Scandrill’s Scan Vision rig designed with safety, efficiency in mind

Scandrill’s newest AC rig, the Scan Vision, is beginning operations in East Texas for Anadarko Petroleum in early February. The rig, designed in partnership with Veristic Manufacturing, is furnished with a unique mast system, as well as an energy-efficient fuel system. In this video, IADC Group President and Publisher Mike Killalea speaks with Paul Mosvold, President of Scandrill, and Charles Vora, Vice President of Technology at Veristic, about how these systems will lead to more efficient rig operations. Aerial Footage by Unmanned Ad-Hoc Industries.

By Kelli Ainsworth, Editorial Coordinator

After 22 weeks of construction and a $20 million investment, Scandrill christened the Scan Vision rig on 27 January at the company’s Tyler, Texas, facility. The 1,500-hp AC rig adds to Scandrill’s existing 16 rigs and is the third rig built in partnership with Veristic Manufacturing. The substructure, mast, traveling block and walking systems were constructed by Veristic, while Scandrill completed the rest of the rig with components from providers such as Caterpillar, National Oilwell Varco, Derrick Equipment Co and M-I Swaco.

“We’ve not just gone to one of the major manufacturers and built a ready-to-go drilling rig,” Paul Mosvold, President of Scandrill, said. “We built a rig that fits our needs.” The final product features systems and equipment that improve efficiency and safety while lowering costs and emissions, he said.

The Scan Vision is the first rig in Veristic’s E-Series. The series is notable for its hydraulic raising system, which eliminates the need for a crane to move the mast into place. “The mast-raising system is unique to this rig,” Charles Vora, President of Veristic, said. “The mast raising cylinder stays in compression from when the mast is at zero degrees all the way up to 90 degrees. There’s no transition from compression to tension, which is problematic for telescoping hydraulic cylinders today.”

Because the mast and raising system are attached to the bottom-box substructure, the mast can be lowered until it is essentially flat. This allows the crew to partially rig up at ground level. “It pivots on the ground, which allows you to do more of the rigging up on the actual derrick, the top drive and all the equipment that goes with it on the ground, creating a much safer operation,” Matt Orlando, Business Development Manager at Veristic, said.

The substructure and mast were designed so that each could be shipped in a single truckload, Mr Vora said.

Like many new rigs today, the Scan Vision features a walking system. The rig can walk in eight directions at 40 ft/hr. It can carry up to 2.4 million lbs while walking, which allows the crew to leave the pipe in setback while moving. “Instead of having to take everything off the rig and bring it down, they can leave it all up so it helps with speed and safety,” Mr Orlando said.

When designing the Scan Vision, Scandrill selected a number of elements that resulted in a greener rig with a more efficient fuel usage. The rig is fueled by a Caterpillar dual-fuel system, reducing the amount of diesel fuel needed for operation. Complementing the dual-fuel system is an engine control system that switches the engines on or off depending on kilowatt demand. “At that point you will run the engines at the optimum RPM to get the maximum benefit out of the gas blending,” Mr Mosvold said. In addition, the Scan Vision is equipped with a Puradyn oil filtration system, which allows the rig to work 5,000 hours – ­ approximately one year – before an oil change is required.

The Scan Vision is beginning operations for Anadarko in early February in Panola County in East Texas, drilling primarily Haynesville wells. “We are excited to see all the state-of-the-art features of this newbuild A/C rig, but particularly the opportunity to utilize the 7,500-psi rated mud pumps to further enhance our quest for ever-improving cycle time efficiency,” Steve Bosworth, Vice President of Worldwide Drilling at Anadarko, said.

Anadarko and its legacy companies have worked with Scandrill for more than 30 years in East Texas, Louisiana and, very recently, West Texas. Mr Bosworth said the partnership has been successful due to shared core values and Scandrill’s operational efficiency and flexibility to align with Anadarko’s business objectives. “No doubt due to the current commodity price climate, 2015 will be an even more challenging year for the industry than normal,” Mr Bosworth said. “We look forward to collaboratively working with companies like Scandrill to enhance our operational performance in the assets we continue to capitalize.”