Safekick and Siemens announce strategic alliance agreement
Safekick Americas LLC and Siemens Industry, Inc. today announced that they have entered into a Strategic Alliance Agreement for the supply of ultrasonic flow meters and other instrumentation to be used in an automated oil/gas well control system.
Under this strategic alliance, SII and Safekick will work together to develop an automated well control system that will automatically control the choke manifold of an oil/gas well by measuring the flow and pressure of the fluid on strategic points and for influx and loss detection.
The system will provide a step change in how a well control event is currently dealt with, significantly reducing the risks and time required to regain control of the well and resume normal operations. Other important features of the new system include automating critical well control operations and providing an innovative approach to rig crew training and expertise assessment.
Additionally, the new well control system will leverage Siemens Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) framework for easy installation, commissioning and maintenance. In addition to the Sitrans ultrasonic flow meters and instrumentation, the new system will include Siemens Simatic programmable controllers and HMI devices.
“After nearly a year of exchanging ideas and defining how best to move forward together, we are excited about working with Siemens on the development of the Safekick system,” said Dr. Helio Santos, President of Safekick. “The system is expected to provide the industry with a safer and more efficient method for dealing with well control events during drilling, completion, intervention or work over. It will allow a better understanding of the downhole events, which will enable a more accurate interpretation of the events, reducing uncertainties.”
“Automation is the key to improving productivity and ultimately a company’s competitive advantage,” said Malcolm Franks, Manager, Process Instrumentation and Analytics, Siemens Industry, Inc. “Through our partnership with Safekick, we are developing an automated system that will not only improve the productivity of our customers by making their operations more efficient, but also increase the safety of their systems.”
The new automated well control system will require minor upgrades to the current rig well control equipment. The initial system offering will be available in the beginning of 2011, after field testing has been completed.
08/12/2010