The Harsh-Environment Initiative – Meeting the Challenge of Space-Technology Transfer
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r bulletin 99 — september 1999 The Harsh-Environment Initiative – Meeting the Challenge of Space-Technology Transfer P. Kumar Director of Space Systems and Applications, C-CORE, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Canada P. Brisson & G. Weinwurm Technology Transfer Programme, ESA Directorate for Industrial Matters and Technology Programmes, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands J. Clark Principal Consultant, C-CORE, St. John’s, Canada Introduction The key issues relating to oil & gas and mining ESA awarded the Harsh Environments Initiative operations were identified through specialist (HEI) contract to C-CORE in August 1997 workshops as well as one-on-one meetings following an open bidding process in Canada. with potential industry users. New technologies Supported by the Canadian Space Agency that could enable the targeted sectors to (CSA) also, C-CORE undertook ‘The enhance operations in harsh environments, to Application of Space Technologies to develop capabilities for more automated Operations in Harsh Terrestrial and Marine operations and provide the ability to operate Environments’. Phase-1 of the Initiative ended year round, were determined. Oil & gas and in February 1999 and was followed by a mining development in remote regions such as the Arctic require safe, reliable and efficient ESA’s Harsh Environments Initiative (HEI) is a programme aimed at operations. Likewise, offshore oil & gas transferring space technologies to terrestrial operations in harsh development, particularly in areas invaded by environments. C-CORE is the prime contractor to ESA for sea ice or icebergs, requires subsea systems implementing the programme, and the Canadian Space Agency is a that integrate such technologies as robotics programme sponsor. and artificial intelligence. Remote operation of subsea systems was identified by the offshore C-CORE’s approach to meeting this challenge is to seek out industry as an R&D priority as the need to operational priorities in the oil & gas and mining sectors and to protect its workers from having to enter high- develop and implement test-bed projects that apply selected space risk environments becomes ever more critical. technologies to demonstrate improved operating efficiencies, lowered risks and enhanced safety. These projects typically involve one or The first 18 months (Phase-1) of the Harsh more partners from industries in Canada and Europe, and additional Environments Initiative brought a number of sources of funding that exceed the ESA contribution. notable achievements: Commercialisation of the space technologies is a key objective. – Three operations nodes were established in Accordingly, C-CORE and its partners have developed selection Canada: criteria that have ensured that only projects with high potential for • Host Node (C-CORE) commercialisation and quick technology transfer (involving the • Oil & Gas Operations Node (C-CORE) exchange of funds between the space-technology supplier and the • Mining Operations Node (Mining end-user) would go ahead. Innovation, Rehabilitation and Applied Research Corporation (MIRARCo), Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario). seamless transition into Phase-2, which ends – The European Network was initiated on 14 January 2000. The focus of the through the Norwegian Geotechnical programme is to transfer space technologies Institute (NGI) in Oslo. for industrial application in the oil & gas and – An International Advisory Board was mining sectors. established with members from ESA, CSA, the harsh-environment initiative the Spacelink Group, the Province of – Evaluation of ESA Simulation Tools: To Newfoundland and Labrador, Small and model the end-to-end mining process, Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), the oil & complex simulation techniques are required. gas and mining sectors, and Government The evaluation of ESA-developed simulation research agencies. software and tools was therefore the focus – Eight demonstration projects were initiated, of this project. each with its own partnerships and strategic alliances. Space technologies were A total of 14 European and 33 Canadian introduced into existing projects being industries – from both the space and non- undertaken within the oil & gas and mining space sectors – had some involvement in sectors. The projects were evaluated against these 8 projects, either as potential suppliers of five criteria and were approved by the space technologies or as partners. The space International Advisory Board. They were: technologies evaluated in the various projects included advanced materials, sensors and Oil & Gas Node sensor systems, robotics hardware and – The Consortium for Offshore Aviation software, vision systems, communications and Research (COAR): This project focussed on simulation software and tools. The majority of the issues associated with operating these technologies came from European helicopters on the Grand Banks, with industries. Ten technologies were incorporated particular emphasis on final approaches to into the demonstration projects. helidecks in low-visibility conditions. – Radome Icing: Microwave communications One of the key thrusts during Phase-1 was to towers in Labrador develop very large get end-user commitment at an early stage so accretions of rime ice, which can disrupt as to ensure continuous support – either in communications. The objective of this cash or in kind – for the demonstration project was to evaluate advanced ice- projects. ESA had set a number of targets for phobic materials able to reduce these ice this funding leverage (0.58 in cash and 0.83 in accretions. cash+kind) and all were exceeded (1.12 in cash – Monitoring of Ground Motion using and 1.82 in cash+kind). Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar from Space: The objective of this project The technology-transfer process was to measure ground movements of The HEI is continuing to focus its efforts on the unstable slopes in which pipelines had been oil & gas and mining sectors, where many installed so as to be able to take action to operations are being conducted in extremely relieve stresses before they caused pipeline harsh environments. These two Operations failures. Nodes seek either existing projects for – A Feasibility Study for the Detection of which priorities were set, or accelerate those Shallow Gas Hazards in Deepwater projects that were prioritised at a series of Seabeds: As oil & gas exploration moves specialist Workshops held in Canada and into ever deeper waters, the hazard posed Europe. The Workshops included Offshore by gas hydrates increases. This study was Aviation Research; Mining Operations; Oil & undertaken to develop systems that can Gas Operations; Deep-Water Operations, identify such gas pockets at depths of more Arctic Development and Underground than 3000 m. Tunnelling; and the Application of Advanced Space Technologies to Improving Efficiencies in Mining Node the Petroleum and Mining Industries. – Sensori-Motor Augmented Reality for Tele- robotics (SMART): The main objective of this The selection criteria developed ensured that project was to develop systems that would only those projects that meet all of the following enable the entire mining process to be requirements were presented to the automated. International Advisory Board for approval: – Geosensing: To efficiently identify and exploit – Relevance: There must be potential major ore bodies underground, it is essential to be benefits to the project from adapting, or able to determine what lies ahead of the adopting, space-developed technologies, or drills. This project focused on developing through developing new technologies that sensors for ‘geo-probing’ or ‘looking ahead’ might have applications in space. in mining operations. – Support: The project must have a receptor – Micro-Seismic Pressure Monitoring: The industry as an end-user, or a partnership of focus of this project was to monitor the industries as end-users. underground environment in order to – Timing: The project must be capable of delineate ore bodies or reservoirs over a being substantially demonstrated during the period of time. programme activities. r bulletin 99 — september 1999 bull – Leverage: The project must have significant demonstration projects are industry-driven. The potential to lever industrial funding greater key to a successful transfer is to involve than, or equal to, the ESA seed funding. industry at an early stage in the demonstration – Commercialisation: The project must have project’s development. This will ensure that commercial potential and the partners to future commercialisation opportunities can be undertake commercialisation. facilitated. The challenges of space-technology transfer The consequences of late industry involvement The C-CORE Technology Transfer Model is can be seen in Figure 2, where a ‘commerciali- illustrated in Figure 1. All of the HEI sation lag’ may delay effective adoption of the technology, or may even result in the project never being commercialised. This is a result of FINANCING waiting too long to include industry in the University project or to seek venture capital where it is Granting Industry & Industry needed. The latter should happen very early in Agencies & Governments Governments the project, as shown in Figure 1, well before the technology is expected to be developed to the point where it can be commercialised. Commercialisation 10% Based upon the above philosophy for technology transfer, C-CORE established a Transfer to Industry Commercialisation Committee for Phase-2, to focus specifically on early commercialisation.