New products and services

Vol. 234 No. 8

Line wiping tool introduced for field gauges

U.S. Tape has introduced a new line wiping tool, designed specifically for use in the oil field. The Line Wiper tool features a lightweight frame, with replaceable rubber cylinders to enhance performance and cost-effectiveness. The wiper has a built-in trigger action that controls braking as the gauging line is wiped. With use, the Line Wiper can save companies money by reducing rag usage, and protecting the costly gauging equipment found in many field operations. The tool can also help users reduce the effort required to constantly maintain gauging tools. As an HSEE benefit, the Liner Wiper also helps avoid hand cuts.

ONYX 360 rolling PDC cutter offers extended durability

Smith Bits, a Schlumberger company, has released the ONYX 360 rolling polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) cutter. An industry first, this unique technology enables a PDC cutter to rotate 360° while drilling, significantly improving drill bit durability in abrasive formations,  and extending drill bit life and footage drilled per run. Strategically positioned in the highest wear areas of a drill bit’s cutting structure, the ONYX 360 rolling cutter uses its entire diamond edge to shear the formation as the bit rotates, thereby distributing wear over its full circumference. Comparatively, only a small fraction of the cutter edge is used in a conventional PDC bit. This rotation allows the cutter’s diamond edge to stay sharp longer, increasing penetration rates and extending drill bit life compared to premium, fixed, PDC cutter technology. The new PDC cutter’s 360° rotation also reduces frictional heat buildup, resulting in less wear and fewer bit replacement trips. In laboratory tests, the ONYX 360 rolling cutter was evaluated against a premium, fixed PDC cutter drilling a block of hard granite. After 90 passes on this test formation, the premium fixed cutter developed an extreme wear flat compared to the ONYX 360 rolling cutters, which showed virtually no sign of wear even after 540 passes.

Suite of services monitors water in completions process

Select Energy Services has launched AquaView, a suite of services that efficiently monitors water at various stages of the completions process through real-time, wireless technology. AquaView’s instant monitoring capabilities allow Select to respond immediately to on-site issues before emergencies arise. AquaView capabilities include pit and reservoir hydrographic surveys utilizing SONAR remote control and GPS real-time data; data delivered to a secure portal offering current and historical data; real-time water quality reporting; and mapping and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) support.

Drilling fluid system optimizes circulating pressure

Baker Hughes has recently introduced a drilling fluid system that aims to improve drilling economics by enabling operators to manage circulating pressure more efficiently. The MPRESS drilling fluid system allows operators to reduce their stand pipe pressure, and apply more horsepower to the BHA and drill bit, increasing rates of penetration and decreasing non-productive time. Baker Hughes recently commercialized the MPRESS system to reduce viscosity in the drillstring, while optimizing viscosity in the annulus, for more efficient cuttings transport. The pressure saved in the drillstring can be used to increase flowrate, provide more power to motors and bits, and save wear and tear on surface equipment. Combined with other Baker Hughes technologies, such as the Autotrak Curve rotary steerable system and Talon high-efficiency PDC bits, the MPRESS system enables highly efficient drilling of challenging lateral sections found in unconventional reservoirs.

Drilling fluid system optimizes circulating pressure

Baker Hughes has recently introduced a drilling fluid system that aims to improve drilling economics by enabling operators to manage circulating pressure more efficiently. The MPRESS drilling fluid system allows operators to reduce their stand pipe pressure, and apply more horsepower to the BHA and drill bit, increasing rates of penetration and decreasing non-productive time. Baker Hughes recently commercialized the MPRESS system to reduce viscosity in the drillstring, while optimizing viscosity in the annulus, for more efficient cuttings transport. The pressure saved in the drillstring can be used to increase flowrate, provide more power to motors and bits, and save wear and tear on surface equipment. Combined with other Baker Hughes technologies, such as the Autotrak Curve rotary steerable system and Talon high-efficiency PDC bits, the MPRESS system enables highly efficient drilling of challenging lateral sections found in unconventional reservoirs.

Ultra-fire-resistant cables designed for shipboard, offshore settings

Prysmian Group has introduced a new range of ultra-fire-resistant power, control and instrumentation cables for use in marine businesses. The product line, called Seaflame, was designed to withstand the specialized types of situations found in both shipboard and offshore applications. Developed by Prysmian’s engineering and product development team, Seaflame combines technical features and design requirements to meet and exceed the most rigorous, stringent, fire resistance testing standards, including mechanical shock and water simulations. The applied testing protocol required that all tests be performed on the same, single cable lengths. The products withstood temperatures that reached 1,050° C, over a period of 180 to 360 min., with mechanical shock applied every five min., and additional water spraying and water jetting. Seaflame is fully industrialized and patented, and has already received approval by all major classification bodies, including Lloyd’s Register, RIINA and others.

Web tool tracks hurricane path over energy infrastructure

U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is introducing interactive maps that combine real-time data feeds from the National Hurricane Center, with more than 20 map layers showing the nation’s energy infrastructure and resources. This new tool, available on the EIA website, allows users to better see, and understand, the potential impact of a storm. Every year, hurricanes affect the nation’s energy infrastructure, especially when storm paths traverse offshore production rigs and pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico, coastal refineries, power plants, and critical energy import and export sites.

LWD service is less sensitive to noise, improves measurement accuracy

Sperry Drilling, a Halliburton business line, has the introduced the XBAT Azimuthal Sonic and Ultrasonic logging-while-drilling service. The XBAT LWD service delivers accurate acoustic measurements in a wide range of formations via sensors and electronics that are much less sensitive to drilling noise, and have a wider frequency response. The result is a greater signal-to-noise ratio that enables better measurements, even in noisy drilling environments and poor hole conditions. With more than 100 successful runs, the XBAT LWD service has delivered accurate measurements in formations from Brunei to Brazil, and has been tested extensively in the challenging environments of the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.