SHPE - Spring08 - (Page 28)

Delivering Mega-Watts Miles Under Water Theresa Houle N avigating uncertain weather conditions, freezing water and crushing pressure, deepwater drilling is one of the most technologically challenging ways Chevron seeks to find and extract oil. At more than 27,000 feet below sea level, just reaching these reserves poses a significant obstacle, and bringing the oil to the surface creates still another. “People don’t usually think about all of the logistics that go into distributing mega-watts of power under the water, or how complicated it is to get oil to the pumps, including exploration, production and processing,” explained Theresa Maria Patino Houle. Yet, as a subsea controls specialist with the Energy Technology Company at Chevron, it’s her job to be intimately aware of these issues and to develop necessary technology for exploiting oil-rich reserves that lie at greater depths below the ocean floor. Houle’s first challenge is getting more power deeper in the water and farther away from topside facilities, such as an oil platform or vessel. “In the past we talked in terms of hundreds of watts being sent down,” she said. “Now we’re getting up into mega-watts of power being sent tens of miles underwater. We’re taking power cables, transformers, circuit breakers – all technology that has been used on land – and submersing it.” It also requires her to research which electrical codes and power systems used by power companies and utilities are applicable underwater, what technology already exists and what still needs to be developed. In designing these systems, Houle also analyzes the power quality, or the difference between the amount of energy being transferred and how much is being utilized by the subsea apparatus. She not only has to take into consideration the enormous scale of the production equipment, but also the expense of repairing it via remotely operated vehicles, which can cost upwards of $1 million a day. One of her top priorities is ensuring that the different components are assembled properly to withstand the energy and environmental strains so as not to require servicing for the next 10 to 20 years. Houle also is developing the control and power system for a major capital project in the Gulf of Mexico, which may require a boosting system that supplies each subsea pump with mega-watts of power to significantly increase the amount of recoverable reserves. Currently a member with the Houston SHPE Professional Chapter, 25-year-old Houle was hired by Chevron upon completing her M.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in July 2007. Her passion for engineering design was sparked during one of her undergraduate internships at Schlumberger R&D, where she designed a safety switch to protect workers from being electrocuted as they assembled high-voltage drill components. Houle sees herself staying in power systems and controls for at least the next five years while also increasing her understanding of the industry. “In school, you can learn a lot about different circuits and perform the mathematics, but there can be a lack of true understanding until you get your hands dirty and truly design a solution to a problem,” Houle explained. “It requires out of the box thinking, since most of the tools to be used have not been given to you. It’s also very rewarding to think that I built this small component on the product, without which it might not work.” Consejos Even though her high school guidance counselor said she didn’t have the grades to make it through an engineering program, Houle couldn’t be dissuaded from applying. When she was accepted on a trial basis to UT Austin, she became even more determined to finish what she started. “I was going to stay until they kicked me out,” she recalled. “As it turns out, I left because I graduated.” Houle credits the accomplishment to the unconditional support of her mother and the direction of an EOE officer, both of whom believed in her abilities. “At times it might feel that you’re alone,” she adds. “We have all been in those situations, and it gets better. You are where you are because you are smart, you’ve worked hard and you’ve earned it.” I 28

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SHPE - Spring08

SHPE - Spring08 Contents President’s Letter Browser Letters to the Editor Calendar of Events The Magic of Thinking BIG Five Steps to Easier Fundraising Designing Women ¡Viva Verde! The Education and Training of Ramon Flores Breakthroughs in Mobile Military Communications The Retention Doctor Success at School Begins at Home STAR Nominations Do Good Things Come to Those Who Wait? Programs & Services Regional Roundup Advertisers Index

SHPE - Spring08

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