New Technologies in Well Intervention
The 18th SPE ICoTA European Well Intervention conference takes place at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre on November 14 and 15 and will focus on areas including coiled tubing, slickline, e-line and hydraulic workover.
Mike Dyson, GM Well Engineering at BG Group, will kick off the two day conference and exhibition with a keynote address. Mr Dyson has worked within the industry for 30 years in drilling, completions and workovers both outside the UK for Shell and latterly for BG Group. He currently heads up well engineering for BG Group, with responsibility for all worldwide activities.
During his address on the first morning of the conference (Wednesday 14 November) Mr Dyson will highlight the massive opportunity represented by hydrocarbons still in place in fields and the need for operators, service companies and equipment suppliers to work more closely together to step up to the challenge. He will focus on the use of new technology in particular.
Mr Dyson said: “There is significant remaining potential in the UK Continental Shelf but at the same time it is important that we optimise the performance of both mature fields and new opportunities in the area. Technology has a big role to play in doing this cost-effectively, reliably and above all, safely.”
The conference, which is jointly hosted by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Aberdeen section and the Intervention and Coiled Tubing Association (ICoTA), saw over 300 people attend last year.
This years’ two-day conference will see presentations from global oil and gas companies including Shell, BP, GE Oil & Gas, Schlumberger, Halliburton, Statoil and Baker Hughes.
Themes will focus on innovation in intervention, coiled tubing intervention and well intervention, with the prestigious ICoTA innovation award being presented on Wednesday 14 November.
An exhibition will also run during the two days which will see around 50 specialists from across the globe, including Wireline Engineering, showcasing the latest technologies and solutions.
Conference chairman Callum Munro said: “The progress and advances of well intervention solutions in recent years means that mature provinces, such as the North Sea, have become more sustainable in the longer term.
“This conference has grown to become the premier forum for sharing well intervention experiences and knowledge. Ensuring that oil and gas professionals continue to work together is key to the future of the industry and SPE and ICoTA continue to highlight the importance of this niche discipline.”
This years’ pre-conference course, taking place on Tuesday November 13, will focus on well intervention and artificial lift and will be led by Cameron Laing of Laing Engineering & Training Services.
Mr Laing said: “The majority of oil wells require artificial lift at some point to maintain production, ensure integrity and achieve the maximum potential and profitability of the well.
“This course will cover the role of artificial lift plays and the ways in which various techniques are used, including gas lift, electrical submersible pumps, gas well de-liquefaction and jet and rod pumps. The challenges in this field will be discussed, along with the technology being employed to overcome these issues.”