Roxar
Maximising reservoir performance
With roots dating back as far as 1984, Roxar is a technology brand within Emerson Process Management and a leading provider of advanced technologies to the oil & gas industry for production optimisation, production regularity and improved decision-making.
Its technologies help operators maximise their reservoir’s performance and cover the entire reservoir lifecycle from seismic interpretation and reservoir modelling through to flow metering, flow assurance and downhole monitoring. These are of critical importance to operators requiring more information on well fluid composition, looking to create an intelligent network of downhole sensors, or wanting to reduce risk and the inherent uncertainty in developing their hydrocarbon reservoirs.
For such operators, Roxar solutions provide the answers at every stage of the lifecycle. Today more than 930 members of staff specialise in Roxar solutions and the company sits predominantly within the reservoir and the upstream part of Emerson’s business. The result is a complete automated solutions provider that spans subsea oil and gas reservoirs through to platform and floating production, transmission and ultimately the refining and production of goods.
Roxar flow monitoring systems, for example, include multiphase, wet gas, salinity and watercut meters that allow for the continuous monitoring of well performance and ensure such wells operate to the peak of their capabilities. Roxar Sand erosion & corrosion monitoring solutions – both upstream and downstream – are also critical to maintaining the integrity of operator assets and optimising oil and gas production. Emerson Process Management recently worked with asset integrity services provider Stork to install the Roxar SandLog wireless sand erosion monitoring solutions on a major North Sea operator’s installation – the first installation of the Roxar SandLog wireless monitors in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS).
Additionally, the company’s production management software, such as Roxar Fieldwatch, provides state-of-the-art monitoring and analysis and gives the operator a complete picture of their reservoir.
Core to the development of the Roxar service package is the company’s commitment to ongoing research and development operations, based on a philosophy of technology platform development, product development, and integration to ensure an ever-closer standardisation between solutions and the transferring of technology to different applications. “Research and development is central to everything we do and we can point to many Roxar ‘industry firsts’ over the years,” explains Patrick Babka, Vice President and General Manager of Roxar Flow Measurement at Emerson Process Management. “For example, we introduced the first commercial multiphase meter; our recently deployed downhole sensor system measures pressure and temperature behind the well casing for the first time; and as part of the new subsea wet gas meter we have introduced the industry’s first salinity measurement system.”
During June 2014 Emerson opened a new flow loop facility for Roxar technologies located within Stavanger, Norway. The purpose-built facility is designed to replicate three-phase flows in oil and gas production and will play a key role in ensuring that Roxar technologies continue to support clients by delivering reliable and accurate topside and subsea flow meters that operate across all reservoir conditions over the lifetime of a well. Through ongoing investment into research and development technologies, Roxar is able to continually bring new technologies to market. During May 2015 for example, it unveiled its new Roxar subsea Wetgas Meter.
With more and more operators making wet gas metering an integral part of their flow assurance strategies and with hydrates, corrosion and scaling one of the biggest challenges offshore gas producers face today, the new Roxar subseaWetgas Meter comes at an important time and directly addresses today’s wet gas challenges. “Through unparalleled water sensitivity, accuracy and rapid responses together with the industry’s first built-in salinity measurement system, the new meter provides the earliest possible detection of water from gas wells. In this way, operators can take remedial action early, protect subsea well and pipeline integrity and deliver higher recovery rates,” Patrick says. “One good means of illustrating the meter’s water sensitivity and accuracy is to imagine a volume of liquid equivalent to four large car fuel tanks. The new meter can detect a droplet of water finely distributed across all four tanks. That’s the kind of sensitivity that only the Roxar Wetgas Meter can provide!”
Another new downstream solution that will be coming to market in the next few months is the wireless-based Roxar Corrosion Monitoring System. Combined with the non-intrusive Roxar Field Signature Method (FSM) technology, the system will enable refinery operators to access more comprehensive corrosion information and corrosion rates, leading to improved operator insight and control over assets, reduced downtime and optimal production processes.
While the oil and gas market remains deflated due to the low oil price and the related slow down of projects, it is incumbent on organisations, such as Emerson to demonstrate their added values.
“At whatever stage operators are in the reservoir lifecycle, Roxar solutions are all about maximising performance, generating improved returns from assets, and supporting more effective decision-making. With the operator’s focus on the bottom line, this added value is more important to operators than ever and it’s up to us to put the case to them,” Patrick observes. “The fact that Roxar technologies are part of Emerson also provides enormous value to our customers as they look to a technology solutions provider that can address all of their production and automation challenges from the reservoir to the refinery and beyond. From Emerson’s smart wireless solutions through to the PlantWeb digital architecture and more, all Roxar measurement and instrumentation solutions form part of a complete and integrated solution.”
Roxar
Services: Reservoir management solutions
Issue 125 October 2015