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. 


Compact, high-pressure meter 

Emerson Process Management has added high-pressure capability to the Micro Motion F-Series compact Coriolis meter line. Rated to 5,000 psi (345 bar), this new meter offers flow and density measurement in demanding, high-pressure environments at flowrates up to 300 lb/min (8,160 kg/h). This new solution expands the capability of the F-Series compact design, while expanding the power of Emerson's PlantWeb digital plant architecture to improve manufacturing quality. The Micro Motion Coriolis sensor provides excellent measurement accuracy for mass flow, density and volume flow. When combined with Micro Motion MVD technology, the F-Series meters deliver mass flow accuracy up to ±0.1% and volume flow accuracy up to ±0.15% when measuring liquids. On liquid density, Micro Motion F-Series meters are accurate up to ±0.001 g/cc. The flowmeters have no moving parts to wear out or break down, and do not require periodic recalibration. 


Scanner family 

The Sonic Scanner acoustic scanning platform from Schlumberger, in addition to axial and azimuthal measurements, makes a radial measurement to probe the formation for near-wellbore and far-field slowness. Typical depths of investigation equal two to three times the borehole diameter. The Sonic Scanner provides acoustic measurements including borehole-compensated monopole with long and short spacings, cross-dipole and cement bond quality. It enables accurate radial and axial measurements of the stress-dependent properties of the rocks near the wellbore. The MR Scanner expert magnetic resonance service is a nuclear magnetic resonance wireline logging tool. Making simultaneous multi-frequency measurements, the tool investigates the formation at multiple depths in a single pass. Its unique measurement sequence gives a clear profile of reservoir fluids, and its eccentered design keeps the measurement depths on track, regardless of the hole size or temperature. Multiple antennas enable simultaneous measurements. Information from four depths of investigation - 1.5 to 4 in. - gives a profile of saturation distribution and formation damage from a single pass. The Rt Scanner triaxial induction service calculates vertical and horizontal resistivities from direct measurements, while solving for formation dip at any well deviation and in anisotropic formations. Its measurements at multiple depths of investigation in all three dimensions ensure that the derived resistivities are a true 3D measurement. 

Maintenance-free single-gas detector 

The ALTAIR Single-Gas Detector from MSA Instrument Division features three sensor options: carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide and oxygen. CO and H2S versions can operate for over two years. The design offers superior dust and water protection and high resistance to RFI. A rubberized housing and one-button operation provide durability and ease of use. The triple-alarm system features two bright LEDs, a piercing audible alarm and a vibrating alarm. The detector automatically records the last 25 alarm events. To read data or change alarm set points, user connects the unit to an MSA infrared adapter using the built-in IR communication port. 

Geomodeling software 

Geomodeling Technology Corp. announced that multi-phase upscaling has been included in its feature set of SBED software. SBED is the only commercial software for modeling the small-scale geological heterogeneity that impacts large-scale reservoir performance. Multi-phase upscaling allows the fundamentals of physical composition on one level to be encapsulated on a larger level. Conventional reservoir modeling technologies extrapolate relative permeability curves measured from core plugs to full-field reservoir model, without considering the impact of small-scale geological details. Understanding all of the processes involved in fluid flow through sedimentary rocks is key to understanding contaminant migration and petroleum production. Other new features included in this release are: default saturation functions; project template to manage saturation functions; linear and periodic flow boundary conditions; multi-thread upscaling capability; and moving windows upscaling for irregular porosity/ permeability grids. 


Handheld plasma cutter 

Designed for hand-held and automated cutting in the heavy fabrication industries, the new Spectrum 1251 air plasma cutting and gouging system from Miller Electric Mfg. Co. has a 100-amp output, can sever 1.75-in. steel and has a rated cutting capacity of 1.25 in. Rated cutting capacity is the speed at which an operator achieves a smooth, steady cut at 10 in. per minute using a hand-held torch. It is Miller's most powerful plasma unit. On thinner material, cutting speed increases. The Spectrum 1251 cuts 3/4-in. steel at 25 IPM, 5/8-in. steel at 40 IPM and 1/4-in. steel at almost 140 IPM. It also cuts stainless, aluminum, copper and any metal that conducts electricity. 


HPHT viscometers 

Model 7600 HPHT viscometer from Chandler Engineering is the world's first viscometer designed to measure rheological properties of drilling fluids under Extreme High Pressure and High Temperature (XHPHT) conditions - temperatures up to 600°F (316°C) and pressures up to 40,000 psig (2,758 bar). The result of a joint development effort between Chandler Engineering and Baker Hughes Drilling Fluids, the new viscometer is one of a suite of highly specialized instruments designed to support oil and gas exploration. 


Salt inhibitor for low-pressure gas wells 

Brenntag has developed the T-3000E salt inhibitor to prevent salt deposition in low-pressure gas wells. The new product, which consists of a concentrated blend of water-soluble and biodegradable compounds, offers an alternative to flushing warm water during production, saving production time. Salt precipitation can block the flow path of hydrocarbons, and is particularly severe in wells with high saline, forming brines, or brines near saturation with respect to sodium chloride. This phenomenon occurs more frequently in gas wells and is caused by low pressure and decreasing temperatures. T-3000E modifies the crystal orientation of salt from symmetric cubic to random dentric crystals, which means it takes longer to grow crystals and those random crystals do not block the flow path. This property delays salt deposition and prevents the formation of a hard plug. Instead, pumpable salt slurry is formed, which can easily be flushed from the wellbore. This treatment will prolong the time in between cleanouts and increase production. 


Oil and gas mapping 

WhiteStar Corp. announced the addition of Louisiana, Wyoming and Utah to its CartoBase subscription line of digital cartographic products designed for oil and gas mapping. WhiteStar introduced CartoBase in 2005 with the introduction of Texas and Colorado statewide products. CartoBase products are offered on a subscription basis, whereby clients receive quarterly updates of key data layers for two to three years following the initial purchase. Each product contains up to 24 seamless layers of geospatial data covering the entire state and delivered on DVDs equipped with the CartoBase application that allows users to export data in their choice of mapping formats. Each CartoBase product contains high-resolution statewide data coverage from the company's national database products, including: Public Land Survey Grid containing the 1:24,000 land base derived from US topographic maps; Pipeline Database of the location and attribute details for oil, gas and petroleum pipelines operating in the state; and Well Location File including the location and attribute information for oil, gas and coalbed methane well heads. 

Integral packer system 

TAM International recently developed the Hatch Packer, a patent pending tool featuring unified construction that incorporates the TAM Port Collar (PC) and Casing Annulus Packer (CAP) into an integral assembly for non drill-out, minimum-trip, stage cementing. The Hatch Packer is available with premium connections and the proven SafeLok valve system in the CAP. The primary benefit of the integral system is 100% assurance of packer valve system closure, including optional metal-to-metal seals. Running in with the TAM Combination Tool (CT) allows actuation of the Hatch Packer's PC sleeve, and selective inflation of the packer, if required. The PC sleeve is then opened and the well circulated and cemented. Closure of the PC blocks the CAP inflation ports to assure casing integrity. The PC is then tested and the combination tool retrieved. 


Centrifuge for heavy crude oil dehydration 

Alfa Laval has released its purpose-built X20 high-capacity process centrifuge, a modern development of the well-known nozzle bowl disc stack centrifuge that has been used for synthetic crude oil dehydration in Canada for almost 30 years. The centrifuge has the option of being mounted on an offshore skid. Complete with process and utility piping, instruments, valves and controls, it forms a functional process system and is suitable for use in hazardous areas on Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facilities. The X20 centrifuge was designed for a range of crude oils down to 11.5°API. The system handles considerable variations in feed composition while delivering consistent on-spec oil quality downstream. Compared to conventional static vessels, the need for demulsifiers and heat is greatly reduced. In addition to the primary function of heavy crude dehydration, a conversion kit enables the centrifuge to be used for produced water de-oiling. The robust, compact design provides automatic and flexible operation with many new features and benefits. Reduced number of components, design improvements and the use of erosion-resistant materials decreases the need for maintenance.