New products and services

Vol. 234 No. 12

Ball-activated frac sleeve for horizontal completions

TEAM Oil Tools has developed the ORIO XL, a ball-activated frac sleeve utilized in multi-stage completions. Designed for 5.5-in. production casing, this technology gives operators the ability to frac extended reach, horizontal wells in a more efficient manner, by stimulating a single cluster at a time, versus several, ensuring that proppant is getting into every cluster, increasing the possibility of greater production. This frac sleeve allows for the completion of laterals in excess of 10,000 ft. TEAM Oil Tools will began taking orders for the ORIO XL this quarter.

Two new alloy steel grades

The Timken Company has introduced 4130HW and 4140HW grades of high-performance alloy steel that meet AISI4130 and 4140 standards. These products expand upon their energy offerings portfolio, especially for HPHT applications. Typical applications for 4130HW steel include oil and gas drilling and completion equipment, such as packers, liner hanger components, drilling jars and fishing tools.

Plunger design evens out erratic production

Multi Products Company has introduced its new Steady-Flo plunger for wells that produce high volumes of fluid, but lack sufficient gas energy to drive fluid evacuation. The plunger incorporates a through-bore design, which allows the plunger to find a hydrostatic equilibrium point in the wellbore by slipping fluid as the plunger rises. With this design, the plunger utilizes the well’s available energy to produce an even amount of fluid on each plunger cycle.

Multidimensional cutter extends life, feet per run

Baker Hughes Inc. has made available its StayCool multidimensional cutter, which helps operators drill to TD faster, and more cost-effectively, by extending cutter life and footage per run. Used exclusively on the Hughes Christensen Talon platform of premium PDC bits, these cutters incorporate a contoured diamond table, wear-resistant diamond materials and new interface designs. The cutter’s patent-pending contoured design reduces friction, maintains a sharper cutting edge throughout the bit run, and reduces MSE. In testing, the cutters generated 20% less heat on the cutter face than conventional flat-surface cutters.

Online marketplace for multiple-source seismic data

In response to demand for seismic data, Katalyst has released SeismicZone. This transaction-based e-commerce website gives users access to current seismic data available across North America, stored digitally in secure infrastructure. As opposed to the traditional model for licensing seismic data, SeismicZone expedites the process by allowing geoscientists to view available seismic data 24/7, and select areas of quality-checked data to license, all through a map interface. Users can access volumes of quality-controlled data, with corresponding metadata, in an open, online environment.

Elastomer tested to API standards

Freudenberg Oil & Gas Technologies has developed new NBR elastomer compounds that have been incorporated into its spherical elements and ram block product offerings. The new NBR compounds were used in the company’s 135/8-in. spherical element, and were tested according to the API 16A standard for BOP elastomer components. Initial results showed the element exceeding the fatigue test.

Heavy-duty landing system for ultra-deep water

Vallourec Drilling Products has developed a heavy-duty landing system that provides the ability to set and run larger, heavier casing strings in ultra-deepwater wells. The new product, called CrushFree Landing String, consists of a pipe with a thick-walled, high-strength material section, to ensure slip-crush resistance in the slip area, as well as a lightweight tube and rotary-shouldered connections.

Multipole sonic-while-drilling service for large boreholes

Schlumberger has released the SonicScope multipole sonic-while-drilling service for wells with large boreholes. The service provides high-fidelity measurements to determine formation pore pressure and breakout limits, to improve drilling risk management. It has been field-tested globally, including multiple deepwater locations, such as the GOM, West Africa, East Africa, Brazil, the North Sea and Australia. More than 150 runs have been conducted successfully in well boreholes, ranging from 10½ in. to 17½ in. Data obtained with the service have proven to be valuable components of a real-time workflow that identifies geological layers, and adjusts the mud weight window accordingly, to improve drilling risk management.

Christmas tree for harsh conditions

The Ashcroft Type 1020S pressure gauge is designed specifically for monitoring pressures on Christmas tree control assemblies on top of oil and gas wellheads. This 4½-in.-diameter gauge is constructed with a stainless steel exterior and wetted parts, to resist the potentially damaging effects of petroleum pressure media.

New downhole fluid analysis service

Halliburton has introduced its Integrated Computational Element (ICE Core) downhole fluid analysis service, including applications in deep water, exploration, sample validation, and fluid analysis between samples. The technology can also be employed where flow assurance is an issue; when mapping waterfloods; when determining reservoir connectivity; when determining compositional grading of reservoir fluids; and to see if fluids are changing. ICE Core works via light shining through downhole fluids, and then through the individual ICE Core sensors. Each sensor is programmed to recognize the chemical nature—or optical fingerprint—of a specific fluid component, such as ethane, propane, aromatics, saturates or water.

Drive train advances vessel propulsion

The Switch, a Finnish manufacturer of permanent magnet motors, generators and converters, has launched its next-generation drivetrains for energy-efficient power generation and propulsion of vessels, including those in offshore oil and gas applications. Based on permanent magnet (PM) technology, the electrical drivetrains provide advanced control, with a permanent magnet motor and a frequency converter as the major components.