Recovery Technology News

Energy giant BP has taken its first oil from the Clair Ridge mega-project in the U.K. North Sea in a “major milestone” that is the culmination of many years of work.Clair Ridge, the second phase of the development of the Clair Field, 75 kilometers west of Shetland, is one of the biggest developments in the history of the basin, requiring huge investments in new platforms and pipelines in harsh waters west of Shetland.Clair Ridge is BP’s sixth major project start-up in 2018 following seven last year, which are expected to increase the company’s production by 900K boe/day by 2021. It has an estimated seven billion barrels of hydrocarbons.According to a press release from the British multinational oil and gas company…

Wärtsilä will supply its Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) recovery technology, LNG fuel gas handling systems and the auxiliary engines for two new shuttle tankers being built for Singapore based AET Tankers at the Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard in South Korea. The order, worth in total more than $37 million, was booked in January 2018. The ships will operate on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as the primary fuel, but VOC – the gas evaporating from the oil cargo tanks – will also be utilised as fuel by mixing it with the LNG, thereby reducing the vessels’ bunkering needs. This is made possible by Wärtsilä’s VOC recovery system, which by combining the VOC with the LNG, provides the potential for savings of over 3000 tons of fuel each year per vessel.

The U.K.’s Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) has commissioned a £1.8 million ($2.5 million) project that aims to assist financiers to understand and quantify the benefits in investing in fuel efficient technologies for existing and future vessels. The Vessel Technology Assessment System (VTAS) project, which will develop a practical approach to predict the benefit of a range of carbon abatement/fuel efficiency technologies on marine vessels over real-world usage cycles, will be led by BMT and delivered in partnership with Black & Veatch.

Cleaning up marine oil spills can be a challenge as there are various types of oil spilled but only a few effective recovery methods. The three main technologies for oil spill recovery for inland and offshore waters are mechanical, insitu burning (ISB), and dispersant application. Absorbent booms and pads may also be used, but they are more effective for small fuel spills. Mechanical recovery, usually an oil skimmer, is a device that skims contained floating oil and transfers the recovered oil to a storage container or vessel.

Dutch provider of offshore support vessels Vroon has entered into a five-year charter plus options with Premier Oil for one of its emergency response and rescue vessels (ERRV). "We are pleased to announce that VOS Famous has entered into a five-year charter (plus options) with Premier Oil, following a competitive tender. This is to attend their newly arriving Catcher FPSO (Floating Production, Storage and Offloading)," said a press statement from the company. This builds on a steadfast partnership built up over a number of years on a number of vessels. What is hugely encouraging is Premier Oil’s pro-active approach and drive to explore enhanced recovery technology and invest in modern, state-of-the-art tonnage.

Calnetix Technologies, LLC has published a White Paper describing new processes for producing supplemental power for a ship’s electrical load. The White Paper, entitled New-Technology Shipboard System Converts Heat from Engine Jacket Water into Electrical Power, is available for free download. Calnetix, working in close cooperation with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Marine Machinery and Engine Company (MHI-MME), has developed a system called Hydrocurrent, which uses an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) heat transfer process and a patented turbo-generator power system to convert thermal energy from heat in the engine’s jacket water into mechanical power to generate electricity.

Calnetix Technologies today announced the introduction of a revolutionary new system that produces up to 125 kW of power for the ship’s electric load from heat recovered out of the engine’s jacket water. The Hydrocurrent system was developed by Calnetix in conjunction with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Marine Machinery and Engine Company (MHI-MME) and is being introduced to the worldwide maritime industry at SMM this week. “Hydrocurrent pays for itself in a very short time by reducing the load on the ship’s bunker-fueled generators,” said Vatche Artinian, Calnetix chairman and CEO. Calnetix’s new waste-heat recovery technology uses an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) heat recovery process with Calnetix’s patented Thermapower and Carefree Integrated Power Module (IPM)…

Odyssey Marine Exploration reports financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2012. Total revenue in the fourth quarter was $7.9 million as compared to $0.9 million in the same year-ago quarter. The majority of the silver recovered in 2012 from the SS Gairsoppa shipwreck was sold in the quarter with fourth quarter proceeds of $30.1 million to Odyssey ($17.8 million of this was credited in third quarter to expenses as recoupment of project costs). Shareholder value was created through mineral exploration and resource estimate operations which resulted in the development of Oceanica Resources in the first quarter of 2013 providing $15 million in cash and 62.6% ownership in Oceanica to the company.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has been awarded by Statoil, an international energy company with headquarters in Norway, to undertake a concept study for a technology qualification program (TQP) for one of the world's largest carbon dioxide (CO2) capture facilities. The approximately 3,400 tons-per-day (tpd) CO2 recovery system is targeted for installation at a 280 megawatt (MW) gas-fired combined heat and power (CHP) plant at Mongstad, on Norway's west coast. MHI will vie against other companies in a competition encompassing CO2 capture technology, facility performance, and construction and operation costs, towards facility construction slated to commence in 2016.

Water Standard is a global water treatment specialist delivering innovative desalination, water-based enhanced oil recovery and produced water solutions to the onshore and offshore oil & gas industry. By optimizing compatibility of the water used in chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) applications with reservoir geochemistry, it is possible to increase an oil well's yield by 5 to 15 percent while significantly reducing the use of oilfield chemicals, claim Water Standard Piiots. Water Standard has successfully initiated a groundbreaking pilot project which confirms the performance of its H2Ocean Spectrum™ Technology for water-based enhanced oil recovery (EOR) both on and offshore.

On Tuesday, October 11, 2011 Team Elastec, a partnership of co‐inventors Elastec/American Marine and Glosten Associates, Inc., was awarded the $1 million first prize for winning the X‐Prize Foundation’s Wendy Schmidt Oil Cleanup Challenge with an ocean‐capable oil recovery system that shattered previous records for oil recovery rate and efficiency under controlled conditions. Glosten provided vessel engineering, mechanical system design, and operations support throughout the aggressive 45 day development process…

International diving equipment technology company Divex are delighted to announce they have been selected by the Carbon Trust for support within the Offshore Wind Accelerator (OWA) programme for their Launch and Recovery technology. The Offshore Wind Accelerator (OWA) is a project launched between the Carbon Trust and eight of the leading international offshore wind farm developers to help meet the European Union’s 15% renewable energy target for the UK. The aim of the OWA is to drive down the cost of offshore wind by focusing on four research areas: Foundations…

NEW IBERIA, La. (March 14, 2011) – The Oil Stop Division of the American Pollution Control Corp. (AMPOL), the industry leader in oil spill response and total environmental solutions, has been granted a Phase 2 contract for development and testing of its OSBORS (Oil Stop Bottom Oil Recovery System) submerged oil recovery system by the United States Coast Guard Research and Development Branch. “Working with the United States Coast Guard Research and Development Branch is a great honor,” said CEO Kirk Headley.

MAN Diesel has broadened its product portfolio with the development of its new, Type K80ME-C9 two-stroke, low-speed engine. The ME-C9 engine recently passed the final milestone on its way to commercial applications in the marine sector with a successful Type Approval Test (TAT). The first production version of the MAN B&W-branded engine successfully completed its TAT programme at Hyundai’s (HHI-EMD) works in Ulsan, Korea. HHI-EMD’s two-stroke engine assembly and test shop #2 was the venue for the test and hosted representatives from the shipyard…

Denmark's Mermaid Maritime (Vietnam) Ltd. has opened its office in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province under a cooperation agreement between Vietnamese and Danish firms in the oil and gas industry. The event took place early this week on the occasion of a Vietnam visit by eight Danish offshore industry companies from October 9-13 to explore business opportunities. Mermaid Maritime (Vietnam) is located in Dong Xuyen Industrial Park. Though it was set up in October 2004, it has already become a market leader in marine and offshore safety equipment in Vietnam. The visit also takes in Hanoi and HCMC. The delegation is scheduled to join seminars aimed at looking into the prospects-for cooperation in the oil and gas industry. The seminars are arranged by the Danish embassy in cooperation with PetroVietnam.

The use of oliofelic recovery technology has been used to a much greater extent than ever before. Equipment that is presently available necessitates the use of skimmers that shed water and attract oil. Old methods used a vacuum truck along with a hose with an elbow attachment used as a skimmer.