exhibition

EAGE Conference 2016 in Vienna

From the 30^th of May to the 2^nd of June the 78^th EAGE-Conference took place in Vienna. This conference is mainly dedicated to geologists, geophysicists and reservoir engineers, but in combination with the SPE EUROPEC this event provides a great frame for all the other petroleum engineering disciplines as well. Three students from the SPE Student Chapter Leoben visited the conference. This is a short summary about their visit.

On the 30^th of May the president of the EAGE-Organisation officially opened the conference. This was followed by a panel discussion. Representatives from the industry and the head of our university Dr. Eichlseder discussed about the opportunities for young people in the current crisis. Afterwards dinner was served in the exhibition area. The day was concluded by meeting our friends from the SPE Student Chapter RWTH Aachen.

On the second day the oral sessions and poster sessions started. As usual for such a conference it is impossible to visit all of them. Therefore the following paragraphs summarize the highlights during these days.

The session about Integrated Asset Development featured a presentation about the development of the Komsomolskoye field. This field is in a remote location in Kazakhstan and requires special approaches to develop it profitably. Further information can be found via the following link: The Komsomolskoye Field-Fast Track Development of a Remote Oilfield using a Blend of Horizontal and Vertical Wells

The poster session about source rocks featured one presentation about Light Hydrocarbons Geochemistry of Oils Trapped in the Austrian Foreland Basin. This topic is directly related to the Montanuiversitaet Leoben, because the study was carried out at the chair of Petroleum Geology. An extended abstract can be found via the following link: Light Hydrocarbons Geochemistry of Oils Trapped in the Austrian Foreland Basin

One of the best oral sessions was the one which was conducted by Christian Burgstaller from RAG. His topic was about using fluid level data to optimize production. A new and innovative system which was developed by RAG together with some other companies constantly measures the fluid level in the wellbore. The generated data can then be used directly to optimize the pump that produces from the wellbore. The original paper can be found via the following link: New Approaches of Using Fluid Level Data for Production Optimization and Reservoir Engineering Applications

Besides the technical and research parts, there were also enough opportunities for social events, especially for students. The student evening which took place at the campus of the University of Economics featured some traditional Austrian delights and music to get in touch with students from around the world.

For an additional fee it was also possible to visit the official conference evening in the Marx Hall. Austrian kitchen was combined with live music and a Waltz performance.

Finally if we make an overall conclusion about this event, we can say that it was a great opportunity to gather new experiences, grow the personal network and just enjoy the atmosphere.

If you want to find out about such a conference by yourself you need to be patient until next year. The 79^thEAGE Conference & Exhibition (12-15 June 2017) is going to be in Paris.

Conference Evening — Click on the Image to Open Gallery

1st International Oil and Gas Majoring Students Forum

The first International Oil and Gas Majoring Students Forum “New Generation: Across the Universe” was held from February 28^th to March 6^th 2016 in the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas in Moscow. The main aim of this forum was to bring together the world’s best students studying different branches of oil and gas sciences, so they can share their knowledge and experience.

28^th of February 2016

On the 28^th of February we arrived at 14:30 at the airport in Moscow. The country greeted us with beautiful sunny weather and a little bit of snow. From there on we were brought to the dormitory by car. We finished the day with the famous Borscht, a traditional Russian soup.

29^th of February 2016

The second day of this event started with the opening ceremony at the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas. Afterwards the Schlumberger Business Case was held. In this friendly competition teams consisting of at least 4 people needed to solve a complex task regarding the production of Gas Condensates in a limited amount of time. The event took the rest of the day, and in the end the team of our German friends from RWTH Aachen won the competition. In the evening a gala dinner was held. The dinner was accompanied by some great performances of Russian students.

1^st of March 2016

This day was planned to give the students a better view on actual business problems and how the industry is going to change in the future. New technologies and the most prospective areas all over the world were introduced by world class experts. After lunch, the so called “Career Fair” was held. In this event groups of students had the opportunity to see departments of the university and listen to the latest achievements in the scientific work of universities personnel. One of the most impressive parts was the department for transportation which showed their brand new simulator for pipeline dispatching training, as well as the drilling ship simulator, which some of our students had the chance to visit last year already.

The day was concluded by the “Russian Cuisine festival”. This delicious event gave the unique opportunity to taste different foods from regions all over Russia and other countries. Afterwards it was time for some Ice skating. All the participating students were playing games, trying out ice hockey and enjoyed the great atmosphere.

2^nd of March 2016

After the wake-up call, busses brought us to the city centre of Moscow. There we visited one of Russia’s brightest buildings, the Kremlin. Inside the Kremlin it was time for some history. Local guides from the Museum explained the fascinating Russian history to all of us. The end of the day was concluded with the Miss University Contest 2016. At this event 10 beautiful ladies representing the different departments of the university were competing against each other, to crown their self in the end with the title “Queen of Oil”. Amazing artistic skills, singing and even acting performances showed the great diversity of skills that all these women have.

3^rd of March 2016

Early in the morning we packed up our suitcases and got onto the buses because it was time to go to Zaluchie. After 6 hours on the bus we arrived there and were welcomed with some traditional Russian bread. After getting comfortable with our rooms, the winter camp in Zaluchie was opened with another Russian speciality, a small cup of Vodka. Afterwards it was time for some open air activities. Sliding down a hill, pillow fight, rope pulling and dancing were accompanied by some traditional Russian Music.

4^th of March 2016

The second day in Zaluchie was used to provide us with some meaningful talks about the way to success, how to prepare a scientific paper and the technical presentation part afterwards. After enjoying some free time in the Russian winter, a wonderful performance of horse riding together with some traditional Russian winter games made this evening really unique. Finally the closing ceremony was held which marked the official end of this forum. Nevertheless in the evening the great celebration continued and the day ended with a disco night.

5^th of March 2016

Waking up was hard after enjoying such a great evening until 3 o’clock in the morning. Nevertheless the breakfast was the best reason to get up earlier. After breakfast we were waiting for the busses while enjoying the Russian winter one last time. Then we got onto the busses which brought us directly to the dormitory in Moscow.

6^th of March 2016

Our plane left at 15:35 from Moscow Domodedovo to Vienna. This was the final end of this great journey.

We would like to thank the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas for providing us with this unique opportunity. It was really amazing to see how much effort went into the preparation of this Forum. All of the volunteers were great and gave everything they had to make this event unbelievable.

Finally speaking from the heart, leaving Moscow was hard after this great experience. Nevertheless it doesn’t felt if there was something left back. It felt much more like each and every participant and Russia itself gave us something valuable which we could take back home.

This is what makes this event so special. It shows that it is not about the price of oil, it is about all of us and there is no hurdle we cannot take if we work together without any borders.

To finish this there is only one more thing to say. The idea that was started at this forum is going to spread out all over the world and not only the world, it’s going to be spread across the universe.

Visiting Oil and Gas Horizons 2015

This year the seventh Oil and Gas Horizons Congress (24.Nov 2015-26.Nov 2015) took place at Moscow’s Gubkin Russian State Oil & Gas University. The congress is entirely organized by the local SPE Student Chapter and it is the largest international youth scientific and practical event in the oil and gas industry of the Russian and Caspian region. The Office Manager of the SPE Student Chapter Leoben, Daniel Hirschl, went there as a representative. The following is the whole story about his visit.

22.November 2015

On the 22^nd of November at 10:00 Austrian Airlines flight OS601 departed from the Vienna International Airport heading towards Moscow, with me on this plane. After 2 hours and 30 minutes the plane touched down at the Domodedovo International Airport in Moscow.

There I was welcomed by my two guides who brought me and another student to the dormitory. We took the famous Moscow Metro to go there, so I already got a glimpse of what to expect from this wonderful city. After arriving and making ourselves comfortable in our rooms we were guided to the city center of Moscow to see a lot of the historic sites, such as Red Square and of course the Kremlin. After dinner we finished our journey with the beautiful view of the Moscow city Skyscrapers.

23.November 2015

On Monday the main cultural program took place. This already showed what to expect from the congress. Students from different countries were guided by volunteers through the city. So already on the second day some new friendships were established with other students.

The journey brought us to the St. Basils cathedral, the Kremlin, the famous shopping mall GUM, the Cathedral of Christ the savior and finally we got to see the Moscow City skyscrapers again. The day was concluded by a team building event in the dormitory where students showed their skills by playing charades.

24.November 2015

On Tuesday the congress started. After some good breakfast in the early morning a bus brought us to the university. After the registration the opening ceremony was held. All the participants were welcomed at the congress by representatives of the university and the local student chapter. The next part was the plenary session. Experts gave some insights on special topics e.g. “New paradigm of the Oil and Gas development”. In this presentation smart technologies for the development of hydrocarbon fields were introduced to the students. In the afternoon the student paper contest took place. In different sessions (e.g. Automation and Computer Sciences, Oil and Gas Chemistry and Ecology, Geosciences, Drilling and Completion) students presented their personal work. The day was concluded with a dinner that gave an impression of the Russian cuisine.

25.November 2015

The second day of the congress started with the presentations of the different SPE Student Chapters. All the chapters showed how much effort they put in all of their work and how they stay motivated. One of the highlights was when the delegation from the Ufa State Petroleum Technological University performed the song “Wavin Flag”.

It was a unique moment when all the people in the room started to join their performance. In the afternoon the PetroOlympic Games took place. In this special contest teams of six students have to solve some complex tasks and answer questions related to the Petroleum Industry. The two best teams are then competing against each other in a debate. Our multicultural team that had the profound name “AGGRRR” was able to participate in the debate. The team name was based on the nationalities of the team members (Austria, Germany, Germany, Russia, Russia, and Russia). This also provided me with the unique experience of participating in a team debate. The topic of debating was “Preservation of natural resources for the future than using them today”. Our team had to negate the topic. We managed to find a good way to express our view on the topic and finally we won the PetroOlympic games.

Afterwards the SPE Student Chapters Round-Table provided the unique opportunity of discussing actual topics with leaders from other Student Chapters and how to manage the upcoming challenges together.

The congress was then concluded by a wonderful closing ceremony where all the winners were announced and it also showed the creativity of the students from the Gubkin Russian State Oil & Gas University. Some marvellous songs were combined with great dances. Finally the day was closed by a youth party where all the participants had the opportunity to celebrate together with members of the organizing committee.

26.November 2015

The last day was reserved for visiting companies. Together with some other students, I went to the office of Halliburton in Moscow. They gave us a presentation about their company and how is it structured. Afterwards we heard a presentation about Halliburtons famous Landmark software. In the end they also told us about career chances in Halliburton. The size of the company allows people to work in different disciplines all around the globe. The afternoon was free for everybody. Therefore we joined a big group of students and went ice skating in the famous Gorky Park. Afterwards we used the unique atmosphere of the Moscow area for some evening activities.

27.November 2015

Finally on the last day of my visit here in Moscow I was brought to the airport and left with new friendships, experiences and a smile on my face.

I would like to thank the SPE-Student Chapter of Gubkin University for the invitation. It was such a pleasure to be able to participate in such an amazing event. The unique atmosphere could be felt in every corner of the congress. It really broadened my personal horizon, not only from a technical but also from a general point of view, because events like that prove that borders are just lines on a map.