John Waggoner - Houston
Smart DPU for harsh conditions
Halliburton has developed a new downhole power unit (DPU) series with real-time monitoring for exploration of unconventional assets.
The Intelligent series permits increased setting and retrieving force and enables readings at higher temperatures and pressures than before. The system uses real-time monitoring and two-way telemetry for speed and efficiency.
“The constant stream of data provided can be checked at any time in order to verify project quality and progress, giving operators a sense of reassurance and confidence,” Jim Hill, Halliburton’s wireline cased-hole services product manager tellsOffshore.
The DPU series can hold up to twice as many foot pounds as legacy tools. According to Halliburton, this makes it easier to set and retrieve machinery in the well with a greater degree of reliability in extreme downhole conditions.
Intended for deepwater drilling sites, the unit can withstand 30,000 psi (207 MPa) and temperatures up to 400° F (204° C) with a flask. The enhancements allow offshore drillers to accomplish tasks in environments previously considered inoperable.
It is also easier to use than conventional units, he says. On a second downhole run there is no need to disassemble and clean the unit, nor are users required to reset the DPU’s intricate settings since this can all be managed via computer.
Custom cementing unit for ultra deepwater
BJ Services has developed a custom, high-performance cementing unit for BP’s ultra deepwater operations in the Gulf of Mexico.
The technology will be deployed to Pride International’s drillshipPS 1, expected to begin operations in late 2010.
The dual-skid Seahawk cementing unit sports faster mixing rates for high-volume tophole cementing, faster displacement rates for a variety of operations, and improved redundancy and backup capacity.
Automated twin-mixing capabilities and 2,300 bhp ensure density control and zonal isolation across long, complex intervals. Slurry consistency is maintained with two independent automatic cement control systems, Coriolis mass metering technology, and hydraulically driven recirculating blending systems. The power unit and pump combination lets the unit be configured as a temporary replacement for mud pumps for selected displacement operations, the company says.
Custom features also include automated liquid additive components, variable-speed electric drives, and a high-speed fiber-optics package for worldwide communication.
The model is also self-contained to isolate the crew from high-powered components and manifolds to minimize noise, vibration, dust, and fume exposure, the company says.
Low impact drilling for the OCS
An initiative under way to fund and transfer low impact drilling technologies could remove some of the obstacles toward opening off-limits areas of the US outer continental shelf (OCS) to operators.
The group plays an important role given public concerns about the impact of drilling in the OCS include issues such as produced water, cuttings, and greenhouse gases – issues best addressed through science.
The nationwide University/National Laboratories Alliance bridges the gap in understanding these issues by coordinating new developments in technology with a diverse group of leaders in the public sector, academia, environmental groups, and the energy industry itself. The outcome should be beneficial to both environment and energy security.
“We are currently examining the use of light-weight drilling rigs with reduced emission engine packages and efficient on-site waste management systems,” says David Burnett of Texas A&M University.
Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) and Texas A&M University formed the group, which includes many other universities. For more information, contact Rich Haut ([email protected]) at 281-364-6093 or David Burnett ([email protected]) at 979-845-2274.
Diamond cutter inserts from India
Newkut Industries, a start-up diamond synthesis company, has two new grades of polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) cutter inserts.
The Zafonic PDC cutter inserts are designed to maximize the hardness and wear resistance of the cutter edge.
“Zafonic PDC cutters feature a proprietary non-planar interface design to effectively distribute residual stress in the cutter layer and thereby ensure that the critical regions of the cutter have been exposed to a favorable stress state,” says Matthew Cook, director of International Operations.
The Tenzing range has very high resistance to cutter edge chip, fracture, or spalling. Both cutter grades are available in 13, 16, and 19 mm standard diameter and lengths to suit most common cutter sizes. Performance can be modified to meet particular application requirements, says Cook.
Newkut Industries was incorporated in 2007. The company has a purpose built manufacturing plant in Gujarat, India.
Brazil shrugs off price woes with higher output
Brazilian national oil company Petrobras continues to raise oil and gas production with the recent start-up of three offshore platforms.
In March the company set a new daily oil production record of 2,012,654 bbl, beating its previous record from Christmas Day 2007.
The surge in production was due mostly to the start up ofP-51 and Cidade de Niteroi in the Marlim Sul field, and P-53 in Marlim Leste, all in the Campos basin. Other platforms are also said to be performing well, especially P-52 and P-54, Offshore has learned.
More production platforms are due to start up in 2009, which suggests Brazilian oil output could continue to rise through the year.
Brazil’s production drive has included some daring moves, including development of deepwater carbonatic reserves once thought too permeable and porous to retain reservoir quality beyond shallow waters. The operator, which already exploits shallower carbonatic reservoirs in Campos, discovered via 3D seismic data that similar formations had apparently “slid” into deeper water over millions of years.
In February, the well 7-MLL-54HP, called Jabuti, started producing at a water depth of 1,413 m (4,636 ft). With an initial flow of 35,000 bpd, Jabuti was the first one to be connected to FPSOCidade de Niteroi.
This was the first commercial light oil (29º API) accumulation ever discovered in deep water carbonatic reservoirs, and proved that this type of rock could still accumulate and retain oil at such depths. The gamble could pay off for Petrobras, since similar new discoveries in deeper areas of Campos can now be exploited with the advantages of an existing production structure already installed in the basin.
First presalt oil is now expected around early May from the Tupi field in the Santos basin. The start of long term tests at Tupi will progressively ramp up through 2010.
Separately, in March, energy officials from Brazil and the US met in Washington, adding to speculation that development of Brazil’s presalt reserves could begin to overshadow Venezuela’s role as chief regional oil exporter to the US.
