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Vol. 232 No. 1 |
Small multi-orifice restrictor
The 156 Lee Bender Jet from The Lee Company is a miniature, lightweight restrictor that incorporates multiple orifices in series to lower fluid velocities and reduce the possibility of cavitation. Weighing 1.1 g, this multi-orifice restrictor offers a 21% weight savings over the 187 Bender Jet and is 17% smaller in diameter, resulting in a corresponding reduction in installation boss size and weight. Designed to meet the requirements of 5,000-psi systems, the restrictor is offered in eight standard Lohm rates, ranging from 1,900 to 9,500 Lohms, and is protected with two integral safety screens for bi-directional flow capability.
Mobile nitrogen rejection unit for nitrogen frac IACX Energy has built the world’s first trailer-mounted nitrogen rejection unit for nitrogen frac flowback applications. The mobile Nitrogen Sponge unit is comprised of five trailers and, when positioned onsite, measures 158 ft x 38 ft. The one critical downside of nitrogen frac stimulations is that nitrogen gas and large quantities of hydrocarbon gases must be flowed back and vented to the atmosphere until the gas quality grades to a level befitting conventional pipeline sales. This flowback period can last up to a couple of months, depending on the reservoir. The loss of hydrocarbons during flowback periods represents a meaningful economic and environmental liability for the producer, and the successful deployment of IACX’s mobile Nitrogen Sponge unit will help producers regain the otherwise lost value of vented, nitrogen-laden hydrocarbons while greatly reducing their overall carbon footprint.
Travel service for Mideast and Africa
Corporate travel management company Wings Travel Management has introduced sub-brands representing each of the sectors the company specializes in: Wings Offshore Travel, Wings Marine Travel and Wings Corporate Travel. Wings Travel Management offers specialized, unique support in the offshore, marine and general high end corporate travel. Wings provides a full range of services to the oil and gas industry, including arranging commercial air, charter, helicopter, car and hotel as well as assistance with visas and visitor regulations, on-location travel assistance, and itinerary coordination to remote locations. The company has launched a new Middle East operation in Dubai, with further expansion plans for Angola, Nigeria and Russia.
Intelligent pump monitoring Colfax Corp. has expanded its SmartSense intelligent pump monitoring line to include the new SmartSense Pulse. Measuring 2.4 in. long, 1.6 in. wide and 1.3 in. deep, the Pulse easily fits near the bearing on a pump to gauge temperature and vibration. LEDs on the unit indicate pump performance and provide preventive maintenance alerts when needed. The Pulse follows the introduction of the SmartSense system, whose larger control unit, 22 in. long, 20 in. wide and 10 in. deep, and additional sensors monitor pressure, wear, cavitation and integrity of the mechanical seal, as well as temperature and vibration.
Hardware-in-loop simulator for offshore rigs
Machinery control software is the leading cause of downtime and incidents aboard modern Gen 6 and Gen 7 deepwater rigs. Black box and fly-by-wire control systems are responsible for the majority of rig drive-offs, power blackouts and in-derrick collisions. Still, most new rigs come out of the shipyard with little or no testing of their software control packages.
A new solution utilizing hardware-in-loop (HIL) testing has been introduced by Marine Cybernetics. HIL testing is not new; it has been used routinely in mission-critical applications such as nuclear power and aviation. For the offshore industry, potential failures within a rig’s control packages can be identified and corrected before the vessel leaves the shipyard. HIL testing relies upon control system simulation. The subject control system and its operator stations are isolated from their normal surroundings; essentially, the HIL simulator tricks the control software into believing that it is operating within its normal environment. The simulator imitates all the surroundings (i.e., dynamic systems, actuators and sensors), responds to the control signals with appropriate feedback and provides realistic and consistent response measurements. The simulator performs systematic testing of the control system design philosophy, functionality, performance and failure-handling capability.
It is possible to run the test as soon as the OEM software control system has been produced, generally before the actual hardware has been fabricated or installed. Working externally and without the need to access the actual code, HIL testing looks for programming problems, logic conflicts and related errors that, if left unattended, might lay dormant until they manifest themselves offshore with costly consequences.
HIL testing is a complementary process to failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) and should be conducted in parallel with it. But HIL testing is not an analytical exercise; it is a hands-on validation of the rig’s software code, sensors and data communication systems. HIL testing is performed early and off rig, without putting machinery at risk, and also allows for complex testing of integrated, multi-vendor systems.
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