Jaime Kammerzell • Gulf of Mexico Editor
GIB system
ORCA Instrumentation and the French R&D firm Advanced Concept and System Architecture (ACSA) has developed the GIB system, which is designed to track pinger-fitted underwater vehicles in real-time. GIB (GPS Intelligent Buoy), a new concept to obtain global position system (GPS) accuracy for underwater vehicle location and tracking, is easy to set up and operate, the company says. The technology is based on a surface buoy network and location technology relying on a D-GPS network, so that GIB has been described as an "underwater GPS" portable tracking system. A control and display unit is used aboard the ship, which can navigate without any constraints since no dunking transducer is needed. The system is managed over the local radio network. GIB can be deployed from small and large ships and no calibration is required to obtain metric accuracy. GIB can operate in shallow and deep waters, while providing 3D accuracy. All the data is stored in the control and display unit.
Modular seabed processing system
Alpha Thames Ltd. has developed the AlphaPRIME modular seabed processing system. AlphaPRIME technology differs from all existing seabed installations in that it involves the deployment of a system-modular installation known as an AlphaCPU, the company says. This is a modular, all-electric oil and gas production and seabed processing system with "plug & play" capabilities for various stages of field life. The AlphaCPU can be configured with simple production bypass and control units. It can also include multiphase boosting units through to two or three-phase seabed separation (oil, gas, and water) with booster pumping of separated single-phase fluids including water re-injection. The AlphaCPU is close to the wells on the seabed and consists of two identical operating system-modules. These are mounted on a KeyMAN standard manifold and contain all of the pumping, processing, and control equipment needed for the efficient operation of the field within each compact unit. If it becomes necessary to reconfigure a system-module, one system-module is recovered leaving the other on the seabed to maintain production.
Portable gas chromatograph
Photovac Inc., provider of hand-held and portable instruments for detection and measurement of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), introduces PetroPRO, a high-speed portable gas chromatograph, designed for accurate, rapid screening of common VOCs on site. The PetroPRO weighs less than 15 lb and measures 13 in. long by 10.5 in. wide by 5 in. high. It can analyze benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and m-xylene (BTEX) compounds in 2 min down to parts per billion levels. A linear photoionization detector reports sample concentrations from low ppb up to hundreds of parts per million. The PetroPRO is designed for high-speed analysis of BTEX, but can be modified for analysis of a wide range of VOCs. It incorporates proprietary valve technology to increase the resolution of GC peaks and speed of analysis.
Integrated bridge system
Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Sperry Marine business unit has introduced its next-generation integrated bridge system for ships, called Vision FT. The bridge system incorporates marine navigation technology and combines all of the ship's navigation sensors and systems – including radar, electronic chart display, and information system, gyrocompass, depth sounder, speed log, differential global positioning satellite receivers, and autopilot – into an integrated package. The centerpiece of the system is Sperry Marine's Voyage Management System (VMS) software, which provides route planning and gives a clear real-time picture of the ship's precise position and movement, along with radar targets and automatic identification system data, on an electronic chart display and information system.
Replacement crankshafts
LeTourneau Ellis Williams Co. (Lewco) has introduced a new line of balanced forged steel replacement crankshafts to fit mud pumps with input ratings of 1,300, 1,600, or 2,200 hp. The smooth-operating components can help extend pump life by reducing vibration, with a corresponding decrease in noise generation, the company says. The forged steel construction eliminates microscopic cracking, which can lead to the failure of a porous cast-iron crankshaft and shut down of drilling operations. Lewco will provide complete kits for field installation by drilling contractor personnel, or will perform the work on a 24/7 basis, either on-site or at Lewco's Houston facility.
Moyno 2000 G2 pump redesigned
Moyno Inc. has launched its redesigned Moyno 2000 G2 pump. The pump can tackle applications with medium viscosity slurries and sludges with solids in suspension where bridging is a concern. The new design features the Moyno ultra-feed technology, which maximizes the pump's performance and service life, the company says. The Moyno 2000 G2 features an inlet and a single auger feed into the pumping elements. The auger extends into the extension tube area, which ensures that product is fed directly into the progressing cavity pumping elements. The wide, open-throat hopper design minimizes plugging that can occur in pipe inlets. The Moyno 2000 G2 hopper is available in 1-, 1.5-, and 2-m lengths to match the customer's requirements.
Impact tool for cased-hole wireline applications
Impact Selector Inc. has introduced an impact tool (jar) for cased-hole wireline applications. The Xcalibur model is a combination e-line/slickline mechanical jar that's field adjustable while in the tool string. Xcalibur's all-mechanical design makes it safer for workers than jars activated by hydraulic pressure. Its weight-forward technology uses jar mass more efficiently, making supplementary weight bars and acceleration tools optional rather than required, and keeping the tool string as short as possible, the company says. Xcalibur is unaffected by temperature, pressure, or adverse well conditions, and uses stored kinetic energy to maximize impact ratios. When line tension surpasses a preset load limit, indicating a stuck condition, the jar activates and releases its stored energy to deliver the initial impact. If additional impacts are needed, the operator decreases line tension to re-latch the tool under its own weight. Xcalibur can be reset for an unlimited number of activation cycles.
