2007年VOA标准英语-Technology Draws Oil Companies to Houston

By Greg Flakus
Houston, Texas
17 May 2007
 

High energy prices, coupled with rising demand, are putting pressure on the oil and gas industry worldwide.  Many companies are finding and developing new, underwater fields. More than 67,000 representatives of the industry from 110 countries gathered recently in Houston, Texas for the annual Offshore¹ Technology Conference. VOA's Greg Flakus was there and has this report.

This is where experts on offshore drilling and resource development gathered to find new ideas and new technology. Companies that provide that technology, as well as oil production services, were also here, ready to show what they have, and what they can do.

Canrig, a company based in Magnolia, Texas, had several tons of drilling equipment on hand. Canrig's vice² president of marketing³, Gregory Kostiuk, said communicating with visitors is a primary challenge. "There are people here from every corner of the globe and our three primary languages that we run into here are Russian, Chinese and Spanish."

To answer that challenge, Canrig had personnel on hand who could speak Russian, Ukrainian, Chinese, French, Spanish and Arabic. Foreign participants, like their North American counterparts, are looking for every possible piece of equipment that can improve their efficiency and the quality of the oil they produce.

Steve Dale, of the Brookfield Engineering Company, came to show off his viscometers. They measure the viscosity⁴, or thickness, of oil as it comes out of the ground. "We measure the viscosity of crude oil real time because just a tenth of a percent variation in viscosity can mean millions of dollars a year in extra money for the oil companies," he explained.

One of the challenges of offshore oil drilling is making repairs to the rigs underwater

With so many competing booths in the exhibit hall, some companies resorted to enticements outside the oil industry. Others offered video displays to demonstrate what they can do. One such company is U.S. Underwater Services of Burleson, Texas. It sends divers⁵ around the world to make underwater repairs on oil rigs. 

Demand for these services has been especially high in the Gulf⁶ of Mexico, following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita nearly two years ago. Company president Michael Erinakes says some platforms are still in need of repair.

"The hurricane, when it came through, it damaged a lot of platform structures, causing bending of the braces⁷ and what we have done is go in underwater, at a variety of depths, re-engineer or repair, and put the rig back to a permanent status," said Erinakes.

He says U.S. Underwater Services has a method of isolating⁸ sections of an underwater structure to allow divers to weld deep underwater, on site. "It allows us to install a habitat over an effected area, where we seal into that area. We first pump air into it to diffuse⁹ the air and get all the water out and then we send in heated argon or helium down and what this does is prepare the seal, heat the seal to about 120 degrees and then we effectively weld it through a series of boots that are installed on it."

By doing such work on site, companies avoid the expense of dismantling¹⁰ rigs and bringing them ashore¹¹ for repairs. Experts say that by the year 2030, the world will consume 50 percent more oil than it is consuming today.  That increasing demand fuels the growth of energy technology and services companies and keeps people coming back to the Offshore Technology Conference every year.

1 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

4 viscosity   

n.粘度，粘性

参考例句：

• The viscosity shows a rather pronounced variation with temperature.温度对粘度的影响十分明显。
• The reciprocal of viscosity is known as fluidity.粘度的反意就是流动性。

5 divers   

adj.不同的；种种的

参考例句：

• He chose divers of them,who were asked to accompany him.他选择他们当中的几个人，要他们和他作伴。
• Two divers work together while a standby diver remains on the surface.两名潜水员协同工作，同时有一名候补潜水员留在水面上。

6 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

7 braces   

n.吊带，背带；托架( brace的名词复数 )；箍子；括弧；（儿童）牙箍v.支住( brace的第三人称单数 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来

参考例句：

• The table is shaky because the braces are loose. 这张桌子摇摇晃晃，因为支架全松了。
• You don't need braces if you're wearing a belt! 要系腰带，就用不着吊带了。

8 isolating   

adj.孤立的，绝缘的v.使隔离( isolate的现在分词 )；将…剔出（以便看清和单独处理）；使（某物质、细胞等）分离；使离析

参考例句：

• Colour filters are not very effective in isolating narrow spectral bands. 一些滤色片不能很有效地分离狭窄的光谱带。 来自辞典例句
• This became known as the streak method for isolating bacteria. 这个方法以后就称为分离细菌的划线法。 来自辞典例句

9 diffuse   

v.扩散；传播；adj.冗长的；四散的，弥漫的

参考例句：

• Direct light is better for reading than diffuse light.直射光比漫射光更有利于阅读。
• His talk was so diffuse that I missed his point.他的谈话漫无边际，我抓不住他的要点。

10 dismantling   

（枪支）分解

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。
• The dismantling of a nuclear reprocessing plant caused a leak of radioactivity yesterday. 昨天拆除核后处理工厂引起了放射物泄漏。

11 ashore   

adv.在(向)岸上，上岸

参考例句：

• The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前，孩子们就上岸了。
• He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。