Materials and Manufacturing Innovation Roadshows

The Materials and Manufacturing Roadshows, organised in collaboration with The Oil & Gas Technology Centre and the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, aim to solve the key oil and gas materials and manufacturing challenges currently being addressed by workstreams of the UKCS Technology Leadership Board. 

The roadshow events will be hosted at the following 3 locations:

Bristol- 17th October, 2017

National Composites Centre, Feynman Way Central, Bristol & Bath Science Park, Emersons Green, Bristol, BS16 7FS

Glasgow- 28th November, 2017

Advanced Forming Research Centre, 85 Inchinnan Drive, PA4 9LJ

Rotherham- 30th November, 2017

Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, University of Sheffield, Advanced Manufacturing Park, Brunel Way, Catcliffe, Rotherham S60 5WG

This series of events are designed to bring a multitude of materials and manufacturing solutions to high level challenges faced by the oil and gas sector. The events are aimed at companies with interesting technologies who may or may not be currently supplying the oil and gas sector, providing an interactive platform to share ideas and create peer groups, while offering information on funding bodies to allow the uptake of technologies into the industry.

The roadshow events will explore the following four areas:

Asset Integrity — Over half of all offshore assets are working beyond their original design life. With a target of 10% saving, we are looking for ideas such as more effective inspection and corrosion-monitoring technologies, communications, robotics, sensors, telemetry. Technologies used by the nuclear industry could be of particular interest.

Small Pools — Technologies to enable the commercial development of stranded assets — estimated at around 225 discovered fields of between 3 and 50 million barrels of oil equivalent distributed across the UKCS. Looking for ideas such as; a different type of tie-back that can extend beyond current limits, mechanical connectors for hot taps or plug and play infrastructures that can be redeployed to a new field after 3 – 5 years.

Well Construction — Aiming to transform the way wells are drilled and completed, and decommissioned, targeting a 50% cost reduction. Some example ideas are; large component forging – wellheads, trees, etc, composites for downhole applications or automation of the drill floor on the rig – robotics.

Decommissioning — the annual expenditure on decommissioning is expected to be around £2 billion on the UKCS by 2018. Over the next decade, some 100 platforms are forecast for complete or partial removal, and on the UKCS, £17.6 billion is forecast to be spent on decommissioning between 2016 and 2025.

The events will be attended by senior oil and gas industrialists who will articulate the industry’s needs, including OGTC Solution Centre Managers,representatives from four funding bodies and other innovative companies eager to find new opportunities and collaborative partners.

Roadshow Agenda

08:00 Registration and refreshments

08:30 Framework of the Day and Introductions

08:45 Introduction from the Oil & Gas Authority (OGA)

09:00 Funding organisations (ITF, OGTC, OGIC and Innovate UK) discuss how to get funding for your ideas and technologies

10:00 Refreshments

10:15 Overview of Oil and Gas Industry Challenges — presentations from senior industry representatives 

11:25 Introduction to ​‘Mastermind Sessions’

11:30 Lunch/​Tour of the Facilities 

13:00 Mastermind Sessions

14:40 Plenary Feedback from Mastermind Sessions and Next Steps

15:30 Networking

16:00 Close