New products

Vol. 234 No. 1

Industry’s largest land-based coiled tubing unit

Weatherford introduces its new Intrepid coiled tubing unit, which offers an operational depth of up to 30,000 ft of 2-in. coiled tubing, and up to 25,000 ft of 23/8-in. coiled tubing. The unit will be the world’s largest coiled tubing unit designed for land-based operations. Its extended reach capability was designed to satisfy operational requirements, as operators seek to reach further into horizontal wells while improving hydraulics and weight transfer. The company expects the design to exceed current limitations of conventional coiled tubing units, allowing for the expedient completion of deeper wells. The technology features real-time fatigue monitoring capability and on-board tubular inspection technology that carries out full inspection of the coiled tubing in real time during each trip, in and out of the wellbore. The unit’s spread contains all of the pressure control and pumping equipment required to execute milling operations at pressures as high as 15,000 psi.

DNV launches a design framework for floating structures in ice

DNV and key industry players have developed an enhanced design framework for such structures in ice-covered Arctic waters, adapted from existing and established design practices used for open waters in other harsh areas. To ensure a common, transparent and documented approach to achieving acceptable safety levels for offshore structures in cold-climate regions, a DNV-led joint industry project, ICESTRUCT, has since 2009 worked to develop a designer-friendly and reliable framework based on the ISO 19906 Arctic Offshore Structure standard. This JIP has developed a methodology for determining ice load effects. Rather than having a specific custom-made Arctic design practice for ice loads, the methodology developed in the JIP is consistent with existing methods for determining other environmental load effects. Consequently, the existing offshore design practice that has been used for several decades in the North Sea and elsewhere can be used for the design of offshore floating structures in ice.

Shearing blind ram fully shuts off well

Variable Bore Rams, Inc. (VBR) has added the Hydril shearing blind ram to its offerings. Manufactured by Hydril, the ram can completely shut off a well after pipe has been sheared. It is recommended for all applications using 95/8-in. pipe and below, and available in sizes 183/4-10M and 183/4-15M. The ram is American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and Det Norske Veritas (DNV) certified. As an added advantage, interchangeable shearing blades separate this product from competing rams.