Projects to help offshore industry

The Oil & Gas Innovation Centre (OGIC) has signed an agreement to develop of a system to convert heat from subsea pipelines into DC electrical power.

The project is one of four that have recently been agreed, signalling a £230,000 investment from OGIC.

It will see companies developing innovative technology with direct applications across the oil and gas industry.

For the 31st project, Exnics Ltd will work with Heriot-Watt University to develop a Thermoelectric Generator (TEG) to support its Hot Rings system.

A bespoke TEG will be developed which will work specifically with the thermoelectric product.

The performance of the product will be improved for future deployment, and will increase the applications where power from waste heat can be used.

In the other project, Iron Ocean Limited is developing a survival garment which will be designed to improve the survival chances of offshore workers submerged in the sea.

The venture was prompted by helicopter ditchings in the North Sea.

Core Specialist Services Limited and Hydrophilic AS are working with the Strathclyde University to develop a pressure probe to estimate of the depth to the oil/water contact.

Subsea Deployment Systems Ltd will work with Strathclyde to develop a system for installing large subsea structures without a heavy lift vessel.

Ian Phillips, chief executive of OGIC, said: “The confirmation of our thirty-first project is testament to the industry’s willingness to seek innovative solutions to the challenges currently being faced by companies operating in the UK Continental Shelf.”

Each of the projects has the potential to have a major impact on offshore operations, he added.

OGIC chief executive Ian Phillips.