New products

Vol. 227 No. 3

Hover barge for wetlands

Hovertrans, Inc. has developed the world’s largest hover barge (air-cushion barge). Capable of a 330-ton payload, it provides a stable drilling and equipment platform. Measuring 170 x 90 ft and weighing 900 gross tons, the barge is capable of accessing environmentally sensitive wetlands without causing any terrain damage. Hover height is 4 ft, and the barge exerts only 1 psi of ground pressure. It features a 40 x 10-ft keyway slot, which allows it to move away from the wellhead once drilling is complete.

Rigless intervention   BJ Tubular Services’ environmentally friendly hydraulic Rigless Intervention System reduces the time and expense of installing conductors by pre-installing them prior to arrival of the drilling rig, using the system to handle and drive them with hydrohammers. For conductor extraction, the system speeds up the process of abandoning multiple wells on fixed platforms. The Rigless Intervention System operates like a modular mini-derrick. It can be broken down into sections that are then transported by road and on average-size supply vessels. The sections are small enough so that a platform crane can easily lift them from a boat and assemble the system on the platform. Once set up, it performs tasks similar to that of a drilling rig – lifting, pulling, driving and running pipe. It can have a power swivel installed that extends the capabilities for well intervention purposes. Much lighter than a conventional workover rig, the system features a 76-ft mast, and has a split block capable of lifting 250 tons. It can handle pipe measuring up to 36-in. diameter, with all inner strings cemented inside the conductor, and can remove 50-ft conductor sections at a time. By pinning the conductor section and lifting it with slings, less time is required to carry out the extraction process.

High horsepower pumps

The Oilgear Company’s PVK open-loop axial piston pumps provide medium-to-high horsepower for high-performance applications. With a large selection of controls that can be readily interchanged, the pumps are available in three displacements and multiple frame sizes. They have a hardened cylinder surface running on a hardened valve plate, providing greater resistance to contamination. Cylinder-mounted polymerous journal bearings provide infinite bearing life and contribute to the unit’s compact design. Polymerous bearings on the swashblock and saddle permit consistent control reaction and eliminate yoke bearings. Steel shoes run along the swashblock surface to provide more contaminate resistance.

Real-time drillstring telemetry

Grant Prideco announced the commercial launch of the IntelliServ Network, a reliable, high-speed, real-time drillstring telemetry system. This technology transforms the drillstring into an advanced information tool that enables instantaneous bi-directional communication between downhole tools and surface. The IntelliServ Network provides drilling engineers and geologists with access to critical information at speeds up to 57,000 bits per second, more than 10,000 times faster than current mud pulse telemetry technology. In addition, the network has the capability to support data acquisition from multiple locations distributed along the drillstring. Commands from surface or between downhole devices can be sent, received and acted upon instantaneously to significantly improve monitoring and measurement of all vital data during downhole operations. When run in parallel with a mud pulse device, full telemetry redundancy reduces the risk of data transmission loss.

Mass spectrometry

Agilent Technologies Inc. announced the introduction of a portfolio of chromatography-based mass spectrometry (LC/MS) systems, which are used to identify organic compounds and contaminants through analysis of their ion fragments. The new Agilent 6000 Series LC/MS portfolio includes five classes of instruments, including the company’s first triple quadrupole (triple quad) and quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) mass spectrometers. The 6000 Series also includes improved versions of Agilent’s single quadrupole, ion trap and time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometers. Each of the new instruments includes three unique features: Autotune technology, which automatically calibrates the instrument with a mouse click, optimizing for sensitivity and mass accuracy; compatibility with Agilent’s multimode source and HPLC-Chip technology; and integrated LC and MS software for a single point of instrument control and data analysis.

Valve sizing and selection

Flowserve Corp. has launched version 9.3.0 of Performance!, the company’s control valve sizing and selection software. Performance! employs industry-standard ISA sizing equations, among other measures, to specify Flowserve control valves and similar competing valve products. Among the new features in this version are additions to the program’s product and options database, as well as improvements to the software engine to increase its speed and ease-of-use. Also enhanced in 9.3.0 is the program’s valve noise calculations function. The software calculates noise based on the latest IEC standard. Offering detailed valve specification information, such as materials, accessories, actuators, positioners, and other options in its database, the software provides specifying engineers with complete valve sizing data, including flow, pressure, cavitation and documentation requirements. The program is organized using a tab system that allows users to quickly add and alter the many options required for a valve application. Performance! is built on a Sybase database engine that allows valve records to be isolated by user and project. It includes support for 76 individual valve models and 29 actuator models.

Power slip system

Den-Con Tool Co. has added the FG-5 Power Slip System to its line of Flex-Grip tools. The FG-5 is a flush-mounted power slip for 27-1/2-in. and larger rotary tables that is designed to handle drill pipe, drill collars, casing and tubing in the 9-5/8-in. to 2-3/8-in. range. The tool can be modified to run workover pipe with umbilicals. It is hydraulically actuated and can be supplied with manual pipe guides or a hydraulically actuated pipe-centering device.

Fuel-saving hull coating

Ecospeed from Subsea Industries is a hull coating that uses glass flake lining technology, incorporating extremely small glass particles into a matrix of carrier resins. The end product is an extremely smooth surface that significantly reduces friction and fuel consumption. It is extremely tough, non-toxic and does not flake or easily peel off. Testing was carried out at the Flanders Hydraulics Institute in Antwerp, Belgium, using three identical metal plates, each 5 m long. These were coated with three different systems – a conventional smooth hull paint, an unconditioned Ecospeed coating and a conditioned Ecospeed coating. Each plate was run through the testing tank simulating a vessel hull moving through water. The plate with the unconditioned Ecospeed showed an average 7.7% decrease in frictional resistance compared with the conventional system. The plate with the conditioned Ecospeed was more significant, with an average 9.3% decrease in frictional resistance. This decreases fuel consumption between 3.0% and 3.7%.

Thermostable PDC cutters

ReedHycalog has introduced the new Raptor cutters, the latest generation in the company’s line of thermostable PDC technology, designed to stay sharper longer and drill farther, faster. The Raptor design takes ReedHycalog’s TReX technology and applies it to the complete outer surface of the polycrystalline diamond, whereas TReX cutters only feature thermostable PDC on the front face of the cutter. When a Raptor cutter starts to wear, it forms a distinct dual lip in the thermostable, ultra-wear-resistant layer, which significantly increases contact stress at the rock interface, providing a higher rate of penetration. The cutters are 200% more heat-tolerant and 400% more abrasion-resistant than the highest-grade PDC material.

Earth modeling and geosteering tool

Earth Decision Sciences and Aramco Overseas Company B.V. announced the commercial launch of GeoMorph, a new real-time earth modeling and geosteering tool. The software integrates real-time well log data and interpretation, and updates earth model structural and stratigraphic attributes within minutes of penetration. Originally developed by Saudi Aramco, GeoMorph has been integrated into the GOCAD software suite by Earth Decision and applied successfully on Saudi Arabia’s Ghawar oil field and others. The product shortens rig downtime by enabling models to be re-interpreted in minutes and hours, rather than days and weeks.

Visualization for HPHT drilling

GeoPressure Technology Ltd has developed a software suite that manages and visualizes pressure data for drilling in HPHT conditions. PressureView is a pressure database and interpretation software that enables users to conduct a pressure analysis with a range of single- and multi-well plots, including pressure-depth, mud weight-depth and overpressure-depth, with power to zoom in and out, and interrogate large datasets. Data input can come from in-house data or commercial compilation. PressureViewExpress is designed for drillers, engineers and geologists who want data input from file and cut-and-pasting from external spreadsheets, an upper limit of 64 wells, and rapid results. The software is suitable for projects with relatively modest numbers of wells, where pressure and depth units vary.