Oil Platform Ablaze in the Gulf of Mexico
Fire broke out on an unmanned oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico approximately five miles south of Port Fourchon, La., the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) reported. BSEE is responding to the damaged unmanned platform in South Timbalier (ST) Block 27. The ST 27 IA platform is operated by Energy XXI, GOM, LLC, which reported to BSEE that the platform had been damaged, possibly by a vessel, at approximately 4:30 a.m. Friday. The fire on the platform was extinguished through firefighting efforts by vessels in the area, and no injuries have been reported.
Advanced Simulation Helps to Solve Ballast Water Management Problems
Ballast water management poses problems in design and operation of ships. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) offers solutions with design, type approval and trouble-shooting. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) denotes collectively techniques for solving equations describing the physics of fluid flow. CFD is by now widely known and accepted in the maritime industry, but mostly associated with flows around the hull and propellers, for example in the context of designing more fuel-efficient ships. However, CFD is in many ways far more versatile than classical model testing.
New Technology from Camcon
Camcon Technology unveiled a new technology application designed to increase the volume of oil that can be recovered from the world's reservoirs as well as reduce operating costs. Developed specifically for the oil and gas industry, the Camcon Intelligent Gas Lift configuration is part of Camcon binary actuator Technology (BAT). The application aims to enhance the recovery of oil from reservoirs by introducing gas injection management capabilities to improve extraction flow. Oil fields start their lives with sufficient geo-pressure, allowing for efficient extraction of oil. However, as extraction proceeds and geo-pressure drops, artificial lift has to be employed. It is estimated that up to half the world's oil wells currently require artificial lift.
Vancouver Shipyards Solves the Oily Wastewater Problem
By Rob Stephenson and Bruce Tennant, McKay Creek Tech.; and Don Hartle and George Geatros Vancouver Shipyards Co. Ltd. Vancouver Shipyards is part of the Washington Marine Group, the largest shipbuilding, ship maintenance and repair, and marine transportation company in Canada. Inherent to this scale of operation, the Washington Marine Group generates large quantities of emulsified oily wastewater. Managing the oily bilge water, ballast water, fuel/slop tanks, tank wash water from gas freeing operations, and wastewater from pressure washing machinery was becoming a big and expensive problem at Vancouver Shipyards. Both salt and fresh wastewaters are contaminated with emulsified oil and greaseā¦
