This issue’s focus is not on huge developments or monster finds, but on the small pieces and parts that are sometimes taken for granted. Pumps, valves and the like can contribute greatly to a development’s performance or can be a weak link that leads to shutdown or worse.
As usual,we’re concentrating on technological advances that are continuously improving the industry’s ability to maximise production. Starting with marginal fields and working our way down to components, this issue includes a wide range of viable solutions for increased productivity.

Improving mature reservoir and brownfield operations is one method to increase production in aging fields.The same applies to smaller discoveries, previously considered unprofitable. Our first article from Accenture and SAS for Energy and Utilities describes how improved management via enhanced data collection and analysis can help.

Increasing oil and gas demands have led to the desire to keep marginal fields productive longer, and multiphase pumps have found a large field of applications in this area. Leistritz, Bornemann Pumps and Kværner Oilfiel Products have all contributed their experience and success with the ever-increasing use of multiphase pumps. You’ll also find a brief overview of new pump technologies that are available through Ing. Per Gjerdrum AS, with an emphasis on flow assurance and cost reduction.

VDMA (German Engineering Federation) has also provided us with an overview of German valve technology.The German Valve Manufacturers’Association – a special division of non-profit organisation VDMA – is comprised of member companies whose collective production reached 2.1 billion Euro in 2003, providing innovative valve solutions to their customers.

More valve technology is presented in Weir Valves & Controls’ article on MEG dosage valves incorporating Dantorque actuators, which will be used in the Ormen Lange pipeline system.The goal is to prevent hydrates, which could in effect stop the flow, from forming within the process gas as is moves from the Ormen Lange field to the on-shore processing facilities.

Be sure to read the Société Générale Economic Research oil market forecast, which helps to explain how oil prices were influenced over the summer, shedding some light into what the future might hold for this currently volatile market.

Finally, in addition to the news and columns that can be found in every issue,we’ve reviewed the ONS 2004 Conference and Exhibition that was held in Stavanger in August. It was an exciting event, and the best we can do is to provide only a small slice of all that happened during a week of non-stop action.