IFE team win award for multiphase research
The winning team receives the prize for its development of critical expertise which has helped ensure that StatoilHydro is regarded as a world leader in developing subsea fields and long-distance multiphase pipeline transportation and for its long-term cooperation with the petroleum industry.
”Knowledge and methods to allow us to predict and understand how oil, gas and water behave during transportation in the same pipeline are essential to be able to develop a subsea field with long-distance transportation of well streams to shore or other production platforms,” says Per Gerhard Grini, chief researcher in StatoilHydro.
”The development of Troll A, Ormen Lange and Snøhvit had not been possible without this long and fundamental research effort performed by the IFE multiphase team,” he says.
Complicated well streams
Simulation and modelling of how multiphase compounds behave during transportation are difficult tasks. The possibility of predicting turbulence in liquid flows is still an unsolved problem in applied mathematics today.
Ever since 1980 the IFE research team has worked on projects to enhance the understanding of multiphase phenomena. Advanced mathematical models and simulation tools to solve the problems are under continuous development.
Long-term research behind industrial standard
”We are proud and would like to express our gratitude,” says Jan Nossen, who is leading the IFE multiphase team. “The prize is a great inspiration to us in our further research effort.”
”When we nearly 30 years ago started developing the first simulator, which became the actual heart of the OLGA simulation tool, the team had three members,” he says. “Now we are a large international research team developing ever more advanced calculation tools in cooperation with the petroleum industry. OLGA has become an industrial standard for modelling and calculation of multiphase flows.”
Prestigious technology prize
StatoilHydro’s research prize comprises NOK 200,000 and a work of art by the Norwegian artist Kjell Nupen. The prize was presented at the Technoport event in Trondheim on 22 October by Svenn Ferry Utengen, head of technology management in StatoilHydro.
Established in 1991 the prize is an acknowledgement of research results of high international standard. It is awarded annually to an external researcher or a research team in Norway who has performed work of significant importance to StatoilHydro.
Photo://StatoilHydro
