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Shell asks USC for help in developing new technology
A Shell International consultant, who normally spends most of his time searching for oil, visited the University of the Sunshine Coast this week seeking new ideas to help his company.
Dr Robert Perrons presented a seminar to USC’s Faculty of Business about his work as a Smart Fields Consultant for Shell and explained that simple innovations in other disciplines could sometimes lead to huge improvements in oil exploration and production.
The Canadian researcher, with a PhD in Engineering from the University of Cambridge, said the world’s energy companies were facing a crunch time because most of the "easy oil" was gone.
"Future hydrocarbon resources will tend to be deeper, harder to find, and in environments that are significantly more difficult to access,’’ he said.
"We find ourselves in the unenviable situation where we must change."
Dr Perrons said the industry would require a higher degree of commitment to research and development than was necessary in the past.
"In spite of the central role that the oil and gas sector plays in the world economy, energy companies have historically been very slow to develop and adopt new technologies,’’ he said.
"Investment in R&D within the energy sector has traditionally been only a fraction of that spent in other industries."
Dr Perrons said the development of new technology would play a pivotal role in the success or failure of energy firms.
"This is something the whole industry is wrestling with,’’ he said. "I’m trying to get plugged into the ideas of good academics to help crack the nut."
During his seminar at USC, Dr Perrons showed how the technology used in making protective cases for glass drink bottles had been adapted to create expandable tubulars which now make drilling for oil easier and less expensive.
He said other recent technological advancements had enabled energy companies to better care for wildlife and ecosystems when drilling.
Dr Perrons also made presentations to two other Queensland universities this week.