Equinor has been a CERE industry Consortium member for some 20 years. Most of the work has been under the umbrella of the CHIGP (Chemicals for Gas Processing) Joint Industry Project. Over the years, the Norwegian energy corporation has consistently sponsored Ph.D.’s in CERE. The most recent project was on subsea processing, which the company decided to pioneer six years ago.
“We see a large potential by doing the initial gas processing at the sea floor,” explains Dr. Even Solbraa, Advisor in Oil and Gas Processing at Equinor. “The gas will always come up at high pressure. Traditionally, we have had to reduce the pressure significantly in order to process the gas at an offshore platform, and then later increase the pressure again to send the gas through the pipeline to an onshore facility. By processing the gas at the sea floor, we are able to maintain most of the original pressure. Thereby we save energy, and are able to produce the gas in a more sustainable manner.”
For CERE, Even Solbraa has been the primary contact almost since the beginning of Equinor’s membership.
“My first Discussion meeting must have been in 2001 or 2002. I have always found these conferences well organized. I like the set-up with parallel sessions. This gives me the opportunity to choose, so I always hear presentations which interest me. I do not attend many conferences, but this one is a priority for me. I have always found the scientific content to be relevant for what we do in Equinor. Also, the attendance is a break for me from the day-to-day tasks. This is a chance to go deeper into the more fundamental issues.”
Further, the Discussion meeting is a chance to scout new talent, Even Solbraa notes:
“Often, the next Ph.D. student is currently a Master student, and possibly present here. Actually, I also try to bring young people employed in Equinor here to introduce them to this community. I didn’t manage that just this year, but hopefully that will be an exception.”