Tech Trends

Fire protection coating insulates equipment up to three hours

A new line of solvent-free, fast curing intumescent coatings from Sherwin-Williams, the FIRETEX M90 series, improves durability of equipment in the event of a jet or pool fire by insulating structural steel. Fire insulation coatings, or passive fire protection (PFP) coatings, delay asset destruction and are corrosion-resistant in nature, which ensures the integrity of the structure and load-bearing capacity in the presence of a fire. This increases the time necessary for a given section to reach its "critical failure temperature," the company said.

The new series provides hydrocarbon facilities up to three hours of protection on pipe supports, process equipment, valves, structural steel, decks and bulkheads, and pressure vessels. The PFP coatings have a lower required film thickness than alternative options, according to the company, and the coating is designed to last the full lifetime of the structure.

Intumescent coatings are applied at as much as 30 times the thickness of standard epoxy coatings, depending on the required fire rating. In the presence of a fire, the coatings can swell up to 10 times the original thickness. The carbon-based char that is then produced reduces the rate of heat transfer, which insulates the steel and thus extends the time window for structure integrity.

The M90 series can be combined with the M89/02, an epoxy insulating barrier that can resist both elevated processing temperatures and rapid cooling on pipes and vessels, Sherwin-Williams said. sherwin-williams.com

Evaporator system minimizes labor, provides high distillate purity

Aquatech has released its new SMARTMOD modular evaporator technology. During the stimulation process, operators use EOR technologies such as steam-assisted gravity drainage, which lowers the bitumen's viscosity to ease production through the use of high-pressure steam. Water that is then pumped back with the oil is separated in the de-oiling process. A significant amount of water is produced that operators can ideally reuse for later operations to reduce water usage. To reduce complications found with large quantities of produced water, water solutions companies have found ways to simplify the purification process to save operators time and costs.

Aquatech's system uses a vertical tube falling film evaporator design that treats difficult produced water sources. According to the company, the technology can reduce in-field installation costs up to 75% by eliminating the need to build a large evaporator building or spend exorbitant costs on foundation labor and materials. This is accomplished through a new design that has reduced the tool's center for mass and evaporator weight. The design also reduces freight costs during transportation, the company said. aquatech.com

The purified water is fed to the boiler for steam generation and injected again into the formation, continuing the cycle. (Image courtesy of Aquatech)

Seismic upgrade enhances flat events in early interpretation

dGB Earth Sciences has enhanced its seismic interpretation software, the OpendTect 4.4. The open-source software system was first released in 2003 for processing, visualizing, and interpreting multivolume seismic data. The 4.4 upgrade is able to interpret seismic net pay or net rock volume from the seismic color inversion data by correcting average amplitude to seismic net-to-gross. The system also is able to enhance flat events earlier in the interpretation life cycle, according to the company. This can reduce the risk of drilling dry holes by highlighting subtle hydrocarbon-related seismic anomalies. Finally, the upgrade allows log petrophysics to be performed within the system, eliminating the need to import the data from other systems. dgbes.com

Stimulation technology eases production processes

Schlumberger has introduced two new tools used in the stimulation process. The new SPARK stimulation technology delivery platform is able to work with third-party services to leverage high-pressure pumping equipment. The platform includes the company's HiWAY flow-channel hydraulic fracturing service to create infinite-conductivity

channels for hydrocarbon flow, OpenFRAC family fluid additive systems to provide high performance with full disclosure, and ClearFRAC polymer-free fracturing fluid for greater fracturing efficiency with less reservoir damage when compared to conventional systems, according to the company.

An operator used the platform in the Eagle Ford formation. In this instance, the operator already had a third-party frac fleet. It was able to use its frac crew in conjunction with the HiWAY technology through the SPARK platform. The operator's production was increased by more than 20%, water usage was reduced by 25%, and proppant consumption reduced by 42%, according to the company.

The new Mangrove reservoir-centric stimulation design software from Schlumberger enables custom staging and perforation designs to be engineered beyond a geometrical approach. According to the company, this enhances stimulation coverage, flow rates, and ROI. Developed on the company's preexisting Petrel E&P software platform, the technology allows users to access a shared earth model, which the company says facilitates the process of completion designs. The software offers a Completion Advisor workflow for perforation picking and staging and includes predictive models for hydraulic fractures and conventional planar fractures. It also can integrate seismic, geological, geomechanical, and microseismic measurements and data, providing an integrated seismic-to-simulation workflow.

The software was recently used in the Marcellus shale, where it eliminated screenouts and increased production by more than 50%, according to the company. slb.com/stimulation

Alternative to PNP completions ups stimulation times

Superior Energy Services has introduced a new open-hole multistage completion system as an alternative to conventional plug and perf (PNP) completions. According to the company, the system incorporates a ball seat design that can facilitate easier milling and lower "pop-off" pressures for production initiation. The product is designed for use in land-based completions in unconventional tight sand, shale, and carbonate reservoirs and includes a ball-actuated isolation valve, ball-actuated frac sleeves, a pressure-actuated frac sleeve, and single-element openhole isolation packers. To prevent the packer from being set while going in-hole, the PNP system comprises single-element openhole isolation packers with metal element support. It also includes a permanent hydraulically set hanger packer with hydraulic running tool release. superiorenergy.com

The HT oil sands agitator has a right-angle design that can simplify the mounting process, alignment, and service of standard foot-mounted motors. (Image courtesy of Chemineer)

Oil sands agitator enhances mixing performance

The HT agitator impeller technology by Chemineer is a tool used in oil sands extractions to enhance agitator mixing performance. The tool's XE-3 impeller provides axial flow to suspend sand for oil extraction. According to the company, the right-angle design makes the tool adaptable to most mounting configurations; helical gears are hardened, precision-hobbed, and then shaved to exacting tolerances to extend life and ensure proper contact. The agitator's high-speed bearings are protected through splash-lubrications, and oil leakage is avoided by the use of a specialized drywell shaft seal.

Chemineer also offers a proprietary analysis software that can evaluate the process parameters and ensure proper selection for oil sands. It is available in 13 standard drive sizes from 1 hp to 1,000 hp. Mounting methods, materials of construction, shaft seals, shafts, impellers, and accessories also are available. chemineer.com