GLOBAL

Country SelectorContact Us

Jump menu

Secondary Navigation | back to top

Main content |  back to top

Shell Technology webcasts

Shell is hosting a series of technology webcasts. Leaders from Shell’s R+D community and from key businesses and projects will combine in these webcasts, which are designed for media interested in understanding more about Shell's development and use of technology. Each webcast will deal with a small group of key technologies and show how they help to address strategic and practical challenges facing both Shell and the wider energy industry.

This page contains an overview of all webcasts including links to on demand versions of the webcasts, slides and transcripts.

4 Dec 2007 - Shell Technology Strategy Update

As ‘easy oil’ becomes ever harder to access, technology and innovation will be increasingly vital in meeting the world’s growing energy demands in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. On December 4, Jan van der Eijk, Chief Technology Officer, was joined by Matthias Bichsel, Executive Vice President Technical in EP, to deliver an update by webcast to media and analysts, regarding Shell’s technology strategy with a focus on advances in exploration and production technologies.

Jan van de Eijk said: “We use technology as a way to differentiate ourselves from competitors and to remain a value-adding partner for National Oil Companies, whilst we must do all of this in a responsible manner from the standpoint of the environment… more efficient operations, the right project designs, and cleaner fuels.”

As examples, Jan added; “Shell was one of the first company’s to recognise the potential of areas such as Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and is now involved in around 40% of the world’s LNG supply. We have also led the way in other areas such as deepwater, Gas To Liquids (GTL) and exploration.”

Looking to the future, Jan confirmed Shell’s commitment to technology and its ability to continue delivering solutions. We have a technical community of 30,000 people and a network of technology centres around the world.

“Our Research & Development (R&D) budgets are growing, and are at the top end of industry spending. You can see how we are stepping up the level of spending, as we place more emphasis on technology in our strategy. The majority of this spending, both last year and this, has been in our upstream R&D. In addition, we are increasing our spending on field testing our technologies ahead of full-scale deployment.”

Matthias Bichsel continued by talking directly about Exploration &Production (EP) by saying : “At Shell we believe in technology to optimise our exploration programme which has contributed to our high success rate in recent years. For example in deepwater Malaysia and Nigeria we have made 19 discoveries from 25 deepwater wells drilled between 2001 and 2007. This has come through the integration of industry technologies with Shell capabilities and know-how, in areas such as seismic imaging and deep water drilling.”

“Another example is Smart Fields which make use of a network of down-hole sensors to create a real-time picture of how a reservoir and production wells are performing. Through this technology the production from each reservoir can be individually optimised, leading to higher recovery per well.”

Matthias went on to provide an update on Shell’s proprietary in-situ upgrading process. This technology upgrades heavy oil to lighter oil grades, while still in situ and Matthias reported : “To date, around 100,000 barrels of light oil have been produced from a pilot running at Peace River in Canada.”

Shell Technology Webcast - Shell technology update - opens in new window

Webcast slides (pdf, size 9156 kB) - opens in new window


Webcast audio only 
(mp3, size 7112 kB) - opens in new window 

15 Nov 2007 - The Carbon Capture and Storage Paradox

On Thursday 15th November, Shell held a webcast on the subject Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Paradox: 'If it's so great why ain't it happening?' featuring Charlie Williams, Chief Scientist, Well Engineering and Production Technology. An introductory presentation was followed by a question and answer session.

Easy oil is becoming more difficult to find and produce and technology can unlock more oil in each reservoir, extending the life of mature fields. But if CCS is seen as so important and can contribute to our CO2 footprint energy, how come it isn't happening? The presentation reviewed the importance of Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) and gave an overview of the business challenges of sequestration.

The webcast was closely related to the theme of the 2nd annual Shell International Science Symposium (13-15 November in Rijswijk, The Netherlands), a collegial event which brought together over 30 independent researchers and scientists from leading institutions around the world with Shell scientists and technical experts to discuss "Future Approaches in Subsurface Chemistry and Physics".

Shell Technology Webcast - The Carbon Capture and Storage Paradox - opens in new window

Webcast slides (pdf, size 1378 kB) - opens in new window


Webcast transcript (pdf, size 100 kB) - opens in new window


Webcast audio only
(mp3, size 9648 kB) - opens in new window

28 Mar 2007 - Smart Fields® technology – pushing for increased oil recovery

Smartfields control room

On Wednesday 28th March, Shell held a webcast on the subject “Smart Fields® technology – pushing for increased oil recovery” featuring Jaap van Ballegooijen, Smart Fields Programme Manager, and the inspiration behind the newly launched smart wells brand video. An introductory presentation was followed by a question and answer session will follow.

Shell Technology Webcast - Smart Fields® technology – pushing for increased oil recovery - opens in new window

Webcast slides (pdf, size 1323 kB) - opens in new window

Webcast transcript (pdf, size 173 kB) - opens in new window


Webcast audio only (mp3, size 10757 kB) - opens in new window

21 Feb 2007 - Carbon Management Technologies

On Wednesday 21st February, Shell held a webcast on the subject: “Carbon Management Technologies” featuring Graeme Sweeney, Executive Vice President, Shell Renewables, Hydrogen, CO2 and Power. A question and answer session was followed by an introductory presentation. 
 
Carbon Management Technologies is the fourth in a series of technical webcasts profiling Shell technologies that are helping to address the energy challenge. These webcasts are designed to share technical information to help media understand some of the dynamics shaping the energy industry ‘from well to wheel’.

Graeme Sweeney will also discuss the company’s development of low carbon technologies including renewables.

While hydrocarbons will continue to provide the foundation of the world energy supply for the rest of the century, systemic changes are needed in order to promote effective action to tackle carbon dioxide emissions. Society needs more energy as much as it needs better ways to reduce the negative environmental effects of its production and use.

Shell Technology Webcast - Carbon Management Technologies - opens in new window

Webcast slides (pdf, size 1644 kB) - opens in new window


Webcast transcript (pdf, size 197 kB) - opens in new window


Webcast audio only (mp3, size 13576 kB) - opens in new window

18 Jan 2007 - Shell Technology Report: The Power of Innovation

On Thursday 18th January Shell held a webcast on the announcement of the Shell Technology Report, featuring Jan van der Eijk Group, Chief Technology Officer, Shell International B.V. The report gives an overview of 27 advanced technologies, some delivering benefits today and others, in advanced R&D, that will shape the future of the energy industry. During the webcast a question and answer session followed an introductory presentation.

Shell Technology Report: The Power of Innovation - opens in new window

Webcast slides (pdf, size 457 kB) - opens in new window


Webcast transcript (pdf, size 153 kB) - opens in new window

Webcast audio only (mp3, size 9103 kB) - opens in new window

12 Dec 2006 - Technology Applications in Well Engineering

The third in a series of webcasts entitled Technology Applications in Well Engineering featured Wim de Vries, Programme Manager Well Engineering Research, Shell International. A question and answer session followed the introductory presentation.

The presentation explained two leading Shell technologies that allow well engineers to drill deeper, increase production levels, lower wastage and extend the economic life of the well, as well as achieving significant environmental and cost benefits.

The presentation explained how without these technologies high profile projects, for example in the Gulf of Mexico, would not have been completed, nor would millions of dollars per year be saved and reinvested in new technologies in the quest to meet the world’s energy challenge.

Shell Technology Webcast - Technology Applications in Well Engineering - opens in new window

Webcast slides (pdf, size 1106 kB) - opens in new window

Webcast transcript (pdf, size 193 kB) - opens in new window


Webcast audio only (mp3, size 12101 kB) - opens in new window

28 Sep 2006 - Technologies for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR)

The second in a series of webcasts featured John Barry, Vice President for Unconventionals and EOR, Shell International.

As the easy oil becomes more difficult to find and produce, how do oil and gas companies squeeze more barrels out of existing resources?  How can technology unlock more oil in each reservoir, extending the life of mature fields?  How can Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) techniques contribute to energy security?

The webcast considered the notion that at present, the global average for oil recovery is around 35% -- nearly two-thirds of the original oil in place remains in the ground after primary recovery (gravity drainage) and secondary recovery (waterflooding).

Increasing the average recovery to even 45% would add more than 500 billion barrels to world recoverable volumes, nearly two decades more production at current rates.

The presentation explained the potential of EOR, highlighted key projects using the three main EOR technologies (thermal, miscible, chemical) and gave an overview of the challenges in accessing stranded and trapped hydrocarbons in complex or fractured reservoirs – and the factors that determine the right technology for each field.

Webcast slides (pdf, size 2582 kB) - opens in new window

Webcast transcript (pdf, size 198 kB) - opens in new window


Webcast audio only (mp3, size 12643 kB) - opens in new window

18 Aug 2006 - Technologies driving new fuels

The first webcast was held on Friday 18th August and is now available. Jose Bravo, Shell's Chief Scientist for Physics and Physical Separations, considers the wider range of issues technologists face as customers demand ever more specialised fuels, while at the same time the sources of raw materials for fuels are more varied and challenging.

Pieter Eijsberg, General Manager, Shell Eastern PetroChemicals Complex, discusses the key technologies behind the new MonoEthylene Glycol (MEG) plant in Singapore, which Shell recently announced.

Shell Technology Webcast - Technologies driving new fuels - opens in new window

Webcast slides (pdf, size 1411 kB) - opens in new window


Webcast transcript (pdf, size 143 kB) - opens in new window

Webcast audio only (mp3, size 13190 kB) - opens in new window