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Vol. 229 No. 11 |
Halliburton has opened a new research and development laboratory for the next generation of Swell Technology products in Stavanger, Norway. The growing complexity of well designs in harsher environments has increased the need for the technology, and the expanded 8,000-sq-ft laboratory, one of Halliburton’s Centers of Excellence, will triple the company’s capacity to design, test and qualify new swellable-technology products. In addition, the laboratory is designed to expand upon Halliburton’s collaboration with its customers during the design, testing and qualifying stages.
Bornemann Pumps, a specialist in multiphase pumps and Multiphase Boosting Systems (MBS), is extending its subsea activities with a three-year MBS research project that is partly sponsored by the German government. The main focus of the project is on increasing knowledge about long-distance power transmission and speed control for the multiphase pump as well as on designing a multiphase twin-screw motor to generate power from the well flow. Other issues being investigated are the development of a Multi-phase Jet Booster (MJB), to be used as a first-stage wet-gas compressor, and the interaction of subsea environments and pumping systems. The precompression of the gas will allow either the handling of a much greater volume with existing equipment or performance of the same job with smaller and less costly equipment. Depending on the process conditions, the MJB can increase the system efficiency up to 100%. In 2009 there will be the vertical installation of a small twin-screw multiphase pump in combination with a Voith torque converter. This combination will offer several advantages, such as: simplified unloaded startup of the motor, simplified warmup procedure, full speed range for the pump, smooth transmission of pump load peaks to the motor and the electrical power supply system, and full subsea control of the pump speed and the production flowrate.
The second stage of development will include a 1-MW prototype, planned to be ready in 2009. It will involve a double-pressure-compensated design with an oil-filled but water-tolerant motor cartridge. It will be rated for 5,000 psi and 2,000-m water depth.
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Subsea pumps being installed in the Gulf of Mexico.
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A subsidiary of Natco Group Inc. has acquired Connor Sales Company Inc., a provider of oilfield equipment and services to customers in the Williston Basin and Bakken Oil Shale of North Dakota, for about $37 million in cash. Natco Group Inc. is a provider of wellhead process equipment, systems and services to the oil and gas industry.
The Texas Alliance of Energy Producers received the “Association of the Year Award” from Energy Advocates during the 2008 annual International Energy Policy Conference (IEPC). The Alliance, which has 3,148 members in 28 states, is the largest state oil and gas association in the nation. It primarily represents independent oil and gas companies that have production in Texas.
BJ Services Co. announced that it has formalized its global Shale Technology team, a group focused on the research, development and delivery of shale technology solutions to customers operating in shale oil and gas reservoirs. This group will support BJ’s regional teams currently in place throughout the US and Canada and add new technologies to the company’s arsenal as they are identified. Based at the corporate Technology and Research Center in Tomball, Texas, the team is comprised of geological, geomechanical and engineering services, focusing on understanding the reservoir stresses and rock-pore system properties before recommending a fit-for-purpose completion technique.
Superior Well Services Inc. has entered into a definitive asset purchase agreement to acquire certain oilfield service assets from Diamondback Holdings LLC, a privately owned company. Superior will acquire Diamondback’s pressure pumping, fluid logistics and completion, production and rental tools business lines for $270 million in cash. As part of the acquisition, Superior will acquire an additional 128,000 stimulation horsepower, 105 fluid-hauling transports and trucks, 400 frac tanks and six water-disposal wells. After the transaction, Superior will operate a total of 416,000 stimulation horsepower, an increase of 44%.
Petroleum Development Corporation (PDC) announced that it is moving its official corporate headquarters to Denver, Colo., effective March 2009. PDC is an independent oil and gas company focused in the Rocky Mountains, with additional operations in the Appalachian and Michigan Basins.
Mining Oil Inc. has entered into a participation agreement to acquire certain working interests held by Jurasin Oil & Gas Inc. of Houston and its affiliate, Rampant Lion Energy, LLC, in two prospects. These include 11 drilling locations in south Louisiana and another five drilling locations in the shallow waters offshore Mustang Island, Texas. Both properties were originally developed over 20 years ago by major oil companies at a time when the petroleum price environment was much lower than it is today.
Valerus Compression Services has formed a partnership with Geoterra Ltda., a Brazil-based company that supports gas compression, treating and processing services. Valerus has opened an office in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Hamburg, Germany-based Germanischer Lloyd Group has acquired Material Consulting Services Inc. (MCS). MCS provides quality assurance and quality control services to the oil and gas industry, focusing on the upstream sector, and is a specialist in downhole equipment and tubular goods. Established in 2000, the company operates from its headquarters in Houston and further locations in Lafayette, La., Muskogee, Okla., and Dubai.
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