The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) selected 12 new technologies for 2014 Spotlight on New Technology Awards. The annual awards program recognizes innovative technologies and allows companies to show the latest advances in offshore exploration and production (E&P).
- The technology must be less than 2 years old, launched between 6 January 2012 and 6 January 2014. The date applies from the first time it was introduced to the market or was announced in a conference, press release, or trade journal. If previously advertised at OTC, it must not have been displayed at more than one conference.
- The technology must be original, groundbreaking, and capable of revolutionizing the offshore E&P industry.
- The technology must be proven, either through full-scale application or successful prototype testing. Proposed software still in development would not qualify.
- The technology must have broad interest and appeal for the industry.
- The technology must provide significant benefits beyond existing technologies. Environmental impact is a significant factor.
AWARD RECIPIENTS (listed alphabetically)
Baker Hughes | LaunchPro Wireless Top Drive Cement Head
The LaunchPro wireless top drive cement head is a remote activation system for deepwater applications. The system launches balls, plugs, or darts wirelessly during cementing of heavy subsea strings and long, heavy liners. The unit’s remote wireless operation reduces health, safety, and environmental risks by reducing manual intervention and rig time. The system is powered by rig air through a single pneumatic hose that can be tethered to the cementing line to reduce the risk of damage during cementing operations. A wireless pressure transducer provides real-time data to the cementing operator to allow for adjustments during cementing operations.
FMC Technologies | ISOL-8 Pump
FMC Technologies Schilling Robotics has developed the ISOL-8 Pump, an isolated pump that enables secondary intervention for blowout preventers (BOPs) in compliance with API Standard 53. The pump is tightly integrated with the company’s UHD III remotely operated vehicle, and meets the 45-second requirement for closing BOP shear rams. The pump consists of independent pistons synchronized with software control. A flexible configuration allows optimization for a variety of demands. The pump can provide up to 50 gal/min at 5,000 psi.
FMC Technologies | Offshore Loading Arm Footless
FMC Technologies developed the offshore loading arm footless to transfer liquefied natural gas (LNG) from a floating LNG (FLNG) vessel to a LNG carrier moored to its side. The design can accommodate the large difference in elevation between a FLNG deck, where it is based, and the LNG carrier piping connection, which is at a lower level. The technology’s targeting system and its constant position monitoring system enable it to work in harsh conditions.
GE Oil & Gas | SeaLytics
SeaLytics enables drilling contractors to monitor performance and plan maintenance of BOPs using predictive analytics based on actual component performance data. The system can improve BOP system uptime, reduce unnecessary maintenance, and lead to better cost forecasts.
GE Oil & Gas | Zenith GFI Ground Fault Immune ESP Monitoring System
The ground fault immune monitoring system for electrical submersible pumps (ESP) cannot be disturbed by ground faults. On average, about 15% of ESP well monitoring systems fail to provide data following earth leakage in the ESP cable, an unresolved issue since the 1970s. While the ESP continues to run, interference renders gauge readings unobtainable, which can force operators to run the motors at a lower rate. This system enables an operator to maintain well surveillance, optimize production, and protect the pump despite fault conditions.
Geoservices | FLAG Fluid Loss and Gain Detection Service
The detection service gives operators an early warning system in offshore operations that is highly sensitive to fluctuations yet intelligent enough to prevent false alarms. The service has faster response times compared with previous systems. It also provides accurate fluids monitoring and precise coriolis flow metering with any drilling fluid on any rig and in any operating condition.
Halliburton | TDReam Tool
The TDReam tool is a downhole innovation designed to reduce rathole length and reach total depth in one run. In traditional reaming while drilling, the reamer is placed above the rotary steerable system and the logging while drilling (LWD) tools, creating a long rathole and requiring an extra trip to enlarge the hole. This technology also optimizes steerability, improves fluid flow, and reduces tool length.
SBM Offshore | Very High Pressure Fluid Swivel
The fluid swivel increases the operating range of high-pressure swivels by using a technique to cascade the pressure over multiple seals. Fluid swivels transfer oil, gas, and water between a fixed turret of a floating, production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel and the vessel’s deck. The fluids typically are transferred from the turret to the FPSO topside for processing, treatment, and storage. The fluid swivel also transfers treated water and gas from the vessel’s topside to the turret for reinjection or for gas export. This swivel has been fully qualified to 12,000 psig and has passed long-term endurance test runs. It has the potential to operate at more than 14,500 psig. The swivel is specifically designed for gas or water injection from an FPSO into ultrahigh-pressure reservoirs, such as the lower tertiary fields of the US Gulf of Mexico.
Schlumberger | Seismic Guided Drilling Pore-Pressure Prediction Ahead of the Bit
Seismic guided drilling predicts formation pressures hundreds of meters ahead of the bit while drilling. The service uses both surface seismic and LWD data to provide “3D ahead” velocity model with reduced uncertainty. This model leads to better geological and geomechanical description, thus enabling proactive drilling decisions, particularly in deepwater exploration. Velocities ahead of the bit are recalculated from seismic reflections by using LWD velocities behind the bit as a constraint. The technology provides more accurate results than predrill predictions, and can be used to give more reliable formation pressures.
Weatherford | CasingLink
The CasingLink EM Antenna System was developed to address the signal attenuation encountered while drilling in deeper depths with an electromagnetic telemetry system. This method uses an insulated wire that is externally attached to a standard casing string, a borehole receiver typically located downhole and connected to the casing, and a surface transceiver. The borehole receiver picks up the electromagnetic signal at the casing connection terminal and transmits it through the external signal wire to the surface transceiver, which decodes the signal. The wire exits the casing near the surface and passes through a wellhead modified to accept the cable pass through. There is negligible signal attenuation within the transmission wire, which increases telemetry depth.
West Production Technology | SwarfPak Technology
SwarfPak is a technology for plug and abandoning and slot recovery that reduces rig time and environmental footprint. The technology deposits all swarf particles downhole, avoiding the use of surface swarf handling equipment, a major logistical and environmental challenge for operators. The technology also increases the milling speed, which is typically three to six times faster than conventional milling technology.
WesternGeco | IsoMetrix Marine Isometric Seismic Technology
WesternGeco’s IsoMetrix marine isometric seismic technology enables the first 3D measurement of seismic wave fields using towed streamers. It delivers high-fidelity point receiver seismic data while overcoming spatial bandwidth compromises that limit all previous towed streamer technologies. A unique new streamer design that includes measurement of the vertical and crossline gradient of the seismic wave field enables unaliased reconstruction of the pressure wave field between streamers. The resulting fine isometric sampling provides accurate images of the subsurface, making the data suitable for many interpretation and reservoir modeling applications in exploration and reservoir development.