Improved safety through collaborative innovations at SPE Offshore Europe 2017
Published: 24 August, 2017
In the second annual roundtable hosted by Trelleborg, industry experts agreed that the silver lining in the low barrel price was the willingness of the industry to embrace innovative solutions that could lower overall costs while not compromising safety. The roundtable explored issues raised from Trelleborg’s 2017 ‘Next Level Report’ that gathered views from individuals involved in the offshore oil & gas industry.
On the roundtable for Trelleborg was Antony Croston, business group director of Trelleborg’s offshore operation in Houston. He said, “Adversity creates innovation and brings people together. With less activity in the industry, people have more time to investigate solutions and are more receptive to new innovations, but a key first step is defining the needs of the customer. Forward thinking companies are taking the time to spend money upfront to be more efficient in the long term.
Advantages of the Internet of Things
“The Internet of Things is a great idea. The limitation we have in the oil and gas industry includes what we do with our data. As an industry we are just getting to grips with what we can obtain and there is lots of data being acquired right now. We need to figure out how we can use the data and how we can make efficient decisions based on it. When we discuss the Internet of Things and machines talking to each other, being an intelligent system, I think that is quite a distance away for offshore oil and gas.”
In light of these challenges and opportunities, events like the SPE Offshore Europe are central to sharing knowledge. At this year’s show, Trelleborg will highlight some of the ways in which the market can improve safety through collaboration and innovation, optimize productivity and retain competitiveness as barrel prices recover.
Multi-functional Designs
Looking ahead to September, Trelleborg will introduce its new Standardized Buoyancy Module system at SPE Offshore Europe. This innovative ‘off the shelf’ solution can be adjusted to operate in seawater depths from surface to 2,500 meters by adding or removing elements based on customer specifications. The new ‘off the shelf’ option reduces lead times and costs for customers looking for quality buoyancy with a quick delivery.
Jonathan Fox, senior product development engineer with Trelleborg’s offshore operation, states: “We recognised a requirement to deliver buoyancy products in less time for projects with short lead times. Because the product consists of known volumes and up thrusts, we are putting the upfront engineering into the hands of our customers, reducing the time needed to achieve an approved product design. In addition, we were able to ease handling of the buoyancy modules by incorporating synthetic rubber feet to the bottom of the finished assembly to prevent handling damage and reduce assembly time.”
SPE Offshore Europe 2017
Trelleborg will exhibit its range of innovative offshore solutions at SPE Offshore Europe 2017 in hall 1 on stand 1H81. Products are designed with quality, performance and efficiency front of mind and include high performance buoyancy, insulation, passive fire protection, and sealing solutions.
