RPSEA Releases Ultra-Deepwater Program RFP

$14 Million to Fund Research and Development Projects to Secure Energy for America

SUGAR LAND, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA) announces the release of the remaining 2011 Ultra-Deepwater Program request for proposals (RFP) to award $14 million in oil and natural gas research and development projects offshore.

RPSEA’s Ultra-Deepwater Program released the RFP October 18, 2012. It is due December 18, 2012, 4 p.m. Central Time. Questions regarding the RFP must be in writing 21 calendar days from date of RFP issue. After this date, the question/answer period is closed, and all written questions and answers will be posted to RPSEA's website.

This is RPSEA’s fifth ultra-deepwater RFP release, rescheduled for a 2012 circulation, under the Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Resources Research and Development Program that was established by the U.S. Department of Energy pursuant to the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The projects selected under the 2011 Ultra-Deepwater Program will safely develop the ultra-deepwater resource base, while efficiently extracting the natural gas and oil needed to meet our nation’s domestic energy needs. The goal is to ensure that control, safeguard and environmental impact mitigation strategies are adequate to prevent any environmental damage associated with oil and gas development. The 2012 RFPs are under review and will follow the release of 2011.

This RFP will include the following four Technical Areas of Interest:

• 5401 - Carbon-Fiber Reinforced Riser for Dry Tree Drilling of High Pressure Wells (S&ES). The objective of this technical area of interest is to develop a carbon-fiber reinforced riser for dry tree Gulf of Mexico drilling, by expanding on the results from RPSEA Project 07121-1401. It involves designing several full scale riser samples, deploying and testing them in a deepwater environment, and retrieving them for additional testing, all as part of a field tested - field ready qualification process.
• 5402 - Integrity Management of Risers to Support Deepwater Drilling and Production Operations (S&ES). The objective of this technical area of interest is to develop a reliable, cost-effective system for real-time, riser integrity management that enables end users to remotely monitor the health and performance of deepwater riser systems and improve the long-term integrity management and reliability of deepwater riser systems.
• 5404 - Vortex Induced Vibration Study for Deep Draft Column Stabilized Floaters (S&ES). The objective of this technical area of interest is to conduct a study and model test to determine the sensitivity of the vortex induced motion (VIM) response to the geometric parameters of deep draft semisubmersibles, as a follow-up to the RPSEA Project 07121-1402b.
• 5801 - Hi-Res Environmental Data for Enhanced UDW Operations Safety (S&ES). The objective of this technical area of interest is to accurately measure bottom currents, currents during a joint hurricane-eddy, and surface currents, real-time, and develop reliable and repeatable models to enable more reliable and safer design of pipelines, flexible flow lines, and floating vessels, and to improve forecasting of currents (and potentially releases) in large loss of well control situations.

Organizations, which must have a U.S.-based business, are encouraged to submit proposals well in advance of the due date to allow for electronic receipt processing and should review the documents and instructions concerning these proposals without delay on RPSEA’s website.

About RPSEA

RPSEA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit consortium with 180 member organizations, including 22 of the nation's premier research universities, six national laboratories, other major research institutions, large and small energy producers and energy consumers. The mission of RPSEA, headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, is to provide a stewardship role in ensuring the focused research, development and deployment of safe and environmentally responsible technology that can effectively deliver hydrocarbons from domestic resources to the citizens of the United States. Additional information can be found at www.rpsea.org.

Funding for the projects is provided through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Resources Research and Development Program established pursuant to the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This program—funded from lease bonuses and royalties paid by industry to produce oil and gas on federal lands—is specifically designed to maximize the value of natural gas and other petroleum resources of the United States by increasing the supply of such resources, through reducing the cost and increasing the efficiency of exploration for and production of such resources, while improving safety and minimizing environmental impacts. The Secretary of Energy has ultimate responsibility for and oversight of all aspects of this program. RPSEA is under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory to administer three elements of the program.

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