New products

Vol. 234 No. 3

Reaming system reliably lands casing and liners

Aberdeen-based Deep Casing Tools completed its first operation in the Norwegian North Sea, with a successful 21-hr reaming run. Two conventional attempts to run a 7-in. liner to total depth (TD) had been unsuccessful in the Statoil-operated Gullfaks satellite well, resulting in the liner hanging up, hundreds of m from TD.  The problem was caused by borehole instability and severe washout in the weak shales, coals and notorious paleosols of the area.  The Gullfaks team successfully drilled the sidetrack, using Low Energy Drilling Operations (LEDO) principles and ran the liner, with the Turbocaser Express as a contingency against wellbore obstructions. The technology is a high-speed drillable reaming system that enables drilling teams to land casings and intermediate liners at target depth on the first attempt.

Real-time system monitors fatigue, acquires data

Pulse Structural Monitoring, an Acteon company, has introduced its DrillASSURE system for enhanced real-time monitoring and data acquisition for wellhead and conductor fatigue. The system ensures the structural integrity of the drilling riser and wellhead system. It measures riser and riser stack motion response to accurately track structural integrity of the riser and wellhead system; offers real-time direct access to the riser response data without needing to recover the instruments; and enables operators to view and analyze information instantly. The tool mitigates risk of damage to the riser and wellhead during riser installation and retrieval, and tracks fatigue loading on the wellhead and conductor, thereby extending asset life. The system also improves understanding of the relationship between riser response and environmental loading, thus increasing confidence and assurance to maximize drilling uptime. In addition, it helps drillers reduce unnecessary costs and operational downtime by optimizing maintenance and inspection activities. In the current environment with offshore operations venturing into increasingly harsh environments, the technology critical information needed to improve decision making.

Static mixer targeted to gas well fracing

Westfall Manufacturing Company has introduced a three-stage static mixer for mobile gas well fracing rigs that provides thorough mixing with low head loss. It can be delivered on-site within two weeks. The Westfall Model 3050 3-Stage Mixer consists of a length of pipe with three sets of tabbed fins inside that feature a precise geometry and are radially disposed to provide thorough mixing with low head loss.  Ideally suited for mobile gas well fracing rigs, a 16-in., three-stage, 5-ft long mixer dissolves peracetic acid into influent water at 4,620 gal/min. Easy to install in-line, the Westfall Model 3050 3-Stage Mixer produces a 1.64-K value and a typical CoV of 0.014.  Fabricated from carbon or stainless steel, with or without a Teflon coating, it can be supplied in pipe diameters from ½ in. to 120 in.  Clog-resistant and maintenance-free, these mixers are suited for any mixing application requiring low head loss.

Next-generation flex joint cleaning tool

Seanic is building a second Flex Joint Cleaning Tool.  The first Flex Joint Cleaning Tool was designed and built specifically for a major oil company in 2007.  Since that time, Seanic has been responsible for storing, maintaining and operating that tool in the field on the company’s behalf. The tool was originally designed to effectively remove excessive marine growth, where the ball and socket meet, allowing for optimal inspection of the elastomer material.  Once cleaned, the high-definition still photography and video collected will allow for 3D modeling, if any anomalies are found.  The new tool can accommodate pipeline diameters ranging from 6 in. to 24 in., and given the innovative deployment system, the tool can be used with any of the standard work-class ROVs. 

Harsh environment IMR vessel 

The Seven Viking vessel, co-owned by Subsea 7 and Eidesvik, and constructed in partnership with Ulstein, is designed for operations in the harshest environments. The next-generation Inspection, Maintenance and Repair (IMR) ICE-C class vessel, with a crew capacity of 90 and a top speed of 17 knots, will work for Statoil on a five-year contract. It has been custom-built, according to the operator’s specifications, to carry out tasks including inspection, maintenance and repair of subsea installations, in addition to scale treatment and Ready For Operations (RFO) work scopes.

API-compliant wellhead connector series

Based on the highly successful Metal Shell Series connector range, SEA CON’s API connectors comply with the API 6A (specification for Wellhead and Christmas Tree Equipment), API 16D (specification for Control Systems for Drilling Well Control Equipment and Control Systems for Diverter Equipment) and API 17E (specification for subsea umbilicals) standards. Manufactured from 316 stainless steel with glass filled epoxy inserts and copper alloy gold plated contacts, this connector range has a voltage rating of 600 VDC and a pressure rating of 10,000 psi (approx. 22,500 ft/7,000 m).

Inspection camera offers wide-angle, full-HD video downhole

Calidus Engineering is focusing on development of new CaliCAM downhole camera tools that  give engineers access to wide-angle, full-HD video images of boreholes. For the first time, engineers can see ‘live’ images of the well, enabling visual confirmation of inspection points. Until now, obtaining downhole images has been a laborious task of finding and repeatedly passing inspection points, to take still images of the well wall in sections by rotating a mirror or prism placed in front of the camera, to give a complete picture. The CaliCAM uses a wide-angle lens to give a more thorough inspection; the entire inside of the well is recorded, rather than just one part of it.  All images are recorded in a single run, in full-HD video rather than still images, significantly reducing downhole inspection times. Designed to withstand temperatures up to 125°C, the CaliCAM downhole camera comprises a color, full high-definition sensor housed in a heat-resistant Dewar flask. The 2.25-in. diameter tool includes a 4-arm roller centralizer. Video is transmitted to the surface at 5fps over E-line. Higher resolution video is recorded onto a PC-compatible, 32GB SD card, providing at least 5 hr of recording, for later download via Ethernet.