People, companies and products

SCAA names Clean Harbors’ Scott Metzger as new president

The Spill Control Association of America (SCAA) has named Scott Metzger as its new president. Mr Metzger is senior vice president of field operations for Clean Harbors and holds an oversight role for the Clean Harbors’ National Strike Team that manages environmental incidents.

Columbus McKinnon appoints Lawrence Gavin as executive director, CPO

Columbus McKinnon has appointed Lawrence Gavin, CPSM, CPM, as executive director and chief procurement officer. Mr Gavin will be responsible for oversight of the company’s global purchasing program.

Marine sanitation device commissioned on Discoverer Enterprise

ACT2 Technologies has commissioned a marine sanitation device on the Transocean Discoverer Enterprise in the Gulf of Mexico contracted by BP. The ACT2 Piranha systems are designed to digest sewage and paper into pure, odorless and colorless water to meet EPA water reuse standards. The systems do not use chlorine or other harmful chemicals.

Oil and gas veteran founds VQ Media Resource

VQ Media Resource was established in February to offer personalized strategic planning, media buying and analysis on a regional or international basis. The company was founded by Vicki Quesada, who has more than 20 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. She previously served as head of media for Halliburton.

VQ Media, which is based in Dallas, already counts one of the “Big Four” service companies as a client.

GE wins contracts to expand Brazil’s pre-salt fields, will build oil and gas research center in Oklahoma

In the past 12 months, GE’s Power Conversion business has won contracts valued at more than $600 million to provide propulsion systems for the pre-salt expansion off Brazil’s east coast. GE’s systems will power, propel, navigate, position and control drillships, as well as power and control the drilling process itself.

The company is building systems for 22 of the 29 drillships for the current phase of exploration by Petrobras.

Four significant contracts won by GE in recent months related to the Brazilian pre-salt are:

•   Seven “Espadon 200” drillships to be built by Estaleiro Atlântico Sul in Ipojuca, northeast Brazil, will be supplied with electrical power generation, propulsion, drilling drives, DP and control systems from GE;
•   Ecovix-Engevix will use integrated electric power and propulsion, drilling drives, DP and controls packages from GE for three new GustoMSC PRD 12000 ultra-deepwater drillships it’s building in Rio Grande, in the south of the country;
•   Enseada do Paraguaçu shipyard will use a comprehensively integrated package of electric power, propulsion, drilling drives, DP and control systems from GE for the six new ultra-deepwater drillships (also GustoMSC PRD 12000 design) it is building in Maragogipe, northeast Brazil; and
•   Keppel Offshore & Marine will use GE’s thruster power, propulsion and drilling drive technology for six new semisubmersibles being built for Petrobras.

Separately, GE has announced it will build a new Global Research Center in Oklahoma, dedicated to driving innovation and technological advancements in the oil and gas sector and bringing products to market faster.
The new facility, which is GE Research’s first sector-specific center, represents a $110 million investment by the company and will initially result in the creation of 125 high-tech engineering jobs, in disciplines ranging from mechanical and electrical to systems and software engineering.

OMK pipe plant opens in Houston, full capacity by July

United Metallurgical Company (OMK) has opened a pipe plant in Houston, with first pipe produced in December 2012. The plant is forecast to reach its full capacity by July 2013. The mill was designed to produce about 200,000 tons/year of oil and gas pipes with 2 3/8-in. to 7-in. OD and up to 0.5-in. wall. The mill represents an investment of more than US $100 million.

TAM International leases shop in Kurdistan region of Iraq

TAM International has leased a new shop in Erbil, Iraq, for drilling, completions and workover tools and services. The new location opened its doors on 6 March to serve the growing number of oil and gas companies interested in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

“The Kurdish oilfield market is consistently expanding, offering significant growth opportunities for our company,” said Patrick Scharf, Erbil operations supervisor for TAM International.

AXON Tubular Products acquires RFID technology

Through its subsidiary AXON Tubular Products, AXON Energy Products recently closed on an agreement to acquire the radio frequency identification (RFID) technology and assets of Merrick Systems.

AETI to provide power, control systems for 2 platforms

Drillmec has selected American Electric Technologies (AETI) to provide turnkey power and control systems for two offshore drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Drillmec has the construction contract from Mexican drilling contractor PEMSA.

Justiss Oil names James Justiss III as president

James Justiss III was recently named president of Justiss Oil Company. He has served as VP of operations since 1995 and serves on the boards of IADC and the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association. He graduated from Louisiana Tech University.

PRODUCTS

BOP, hydrostatic test unit models enable backup, simultaneous testing

Clover Tool offers a variety of BOP hydrostatic test unit models for BOP, hose, manifold valve system and riser line hydrostatic testing. The electric, stainless steel test units are explosion-proof and customizable.

The Clover dual Model CTU-20P-D2-4 offers triple hydrostatic test capabilities up to 30,000 psi. During critical operations, one side can be used as an immediate backup. When operating in tandem as a single station, it can cut BOP fill/test time in half. Operating independently, integral twin recorders allow separate tests simultaneously at different psi.

A more economical 15,000-psi single test unit, Model CTU-15P-S1, is also available.

More than 150 Clover hydrostatic test units are operating in BOP test applications worldwide with no failures over the past 12 years.

Coiled-tubing pipe inspection system minimizes NPT

Schlumberger has launched its CoilScan real-time coiled-tubing (CT) pipe inspection system. It minimizes nonproductive time by providing real-time pipe inspection during intervention operations to identify CT pipe defects prior to entry into the wellbore.

The CoilScan system uses real-time pipe dimensions to update the CT fatigue life and the CT working envelope in the manufacturing facility or in the field. The system provides a complete view of what is happening with CT pipe at all times, enabling customers to consider all aspects of pipe management and act accordingly to mitigate failures. It has been field-tested in onshore and offshore environments, including the US, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Malaysia and Germany.

Schlumberger also recently launched the Quartet-HT system. Click here to watch an exclusive video.

Scientific Drilling launches new mud pulse MWD system

Scientific Drilling International (SDI) announced the launch of its next-generation mud pulse MWD system. The FALCON MWD offers superior reliability, precision wellbore placement, higher durability, deeper reach and safer operations while allowing for faster drilling.

Overall features of the new MWD system include:

•   Bi-directional mud pulse telemetry;
•   Positive pulse (3 to 5 bits/sec);
•   Full accelerometer and drilling dynamic package;
•   Rugged thread mount throughout;
•   Surface equipment and software upgrades;
•   BHA sizes from 3 ½ in. to 9 ½ in.; and
•   Flow rates from 50 gal/min to 1,500 gal/min.

The FALCON MWD also includes a new high-speed telemetry mode and leverages SDI’s True Utilization Factor, a preventative maintenance process combining key environmental measurements collected while drilling.

Honghua America unveils new triplex mud pump

Honghua America has developed a triplex mud pump that is directly driven by an electromotor and replaces belt or chain configurations. The compact design reduces maintenance work, increases the service life of the pump and reduces noise emission and vibration. The triplex direct drive mud pump is powered by a special top-mounted AC motor.

Emergency egress product enhances worker safety

RIDE has created a safe means of emergency egress with an engineered design that incorporates the worker’s overhead fall arrest and his tieback lanyard into the egress unit. In an emergency, the derrickman is not required to disconnect from the overhead fall arrest or the working lanyard before leaving the derrick.