Return To Scene, Mozenix Partner To Create Augmented Reality Application

James Fisher and Sons’ Return To Scene Ltd. has teamed up with tech startup Mozenix to enhance augmented reality (AR) capabilities for the oil and gas sector.

The two companies are developing a mobile AR application called R2S AR to support the digitization and automation of oil and gas, a news release stated. This comes after the two completed a prototyping phase in late 2017.

“Offshore oil and gas assets are complex, adaptive structures with a constant flow of actions being undertaken by international teams. The systems which enable these actions are underpinned by asset registers which are represented by physical tags attached to equipment,” Martin MacRae, Return To Scene’s head of product development and support, said in the release.

“The location of these tags, and the ability to visualize data in a certain way, is crucially important,” MacRae added. “This is where AR technology and specifically Mozenix unique software delivery capability can solve a myriad of challenges.”

Trelleborg, Safe Marine Transfer Develop Subsea Installation Technology

Trelleborg and Safe Marine Transfer (SMT) are working to develop technology for the offshore installation and subsea operation arena using using SMT’s Subsea Shuttle powered via jointly developed Pumpable Buoyancy technology.

According to a news release, the new technology enables subsea deployment of equipment and chemical storage. U.S. patents have already been issued and more are pending.

Working with a major international oil company, SMT recently completed Subsea Shuttle design testing and validation of performance at Seanic Ocean Systems’ onshore test tank facility in Katy, Texas. The scale model performed as predicted from computational fluid dynamics and dynamic simulation studies, laying the foundation for qualification of dynamically adjustable Pumpable Buoyancy, the release said.

The buoyancy technology facilitates the transportation of equipment or chemicals safely from the surface to the seafloor on the deck of the Subsea Shuttle. This enables the placement of equipment or chemicals on the seafloor during normal operation or their return back to the sea surface and on to shore for equipment inspection, maintenance, repairs and upgrades as needed throughout the life of the field, the release said.

“Pumpable Buoyancy allows for real-time, in-operation modification of Subsea Shuttle uplift through the movement of specially engineered macro buoyancy spheres supplied by Trelleborg,” the release said.

ConocoPhillips, Statoil Back Downhole X-ray Technology In JIP

ConocoPhillips and Statoil Petroleum have signed a joint sponsorship development agreement with Visuray Technology Ltd. to fund the development of novel downhole technology that can evaluate the integrity of cement behind multiple casing strings in oil and gas wells, a news release said.

Called the VR360 diagnostic cement evaluation tool, the technology will produce a full 3-D cement map and complement traditional ultrasonic measurements, which are sensitive to the cement bond between the cement and the inner casing wall. The tool is based on Visuray-developed technology called the downhole X-Ray platform.

According to the release, development of the tool was initially stimulated by regulatory focus on deepwater wells, although a similar focus on the abandonment of wells in old fields has opened a new and important market for the service. In both applications, the tool is capable of obtaining information.

The joint industry project, which started Dec. 18, 2017, aims to deliver downhole prototype tools with a range of external diameters. The project is expected to last three years, during which time other oil companies may consider joining the project.

The prototypes will be jointly tested in oil and gas wells by the parties in the project, the release said.

—Staff Reports