People, Companies & Products
Repsol awards 8-year ESP deal to Baker Hughes
Baker Hughes has been awarded an eight-year contract extension from Repsol for the supply and maintenance of electrical submersible pumping (ESP) systems in Ecuador’s Block 16 and Tivacuna production areas. The contract covers 200 wells in which ESP systems are needed to maximize production. The latest Centrilift SP Superior Performance ESP system, featuring an extreme-duty pump design, will be deployed.
Separately, BJ Services, a Baker Hughes company, has been awarded a contract by Woodside Petroleum to provide casing and tubing running services in Australia. Work associated with the three-year contract began in May 2010 on various wells offshore northwestern Australia. A suite of casing and tubular handling equipment, including flush-mounted spiders and the fill and circulate tool, will be used to carry out this contract. Diamond Offshore’s Ocean America semi has been fitted with the BJ Services Derrickman system, which includes a remotely operated mechanical arm that makes it possible to maneuver tubulars and drill pipe into a vertical position without the need for a crew member to act as a traditional stabber.
Further, Baker Hughes has acquired software developer Meyer & Associates to enhance its capabilities to design hydraulic fracturing simulation plans for unconventional gas, tight formations in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico and carbonates in the Middle East. Meyer & Associates’ MFrac software, which includes 3D fracture geometry and integrated acid fracturing solutions, will be integrated into Baker Hughes’ Reservoir Development Services.
NDC gives 3-year contract to Derrick Services
Derrick Services has been awarded a three-year fleet inspection and recertification deal by Abu Dhabi’s National Drilling Co covering nearly 30 rigs in the Middle East. The company recently also won a similar contract for ENAFOR in Algeria for the inspection and recertification of their land drilling rigs.
GE, Allied Wirelines to partner on wireline logging
GE Oil & Gas and Allied Wireline Services have signed a long-term partnership agreement on wireline logging. Allied will purchase a broad range of logging tools and related equipment from GE, and the companies will cooperate in the development of GE’s Open-Hole Ultrawire Formation Evaluation tool suite. GE will provide Allied with technical and services support from facilities in the US, Canada and the UK.
Knight Oil Tools buys Advanced Safety
Knight Oil Tools has acquired Advanced Safety, which specializes in custom safety and training programs. The company offers facility and job site inspections, safety consulting and planning, and training and certification programs. Trainers are certified in areas such as fall protection and vertical rescue, equipment operator certification, forklift certification, OSHA compliance training, DOT consulting, training through NCCER and assistance with ISNetworld. Michael Pothier has been appointed vice president/general manager of Advanced Safety.
Mustang to design topsides for Chevron’s Jack, St. Malo
Chevron has selected Mustang, a Wood Group company, to perform detail design for topside facilities for the Jack and St. Malo floating semisubmersible facility, to be located in approximately 7,000 ft of water in the Walker Ridge Area of the Gulf of Mexico. Mustang, which also designed Chevron’s Blind Faith platform in the Gulf, will provide detailed engineering for integrated control and safety systems under its International Master Agreement with Chevron. The agreement appoints Mustang as a main automation contractor for Chevron’s Global Upstream business units.
Regalado rejoins Cudd
Todd Regalado has rejoined Cudd Energy Services as vice president of corporate services. Since 1989, Mr Regalado has led well control operations in 42 countries, including the Al-Awda project in Kuwait in 1991. In 1998, he was the first well control team leader to control a blowout in deepwater through vertical intervention.
K&B to help Alcoa assemble aluminum alloy drill pipes
Alcoa Oil & Gas has retained the services of K&B Machine Works to assemble its aluminum alloy drill pipes by installing a machining cell for threading aluminum alloy tube, a dedicated steel tool joint threading unit and a new semi-automated Super-Shrink Grip assembly unit for steel tool joint installation.
UniversalPegasus opens Marcellus Shale office
UniversalPegasus International held an open house in late August 2010 for its new Marcellus Shale office in Canonsburg, Penn. Company CEO John Jameson and Moe Barnes, the Onshore Division chief operating officer, welcomed guests, including representatives from many Marcellus Shale development companies.
Swire acquires Gator Tank
Swire Oilfield Services has acquired Gator Tank Rentals, which provides tank, container, basket and mud skip rentals throughout the Gulf of Mexico. London-based Swire supplies specialty offshore cargo carrying units.
Jeter joins American Augers
Greg Jeter has joined American Augers as international territory manager, responsible for the Middle East, India, Afghanistan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Schaffer is new senior research director for forecasting firm
Nathan Schaffer has joined analysis and forecasting firm Groppe, Long & Littell as senior research director. He was most recently director in the Houston office of PFC Energy.
Crowley appointed new president, CEO for Enventure
Enventure Global Technology has appointed David Crowley as president and CEO. He joins the company from Precision Drilling Oilfield Services following its acquisition of Grey Wolf Drilling, where he led the US and international divisions. He succeeds Ray Ballatyne, who announced his retirement earlier this year.
PRODUCTS
SeaLance, RipTide technologies introduced
Weatherford International has launched SeaLance, a subsea drilling-with-casing (DwC) system, and the RipTide drilling reamer. The DwC system makes it possible for a 20-in. casing string and its high-pressure wellhead housing to be drilled to depth, cemented and released in a single run. It was jointly developed by Weatherford and ENI.
The RipTide drilling reamer enables operators to enlarge holes up to 25% beyond bit diameter during hole-enlargement-while-drilling operations. The RipTide RFID model is the industry’s first electronically controlled drilling reamer that allows operators to activate and deactivate the tool at anytime while drilling or tripping. Weatherford and Marathon Oil worked on this tool in collaboration.
Reconnect restores surface control to SCSSVs
Baker Hughes has commercialized its Reconnect technology, which restores surface control to subsurface safety valves. Developed by BJ Services, the system provides an alternative for re-establishing surface hydraulic control to surface-controlled subsurface safety valves (SCSSV) that are inoperable due to compromised control lines or if the installation of a storm choke is undesirable. This technology is also a viable option for wells that were not completed with SCSSVs.
The system includes a wireline-retrievable safety valve, a through-tubing replacement control line that strings into the new valve assembly and a wellhead adapter. Installation requires only a minimal crew and equipment suitable for almost any platform or well site.
High-temperature BOP uses advanced elastomer seals
Double E has introduced its new high-temperature blowout preventer, equipped with advanced elastomer seals. It’s designed with a vertical bore up to 6 ½ in. and is available with a choice of flanged and threaded connections. It can be ordered for standard or H2S service, manual or hydraulic operation.
Smart Solutions for cranes
Konecranes has introduced Smart Solutions, a tool kit of intelligent crane features that can be bundled to tailor a new or existing crane to solve specific material-handling challenges. Features include sway control, positioning control, area control, load float and brake slip supervision. The kit protects the crane’s structure by reducing shock load, preventing skewing of the bridge, and preventing overloading.
A vital feature of Smart Solutions is anti-sway technology that prevents the load from swinging during crane travel. Sway control allows operators to safely move loads at higher speeds while positioning the load more accurately. Standardized automation is offered.
New ballast water treatment system meets new regulations
A new ballast water treatment solution, the Wärtsilä BWT 500i, has been launched to meet the latest and most stringent environmental regulations for ballast water management. Delivery of the first systems is expected to commence during Q2 2011. The system treats ballast water via a two-step process, first by filtering out larger organisms and particles, then by ultraviolet disinfection. The UV irradiation either kills the remaining organisms or renders them incapable of reproduction. Each unit is capable of treating 500 cu m of ballast water per hour, with the possibility to install several units in parallel for higher flow rates.
Database helps track NPT
Athens Group’s new Requirements and Issue Tracking Database tool helps reduce nonproductive time (NPT) by providing a central location for logging and tracking all control systems software-related requirements and issues. Using the database, the company was able to identify 865 issues during the engineering phase of a recent newbuild project. Nineteen of these issues were critical and involved problems with the anti-collision system, drilling emergency stop command, and BOP control system. Of the remainder, 157 issues posed considerable risk and 689 issues posed moderate risk. Had these problems been left undiscovered until the operations phase, Athens believes that resolution would have cost tens of millions of dollars.
