Norway’s oilfield technology development program, Demo 2000 — still a national focus — has rounded up funding for the development and field trial of key technology intended to speed drilling in environmentally sensitive areas and save oil companies money.

Hence the up to 25 million kroner ($3.9 million) StatoilHydro, BG Norge and BP are understood to be putting into the 50-million-kroner “joint-industry” project.

The applied testing of Houston and Norway’sAGR Drilling Services’s controlled mud pressure, or CMP, aims for greater use of riserless mud recovery “for post-top-hole, “blow-out preventer” well sections.

A “dual-gradient” drilling feature is seen making wells cheaper and faster.

“In some cases Dual Gradient Drilling may become an enabling technology to deliver deepwater wells,” a statement said.

The project will reportedly be managed from Houston, a good sign for U.S. oilfield tech. The future of oilfield technology development in the United States has been put into question by the withdrawal of R&D funding by the administration of President Barack Obama.

U.S. deepwater programmes will be cut by $20 million dollars, just as $40 million in oil company fees were added to the new President’s first budget proposal.

Acquiring the best tech is still a priority in Norway, and yesterday Aker Exploration and AGR penned a three-year pact to provide Aker’s rigs with AGR Drilling’s kit for riserless mud-recovery, or RMR.

"There is more to (RMR) than the name might indicate,” said AGR Drilling executive vice president Tom Hasler.

“Drilling without risers is not just an efficient way to make the top hole when seabed conditions complicate this initial phase of exploration drilling.

Recirculating drilling fluid and cuttings from the seabed means no discharges to sea, just as laws on dumping get tougher.

Tags: AGR Petroleum Services, StatoilHydro