2014 Award for Excellence Winner

A study of state-of-the-art subsea separation technology performed by Fluor Corporation, under the auspices of the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America, was named recipient of the 2014 Award for Excellence by the Rice Global Forum (RGF) at the VIP banquet opening of the RGF’s 17th annual fall conference.

Discharging produced water from surface facilities, after treatment, is standard practice in the offshore oil and gas industry. Proven methods are applied–often in concert–to ensure wastewater disposal has no adverse effects upon marine life.  However, several significant technical obstacles must be overcome to ensure produced water treated on the seabed complies with environmental protection requirements for overboard discharge.  Based upon a lengthy review of water treating processes and technologies being used in the industry today, Fluor concluded that–with continuous funding of technology development and qualification programs–processing and discharge of produced water on the seabed should be achievable in the next three to five years.  More importantly, the Fluor study yielded the first-ever conceptual designs for subsea produced water treatment systems, installed on the seabed, capable of cleaning up waste water for discharge directly into the offshore environment.

Tom Anderson, RGF Chairman, presented the award to Fluor at the Annual Forum Banquet. Neal Prescott, Executive Director of Offshore Technology, accepted the award on behalf of David Seaton, Chief Executive Officer of Fluor Corporation and Gerald Stone, Senior Vice President of Fluor Offshore Solutions. Prescott is responsible for offshore technology development programs and new technology initiatives at Fluor.

“The Rice Global E&C Forum is pleased to recognize Fluor, an RGF founding member, as the 2014 recipient of our Engineering Excellence Award,” Anderson said. “Determining the best ways to handle produced water from subsea oil and gas production addresses a major environmental concern of the oil and gas industry.”

“It is a great honor to have Fluor’s development program, Ultra Deep Water Discharge of Produced Water and/or Solids at the Seabed, recognized by the Rice Global E&C Forum and selected as the Award for Excellence recipient in 2014,” Stone said.  “This support is crucial in moving this needed technology forward through our next phase of development, and towards industry commercialization, in an effort to support a clean offshore environment.”

For more information about Fluor, please visit www.fluor.com or contact Jennifer Strader, Senior Communications Specialist at 281-263-5969, or by e-message at jennifer.strader@fluor.com.

Rice Global E&C Forum Chairman, Tom Anderson (left) presenting the award to Neal Prescott, Executive Director of Offshore Technology for Fluor (right)

AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE