As I drove into the BP plant at Sunbury upon Thames, I had the feeling of driving into a small town in itself. Today was all about the training provision offered by BP at their “Upstream Leaning Centre”. In this context, upstream is related to the exploration and drilling for oil and gas prior to its refining and transportation around the world. I was looking forward to seeing science in action today.
The resident geologist did not disappoint us and gave a fascinating insight into long term exploration and planning. Sourcing new fields or developing existing fields for further oil and gas development was preceded by an overview of the science involved in establishing the potential of oil and gas exploration. To precis his account would not do it justice, but here we go anyway:
A possible oil/gas field has three main characteristics, 1: A source of organic rich rock, 2: a good reservoir of rock, usually sandstone, and 3: a non-permeable seal. Sedimentary rocks, such as sandstone, need to have a TOC (total organic content) of up to 10% to be viable sources of oil and gas for exploration. This is analysed by chemists using a technique known as pyrolysis in labs on the surface (as the say at BP). Sonar analysis of using P waves (not so much S waves) gives an indication of the size of the oil/gas field.
The geologist we spoke to today joined BP through its graduate scheme having obtained a degree in physics. However, despite now working in a different field, the physics learnt as an undergraduate was still being put to good use e.g., waves and optics in oil exploration. How many times have the scientists at Bromley High School mentioned the need for being able to apply oneself in any branch of science using any scientific principle or concept. It is not about separate sciences such as chemistry, biology and physics – we are all part of the same bigger picture. Today it was seen in practice in the workplace.
A working lunch was spent discussing the science and engineering behind bringing the oil to the surface and a fascinating mathematical and physical model took me back to my own days in the lecture theatres of Newcastle University as an undergraduate. Another physics graduate explained complex analysis of flow rates of oil through rock involved factors such as permeability of the rock, viscosity of the oil, differential pressures between the drill head and the oil in the rock, the distance between the oil and the drill head to name but a few. The picture attached shows how mathematics and physics is being used today by one of the many engineers within this company.
Presentation skills not the top priority as you may find out yourself as an undergraduate! Google Darcy’s Law if you want to know more about this…
Other career paths within BP we heard about today were not so specific to BP but essential in such a global company. Finance, HR (human resources), data protection and its security run alongside the more specialised positions such as shipping engineers and pipeline engineers. Global operations risk operators are entrusted with keeping the oil flowing and maintaining the infrastructure of the pipe network that may span many countries. This led into a interesting discussion relating to the international contracts that have to be drawn up for such projects. Who would have thought that an oil and gas pipeline was held up by the Greek authorities until they had assurance from BP that any olive trees removed for the laying of this pipeline were replanted again within the country – the environmental consequences of BPs work are always under government scrutiny across the globe.
To finish, some other science facts from today:
- A single oil refinery can produce enough petrol in 10 minutes to power a car one million miles (that is 40 times around the world)
- A LNG tanker (liquefied natural gas) can hold enough gas to supply the whole of the UK for one month
- The “mud” used to cool the drill bits as they drill through rock is engineered to have a specific density to prevent oil back-flowing into the drill hole when it is encountered
- Low salinity water produced by reverse osmosis acts like an ion exchange resin to help free the oil from the ionic interactions that hold it within the sedimentary rocks
We encountered some great examples of science in the workplace today and it is always fascinating to see science used in these contexts. Remember, we are not biologists, chemists, physicists or geologists – we are all scientists, using the same science but maybe in a different context to one another!
Tomorrow, we are at BP HQ in St James’ Square, London – watch this space…
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