Brunei
Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Evening
Distinguished
Lecture Series:
“Deepwater – Opportunities and Challenges” by Mr. David Walker
13th
March 2003
Venue:
EMPIRE HOTEL
The
SPE Brunei Section held another distinguished lecture series today at the Empire
Hotel. About 65 people from BSP, Petroleum Unit and students from UBD attended
the talk. The talk on “Deepwater
– Opportunities and Challenges” was delivered by Mr. David Walker, who is
currently the Deepwater Technology Advisor for British Petroleum (BP).
In his talk Mr. Walker not only mentioned the huge potential the oil and gas resources from the deepwater could offer but also the challenges associated with exploring and developing these resources. During 2002 it was reported that about 55 billion barrels oil equivalent cumulative volumes have been discovered in the deepwater worldwide.
The
Vice Chairman of Brunei SPE Section, Hj.Hussin B Hj.Ali gave a welcoming speech
who later introduced Mr.Walker to the audience.
The
event was sponsored by Shell Deepwater Borneo Limited (SDB), a Shell owned
E&P, based in Brunei. At the
close of the event, Mr,Jeffery Lobao, Exploration Manager from SBD handed over a
souvenir to Mr,Walker.
Mr. Walker, SPE Distinguished Lecturer, with the SPE Brunei Section Committee.
Abstract
For many E&P companies, deepwater is currently attracting the lion's share of exploration and new development budgets. This is a relatively recent phenomenon, driven by increasing exploration success. The pace at which deepwater developments are moving from 3,000' to 6,000' and beyond is creating a tremendously exciting technology challenge for the industry.
This lecture will begin with some context - a brief summary of exploration success and some of the current flagship developments. It will then explore the nature of the deepwater challenge as it manifests itself across all disciplines - subsurface, wells and facilities. It will conclude with a view of the future - an exposition of what the author concludes are going to be some of the key technologies that will address these challenges.
Biography
David Walker has 31 years experience of the upstream industry. Since graduating from Cambridge University with a degree in Mechanical Sciences, he has worked for BP mainly on offshore and arctic projects, both in the North Sea and Alaska. In 1997 he moved to Houston to take over the management of BP's deepwater new technology programme and is a key contributor to the company's deepwater strategy. In March of 2001, David was promoted to the role of Distinguished Advisor, one of 5 individuals in the company to be recognized at the highest level for their technical contribution.
Presentation Material
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