The R&D portfolio is organised in five programmes throughout the oil and gas value chain: Exploration, Increased Recovery, New development solutions, the Oil and gas value chain and New energy and HSE. R&D also addresses business challenges connected to the Gulf of Mexico and extra heavy oil in Canada. We also have an academia programme that addresses cooperation with universities and research institutes.
R&D expenditure has been stable for the last four years at approximately NOK 2.0 billion per year.
Cooperation with external partners such as academic institutions, R&D institutes and suppliers is crucial in relation to technology. Statoil aims for a 50/50 split between internal and external R&D spending.
Statoil has three research centres in Norway and a heavy oil technology centre in Canada. The R&D organisation is responsible for operating and further developing our world-class laboratories and experimental rigs.
Exploration
Our exploration research focuses on three key business challenges: (i) securing exploration growth and resource replacement, (ii) early access to frontier basins and plays, and (iii) exploration and exploitation of unconventional resources such as shale gas and oil and gas hydrates. Major technical developments that address these business challenges were made within seismic imaging and interpretation. New methods have been developed for evaluating basins and new concepts developed for understanding complex carbonate and deepwater clastic reservoir systems. Both these types of reservoir systems are present and are key targets in major exploration arenas for Statoil, such as the Norwegian Continental Shelf, the Gulf of Mexico and the South Atlantic basins.
Increased recovery
For proved reservoirs, the aim is to optimise hydrocarbon recovery by improving ways of identifying remaining resources and efficiently draining our reservoirs. The business potential of technologies that address increased recovery is significant. We focus specifically on the challenge of resource and reserve replacement. Moving the barrels faster from resources to production and maintaining current production levels requires a combination of innovative technologies and simple, but smart solutions. We are addressing resource and reserve replacement, contributing to next-generation reservoir exploitation and looking for ways in which we can implement fast-track processes for a broader range of projects. This includes developing fit-for-purpose modelling techniques for better and more efficient modelling of reservoir drainage, more efficient drilling and intervention solutions and more cost-effective well construction methods. The research portfolio maintains its clear relevance to the Norwegian Continental Shelf and our international activity. It has a strong focus on implementation together with our operating units and in close collaboration with service companies and suppliers.
New development solutions
Innovative cost-efficient offshore field development solutions are resulting in a transition from topside facilities to intelligent, remotely-operated, autonomous seabed facilities, coupled with ultra-long, subsea tie-backs and wellstream compression devices. However, we also see that compact processing technology developed for subsea application has a substantial potential to improve production efficiency on existing topside facilities. The aim is to improve the regularity and performance of both new and producing fields. It is also necessary to increase our knowledge about design and operations in ice-bound areas and in ultra-deepwater conditions. We are also developing technology for the processing and transportation of offshore heavy oil.
Oil and gas value chain
Statoil aims to develop competitive and sustainable technologies and expertise for use in the development of oil and gas value chains. The oil and gas industry is looking for solutions for the development of increasingly challenging hydrocarbon resources, and we are focusing on identifying and developing future unconventional hydrocarbon value chains. Challenging crude oils and acid gas removal are being addressed, and we continue to develop technologies to support Statoil's oil refineries, gas conversion and gas processing facilities. The aim is to contribute to maximising value through operational excellence.
New Energy and HSE
Our commitment to environmental stewardship is twofold: meeting our objective of zero harm to the environment by expanding our toolkit of environmental monitoring and integrated risk-modelling systems, and, secondly, creating business in new energy sources. Our research into new forms of energy is focused on offshore wind and second generation biofuels based on marine feedstock. Cost and energy-efficient carbon capture and storage (CCS) that does not harm the environment is an important technology being addressed by Statoil. We are committing resources to acquiring new ideas in this field, because we believe that technological innovation is the key to a profitable, sustainable, low-carbon energy future.
Extra heavy oil
Our extra heavy oil research is aimed at developing technologies that increase the reserve base and result in more cost-efficient and environmentally sustainable production of extra heavy oil. Extra heavy oil research has been a top priority this year. The Calgary Heavy Oil Technology Centre was established in 2008 to strengthen our efforts in heavy oil technologies. The centre has grown and now employs 20 people, which is one third of our R&D personnel in the field of extra heavy oil.
Gulf of Mexico
Statoil established a new R&D programme in 2010 to ensure focus on enabling technologies for realising business opportunities in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. The aim is to improve our mapping and evaluation of low permeable reservoirs, deepwater drilling and future field development solutions to cut costs and improve recovery, with particular focus on deep Paleogene reservoirs. Cross-disciplinary groups have also initiated intensive research on the application of advanced geological interpretation, well technology and improved recovery methods.
Academia
As part of the research effort, we are engaged in an extensive collaboration programme with academic institutions in which we gain access to world-class research in strategic areas for Statoil. By stimulating the development of leading expertise in the energy segment, we also secure long-term recruitment to science and technology.
By supporting collaboration between universities, research institutions and industry, we also contribute to building a strong Norwegian petroleum cluster. Through the R&D programmes and our international offices, we also cooperate with international universities and organisations in Canada, the USA, China and Brazil, among other countries.
