Funding to further decommissioning research in Aberdeen

May 1, 2018
Scotland’s government has awarded the Oil & Gas Technology Centre $2.61 million in funding for the National Decommissioning Centre of Excellence.

Offshore staff

ABERDEEN, UK – Scotland’s government has awarded the Oil & Gas Technology Centre (OGTC) £1.9 million ($2.61 million) in funding for the recently-announced National Decommissioning Centre of Excellence, in partnership with the University of Aberdeen.

The new center is due to open in late 2018, and will address present and future challenges in decommissioning via R&D, in partnership with the oil and gas industry in the UK and internationally.

Funds will be directed at four main areas:

  • Digital collaboration environment: A development that will be equipped with the latest digital technology to allow academics and oil and gas companies to work together in a new way, with opportunities for asset and downhole visualization, ‘digital twin’ models, and virtual geology.
  • Underwater cutting laser: A solution that according to the OGTC could save the oil and gas industry up to £90 million ($123 million). The University of Aberdeen, which has a track record in underwater laser applications, will work with the industry to create a technology for trial on the UK continental shelf.
  • Dedicated computer laboratory: A computing cluster designed to allow fast simulation and modeling of innovative decommissioning solutions and scenarios, allowing the Centre to work on complex projects, processing large quantities of data quickly and effectively.
  • Manufacturing capability: Speedy development of new technology for testing, certification and deployment, through enhancing the existing manufacturing and workshop facilities at Oceanlab with new state-of-the-art engineering resources.

OGTC is looking for industry partners with experience, ideas, and equipment to co-invest in performance improvement solutions and help cut the cost of decommissioning by at least 35%.

05/01/2018