Bold ideas that solve the world’s energy needs.
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SPECIAL REPORT: A Compendium of Anecdotal Survey Responses
New Frontiers In Fossil-Tech
New Frontiers In Fossil-Tech
Nearly three years ago, NETL started developing commercially viable technologies that use domestic coal as a manufacturing feedstock to make carbon nanomaterials, such as graphene. Coal is generally far cheaper per ton of carbon than the petroleum, natural gas, or graphite feedstocks used to make carbon nanomaterials. Additionally, the processes for turning coal into graphene-type nanomaterials are simple, inexpensive, and closely related to classical coal processing technologies, which suggests they are scalable. A recent research breakthrough came in the form of a tiny graphene quantum dot, a small fluorescent nanoparticle with a sheet-like structure that is one carbon atom thick and a few hundred atoms in diameter. The chemical composition and small size of these graphene quantum dots are useful in applications such as catalysis, electronics, light emitting diodes (LEDs), and sensors because of their optical and electronic properties. In solar cells, graphene quantum dots can be used as a photosensitizer to efficiently enhance photoelectric conversion. NETL researchers are now evaluating the use of these materials as additives for cements and plastics.
While gas turbines installed on ships and oil platforms aren’t new, their power output has been limited because of space and fuel constraints. Siemens hopes to change that. Following the devastating 2011 tsunami in Japan, the company’s SeaFloat team has been actively developing and marketing floating platforms and ships that can be equipped with varying gas turbine models. While several prototypes for floating LNG power plants have been launched over the years, they have not yet been commercialized. However, recent advances in floating storage and regasification technologies are now making floating LNG power plants more operationally viable. Notably, Malaysia’s state-owned oil and gas firm Petronas launched a new era in gas production when it began operating the world’s first floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) platform—a facility that floats above an offshore natural gas field and produces, liquefies, stores, and transfers LNG to a carrier ship. Keppel’s Hilli Episeyo became the second FLNG vessel to begin production, and Shell is nearing completion of its massive and much-watched Prelude FLNG facility offshore in Western Australia. Experts say the developments promise to broaden fuel availability and catalyze the movement toward gas-to-power projects at remote sites.
Domestic production of natural gas is projected to increase significantly within the next decade. Consequently, ARPA-E (the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Project Agency–Energy) has sponsored a new program titled Methane Opportunities for Vehicular Energy (MOVE). The program supports the development of natural gas-powered in vehicles. With funding from MOVE, Chris Hagen, assistant professor in energy systems engineering at Oregon State University, has developed a self-contained natural gas vehicle with an engine that can compress the fuel and power the car, thus eliminating the need for fueling stations. Hagen’s research is unique and far-reaching. While all other ARPA-E MOVE awardees focus on two activities — developing lower-cost garage model compressors to enable home fueling and optimizing on-vehicle storage tanks — Hagen is taking a different approach. “We’re the only one trying to modify the actual vehicle engine,” he noted. “Our project involves using the internal combustion engine of the vehicle part-time as a compressor so that it can fuel itself with high-pressure natural gas.” In a nutshell, Hagen’s design would keep the number of added components to a minimum by combining the compressor and combustion engine into one system and making that entire system a modification to an existing vehicle.
Smarter Drilling
by James Larnder, managing director, Aquaterra Energy
Nowadays, it seems like more and more companies want to become the Carl Lewis or Usain Bolt of drilling. Get out the blocks fast, hit every stride sweetly and cross the finish line to first oil in record time. As any elite runner will tell you, the equipment alone doesn’t win you the race. The key is ensuring that design, analysis, equipment selection and implementation are all aligned and supported by operational expertise. Where companies lack the expertise or resources, initiation specialists will fill the void. As drilling projects grow in ambition, smarter equals faster. By combining integration and intelligence through specialist providers in the initiation phase with best-in-class technology, ‘smart drilling’ promises to give projects the solid footing needed to keep the industry running for decades to come.
by James Larnder, managing director, Aquaterra Energy
Nowadays, it seems like more and more companies want to become the Carl Lewis or Usain Bolt of drilling. Get out the blocks fast, hit every stride sweetly and cross the finish line to first oil in record time. As any elite runner will tell you, the equipment alone doesn’t win you the race. The key is ensuring that design, analysis, equipment selection and implementation are all aligned and supported by operational expertise. Where companies lack the expertise or resources, initiation specialists will fill the void. As drilling projects grow in ambition, smarter equals faster. By combining integration and intelligence through specialist providers in the initiation phase with best-in-class technology, ‘smart drilling’ promises to give projects the solid footing needed to keep the industry running for decades to come.
Blockchain, Blockchain, and More Blockchain
by Robert Pyke, CEO, Aziza
The energy sector is seen as the next frontier for blockchain development outside the financial sector, where the distributed ledger technology has had its biggest impact to date. Blockchain is critical to unlocking the efficiency potential of distributed energy generation and disintermediating the public and private utility companies. So too does blockchain open up efficient fundraising through initial coin offerings (ICO’s). Admittedly, a disproportionate number of these token offerings have been electricity or renewables-focused, but the number of token offerings in the traditionally technologically-phobic oil and gas sector is now rising. Distributed ledger technology could also see the advent of peer-to-peer energy trading, as demonstrated by Power Ledger, which allows consumers to buy and sell clean solar energy, disrupting the established norms of energy provision.
by Robert Pyke, CEO, Aziza
The energy sector is seen as the next frontier for blockchain development outside the financial sector, where the distributed ledger technology has had its biggest impact to date. Blockchain is critical to unlocking the efficiency potential of distributed energy generation and disintermediating the public and private utility companies. So too does blockchain open up efficient fundraising through initial coin offerings (ICO’s). Admittedly, a disproportionate number of these token offerings have been electricity or renewables-focused, but the number of token offerings in the traditionally technologically-phobic oil and gas sector is now rising. Distributed ledger technology could also see the advent of peer-to-peer energy trading, as demonstrated by Power Ledger, which allows consumers to buy and sell clean solar energy, disrupting the established norms of energy provision.
Blurring the Lines Between Fossil and Renewable
by Michael Martella, CEO, Anergy
Liquid fuels are still difficult to replace and while reliance on them will be reduced as they are supplemented by biofuel and electrical energy sources, it will be a number of decades before they are phased out completely. Meanwhile, the prices of oil and gas will be perpetually lower for the foreseeable future as fracking will continue to open up more sources of cheap production, while demand slowly falls with the adoption of more renewables. Better renewable energy technology and sources will eventually replace the use of oil as a combustible fuel, freeing it and other sources such as coal to be used for production of more sophisticated carbon products, hydrocarbons and polymers, making it a feedstock rather than a fuel. Finally, the ability to chemically synthesize oil and gas from more types of natural materials will blur the line between renewable and fossil fuels to the extent where it becomes a forgotten issue. The ability to synthesize these products will mean that even fossil fuels can be readily replaced so the market will drive the source again.
The IEA is promoting High Efficiency, Low Emission (HELE) advanced coal technologies, state-of-the-art supercritical and ultra-supercritical coal plants that can cut CO2 emissions over older plants by 40% or more. In "Outlook and Benefits of An Efficient U.S. Coal Fleet," researchers at Wood Mackenzie concluded that there is significant opportunity for HELE deployment in the U.S. Indeed, less than 30% of all U.S. coal plants utilize HELE technologies, while 66% of all coal plants in China have adopted HELE, over 70% in Western Europe, and about 75% in Japan. Coal is not going back to its peak of just 15 years ago, when it supplied more than half of all U.S. power, but it is hardly in freefall either. The U.S. Energy Information Administration still sees coal still supplying 25% of power in 2030, more than all renewables put together. Coal and its impact on the environment would be significantly improved if new policy fostered rapid HELE deployment in the U.S.
‘Smarter Oilfield’ Technology
by Kamal Mokrani, global vice-president, InfiNet Wireless
All oil and gas operators, wherever they are located, would like to focus more of their budgets and efforts on improving productivity whilst at the same time monitoring their local and remote assets dynamically. This is only possible via the deployment of a truly ‘smart oilfield’ technology, able to provide all critical data in real-time without any downtime. From a technology standpoint, the ideal solution would need to seamlessly connect all systems and hardware platforms across the various fields of operation, integrating exploration, drilling and production facilities, and ultimately delivering useful data and video streams to a central location, allowing the operators to make better and quicker decisions. One of the challenges faced by the oil and gas industry is that contractors and assets generally move from one location to another on a daily or weekly basis. Additional challenges are directly linked to environmental conditions such as extreme temperatures and frequent sandstorms. Providing uninterrupted service without the involvement of on-site technicians after the move of a rig or drilling platform, for example, is only achievable through the adoption of high capacity wireless platforms that are able to auto-align and mitigate these extraordinary challenges. The main factors that will drive the further adoption of wireless technologies in this sector, therefore, will be the adoption of smarter sensors/devices in the field, as well as the desire for managers to stay continuously connected with their valuable assets.
by Kamal Mokrani, global vice-president, InfiNet Wireless
All oil and gas operators, wherever they are located, would like to focus more of their budgets and efforts on improving productivity whilst at the same time monitoring their local and remote assets dynamically. This is only possible via the deployment of a truly ‘smart oilfield’ technology, able to provide all critical data in real-time without any downtime. From a technology standpoint, the ideal solution would need to seamlessly connect all systems and hardware platforms across the various fields of operation, integrating exploration, drilling and production facilities, and ultimately delivering useful data and video streams to a central location, allowing the operators to make better and quicker decisions. One of the challenges faced by the oil and gas industry is that contractors and assets generally move from one location to another on a daily or weekly basis. Additional challenges are directly linked to environmental conditions such as extreme temperatures and frequent sandstorms. Providing uninterrupted service without the involvement of on-site technicians after the move of a rig or drilling platform, for example, is only achievable through the adoption of high capacity wireless platforms that are able to auto-align and mitigate these extraordinary challenges. The main factors that will drive the further adoption of wireless technologies in this sector, therefore, will be the adoption of smarter sensors/devices in the field, as well as the desire for managers to stay continuously connected with their valuable assets.
Digital Transformations Offshore
by Ed Harrington, director, The Open Group Open Process Automation Forum
The oil and gas industry is “always-on” and has long been defined by the legacy systems that help it to function. However, as digitalisation continues to transform this sector, organisations are looking for common technologies that can help them balance requirements for uptime, security, and safety with the need to take advantage of digital innovation. Digital transformation does not require a “rip and replace” approach. Instead, organisations should view this as an opportunity to improve the functional capabilities of their facility and move to a new software environment, which extends the life of the traditional legacy systems. No one can deny that digital technologies are the future. Looking ahead, we can expect to see many companies turn to open standards to help them improve operational efficiency and grapple with digital complexity. Organisations within the oil and gas sector are working harmoniously with their peers to create open systems that will ensure digital transformation initiatives can be done at a low cost and with very little disruption. When there is a safe path to digital for these companies, it will unlock significant cost savings and efficiency for the wider process automation industry.
Please be sure to review the Executive Summary: New Frontiers In Fossil-Tech.
A detailed survey report is forthcoming.
Please be sure to review the Executive Summary: New Frontiers In Fossil-Tech.
A detailed survey report is forthcoming.
