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Technology Applications

Real-Time Coiled-Tubing Inspection

The Schlumberger CoilScan real-time coiled-tubing (CT) -pipe-inspection system (Fig. 1) minimizes nonproductive time by providing real-time pipe inspection during intervention operations to identify CT-pipe defects before entry into the wellbore. The CT-inspection system combines real-time dimensional measurements such as wall thickness and diameter, depth measurements, and defect detection to address CT-pipe failures proactively. A portable device that is attached to the CT reel rigged up at the surface, the CT-inspection system is the last component attached to the CT unit. The system feeds real-time data to surface acquisition and simulation software, where they are interpreted with 3D-­modeling software during real-time operations. The CT-inspection system uses magnetic flux, eddy current, and depth encoders for nondestructive evaluation of pipe integrity in the manufacturing facility or in the field. Real-time dimensions are used to update the CT-fatigue life and the CT working envelope. The CT-inspection system provides a complete view of the CT-pipe condition at all times, enabling customers to consider all aspects of pipe management and act accordingly to mitigate failures.

Reaming To Land Liner

Deep Casing Tools conducted the first commercial run of its 5-in. Turborunner (Fig. 2) in Oman. The tool successfully landed 4500 m of 4½-in. liner in a vertical well having doglegs around a drilling fish. The tool was activated and reamed the liner through collapsed hole. The operation was completed in 16 hours. The sandstone formation is known to be unstable, and the hole could degrade over time. The tool was used to ream the last 18 joints of liner through this challenging zone, re-establishing a 5⅞-in. gauge hole to land the 4½-in. liner. Cementing operations were then completed as normal. The tool is a reaming system comprising a high-speed motor and a reamer shoe. This reaming operation is performed while running the completion, eliminating the need for wiper trips. The system operates by circulating drilling or completion fluids, and works with low flow rates and low pressures. The tool is compatible with pressure-actuated liner and completion equipment, and it generates little reactive torque or vibration, making it suitable for use with sophisticated or sensitive completions.

Integrated Development

Knowledge Reservoir has released its Web-portal knowledge base CompassKB as part of its integrated technology and expertise elements with the objective of promoting better exploitation of ­unconventional-resource plays. The Web-portal knowledge base assists users in optimizing the decision-­making processes involved in the assessment and development planning of unconventional resources such as shale and coalbed methane. With a best-practice roadmap for qualifying shale and other unconventional resources, each step in a resource assessment has been tied to a practical wiki written by the company’s in-house subject-matter experts. Hosted in the cloud and accessible from any ­Internet-connected device, the knowledge base supports technical staff in defining a resource-development strategy and enables them to make smarter decisions faster. The knowledge base can be customized by users with ­company-specific knowledge on each wiki page, ensuring that proprietary processes are incorporated in day-to-day activities. By social technology that harnesses the knowledge of its workforce, subscribers can fast-track resource-assessment workflows, maintain consistency in decision making, and provide assessment-process instruction for junior technical staff and those new to unconventional resources.

Offshore Oil-Spill Recovery

Vikoma International unveiled its latest offshore oil-pollution-recovery system. The OPRS 300 (Fig. 3) uses oil-attracting disks that can collect up to 300 m3/h of oil and can work across oils with viscosities ranging from 1 to 1 million cSt. The system comprises a floating skimmer head that uses the company’s tufted-disk technology combined with an onboard recovered-oil discharge pump and thrusters for maneuverability. The unit is operated with a hand-held remote-control console.

Near-Surface Seismic Statics

SIGMA3 Integrated Reservoir Solutions has released its Seismic Studio Version 1.7 software, with performance and data-handling enhancements to manage large seismic surveys from complex geological environments. The software is a statics solution for challenging land, transition-zone, and shallow marine ocean-­bottom-cable surveys for which shallow ­subsurface velocity and geometry problems are a primary challenge in obtaining quality seismic data. With ­seismic-data sets measuring in the terabytes of digital data, the data-handling task for front-end processing is challenging. This release will facilitate efficient handling and analysis of these data sets, to improve turnaround time and enhance the overall processing workflows. User-requested functionality enhancements include new velocity and tomography processes and a more-­intuitive user interface.

Reduce Jacking Failures

Jacking gears are, by definition, the most characteristic systems of self-­elevating units and jackup platforms. How­ever, this gear often remains neglected onboard, with a high potential for dire consequences. To achieve higher availability, reduce the risk of gear failure (Fig. 4), and lower the life-cycle cost, Det Norske Veritas (DNV) is inviting the industry to participate in a joint-industry project (JIP). The project’s main focus will be on defining best practices in the maintenance and inspection of jacking gears. The consequences of jacking-gear failure range from the operator being unable to reposition the platform to logistical challenges in correcting the failure. The worst-case scenario is if the failure occurs in the middle of a jacking operation, as this may lead to an unstable platform that is vulnerable to wave impacts. On the basis of their respective backgrounds as a classification society and a service supplier, DNV and WillTeco have initiated a project to improve the inspection and maintenance of jacking gears. To carry out the initiative, all the players in the self-­elevating segment are invited to participate. The JIP’s goal is to develop a ­recommended-practice document that describes the solution to achieve higher availability and reduce the risk of jacking-gear failure. The JIP plans to collect and analyze experienced (near) incidents, mutually review current inspection and maintenance work supported by risk-based modeling, and select and define best practices.

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Geosteering Solution

Scientific Drilling International has introduced its Sci-Steer geosteering solution, a combination of high-­performance technology, software, and expertise to deliver optimal wellbore placement. It combines the petrophysical response of the company’s downhole sensors and the interpreted geological environment. The technology targets increasing production by ensuring optimal reservoir contact. It also enhances drilling efficiency with the integration of downhole data with the 3D geological database, to minimize nonproductive time by enabling more-informed decisions. It allows remote operation from any location for real-time collaboration with specialists, and it ensures accurate data interpretation to help plan future wells. The technology can improve reservoir drainage and hydrocarbon recovery without affecting the long-term value of the field negatively. This value is delivered by use of information from multiple offset wells to generate a single integrated model, and updating the model and well path in real time as new geological data are gathered, thereby enabling structural maps to be updated in time to plan upcoming wells in the area.

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Digital Temperature Controllers

Oven Industries’ Model 5R6-900 thermo­electric-module benchtop temperature controller is self-contained with its own power supply. This model can be used universally, which allows the user to access the device from any location. The unit is a solid-state metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor, bidirectional, compact benchtop unit that is capable of loading currents up to 10 A. The unit connects to a computer through the electrically isolated communications port. The computer can be used as a connector, or the temperature controller can stand alone after the desired parameter settings are in place. These settings are kept in the nonvolatile memory. The unit was designed for use in laboratories that specialize in temperature control. It has automatic output shutdown if the sensor is opened or shorted, and the unit includes high-, low-, and no-alarm settings.

Deepwater Bend Restrictors

Trelleborg will provide 25 polyurethane-­vertebrae Bending Restrictors (Fig. 5) for the static flowlines on the field development and production expansion of the Parque das Baleias oil field, offshore Brazil. Installation and maintenance of the polyurethane-­restrictor assembly are less time-consuming and more cost-effective because plastic does not corrode or have to be protected with plating, paint, and anodes. It also has a greatly reduced weight compared with steel, making it neutrally buoyant in water and applying considerably less stress to the flowline and adjacent parts of the subsea structure during both installation and service. These restrictors are often installed to prevent pipes from overbending at the interface between flexible and rigid structures. These bend restrictors have several interlocking elements that react when subjected to an external load, locking together to form a smooth curved radius. This radius is chosen to be equal to or greater than the minimum bend radius of the pipe to which it is applied. Once the elements have locked together, the bending moment is transferred into the elements and back through a specially designed steel interface structure into the adjacent rigid connection, thereby protecting the pipe from potentially damaging loads.