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Spoolable Mechanical Connector for Larger Diameter Coiled
Tubing
For offshore applications using
larger diameter coiled tubing (CT) it is often necessary to
splice together coils. In offshore environments welding with
associated delays can be costly. BJ Services' recently
developed Duralink Spoolable Connector (commercial since early
2004) is an alternative. Typical welded connections in CT
might be 40% the life of the regular coil. The connector
installed in field conditions has exhibited 50% on the 2
3/8-in and 2 7/8-in connections developed so far.
Mechanical splicing is faster
than welding and the connector can go in and out of the hole
multiple times. Fatigue of the connector (actually, the CT
adjacent to the connector since the connector itself doesn't
change) can be measured with a caliper, providing a reassuring
check on the life software predicts. The connector does
slightly reduce the inside diameter, but that has not been a
problem in the larger CT sizes where the connector has been
used so far. A 1 3/4-in version is under development.
Excerpted from "The Reel
Deal," Rick Von Flatern in Offshore Engineer, October 2004
viewable online at
www.oilonline.com/
news/features/oe/20041001.
The_reel.16032.asp. Contact for John
Misselbrook (referenced in the article) is
jmisselbrook@
bjservices.com.
2004 Oilfield
Market Report
Spears and Associates, Inc.
(Spears) annual Oilfield Market Report for 2004 is now
available. It details the equipment and service markets
associated with the exploration, drilling, and production
segments of the worldwide petroleum industry. It contains a
briefing on 33 distinct market segments, supplying concise,
commercially-oriented independent and often exclusive
information on each market: size, share, drivers, purchasing
process, new technology, and recent transactions.
Spears & Associates develops
the Oilfield Market Report based on thousands of interviews
and hundreds of independent data sources. Spears reports that
clients use the Oilfield Market Report to benchmark current
business and to identify growth opportunities in new regions
or in new product lines. For companies considering an
acquisition, each segment in the Oilfield Market Report is a
short course on the market, the players, the customers and
what drives the business.
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Licenses for a single user are
$4,150 or $7,500 for a corporation/ organization . For more
information visit Spears and Associates website (www.spears
research.com/OMR/OMRMain.
htm).
Rig and Rig
Floor Technology
World Oil's December
supplement, Rig and Rig Floor Technology, described newer rig
floor and drilling rig technologies using information provided
by the service/supply providers. Numerous options are
described at length in the article, several of which are
summarized below.
Rig Floor
Technology (selected items)
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Continuous circulation
system—Varco's Continuous Circulation System allows
drilling fluid circulation to be maintained while making
connections with conventional pipe during the drilling
process. Continuous fluid circulation creates conditions
needed to eliminate downhole pressure fluctuations, instead
establishing and maintaining a constant pressure regime.
Since prototype testing in western Oklahoma in 2003 proved
the concept worked, Varco has been preparing for commercial
implementation. The first production unit was scheduled to
begin operations in December 2004.
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Dual-motion shale shaker—M-I
Swaco's Mongoose PT shaker provides both linear (heavy, high
volume solids) and balanced-elliptical motion (later on,
longer screen residence time and drier solids)
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Unconventional casing
running system—Varco's Casing Running Tool eliminates
the need for a separate casing crew, plus the casing can be
rotated into the hole at any time needed. Rotating and
circulating the casing in the hole greatly increases the
likelihood of getting to bottom.
New rig designs
(selected items)
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Scaled-down new rig type
for shallow gas drilling—Precision Drilling's Super
Single Light, the advantages of jointed-pipe operations with
the high penetration rates and mobility of a coiled-tubing
unit. Depth capacity just under 4,000 ft; static load
capacity of 100,000 lb. Canadian experience indicates rates
of penetration rivaling coiled-tubing rates.
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Automated
casing-while-drilling rig—Tesco updated the rig floor of
its automated Genesis series Casing Drilling rigs to reduce
drilling-crew time in the most hazardous work area on a rig
and increase efficiency by centralizing all controls to the
driller, who is likely the most experienced person on the
rig floor.
Progress within DOE's microhole
(very small diameter coiled tubing) drilling program (www.netl.doe.
gov/publications/press/2004/
tl_microhole_tech_selections.
html) is also described.
Schlumberger is working on a “built for purpose” coiled tubing
rig designed for shallow and rapidly drilled wells. Expect
DOE’s Phase II award announcements soon on the microhole
solicitation that closed Oct. 6, 2004.
Excerpted from a special
supplement in December 2004 World Oil, viewable online at
www.worldoil.com/Magazine/
MAGAZINE_DETAIL.asp?ART_ID=2458&MONTH_
YEAR=Dec2004.
Concentrated Emulsifier Reduces Emulsifier/
Additive Usage in Invert
Emulsion Mud
Halliburton's FACTANTTM
concentrated emulsifier provides both stable emulsification
and filtration control for invert emulsion fluids. A recent
article in Drilling Contractor cited results from drilling 30
wells in the Williston Basin. A typical well there using
invert mud requires some 50 drums of conventional emulsifier
and 100 sacks of filtration control additive. Solvent
concentration in the concentrated emulsifier is less than 5%,
versus a third or more in typical emulsifiers. One operator
switched to the concentrated blend and reduced the needed
emulsifier to just over 11 drums, plus they eliminated over
two tons per well of sacked filtration control additives.
Beyond performance itself, the operational aspects of not
having to stock, handle and dispose of so many drums or handle
near as much additive are attractive for producers.
Excerpted from "Concentrated
Emulsifier Can Provide Better Stability," Drilling Contractor,
November/December 2004 viewable online at
www.iadc.
org/dcpi/dc-novdec04/Nov4-
Halliburton.pdf. For product information see
Halliburton's website(www.halliburton.com/
esg/sd1352.jsp). |
Tech
Transfer Track