Drilling & Completion Tech Digest
Búzios project in Brazil’s pre-salt proves Dopeless technology in large-diameter connector applications
Two strings with Dopeless technology were recently installed on the Búzios field in Brazil’s Pre-Salt region. These operations marked the first use of Tenaris’ dope-free solution for large-diameter connectors, completing the Dopeless offering for the entire well.
The first installation included a 36-in. conductor casing string featuring TenarisHydril BlueDock connectors with Dopeless technology, along with automatic anti-rotational keys (AARK) enabling hands-free activation for safer and more efficient operations.
Following its successful run, an 18-in. surface casing string, also using Dopeless technology for its connectors, was deployed a few weeks later in another well in the same field.
Tenaris representatives were onsite to support both installations, which were completed without any rejects or re-makeups recorded.
Dopeless technology enables safer and more efficient offshore tubular-running operations through the use of a mill-installed coating; it eliminates the need to use dopes for storage and running. First deployed in the Norwegian North Sea in 2003, it has since been used in more than 60 countries, totaling over 74 million ft.
Assessment completed for FPSO digital twin application
ABS and Akselos announced the joint completion of technical assessment for structural digital twin technology. This advancement toward the application of digital twin technology for FPSO units will enable more accurate and reliable assessments of structural integrity.
FPSOs are some of the most complex and capital-intensive assets in operation. By taking a data-driven approach through digital twins, operators can reduce inspection and maintenance costs by up to 33% and enhance safety by limiting human exposure.
Akselos’ SPM software provides a high-fidelity, near-real-time digital twin of the entire FPSO. By combining inspection records, metocean conditions and cargo operations into one dynamic model, operators gain a live, continuous view of structural performance. This allows for real-time monitoring, identification of stress concentrations and on-demand fatigue analysis to support data-driven maintenance and risk-based inspections.
When supported by ABS’ Condition Manager and Eagle Twin inspection data management and condition tracking software tools, the combined suite is capable of monitoring real-time load and condition information within a digital twin framework that enables full life cycle support of an offshore asset.
Autonomous connection system sees deepwater success in Côte d’Ivoire
Expro recently deployed its autonomous iTONG system for the first time in the Sub-Saharan Africa region. The project was completed for a major operator offshore Côte d’Ivoire. This marks the technology’s first deepwater deployment following its initial operation in Norway in 2021.
Expro secured the tubular-running services contract aboard the Deep Value Driller drillship, which arrived in Côte d’Ivoire in late 2023. The project supports the expansion of the Baleine field, the region’s largest hydrocarbon discovery, for Eni.
iTONG eliminates the need for personnel to work in the hazardous red zone of the rig floor and improves operational efficiency. By automating the connection makeup and break-out of casing and tubing joints, it provides precise torque control from the push of a button in the driller’s cabin while enabling full connection makeup validation.
On the Deep Value Driller drillship, connection makeup times were cut by 50%, resulting in approximately $200,000 in cost savings per well project. Further, “park-to-park” connection times were 90 seconds compared with 180 seconds with previous remote technologies.
Read more about iTONG on Page 12.
