Denmark hopes to boost oil production with new research centre

With the opening of the Danish Hydrocarbon Research and Technology Centre at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Denmark is bringing together and developing new technology and knowledge with a view to boosting the extraction of North Sea oil.

At the same time, the new facility will pave the way for the next generation of petroleum engineers to work in one of the most knowledge and technology-intensive industries in the world.

Thursday, 18 September marks the official opening of the Danish Hydrocarbon Research and Technology Centre at DTU. The purpose of the new centre is to develop new knowledge, ideas and methods for increasing the extraction of oil and gas in the North Sea—thereby helping to generate billions of kroner in new petroleum revenue for Denmark, and contributing to making the country self-sufficient in energy.

To find solutions in this area, the petroleum research facility aims to attract researchers of the very highest calibre from both Denmark and abroad, to set up partnerships across research institutions and with the industry, and to assist in training the finest petroleum engineers of the future.

Energy-intensive industry
“The perspective inherent in pursuing studies in the field of oil and gas is that it gives young people direct access to an industry that is big, important and among the most knowledge and energy-intensive in the world. As the area in question is constantly developing, we will need people skilled in this field for many years to come,” says Bo Cerup-Simonsen, Director of the Danish Hydrocarbon Research and Technology Centre at DTU.

The new research centre will support and develop the existing research areas and study programmes in the field of oil and gas technology in Denmark, supplying additional research and new areas of specialization in the fields of oil and gas reservoir characterization, enhanced oil and gas recovery, drilling and production technology, and production facilities and material technology.

This will be achieved both through new research and by qualifying new MSc and PhD students whose primary interest is in developing and testing new technology for sustainable oil and gas production. It is an assignment that crosses boundaries between academic disciplines and involves close interaction between research and industry.

A pressing need for new solutions
“In the oil and gas industry, we have a pressing need for new solutions to improve the efficiency of extraction. There is still a lot of potential in the Danish section of the North Sea, but it is becoming more and more difficult to extract the oil. That is why we will need new knowledge and technology far into the future. Gaining a university degree in the area of oil and gas is a ticket to an international, hi-tech industry, and graduates will be able to help identify solutions that prove of huge benefit to society,” adds Troels Albrechtsen, Chairman of the DUC Operating Committee.