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Vol. 225 No. 7 |
Geographic text search
MetaCarta has introduced the geOdrive geographic text search solution to help knowledge workers locate unstructured text documents, then place them on a map, according to geographic relevance. Geoscientists can locate documents stored in a shared drive, company intranet or corporate portal using filters such as locations, keywords and time parameters. The software uses a parsing engine to determine and display the spatial location of documents on a GIS map. In addition, the program utilizes MetaCarta's gazetteer, an index of millions of names and locations used to determine geographic relevance. It includes publicly available, industry-specific terms, such as blocks, quadrants and leases, and worldwide gas fields and sedimentary basins.
Oilfield products catalog
 Lufkin Oilfield Products Group offers the latest update to its General Catalog. Containing detailed specifications in a comprehensive tabular format, as well as cross-sectional drawings, the catalog covers the company's complete line of pumping units. Included are conventional crank-balanced units, the Mark II Unitorque pumping units with lower peak torque and horsepower requirements, and the air-balanced units, which used compressed air instead of cast iron counterweights to control counterbalance. Also presented are the Reverse Mark units with reduced torque and power requirements, the Churchill Beam Balanced units for shallow wells, and special application pumping units for low-profile and trailer-mounted applications. Lufkin's other parts and services are discussed, along with detailed line drawings, photographs and tables.
Detect connection leaks quickly
The Pressure Signature Tracer (PST) developed by Bilco Tools in cooperation with NASA engineers at Los Alamos, New Mexico, can detect probable leaks within seconds of applying pressure to a connection. The tool incorporates a lightweight fixture that can be attached to a tubular connection and, using displacement sensors, gauges the amount of distortion caused by pressure. Displacement, pressure and time data are analyzed and displayed graphically. A good connection produces a predictable graphic signature, and a potential leaking connection produces a distorted signature. The PST was developed because of false positives generated by slow leaks of thread and lubricant seals during short tests. The two basic mediums for testing, water and gas, are often inadequate because water does not penetrate dope seals quickly enough to be detected in a short test, and small gas leaks can take 5 – 15 minutes to be reliably determined using gas detectors and gas traps.
First DC-powered subsea production system
 Cameron has launched CameronDC™, the first DC-powered subsea production system. Until now, subsea output has relied on hydraulics and electro-hydraulic controls to actuate valves. However, hydraulics are less responsive and less efficient when production is in deeper waters, and at greater distances from host facilities. To answer operators' requests for greater reliability and up-time availability in subsea production, this all-electric system eliminates both hydraulics and electro-hydraulics. Some traditional subsea components have been simplified, and others are no longer needed. CameronDC features a simpler control pod with fewer components, and an improved choke response that offers greater precision, more accurate data and a faster response time. Because there are no hydraulics to be cleaned and maintained, it is a much simpler system. With no risk of hydraulic fluids being released, it is also environmentally friendly. The device should provide 99-plus% uptime availability, compared to 97% to 98% with typical hydraulic systems. The company recently conducted wet trials on the system with BP in the UK North Sea.
Portable project environment
AVEVA, a supplier of engineering IT systems for the offshore, formed a marketing alliance with BARCO Simulation, the imaging technology specialists, which will allow AVEVA customers, using its Review product for high-end rendered visualization on large 3D models, to benefit from preferential rates on BARCO TRACET visual display units. Users of AVEVA's VANTAGE Plant Design Review solution can take full advantage of the affordable portable visual display unit, which can be used in well-lit rooms with active 3D stereo display. The TRACET unit is scalable, enabling multiple applications to be displayed with a bright image. The BARCO unit is also suited to AVEVA's VNET web-enabled collaboration and integration solutions that will help bring information together for globally dispersed project offices. The alliance will enable both companies to demonstrate their respective products at industry events.
Free-fall lifeboat
 The new SC59FF free-fall lifeboat from Survival Craft Inspectorate is a cost-effective safety system for vessels, tankers and offshore platforms. By optimizing the interior layout of the new 5.9-m lifeboat, designers have achieved a 25-passenger capacity in a lifeboat occupying the same deck footprint as a boat designed for 22 people. The lifeboat exceeds SOLAS regulations and is capable of meeting demanding conditions. Simplified maintenance requirements ensure that the ship or platform operator does not have unnecessarily large annual service costs over the many years that the lifeboat can be expected to remain in service. Constructed from corrosion-resistant materials, the hull and canopy are molded from GRP. The lifeboat is launched and recovered using a hydraulic ramp and is capable of providing a rapid escape from heights up to 13 meters. The fire-protected version of the SC59FF is equipped with an external water spray and an internal compressed air supply. The lifeboat also incorporates integral buoyancy, making it fully self-righting even if heavily damaged.
Environmentally friendly drilling fluid
Baker Hughes INTEQ Drilling Fluids has introduced PERFORMAX high-performance water-base drilling fluid. The fluid is designed to deliver drilling characteristics of emulsion-base products without sacrificing environmental compliance. Drilling benefits of the system include improved shale inhibition (reduced pore pressure transmission), increased cuttings integrity, increased ROP and reduced torque and drag. Since its introduction, PERFORMAX fluid has been used on a broad range of drilling applications including onshore, continental shelf and deepwater projects. Highlights from these wells include: Penetration rates averaging 90 ft/hr with both PDC and rock bits; low dilution rates and high solids removal; friction factors equivalent to emulsion-base mud; minimum bit balling and accretion; and rigtime savings during cleanup for completions vs. emulsion muds. The fluids have been used in combination with rotary steerable drilling systems, which permit operators to reach target objectives at high ROP and high inclination in environmentally sensitive areas.
Camera running tool
 To give engineers the ability to capture visual data while drill pipe is being run, EV Offshore has teamed up with engineering design company Pilot Drilling Control to introduce a new camera running tool. The Drill Pipe Running Tool, with integral flush-through capability, makes it possible to attach the CamScan EVO2 to drill pipe so that, in addition to downhole pressure, temperature and other essential downhole data, engineers can access conditions visually in real time with a black-and-white low-light camera and a high-definition color camera. This enables operations to be carried out with greater accuracy and confidence. The system makes it possible to download pictures and short movies from the camera to a memory stick, from which they are transferred onto a PC for emailing to shore.
Current forecasting service
Ocean FOCUS, an ocean circulation forecasting service for the Gulf of Mexico and oil and gas provinces worldwide, provides reliable, detailed ocean information for exploration, drilling, construction and production activities. The service helps reduce capital expenditures, operating costs, downtime and scheduling changes while enhancing operational efficiency, safety and planning effectiveness. Ocean FOCUS was developed by Ocean Numerics, a joint venture company involved with circulation modeling since 2000. For the Gulf of Mexico, the service will be provided by Fugro GEOS. The Ocean FOCUS standard service offers current velocity maps, animations and recent satellite images at various zoom levels. Also offered is an interpretative forecast of site-specific behavior, complemented by forecast current time series charts at selectable levels through the water column and forecast current velocity profiles. All information is disseminated by a secure web site, or by email or fax.
High-ROP PDC bits
The ARCS (Alternating Radius Curvature Stabilization) series of PDC bits from Smith Bits improves PDC performance by redefining and optimizing the relationships between ROP, stabilization, and durability. The bits use multiple-sized PDC cutting elements to define a unique cutting structure (cutter layout) that is governed by stringent geometric conditions and relationships. Because of differences in curvature, ARCS cutting elements establish highly scalloped bottomhole patterns, enhancing stabilization, without requiring adjacent cutters to be widely spaced, which would reduce ROP. Axial and radial diamond volumes are improved on the bit. Large cutters provide maximum diamond volume due to higher exposure, and small cutters provide maximum radial diamond volume due to cutter density.
Real-time LWD
Schlumberger Oilfield Services' SonicVISION sonic-while-drilling tool provides both enhanced real-time log data quality and improved tool reliability and functionality. This logging-while-drilling (LWD) tool delivers high-quality, real-time acoustic travel time data that can be applied to many drilling scenarios, including pore pressure prediction, drilling process optimization, stress and rock strength determination, formation gas and gas-influx detection, and bit-on-seismic positioning. Features include a real-time projection log, typically only available in memory, which enables the sonic information to be labeled in real time at the surface and interpreted by a remote expert. Combinable with all Schlumberger LWD systems, the sonicVISION tool is available in 6-, 8- and 9-in. collar sizes
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