.

“To take advantage of this demand and meet the needs of our customers, we came up with the idea of combining these two technologies; this innovation is called hybrid because it is made up of both steel tubes and thermoplastic hoses, which thus results in an improved field development solution. The 28 km umbilical will be made up of steel tubes and then wrapped in thermoplastic hoses; this is a competitive European oil & gas

Shepherd Offshore Shepherd Offshore has been providing Technip Umbilicals with first class specialist logistics support for almost three decades.

The relationship between the two companies has enabled Technip to open the world's largest steel tube umbilical assembly plant and given the company easy access to the deepwater global market.

Since the 1980s Shepherd Offshore, which specialises in mobilisations and demobilisations for the offshore industries, has provided Technip with a bespoke support system available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Shepherd Offshore is proud to have assisted Technip in developing its infrastructure and facilities to become the world leader in the manufacturing of umbilicals it is today.

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solution for a challenging bespoke project.”

Having invested in its main facility, equipment and increased plant size over the last four years, in addition to hiring an extra 100 personnel in 2014, the strong team at Technical Umbilicals Ltd. in Newcastle, UK, remains committed to operating within the North East. However, as energy demand continues to grow in developing countries, the company is also keeping vigilant of any potential opportunities further afield.

On top of this, Technip Umbilicals maintains its vision of continuous improvement with the implementation of a quality improvement programme, as Jean-Louis concludes: “All of our efforts over the last four years have been with the intention of positioning ourselves as a leader in the umbilical market; over the next 12 months we will continue to consolidate this position and work more closely with clients to anticipate demand in terms of technology and delivery.

“Moreover, we will also be focused on the implementation of our quality improvement

Technip Umbilicals

programme “Quartz”; this Technip Umbilicalsborn programme has been adopted by the Technip Group and aims to boost quality in all areas of the company, including engineering and manufacturing. These developments have been well received by our clients as it means we can meet their demands in an increasingly stringent and challenging market. We will also be deploying a lot of new products such as aluminium cable umbilicals for deepwater applications and will continue to actively work internally as well as with clients to extend our performance.”

European oil & gas

Technip Umbilicals technip.com

Services Subsea umbilical systems

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Protecting Established in 1937

Pittsburgh Corning has developed a leading reputation in the supply of high-performance glass insulating products for the building, energy and industrial markets and has remained at the forefront of designing products that stand the test of time.

The company was formed from Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company and Corning Glass Works and for 75 years it has supplied its innovative glass block technology to clients within a number of industries. Today Pittsburgh Corning is active in every corner of the world through the delivery of its technically advanced FOAMGLAS insulation and glass block products, and continues to grow while further investing to allow the company to better reach its clients.

FOAMGLAS insulation was introduced in the US during the mid-1940s and later, owing to the growing global demand for the product, Pittsburgh Corning expanded its presence into Europe with a large manufacturing plant in Belgium that went into operation in 1965. Today Pittsburgh Corning Asia has become an important part of the company’s global operation as it responds to increased demand for Pittsburgh Corning insulation products.

The company is building a brand new factory in China, which is estimated to be completed in the spring of 2015.

It has already had the good fortune to work with all of the large energy companies in China during the last decade. As a consequence, Pittsburgh Corning understands the urgency in developing China’s energy

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infrastructure and is committed to providing the safest, highest quality cellular glass insulation material available. The new plant will give the business the ability to quickly respond to customer needs while assuring that their plants operate safely over the long term.

FOAMGLAS is a unique product with a manufacturing process comprised of four stages; glass production, grinding of the glass to glass powder and mixing it with carbon, foaming and annealing of glass and finishing of the product.

The result is an extensive range of different grades of FOAMGLAS insulation, which have varying degrees of compressive strength and thermal conductivity. These variations make FOAMGLAS the ideal insulative solution for a number of applications. “FOAMGLAS insulation is a closed-cell, lightweight, rigid material composed of millions of completely sealed glass cells,” explains Frank Ergeets, business development director. “Due to its closed-cell nature, it is completely impermeable which means that it is 100 per cent moisture resistant, it has a zero water vapour permeability and isn’t liable to deterioration by vermin. It represents the pre-eminent insulation material for corrosion resistance, as it is resistant to organic solvents, nearly all acids and most corrosive atmospheres.

It is a dimensionally stable material with a high compressive strength, which is still easy to cut to shape. Finally, FOAMGLAS insulation is 100 per cent glass and contains no binders or fillers, therefore it cannot burn or support combustion nor will it absorb flammable liquids or vapours.”

Within the oil and gas industry FOAMGLAS

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insulation is the leading solution in both low temperature environments and high temperature situations. For example during low temperature operation it is possible for water vapour to enter permeable insulations and condense, which causes a build up of water and/or ice that drastically reduces performance. Furthermore, during high temperature service poor insulation can lead to loss of thermal efficiency and increased energy consumption. In each case, FOAMGLAS offers an effective solution that mitigates the effects of extreme temperatures, making it a highly sought after solution throughout the oil and gas sector. “Since the 1960s tank builders worldwide have trusted FOAMGLAS insulation as a core component in tank base insulation systems and today thousands of hot, cold and cryogenic tanks are supported by FOAMGLAS insulation systems,” Frank says. “In fact, FOAMGLAS HLB insulation is a core component of over 90 per cent of the world's liquified natural gas tanks base insulation systems, a critical application requiring high load bearing capabilities and

Pittsburgh Corning Europe

thermal insulation properties.”

As such Pittsburgh Corning has delivered FOAMGLAS insulation to clients all over the world including Qatar, where it was used for the chilled water system at Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar. The project was one of the company’s largest, encompassing over 350 kilometres of pipeline section and over 35,000 prefabricated fittings. As it enters 2015, Pittsburgh Corning will continue to deliver its market leading insulation products and it has a strong order book that will enable the business to continue to grow and solidify its premier position as a supplier of industrial insulation.

“The biggest project that will dominate 2015 for us will be Gazprom’s Yamal LNG project in the Yamal peninsula in Russia,” Frank concludes.

“The Yamal LNG project is one of the largest industrial undertakings in the Arctic, which will involve the construction of three LNG trains and a vast gas terminal. FOAMGLAS insulation is specified for the insulation works so this will be one of the main projects for the upcoming year.”

European oil & gas

Pittsburgh Corning Europe foamglas.com

Services Insulation systems for industry

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PROFILE

EV

Inset Complexity of EV downhole video leading edge technology Below Downhole video equipment bench test workshop Bottom Field engineer preparing downhole video camera for a job

Well ahead

Founded by

chief technical officer Jonathan Thursby in Norwich in 2001, downhole video specialist EV began as a small team of engineers who developed their expertise

in ruggedized CCTV cameras for use on boats or cars, to give close up views of action related events. “The original designs were used in racing environments such as the British Rally Championship, Formula One, the BT Around the World Yachting Challenge and also Top Gear,” explains Federico Casavantes, VP marketing for EV. “However, in 2004 we were commissioned to develop a camera for a UK customer that would be used for diagnostics in

oil and gas wells in the North Sea. From here the first generation of our OPTIS RT-120 was launched and deployed commercially.”

Following this strategic move into the oil and gas industry, the company’s expertise in this business segment was further strengthened with the appointment of Francis Neill, an experience oilfield services professional, as CEO in 2010. “Mr Neill has taken EV from a small Norwich based organisation to the global service provider it is today,” confirms Federico.

“Since 2010 we have grown from 15 employees with annual revenues of approximately one million pounds, to a global entity of 115 employees and annual revenues of more than £20 million. In the last 12 months we have run more than 1400 downhole camera jobs in 35 countries and witnessed a profit increase of 109 per cent; this success stems from our consistent delivery of high quality downhole video cameras that are able to operate in the most extreme environments as well as our knowledge on how to obtain images in these conditions. It is not only our leading edge technology that is key to our success but also our highly experienced and competent operations team that is able to advise our customer base on the best procedures and preparation to capture the best video images.”

By using the expertise it gained from operating ruggedized cameras in fast paced yet moderately benign environments, EV has been European oil & gas

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able to transfer and develop its know-how into the oil and gas industry and thus transform itself into the global market leader in downhole video technology. “Our headquarters are in Aberdeen and Norwich, but we also have 17 operating locations across the world; our region head offices located in Canada, the US, Latin America, Europe, Western Africa, the Middle East, South East Asia and Australia,” says Federico.

To retain its technology leadership in the downhole video market, the company invests more than ten per cent of its annual profits into research and development, which has resulted in camera systems that can work to 10,000m below the surface in environments up to 125 degrees Celsius and 15,000 psi. Proud of its success in obtaining images that can help customers find solutions in the harshest of environments, EV has a success rate of more than 95 per cent thanks to its ultra-modern technology and expertise in high speed data transmission, video compression techniques, CCD sensors, optical and lighting technology and image processing.

“We specialise in providing well diagnosis services to oil and gas operators; our services are based on a range of downhole video cameras, which we call OPTIS. These can be deployed on electric line, slick line, drill pipe and coil tubing. The main feature of our cameras is that they utilise a proprietary telemetry, which enables us to stream up to 300 kilobits per second of data on a monoconductor cable and can thus provide a full colour video of up to 25 frames per second. We can also record up to 35 frames per second in memory. In terms of ruggedization, OPTIS Downhole Video cameras hit a record in 2013 when a job was successfully run to 28,522 feet/8695 metres for an operator in the Gulf of Mexico,” highlights Federico.

EV’s HD E-line camera works on 35,000 feet of mono-conductor cable; this combined with sensors that also operate at up to 15,000 psi, means customers can rely on quality video diagnostics deeper than ever.

The most recent example of the company’s commitment to innovation is its new Integrated Video Caliper (IVC), which provides real-time answers to well integrity issues and is based on EV’s proprietary telemetry that transmits data to surface at a speed two to three times greater than industry standard systems. “Thanks to our telemetry, the main feature of the IVC is that it combines qualitative HD video data with quantitative Multifinger Caliper dimensioning.

Normally, in the realm of video imaging, it is not possible to quantify the size of the problems or anomalies encountered in the well. However, by combining our cameras with our Multifinger Caliper, we’re not limited to only seeing what is happening, but now, we can also accurately assess the dimensions of the problem we are looking at. The benefits of this integration are all too clear; in a single run in the well, EV is able evaluate downhole completion problems like corrosion, pitting or ruptures to even greater detail than has ever been possible before with standalone electromechanical measurement devices,” explains Federico.

“With IVC, the axial downview camera is run as the tool goes into the well, capturing a real-time overview of the well features. When at bottom, the Multifinger Caliper is opened to obtain a dimensioned circumferential profile of the well as the tool is pulled out. By switching on the lateral camera we can further inspect any serious conditions or anomalies by taking a circumferential 360 degree video at any point of interest. All this data can be streamlined instantaneously, as it is being acquired, to our customers’ remote offices so they can make decisions on whether additional information is required or whether they will begin to deploy equipment to start a repair operation. The thing to note is that when EV pulls the IVC out of the well, our customers have 100 per cent certainty of their well integrity conditions,” he adds.

Officially launched in 2014, the IVC has successfully completed in excess of 40 operations, primarily in Canada where it was tested and developed, but also in the UK and Italy. Following the success of this innovative product, Federico anticipates further opportunities for the EV as its remains focused on growing customer awareness of the value of downhole video by providing them with robust, high quality and unique answer products. “As a firm specialising in well diagnosis, our focus is to continue to build on our downhole video expertise to retain industry leadership and to add further value to our customers. Wherever there is an opportunity to provide more robust answer products, we will look to integrate complementary sensors. We anticipate further market growth in the regions where we are already present, and will actively open operating bases in new geographical regions to ensure we are better able to support our growing customer base,” he concludes.

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EV

Above EV HD video sideview camera

Acutech Acutech Precision Engineering is proud to remain one of EV’s main suppliers of engineered parts, having done so since their inception, helping them to meet deadlines for both time critical shortterm projects and planned ongoing expansion goals alike. Specialising in CNC milling and turning, Acutech Precision is extremely well suited to manufacturing a vast array of precision components in a multitude of materials to meet the ever changing requirements of its customers.

GOWell GOWell is a global technology company that manufactures cased hole logging tools able to identify the corrosion induced deterioration of both the casing and the tubing in oil wells.

GOWell has worked closely with EV to combine its multi-finger caliper tool with EV’s downhole camera. This has allowed them to successfully introduce a new service to the market: IVC – Integrated Video Caliper, providing both measurement and quality images of the condition of the tubing and casing.

GOWell strives to continue to produce high quality products to help deliver unique and efficient solutions to the oil and gas industry.

EV evcam.com

Services Downhole video specialist

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PROFILE

NOV wellbore technologies

family Global

NOV is a leader in

the design, manufacture and sale of equipment and components used in oil and gas drilling and production operations, and the provision of the oil and gas industry. Its headquarters are located in Houston, Texas, and it has more than 60,000 employees operating as a global family in 69 countries at approximately 899 locations worldwide. Recently, in order to bring clarity to its strategic direction and to enhance its product and service offering to customers, the company restructured into three distinct business segments: NOV Rig Systems, NOV Wellbore Technologies and NOV Completion & Production Solutions.

Simon Garantini is European regional manager for the division now known as NOV Wellbore Technologies, and he explains how the restructure is going to benefit clients: “NOV Wellbore Technologies links all our business units that pertain to the wellbore, from fluid control systems and tubular inspection services, to downhole products and automation solutions. This makes it easier for our customers to do business with us,” he states. “NOV recognises that the key to developing commercially viable hydrocarbon production is economic field development and we are uniquely positioned within the energy industry to supply independent

products and services across many facets of the well construction phase. Our products and services include drilling tools, fishing tools, drill bits, drilling motors, thru tubing, service equipment, borehole enlargement, coring, intervention and completion, power sections, and directional tools, and we understand the complete process and anticipate what our customers need to thrive. At every stage, our unique, integrated model delivers value. We have the proven technologies and global scale needed by our customers to be more efficient, productive and successful.”

One of the most important products developed by NOV is the Agitator™ System, which utilises the energy in the drilling fluid flow to impart a high frequency, gentle, axial oscillation in the string. “This tool is by far the leading friction reduction tool in the industry,” says Simon. “It has been around for more than ten years and amassed close to 50,000 runs globally so far. Its most important application is in oriented motor drilling, where the Agitator™ System reduces friction, improves weight transfer and tool face control, and extends the potential horizontal length of sections drilled dramatically.”

He continues: “The tool is also used very successfully to reduce stick-slip in rotary steerable applications, to extend the reach in coiled tubing work and to improve the recovery rates in tubular retrieval (casing pulling, fishing, sandscreen positioning and so on).”

Researching and developing highly innovative products such as this is an area where NOV invests considerable time and money. As a result of its dedication many of its products have seen major success in the oil and gas industry and have been embraced by blue chip clients. For example, its new generation of synthetic diamond Helios™ Inferno™ cutters have enjoyed very pleasing results on projects in the North Sea. “These products are high performance PDC cutters that are engineered for specific drilling applications that may require increased thermal resistance, increased abrasion resistance or increased toughness,” explains Simon. “Helios™ Inferno™ cutters are fitted into ReedHycalog™ drill bits to improve drilling performance in difficult geological formations.

Each Helios™ Inferno™ cutter is certified with a unique Cutter Index rating to determine the characteristics necessary for challenging applications. This ensures the optimal cutter is selected for the application, which provides European oil & gas

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NOV wellbore technologies

increased durability, increased penetration rate by staying sharper longer, and maintains drill bit stability and steerability due to better wear characteristics. The initial success in the North Sea came from a well in the West of Shetlands area when a 12-1/4” bit fitted with Helios™ Inferno™ cutters was used to drill a section that historically required multiple bits to complete. An even more challenging conglomerate formation in the Central North Sea has recently been successfully drilled in one run with Helios™ Inferno™ cutters, establishing a breakthrough performance for this technology.

Key results such as these provide significant cost savings to operators by reducing trip time and overall drilling time.”

Furthermore, NOV Wellbore Technologies also recently released a new tool called the FluidHammer. “The main feature of this is a mechanism housed in the lower bearing section of certain NOV positive displacement drilling motors,” says Simon. “This does not alter the dimensions of the motor significantly, but through a cam and roller system that imparts a high frequency weight on bit variation it enhances the drill bit’s ability to fail the rock.

The mechanism is actuated by WOB, so only functions when the bit is on bottom.

“This ‘hammering’ or WOB fluctuation improves ROP and the resultant smoother torque curve helps reduce weight transfer issues and aids in mitigating stick-slip. The tool functions well with both PDC and insert bits, and has shown to be very beneficial in a variety of applications where ROP is a performance limiting variable, like hard rock applications, interbedded formations and bedrock drilling.”

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Simon identifies NOV’s combination of extraordinary products and diversity of services, alongside its independence as major strengths.

“With our global footprint and experienced staff we are able to support the market’s needs in many challenging regions,” he adds. “We are continually introducing new products and business models to satisfy the various markets we serve. We can also leverage off our engineering capability and manufacturing capacity to provide leading industry technologies that are cost effective and tailored to the economics and unique challenges of drilling in many different environments.

The new organisational structure and also improved website at www.nov.com both signify progressives step towards shedding light on strategy and further customer alignment for NOV. “Through our broad capabilities and vision, NOV’s family of companies is now positioned and ready to serve the needs of this challenging, evolving industry,” agrees Simon.

“NOV has the technical expertise, advanced equipment, and readily available support necessary for our customers’ success.

“Moving forward we will continue to provide our customers with solutions tailored for them and supported by engineering and operations back-up so that we are truly delivering solutions to our clients’ challenges. We will continue to introduce innovative technologies that address drilling needs globally and locally that are fit for purpose and meet the value objectives our clients have come to expect from our products.

NOV will continue to be dedicated to its relentless pursuit of increasing customer value delivery while decreasing risk.”

Allied Maxcut Engineering Co Limited AMEC® is a global supplier of drilling and thread milling tools for the manufacturing of components used in offshore exploration in the oil and gas industry.

In addition to an extensive range of standard tooling, with the widest choice of drilling diameters, replaceable inserts substrates and advanced coatings, AMEC has also developed an array of special purpose products to achieve maximum performance on often unique applications.

This experience and knowledge of the industry is shown in the upcoming AMEC oil and gas specific brochure, which can be requested from marketing@alliedmaxcut.com.

NOV Wellbore Technologies nov.com

Services Oil and gas equipment

european

from exploration to end user

Schofield Publishing Ltd 10 Cringleford Business Centre Intwood Road Cringleford Norwich NR4 6AU T: +44 (0) 1603 274130 F: +44 (0) 1603 274131 Editor Matt High mhigh@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Sales Manager Joe Woolsgrove jwoolsgrove@schofieldpublishing.co.uk

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