New products

Vol. 228 No. 3

Monobore expandable liner extension system

For years, the industry has sought to prove the feasibility of monobore expandable liner extensions as an alternative to conventional casing designs. The goal is to enable the operator to drill deeper exploration and production wells with larger hole sizes at the reservoir. If necessary, the operator can isolate zones that contain reactive shales, subsalt environments, low-fracture-gradient formations or other drilling situations without having to reduce the casing and subsequent drilled hole size into the reservoir.

The linEXX Solid Expandable System is a collaborative development between Baker Oil Tools and BP. It was successfully installed in a commercial well in southeast Oklahoma. Deployment included an RC9-R recess shoe run on the 9 5/8-in. parent casing string, FORMlock expandable hanger/packer, 36 joints of 8.0-in. by 0.345-in. wall expandable liner and an RNX guide shoe. Expansion of the liner was accomplished utilizing the catEXX expansion tool system. The linEXX system features one-trip, top-down expansion to extend the prior 9 5/8-in. casing string while maintaining the full drift ID of the parent casing, i.e., 8½-in.

First, a contingency recess shoe was installed on the 9 5/8-in. parent casing at 2,588 ft. Then, 1,514 ft of 8.0-in. expandable liner were run in-hole and positively located in the previously installed recess shoe profile. The hanger and liner were expanded through their full length, and the guide shoe was retrieved, in a single trip. The string was expanded 18% to 8.625 in., nominal ID and 8½in., drift ID. The liner was pressure-tested, the circulating sleeve in the recess shoe was shifted open, and the expanded liner was cemented in place using a K-1 cement retainer, with returns taken through the ports of the RC9-R recess shoe. The retainer and cement were then drilled out. Drilling continued below the shoe at 4,020 ft with rotary steerable directional tools. Plans call for isolating the linEXX system with production casing before completing the well.

Airborne natural gas leak detection

The Boreal Laser system for natural gas leak detection, developed by ATS, was evaluated by the Rocky Mountain Oilfield Testing Center (RMOTC). Throughout the test, ATS's helicopter-based laser system consistently detected pipeline methane leaks. Both large and small leaks were detected, measured and reported, and the system showed better results than any other remote pipeline monitoring system evaluated. The results indicate the system found 25% more leaks on a blind test than any other system tested, and detected 90% of all gas released in the test. The airborne system combines a methane-sensitive laser with a digital video record of the pipeline, and gives companies a more effective way to observe and monitor their pipelines, improving public safety and decreasing environmental pollution by finding leaks that may otherwise go undetected, due to location or accessibility.

Web calculator

 Pumps & Systems  magazine has released PumpCalcs, a new set of basic and expert calculators for plant, engineering and maintenance professionals. Users can reach PumpCalcs through a link on the home page of the magazine's website, www.pump-zone.com, where they will find a variety of basic and expert calculators for applications involving centrifugal pumps; positive displacement pumps; vibration; electrical; pressure, head and flow; and pump design. The site also features a unit converter and financial calculators to compute future value and payback time. 

Downhole perforation shot data tool

AnTech Ltd has introduced a new shot-detection system called the Gun Shot, a wireless system that detects and records the sound of perforation shots made downhole. Completely self-contained, the system records the sound of perforation shots downhole that normally can't be heard at the surface, then transfers the readings produced to a file located on a laptop computer. It has a unique on-board memory that stores data and prevents it from being lost in the event of a power failure or radio transmission problems, and its �cable-free� feature prevents loss of data due to cable damage. Readings as low as 10Hz are detected, which is suitable for perforating. Signals are recorded into a sound file, where they can be played back, printed and signed off. To install and operate the system, the user simply stabs the geophone into the ground, switches it on, goes to the receiving unit and begins logging data. 

Mechanical seal guidelines

 The Hydraulic Institute (HI) has released a new publication entitled Mechanical Seals for Pumps: Application Guidelines. It is a 300-page comprehensive and authoritative reference book that provides pump and seal professionals, end users and consulting engineers with useful and current pump mechanical seal knowledge. The guideline contains user-friendly descriptions and explanations, tables, and photographs that specialists need to ensure system reliability and increase mean time between repairs. Among the book's highlights is a chapter entitled �Troubleshooting Mechanical Seals,� containing photographs of the various seal face and elastomer failure modes, along with a list of possible seal failure causes. �Life Cycle Cost� discusses the economic advantages of running seals �hot� by eliminating or reducing the energy sources used to cool the mechanical seal.

Pipe safety basket

 Knight Manufacturing has designed an advanced level pipe basket that provides safe and secure transportation of drillstem components. Designed for single-line lifts on offshore locations, the Pipe Safety Basket features integral ratchet straps, ensuring a safe, secure load. The elevated and enclosed bottom frame of the safety basket complies with newer dockside mandates for Dropped Object Regulations. The pipe basket is proof full-load tested to 55,000 lb�2.5 times the maximum weight limit of 22,000 lb. The rigging components of the basket are rated to 1.5 times the maximum load weight. The baskets are post-load tested with full mag-particle inspection of all lifting points. The Pipe Safety Basket includes a protective enclosure�reducing shipping damage. Reinforced end area enclosures shield connections and offer protection from load shifts during handling.

Removable storage media

ProStor Systems announced the addition of a 160-GB capacity to its lineup of RDX removable disk cartridges�a 33% increase over its previous capacity. RDX is now available with native cartridge capacities of 40, 80, 120 and 160 GB, allowing small and medium-sized business users a choice of cartridge capacities and backup options for servers and workstations. The cartridges are fully forward- and backward-compatible with all RDX drives, which can back up 125 GB of data per hour, access files instantly and archive data safely for more than a decade. 

Fluid dynamics analysis software 

 Flomerics Ltd. has released the latest version of its Engineering Fluid Dynamics (EFD) analysis software suite. Version 7.3 includes: 64-bit processor support to enable analysis of very large problems directly on the desktop; support of CATIA V5 R17 in both 32- and 64-bit formats; and an integrated interface with MSC Patran for finite element analysis. The new capabilities are now available for EFD.Pro�a fully embedded CFD solution within the Pro/ENGINEER environment; EFD.V5�an embedded CFD solution within the CATIA environment, and EFD.Lab�a general-purpose fluid analysis tool that includes a built-in solid modeler.

Heavy-duty air winch

 Thern Inc. has introduced the Big Red TA Series heavy-duty air winches, built to withstand severe weather conditions from sandstorms to saltwater, and provide reliable operation while setting up rigs, pulling pipe and moving materials. The welded steel frame and drum design make the winches highly durable, and extra-wide-band brakes in both hand- and auto-brake models provide long wear life and good control of heavy loads. The winch series also features a radial piston air motor with a cast housing that adds longevity to the winch life cycle while providing powerful torque. Winches are offered in a wide range of base models to suit different needs.

E&P software upgrades

 Enhanced versions of two software systems used in exploration and drilling have been released by Knowledge Systems: Drillworks 11.5, an integrated software suite for pre-drill, real-time and post-drill analysis of pore pressures and wellbore stability, and Pressworks 2.5, a specialized relational database for storing and managing geopressure data. Drillworks Explorer�an intelligent window for viewing and querying pore pressure-related data�now features new mapping and GIS capabilities in addition to robust search capabilities for examining well and pressure-related data. ConnectML, for real-time pore pressure and geomechanical well surveillance, now supports WITSML Version 1.3.1, the latest version of the industry communication standard. Pressworks 2.5 now features an updated data model that allows wells to be shared in multiple projects without duplicating them. Presage projects can be stored in Pressworks for enhanced project access and collaboration. Also, Pressworks Scout, a data browser and visualizer, features new mapping and GIS capabilities.