New products

Vol. 229 No. 3

High-speed crew-supply vessel

Reflex Marine Ltd and Seacor Marine have joined forces to create Seacore’s Cheetah CrewZer high-speed Class DP2 catamaran, which will be the fastest crew-supply vessel in the Gulf of Mexico. Capable of carrying 150 passengers at speeds ranging from 36 to 42 kt, the 165-ft vessel will offer a fast, safe and reliable mode of personnel transportation to and from installations. The vessel will include a high-capacity personnel transfer safety system specially developed for this vessel by Reflex Marine. The nine-passenger Frog capsule is capable of transferring personnel from the vessel to the rig in a protected and safe environment, while achieving a high rate of crew transfers. The seats in the CrewZer are similar to usiness-class seats in an airplane-reclining and spacious, with wireless internet, satellite TV and movies available.

Anchor catcher

The Rodec Model A Mechanical Tubing Anchor Catcher from R&M Energy Systems is a retrievable double-grip anchor designed to hold the tubing string in tension or compression in wells of any depth. This prevents movement of the tubing string during the pumping operation, increasing pump efficiency and decreasing rod wear. Anchor catchers are factory furnished with 50,000-lb (22,000-daN) secondary release shears. Shear value may be changed in the field by removing the required number of 5,000-lb (2,200-daN) shear screws located below the drag block assembly. The system is normally installed just below the pump for best results, although it may be installed at any desired point. Once tubing has been run to the desired depth, rotating to the right sets the unit initially. The weight of the casing in which the anchor is set will determine the number of turns required. The anchor catcher is released by lowering the tubing and rotating to the left while working the tubing up and down slightly.

Engineering standards system

IHS Inc. has released IHS Standards Expert, an online system combining access to the world’s largest database of engineering standards with easy, flexible tools for managing compliance to selected standards across teams and enterprises. The system is the next generation of the company’s flagship product, Specs & Standards. IHS has rewritten Standards Expert to tailor the searching, navigation, monitoring and sharing of standards to meet the requirements customers have to manage standards across their business. The system provides fast, direct focus into exactly the versions and details of the standards their projects require. The result is a single system of record for a company’s standards, with controlled document retrieval and notification of revisions for individuals and teams, helping ensure compliance to industry requirements and quality initiatives, as well as improved uptime and operational efficiency.

Welding catalog

The new 2008 full-line catalog from Miller Electric Mfg. Co. is now available. The full-color, 100-page catalog provides specifications on the company’s MIG welders, TIG welders, stick welders, plasma cutters, welding generators, welding helmets, safety gear and more. The catalog also provides product selection charts, and it describes the additional benefits available through Miller’s online welding communities. New features in this year’s catalog include a quick index of new products, new product guides for MIG industrial application and multiprocess products, respectively, and more guidance for selecting TIG products, Millermatic MIG welders and Spectrum plasma cutters.

All-metal progressing cavity pump

Paris-based PCM has introduced the PCM Vulcain, a Progressing Cavity Pump (PCP) with an all-metal design that is capable of pumping extremely hot (350°C/660°F) and highly viscous fluids. About half the world’s known oil reserves are made up of unconventional oil, ranging from viscous heavy oil to near-solid bitumen, that cannot flow unless heated. Thermal recovery methods, such as steam-assisted gravity drainage and cyclic steam stimulation, are used to inject heat into the reservoirs, enabling flow to the well. The oil pumped to the surface is extremely hot. Standard PCPs, sucker rod pumps and Electrical Submersible Pumps (ESPs) are limited in terms of maximum operating temperature. Elastomer stators make standard progressing cavity pumps unsuitable for use at extremely hot temperatures, and other existing pump technologies are not as inherently efficient or reliable. Because of its all-metal design, the Vulcain provides the advantages and flexibility of PCP technology at extreme temperatures.

Subsea wellhead system

VetcoGray has introduced the MS-800 Fullbore Subsea Wellhead System for deepwater applications. With the capacity to withstand 8 million lb of load on the wellhead, it is designed for deepwater targets in regions such as the US Gulf of Mexico and offshore Brazil. The new system increases the casing load capacity to 2 million lb for the first-position casing hanger and the 16-in. casing hanger, while also increasing the pressure capacity for the 16-in. hanger from 6,500 to 10,000 psi. The company has also improved the load ring configuration on all three casing hangers of the MS-800 to improve actuation.

Protective coatings brochure

Mark Coatings, a division of Mark Tool & Rubber Co., has developed a brochure introducing its Coatings Division, which features a complete line of protective coatings. The company’s coatings products range from industrial-grade, high-performance, self-cleaning, marine and military coatings to water-based, architectural, floor and roof coatings.