Frank's International N.V.
Frank's International N.V. deployed its patented 1,250-ton Buoyancy Module Spider along with ExPert Landing String Solutions' Drill Pipe Buoyancy Modules to help Anadarko achieve a nearly 250,000-pound reduction in total weight. It was the industry's first run of this ground-breaking weight reduction system, which saves time and money and improves safety.
Working closely with Anadarko and ExPert to deliver a customized solution, Frank's completed the job safely and successfully aboard the Diamond Ocean BlackHawk drillship positioned on the Walker Ridge Block 51 Shenandoah V Well. The job also involved using Frank's 1,250-ton Slip-Type Elevator and Split Bushing Spider to install 19,821 feet of casing and the Company's new 1,250-ton BM Spider and 1,500-ton Drill Pipe Elevator to install 5,929 feet of landing string.
The original expected buoyed string weight of casing and drill pipe was approaching the rig's weight capacity. Anadarko achieved a 10 percent reduction in string weight by running ExPert's Drill Pipe Buoyancy Modules and applying Frank's BM Spider, the only technology that can clean the modules during removal and accommodate their large outer diameter.
Frank's International N.V. is a global oil services company that provides a broad and comprehensive range of highly engineered tubular services to leading exploration and production companies in both offshore and onshore environments, with a focus on complex and technically demanding wells.
Weatherford Labs
Weatherford Labs and Enthought announced that they are participating in the study of a 2,725-ft (830-m) core recovered from the central area of the Chicxulub Crater. The crater, located in the Gulf of Mexico beneath the Yucatán Peninsula, is believed to have been caused by the same asteroid that led to a mass extinction event 66 million years ago.
Dual-energy CT scanning of the core at Weatherford Labs began the week of June 13, 2016. CT scanning entails the use of medical-grade computerized tomography scanners adapted for specialized use - generally, for analyzing cores drilled as part of oil and gas exploration. Data from the scanners is presented as images and animations of the core slices are provided to enable rapid qualitative analysis.
Enthought's Virtual Core software will be used to analyze the CT scan data and create a three-dimensional digital 'fingerprint' of the core. The software provides machine learning feature detection intelligence and visualization capabilities for detailed insight into the composition and structure of the core, which is critical data needed to understand the processes that occurred during the impact. This digital representation of the core's features will also preserve the data for future exploration.
The project is led by scientists at The University of Texas at Austin and Imperial College London, and is funded by the International Ocean Discovery Program, European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling, and International Continental Scientific Drilling Project.
Baker Hughes
Baker Hughes announced the commercial release of its WellLink™ Performance service, designed to help operators reduce invisible lost time by transforming the complex data buried within legacy applications, drilling reporting systems and data streams into real-time information that is instantly accessible and actionable. Using this information, operators can improve drilling economics by quickly identifying, investigating and mitigating common performance issues associated with drilling processes such as connection procedures, circulating times and tripping speed - inefficiencies which can account for as much as 30% of normal uptime activities.
Delivered via a software-as-a-service model, the WellLink Performance service enables drilling teams to identify these inefficiencies immediately by analyzing historic and real-time wellsite data and comparing those data to planned, benchmark and offset data. The teams also can seamlessly identify and investigate ILT root causes on a degree much more granular than with common manual methods by reviewing charts that compare depth versus days drilled and activity analysis graphs and reports in real time. Key performance indicator alarms and dashboards help operators take proactive actions to improve ILT-related issues and monitor these actions in real time for continuous improvement across operations.
The service also is compatible with the company's SIGNALS™ Drilling Advisory service, which combines the WellLink software with remotely-located Baker Hughes personnel, who are available 24-7 to critically analyze and interpret the data sets. Through this analysis, the experts can identify opportunities to further reduce ILT during the drilling process.
Wood Group
Wood Group has acquired the trade and assets of Enterprise Engineering Service Limited's Aberdeen based fabrication and manufacturing business; following the announcement on 26th May, 2016 that EESL had appointed administrators.
The acquisition further enhances Wood Group's asset integrity management capabilities, adding fabrication to its services, which focus on driving efficiencies and extending the life of upstream and midstream assets in the UK oil and gas sector.
The employees of EESL's Aberdeen based fabrication business as at the date of the acquisition will transfer to Wood Group and will remain at their existing 4,000sq m fabrication facility located on Craigshaw Road, Aberdeen.
Dave Stewart, Wood Group PSN's CEO said: "Wood Group's relentless focus is on enhancing value and driving cost efficiencies in the technical solutions we provide to our clients. The acquisition of Enterprise Engineering Service Ltd.'s fabrication and manufacturing business broadens our repair order capabilities, enabling us to offer a fully integrated, end to end service that supports our clients in assuring the integrity of their assets.
Honeywell UOP
Honeywell UOP opened a new production line at its catalyst manufacturing facility in Shreveport, La. The $150 million investment will enable Honeywell UOP to produce a new range of catalysts for the oil refining industry at the facility, which employs 290 people.
The new production line will manufacture catalysts for hydroprocessing, which removes impurities from fractionated crude oil and also makes transportation fuels.
Construction of the new production line began late in 2014, coinciding with several other investments, including expansion of the facility's third production line, and installation of a new kiln and water clarification system.
As a result of these investments, the Shreveport plant now will be able to produce catalysts in less time while keeping inventories lower. Most of the plant's production is for export to other countries.
Honeywell UOP established the Shreveport plant in 1950 to manufacture its own proprietary catalyst designs. Today, the company also manufactures catalyst and adsorbent products in Baton Rouge, La., Mobile, Ala., McCook, Ill., Reggio de Calabria, Italy, Shanghai and Zhangjiagang, China, and through its Nikki-Universal and Union Showa K.K. joint ventures in Hiratsuka and Yakkaichi, Japan, respectively.
The Shreveport facility manufactures catalysts that can be used in Honeywell UOP's Oleflex™, isomerization and hydroprocessing processes, and for processing naphtha.
Catalysts are proprietary structures made of silica, alumina and other elements that aid in the production of specific chemical intermediates from naphtha and distillate. As pellets or powders, they are used in refineries and petrochemical plants and as part of proprietary processes to make a wide range of transportation fuels and petrochemicals.
GE Oil & Gas
GE Oil & Gas and Technip have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a joint project to explore areas to co-develop digital solutions for the LNG industry, with a particular focus on the design and build phase of new Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) projects.
The two companies will work together to evaluate the application of digital solutions to the engineering, construction, commissioning, startup and operation of LNG facilities. All solutions under consideration would encompass Technip and GE Oil & Gas expertise in digital tools and be powered by Predix, the world's first and only cloud-based operating system built exclusively for industry by GE.
This is the first digital collaboration between the world's first digital industrial company and a leading integrated services and equipment company to explore areas to develop Predix-based solutions. GE has a strong track record in providing equipment reliability solutions for a number of LNG facilities around the world, through sensors, advanced analytics and diagnostic expertise. Technip brings its unique expertise in the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) phases of LNG and LNG new frontier projects.
LNG is an important growth space for the oil and gas sector. As global gas demand rises, and stretches into new markets, the volume of liquefied natural gas traded globally. Additionally, digital solutions will continue to play an increasingly critical role for oil and gas as the industry prioritizes the optimization of their equipment and operations to improve productivity and cost-efficiencies.
T.D. Williamson
In a deal that is expected to strengthen gas leak detection and other services to the energy industry, ECOTEC International Holdings, LLC, Jackson, WY, has acquired GAZOMAT S.A.R.L., a subsidiary of T.D. Williamson, Tulsa, OK.
Based in Strasbourg, France, GAZOMAT manufactures high-performance portable gas leak detection instruments, leak detection services, and first-responder environmental safety equipment.
ECOTEC and GAZOMAT use similar core technologies and serve complementary markets. As a result, the acquisition represents an opportunity to expand capabilities and geographic reach.
Forum Energy Technologies
Subsea technology provider Forum Energy Technologies Limited has unveiled a deep water test facility and received industry accreditation for the calibration laboratory at its new European Operational Centre in Aberdeen.
The indoor test tank is one of the largest in the North-east of Scotland and is dedicated to testing subsea tooling and survey sensors as well as work-class remotely operated vehicles (ROVs).
Staffed by dedicated personnel, the test tank and laboratory have a primary purpose to provide full control, certification and faster turnaround in preparing Forum's rental inventory for hire. In addition, the firm will also offer a full test and calibration service to customers.
The large fresh water tank, measuring 5 meters x 6m x 4.5m, is fitted with overhead 10T crane, lighting, cameras and a viewing platform.
The calibration laboratory has been accredited by Valeport Ltd and conforms to traceable procedures for the recalibration of Valeport CTDs (conductivity, temperature and density) and Sound Velocity sensors and parameters fitted on current meters, tide gauges, wave recorders and loggers.
In addition, seven of Forum Subsea Rentals' (FSR) engineers have undergone extensive training at Valeport on all aspects of the calibration of CTD and Sound Velocity parameters.
Forum's test tank and lab builds on the company's industry-leading subsea facilities across the UK. The company operates one of Europe's largest hyperbaric testing vessels at Moffat, Northumbria. The service is rated to 241bar (2400m depth) and is 2.4m in diameter with a length of 9.7m.
In North Yorkshire, Forum's ROV manufacturing facility has a dedicated System Integration Test (SIT) facility. This includes an 11m x 9m x 6m tank which is capable of fully submerging and flying multiple ROV systems or complete trenchers.
All Forum UK's facilities are accredited with ISO 9001 and are available for hire along with the technical support required to operate them.
Forum Energy Technologies is a global oilfield products company, serving the subsea, drilling, completion, production and infrastructure sectors of the oil and natural gas industry. The company's products include highly engineered capital equipment as well as products that are consumed in the drilling, well construction, production and transportation of oil and natural gas. Forum is headquartered in Houston, TX with manufacturing and distribution facilities strategically located around the globe.
OneSubsea
OneSubsea, a Schlumberger company, has been awarded an engineering, procurement and construction contract totaling more than $170 million from Belayim Petroleum Company. OneSubsea will supply the subsea production systems for the first stage of the Zohr gas field, located in the Shorouk Concession, offshore Egypt.
The award follows an accelerated FEED study by OneSubsea in which a multidisciplinary team collaborated with Eni and Petrobel to develop the subsea equipment architecture and control system to validate handling of high gas volumes, considering reservoir characteristics and subsea equipment specifications.
The scope of contract includes six horizontal SpoolTree* subsea trees, intervention and workover control systems, landing string, tie-in, high-integrity pressure protection system, topside and subsea controls and distribution, water detection and salinity monitoring provided by the AquaWatcher* water analysis sensor, and installation and commissioning services. The FasTrac program comprises a strategic inventory capability with the flexibility to configure the system to the customer needs and deliver on a fast turnaround.
FUGRO
Following successful delivery of recent cable-lay and trenching projects for the renewables sector, Fugro has secured three contracts for its trenching services for oil and gas clients. The contracts will see its high performance Q1400 trenching systems deployed in the North Sea over the next 12 months.
At the Wintershall-owned Maria development in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, Fugro will deploy the Q1400 trenching system under a contract with Subsea 7. At Det Norske's Ivar Aasen development, the system will be deployed for EMAS CHIYODA Subsea in June. For both projects the trencher will operate in jetting mode for burial of pipelines, power cables and umbilicals.
In the UK sector, a contract with Bibby Offshore will see Fugro's Q1400 trencher operating in both jetting and cutting modes to bury a new umbilical at the BP ETAP redevelopment.
InterMoor
InterMoor, an Acteon company, has successfully completed the final tensioning and chain cutting operations on the FPSO Turritella for the Shell Stones project, located in the Walker Ridge protraction area in the Gulf of Mexico.
The FPSO Turritella will connect to subsea infrastructure located beneath approximately 9500 ft. (2896 m) of water, breaking the existing water depth record for an oil and gas production facility. This ultra-deep water project marks the first FPSO for Shell in the GoM, and the second FPSO in the GoM.
Having arrived in January 2016, the Turritella is a disconnectable turret moored FPSO with nine mooring lines consisting of chain and polyester, arrayed in three bundles of three. The mooring lines were attached to a dis-connectable Buoyant Turret Mooring buoy in field, awaiting the FPSO's arrival. Each mooring leg has an in-line mooring connector tensioning system, located approximately 900 ft. below the surface, which was pre-tensioned after connection to the BTM. Once the Turritella arrived, and the BTM was recovered by the FPSO. InterMoor's work scope consisted of chain final tension adjustments through the ILMC system, subsequent cut and removal of excess chain, and riser pull-in rope stretching and transfer to the FPSO.
InterMoor used the Seacor Keith Cowan anchor-handling vessel (AHV) to perform the first phase of the operations and later moved to a larger construction vessel already on charter and on standby.
Acteon sister companies worked alongside InterMoor on the project, with UTEC providing the positioning survey for the AHV, and Mirage custom-designing and fabricating the diamond wire cutting saw and clamping system.
CORTEC
CORTEC, a manufacturer of high quality API compact ball valves and manifolds, has expanded its CORTEC Manifold Systems Lafayette manufacturing facility and relocated to new premises in Port Allen, Louisiana.
According to Stephen Corte, vice president of CORTEC, the move was necessitated to support the company's growth initiatives and increase in customer demand. The facility now supports a full range of CORTEC's service operations, including: sales, engineering, quality, machining, product assembly and testing, inventory and coating.
The 55,000 square-foot facility is equipped with specialized machinery capable of manufacturing high pressure metal-seated ball valves and testing equipment designed for severe service applications. The location has capacity for 35 employees, but additional acreage and building plans are in place to expand and accommodate four times that number, which will support continued growth and expansion over the next several years.
