Feature Articles

Sercel Launches GPR300 Seabed Nodal Solution for Shallow Waters

08/06/2021 Posted by Dale

Sercel has announced the launch of GPR300, a new nodal seismic acquisition solution specially designed for deployment in shallow waters down to depths of 300 meters.

Developed in partnership with BGP, the new solution expands Sercel’s existing GPRNT range which includes GPR1500 for high-end deepwater subsurface imaging.

Compact and lightweight, GPR300 features Sercel’s unique QuietSeis® broadband digital sensor technology for ultra-quiet performance and unmatched digital fidelity.

CGG said its ability to record high-fidelity low-frequency signal also makes it the ideal choice for high-end seismic imaging with full-waveform inversion (FWI).

Natural gas/hydrogen blend “successfully” tested in steel forging

01/06/2021 Posted by Dale

Snam, RINA and the GIVA Group have announced the “world’s first” test with a 30% natural gas/hydrogen blend in steel forging. The mix was used to power furnaces at the Rho plant of Forgiatura A. Vienna (GIVA Group).

The world’s first test of a 30% natural gas/hydrogen blend in the forging processes used in industrial steelmaking was held in Rho (province of Milan), at the Forgiatura A. Vienna plant.

The trial involved the use of the hydrogen/gas mix to heat the furnaces of the Forgiatura A.

CSIRO and partners launch $68M Hydrogen Industry Mission

01/06/2021 Posted by Dale

A new Hydrogen Industry Mission launched by CSIRO will help support the world’s transition to clean energy, create new jobs and boost the economy, the national science agency has said.

Hydrogen, when mixed with oxygen, can be used as an emissions-free fuel source to generate electricity, power or heat. But it is expensive to turn into a fuel.

Nevertheless, CSIRO says the research mission will help drive down the cost of hydrogen production to under $2 per kilogram, making the fuel more affordable and helping to position Australia to lead the world in exporting hydrogen by 2030.

PGS’s Flex Vision Reveals ‘Significant Nearfield Potential’

01/06/2021 Posted by Dale

Additional full integrity products have been released from the PGS Flex Vision data rejuvenation program in the Gulf of Mexico.

PGS said that the application of new imaging technology to the Flex Trend had revealed nearfield opportunities that boost potential far beyond original estimates.

“New data unlocks opportunities adjacent to existing discoveries, to enable infrastructure-led exploration in an area of the Gulf of Mexico that has been producing oil and gas for over two decades. Salt, the biggest challenge for exploration on the Flex Trend, is resolved with high-quality depth imaging and improved velocity control.

“The final data from the Flex Vision program demonstrates striking improvements in image quality, resolution, bandwidth, and geologic accuracy.

CGG and Geoptic sign collaboration deal for CCS monitoring

01/06/2021 Posted by Dale

CGG has signed an R&D collaboration agreement with Geoptic to jointly research and assess a novel borehole solution for monitoring the spread of CO2 in subsurface storage sites for Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS).

The agreement focuses on developing a new version of Geoptic’s DIABLO muon tracking tool specifically for CCS applications. Geoptic deploys DIABLO as part of its pioneering use of cosmic ray muons to passively and non-intrusively image the internal structure of objects.

It has already gained award-winning experience in deploying muon technologies for subsurface surveys, such as its innovative imaging through the overburden of railway tunnels.

PGS joins forces with JEX to flex muscles in West Cameron

22/05/2021 Posted by Dale

PGS and Joseph Exploration (JEX) have announced a technical collaboration in the West Cameron protraction area, Gulf of Mexico, USA.

Under the agreement, PGS will provide seismic data from the MultiClient 3D Flex Trend dataset for prospect development work to be undertaken by JEX. The prospect development work will benefit from collaboration between PGS processing and imaging experts and the JEX technical team.

The study area in West Cameron is a subset of the PGS Flex Trend dataset which was acquired between 1993 and 1999 comprising of 21 individual surveys and covering 32,930km² across the US shelf and shelf break.

Oil & Gas in the act of ARENA and fact of IEA

22/05/2021 Posted by Dale

The voice of Australia’s oil and gas industry has described changes to the ARENA (Australian Renewable Energy Agency) Act -- which came into effect recently – as an enabler for Australia to reach net zero emissions targets.

APPEA Chief Executive Andrew McConville said expanding the focus of ARENA to include a broader range of emissions reduction technologies, including Carbon Capture and Storage and hydrogen, is the right move for a clean energy future.

“Just as government investment in renewables has fast tracked projects, this will do the same and create thousands of jobs in the process,” Mr McConville said.

“The global oil and gas industry is leading the world in the practical deployment of this technology.

Viable refining sector important to sovereign capacity

18/05/2021 Posted by Dale

The announcement by the Morrison Government to help secure the country’s refining sector is an appropriate response to a challenging long-term issue, says Australia’s peak employer group for the resources and energy industry.

“As the country continues its COVID-19 recovery, the government’s fuel security package gives certainty to key industries and employers reliant on fuels for day-to-day operations,” Steve Knott AM, Chief Executive of Australian Resources and Energy Group AMMA, said.

“Ensuring Australia has a strong local refining sector and capacity for sovereign fuel production is a matter of economic and national security.

Asia to spearhead global pipeline additions

17/05/2021 Posted by Dale

Asia is expected to drive the global planned and announced trunk/transmission pipeline length additions, contributing about 36% of the oil and gas pipeline length additions by 2025, says data and analytics company, GlobalData.

GlobalData’s report, ‘Global Length and Capital Expenditure Outlook for Oil and Gas Pipelines, 2021–2025 - India and the US Lead Global Pipelines Growth’, reveals that Asia is likely to have a new-build oil and gas pipeline length of 46,653km by 2025. Planned projects that have received approvals for development account for about 82% of the total pipeline additions. The remaining 8,451km are from early stage announced projects.

Natural gas future in ASEAN power sector

17/05/2021 Posted by Dale

The development of electricity markets in the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) is in a dynamic stage, both for demand and supply. Countries are continuing their path towards increasing level of electrification, while the region’s power industry and policymakers intend to improve the environmental sustainability of the sector in the context of strengthening clean air policies. Mitigating reliance on coal through the diversification of energy sources for electricity generation is becoming an important trend, which paves the way for higher natural gas penetration and scaling-up of renewables.

This is the view of Dr Alexander Ermakov, Economy...