New perforating gun system increases well productivity

Schlumberger introduced the Tempo instrumented docking perforating gun system at the SPE/ICoTA Coiled Tubing and Well Intervention Conference and Exhibition in March, according to a press release. This combination of a plug-in gun design with real-time advanced downhole measurements enables and monitors the well’s dynamic underbalance to create clean perforations that boost reservoir productivity. The proprietary docking components of the compact gun system streamline the deployment of up to 40 guns for selective initiation to efficiently perforate multiple reservoir zones with a maximized explosives payload in a single trip in the well. The Tempo system has the flexibility to accommodate most perforating gun sizes and shaped charges. The simplified arming process increases safety and reliability by eliminating the variability introduced by wellsite crimping and wiring, which are the primary causes of misruns and misfires. slb.com

Motor allows downhole adjustment of motor bend setting

National Oilwell Varco has released the SelectShift downhole adjustable motor to its portfolio of drilling motor technologies. The SelectShift is a proprietary advancement in motor technology that works with Vector series motors to allow downhole adjustment of the motor bend setting. This improves hole quality and limits sliding, as the motor can bend more when faster correction is needed in the lateral while the straight setting limits hole tortuosity and aids in hole cleaning, according to the company. The SelectShift also improves ROP by increasing rotary/bit rpm in the straight position, which requires less sliding in the lateral and curve, and reduces side loading of the bit. The motor features hightorque capability, 100% flow to the drillbit and a reduced bit-to-bend length, which enable significant time savings—one to two trips per well on average—and eliminate the need to displace the oil-based mud after the curve section. Initial trial runs on three test wells, with 8¾-in. curveto- lateral sections between the three totaling approximately 1,981 m (6,500 ft), have been positive, with build rates at 14 degrees or more per 30.4 m (100 ft) seen on both laterals and sustained ROP as high as 61 m/hr (200 ft/hr) in the laterals and 38 m/hr (125 ft/hr) in the curves. nov.com

Laser-based system measures small methane leaks in large outdoor areas

Researchers have conducted the first field tests for a new laser-based system that can pinpoint the location of very small methane leaks over an area of several square miles, as reported in a press release. The new technology could one day be used to continuously monitor for costly and dangerous methane leaks at oil and gas production sites. Today a person or team must travel to different sites to check for leaks with a special camera that is sensitive to methane at close distances. This approach is time-consuming and could result in missing methane leaks that are intermittent in nature. “Our approach allows measurements to be autonomous, which enables continual monitoring of an area,” said co-lead author of the study, Sean Coburn, from the University of Colorado in Boulder. “This technology could play a significant role in reducing methane emissions from production activities, easing tension between urban development and oil and gas production and helping avoid disasters like the 2015 Aliso Canyon methane storage leak that released 90,000 mt of methane into the atmosphere.” osa.org

CT string with high fatigue resistance

Tenaris’ BlueCoil technology, released in 2015, achieved more than 670,560 running meters (2.2 million running feet) in the Permian Basin, according to the company. The technology is a stronger coiled tubing (CT) string with high fatigue resistance achieved through Tenaris’ proprietary manufacturing process utilizing steel designs. The product is designed to last two to four times longer than a conventional string. A CT service company operating in the Permian installed a 2.375-in.-diameter HT 125 string and ran it for nearly a year, achieving running footage and fatigue milestones not seen with conventional CT. The operator pushed the fatigue limits farther, registering a new industry record of 670,560 running meters at 99% fatigue on the model. tenaris.com/bluecoil

Platform maps all Permian fracturing ponds

Sourcewater has made finding fracturing ponds simple by having every fracturing pond in the Permian Basin mapped, analyzed and uploaded into its database with more than 100,000 water sources at sourcewater.com, according to a company product announcement. Sourcewater eliminates the need to drive the oil field and manually scan old satellite imagery in Google Earth to find fracturing ponds. Instead, the company uses satellite imagery that is less than a month old and analyzes it with its proprietary artificial intelligence to identify each fracturing pond. The company then matches the fracturing pond locations with land parcel records to identify whose land the pit is on. Then the square footage of the pit and total volume of water in the pit are estimated. Finally, the company’s in-house research team calls each pit owner and determines if the pit is for lease or if the water in the pit is for sale and for how much. sourcewater.com

Developing the next generation of robotics for oil and gas

According to a press announcement the Oil & Gas Technology Centre has invested in three robotics projects to transform pressure vessel inspection, which costs the industry hundreds of millions each year and poses significant safety challenges. The projects were selected as part of the center’s first Asset Integrity Call for Ideas, which launched in 2017. Pressure vessel inspection was identified by the industry as a crucial challenge to maximizing economic recovery from the U.K. Continental Shelf. Nonintrusive inspection (NII) of pressure vessels can deliver significant cost and safety benefits. Sonomatic’s aim is to develop the next generation of robotic NII technology, with improved speed, agility and autonomy compared with existing systems. The robot, incorporating advanced inspection technologies, will help increase production uptime, reduce costs and improve efficiency. Separately, the center is working with the University of Strathclyde to develop a new robot crawler equipped with 3-D laser scanning and nondestructive testing technology. Existing crawlers are typically deployed only when there is a clear line of sight for the operator. The university’s solution will construct a virtual, dynamic 3-D representation of the inspection site, meaning it can be operated safely from a remote location. The center also is supporting the University of Strathclyde in the use of swarms of small unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, for visual inspection offshore. Drone swarms could deliver a safe, flexible and cost-effective alternative to human inspection. theogtc.com

Simulation meets automation to enhance ROV training and analysis

Forum Subsea Technologies and BluHaptics Inc. have announced a joint agreement enabling technologies from both companies to be combined to provide solutions for ROV and subsea engineering applications, according to a press release. The VMAX Software is a 3-D ROV simulation product used for training and evaluation of ROV pilots as well as by subsea engineering teams for modeling and verification of procedures involving intervention tasks related to installing and maintaining subsea equipment. As Forum’s VMAX ROV Simulator provides a variety of ROV training scenarios designed to test pilots’ skills within realistic operational scenarios, many of which require the use of a seven-function manipulator, the user interface for manipulator control is key to providing a realistic user experience. BluHaptics’ Dex-OS manipulator control system provides an intuitive user interface with the ability to introduce variable levels of automation to make execution of subsea intervention tasks more safe and efficient, as reported in the press release. Dex-OS also provides variable levels of automation to offer inspiration for engineering teams seeking to improve operations involving increasingly complex intervention scenarios. For ROV operators who are interested in implementing BluHaptics Dex-OS technology into their ROV fleet, VMAX and BluHaptics can now offer a simulated environment as a platform for demonstration and transition training to ROV pilots without tying up expensive ROV assets. Both systems operate on laptops, which offer mobility, convenience and flexibility. bluhaptics.com, f-e-t.com

New multibeam sonar for small observation class ROVs

Kongsberg Mesotech has released the Flexview multibeam sonar designed specifically for small observation class ROVs, according to a press release. Delivering superior image quality and coverage, the compact and lightweight sonar provides high-quality distortion-free images at a range of up to 200 m (656 ft) over a 140-degree sector, reducing the time it takes to search for and locate targets. The Flexview’s removable transducer is the first of its kind, offering field replacement of a damaged transducer in the unlikely event of a catastrophic impact, the release stated. It also allows potential new transducer configurations to be exchanged in the future, depending on the job being performed. km.kongsberg.com

Perforating for remedial cementing

GEODynamics has released its ISOLOC plug and abandonment (P&A), specialized-perforating systems for remedial cementing and circulation, according to a press release. ISOLOC perforating systems are used to establish communication between two or more strings of tubing or casing. The systems greatly improve cement plugging, squeeze and circulation operations with controlled damage to the secondary or tertiary string. Perforating for remedial cementing operations without damaging the outer strings of the casing is an essential element to efficient P&A and well circulation operations. The new ISOLOC perforating systems reduce both risk and rig time, allowing operators to optimize remedial intervention efficiencies; some operators have reduced the time to complete a job by as much as 90%, according to the release. perf.com

Boosting annular velocity in challenging geothermal wells

Churchill Drilling Tools is partnering with operators to improve hole cleaning and project performance by using its DAV (dart activated valve) MX Circ- Sub. The DAV MX was put to the test recently by a European operator in a challenging onshore geothermal well in the Netherlands, as reported in a press release. Optimal hole cleaning was essential given the challenging multitapered casing profile of the string. By deploying two DAV MX CircSubs, the operator boosted annular velocity and optimized its hole cleaning process across two separate runs, according to the release. It cut the time to transport cuttings to the surface by about 50% if using a single CircSub and 75% if no CircSub was in the string. In optimizing the hole cleaning process, the operator also prevented any concern of managing a stuck-pipe situation. circsub.com

Digital drilling vessel designed to improve efficiency

GE and Noble Corp. Plc have launched the world’s first digital drilling vessel, aiming to achieve 20% opex reduction across the targeted equipment and improve drilling efficiency, according to a press release. The Digital Rig solution, powered by GE’s Predix platform, deployed on the Noble Globetrotter I drilling vessel has been successfully connected to all targeted control systems, including the drilling control network, the power management system and the dynamic positioning system. Data are collected through individual sensors and control systems, harmonized and centralized on the vessel before transmitting in near-real time to GE’s Industrial Performance and Reliability Center for predictive analytics. The delivered implementation and analytics on major marine and drilling equipment already have shown promising results, as the Digital Rig solution captured multiple anomalies and has produced alerts to inform potential failures up to two months before they would occur. The Digital Rig combines data models from a digital replica of physical assets, known as a digital twin, along with advanced analytics to detect off-standard behavior, providing an early warning to operators to mitigate a problem before it strikes. Thanks to vessel-wide intelligence, personnel both on the vessel or onshore can gain a holistic view of an entire vessel’s health state and the real-time performance of each piece of equipment onboard, according to the release. noblecorp.com, ge.com

Platform allows visibility among all parties

New tech startup Rig CallOut announced its precommercial launch in late March. Rig CallOut connects the entire oil and gas supply chain from suppliers to trucking companies to end-user E&P and midstream companies with its platform, according to a company press release. Using intuitive technology and a cloud-based application, Rig CallOut brings everyone together under one system, from project inception to delivery completion. The platform enables all parties the visibility to see what’s happening at any point in time and communicate in unison, eliminating false data and the dreaded telephone game, the release stated. Rig Call- Out’s user experience allows individuals to view the specific shipments that are most important to them. From detailed product load information, digitized shipping and load documents, real-time tracking, and time stamps of pickups and stops, the application allows everyone to have complete visibility in their communication, location details, estimated time arrivals and more. rigcallout.com


Please submit your company’s updates related to new technology products and services to Ariana Benavidez at abenavidez@hartenergy.com.