Nonlinear Model Predictive Pressure Control during Drilling Operations

Drilling into mature, depleted fields is often difficult because of tight pressure margins. Increasing the pressure control will enable wells that previously were considered undrillable, to be drilled. Enabling drilling and increased oil recovery from depleted fields would most likely lead to a substantial increase in profit margains. A better pressure control will also increase the safety of the drilling crew, because the risk of unwanted situations such as a kick or a blow-out is decreased, also reducing the risk of unwanted environmental influence, e.g. oil spill. To compensate for the lack of a continuous measurement of the bottomhole pressure during drilling operations, an adpative observer of the bottomhole pressure is implemented. The observer implemented is tested, and shows promising results in estimating both the bottomhole pressure and the friction coefficient in the well during a pipe connection procedure. To control the pressure in the well, a low-order nonlinear model predicitve controller is developed, and it has been tested to perform well during the pipe connection procedure, where it maintains the pressure within the predefined boundaries. In this thesis both the obsever and the controller will be tested against an artificial well; simulated by a commercial software

Co-operation - Tanroads and NPRA. Equipment Management. Report from a visit in NOV. 2005

Report from a visit to TANROADS headquarters in Dar Ez Salaam from 26th November to 5th December 2005 by Mr. Jon Berg and Mr. Geir Breyholtz from Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA). The purpose of the visit was to updae the five year plan for the contiuation of the Equipment Management Component under the Institutional Cooperation between TANROADS and NPRA. The plan with activities, output, indicators and budget was updated to the current situation and in line with the guidelines given by TANROADS headquarter. The plan is attached to the report

Diffrensiert arbeidsgiveravgift : en empirisk analyse av avgiftens sysselsettingseffekt og effekt på nyetablering og nedleggelse

I denne masterutredningen studerer vi sysselsettingseffektene av differensiert arbeidsgiveravgift på norske data for perioden 2000-2012, for å vurdere om ordningen er treffsikker for å oppnå målsetningen om økt bosetting og sysselsetting i distriktene.Ved hjelp av GMM-estimering undersøker vi om det finnes sysselsettingseffekter på firma- og kommune×næring-nivå, og om differensiert arbeidsgiveravgift har en effekt på nyetablering og nedleggelse av bedrifter. Analysen inkluderer både industri- og tjenesteytende sektor. Vi kan ikke identifisere noen klare sysselsettingseffekter av endringer i arbeidsgiveravgiften, hverken på firma- eller kommune×næring-nivå. Vi kan derfor ikke vise at reduksjoner i arbeidsgiveravgiften medfører økt sysselsetting i distriktene, slik målet med regionalt differensiert arbeidsgiveravgift er. Vi finner derimot at en reduksjon i arbeidsgiveravgiften medfører en signifikant økning i antall bedrifter. Dette indikerer at reduksjoner i arbeidsgiveravgiften fører til økt nyeetablering eller redusert nedleggelse. Effekten forsterkes når vi bare ser på næringer med gjennomsnittlig lavt utdanningsnivå.nhhma

Common Traits and Performance of Private Equity Owned Firms: A Nordic Perspective

Article 1: By comparing each of 102 Scandinavian non-listed buyout targets with reference groups consisting of 20 European firms matched on industry and total asset size, we find strong evidence of a relationship between operating characteristics and the likelihood of being acquired by a buyout fund. The results are inconsistent with both the agency cost and the underperformance arguments explored in earlier the literature that is mainly focused on listed targets. Our analysis suggests that superior growth and revenue generation characterize Scandinavian non-listed private equity target companies. At the same time they seem to be struggling to control costs and optimize their capital structure, causing unstable medium-term performance. A questionnaire-based survey of Scandinavian PE fund managers supports these findings, but also stresses the importance of long-term prospects for potential target companiesArticle II: By comparing the performance of 36 Norwegian companies owned by private equity funds with comparable listed firms, we find evidence of superior crisis management capabilities in the private equity owned firms. Multifaceted analyses of financial indicators suggest that the main drivers are the funds active ownership and their professionals ability to implement strategic changes and drive operational efficiency. The results also suggest that private equity owned firms are better suited than publicly listed peers to leverage their capital structures, despite the increased bankruptcy risk. We believe this ability mainly is due to the private equity owned firms superior profitability, their relative ease of adjusting strategy and capital to the changing circumstances, and the long-term relationships private equity funds have with banks