LUX Innovate Ltd and Heriot-Watt University have secured £73,000 from the government-backed Technology Strategy Board to test the feasibility of a novel technology for monitoring produced water for reinjection.
LUX is one of 13 small and medium-sized businesses that will share in funding of approx £1 million from the UK's innovation agency for feasibility studies that aim to accelerate new technologies likely to enhance production and asset reliability within the oil and gas sector.
Oilfield produced fluids are produced during oil and gas extraction. These fluids can be complex, often containing oil, solids, treatment chemicals and microbes. It is becoming common practise to re-inject this fluid into the well to assist with the recovery of crude oil, although components in the produced fluids can cause problems, for example, by blocking the reservoir.
Our team at the Intelligent Systems Lab increasingly works with engineers and the industry in these areas, and we are excited to be involved in this challenging and innovative project to enhance recovery in the oil and gas sector
Professor David Corne, Heriot-Watt UniversityCurrent monitoring of the fluid is laborious and complex, requiring skilled personnel. The LUX MOTEYE „¢ project will work over the next year to develop an easy-to-use tool to analyse the produced water, with Heriot-Watt academics providing data analysis expertise. It is expected that the tool will enable more effective and cost-efficient management of the fluid.
Emma Perfect, Managing Director at LUX Innovate Ltd, said: "We are delighted to receive Technology Strategy Board funding to develop this tool which will greatly assist in enhanced oil recovery. As over 70% of the world's oil and gas production comes from fields over 30 years old, approaches such as produced water re-injection are growing in significance for the North Sea and beyond. Working in close collaboration with Heriot-Watt University will be key to this project's success."
Professor David Corne, of the Intelligent Systems Laboratory at Heriot-Watt University, said: "Heriot-Watt has a significant track record of working with industry across different energy generation technologies. Our team at the Intelligent Systems Lab increasingly works with engineers and the industry in these areas, and we are excited to be involved in this challenging and innovative project to enhance recovery in the oil and gas sector."