Knowledge is power, and when dollars are on the line it is the not knowing why a well is not online that can make for a frustrating experience. Fortunately for operators a whole bevy of new technology entered the market in 2013 that will help them know more about their producing reservoirs. Here’s a look at a few of the new tools for the production toolbox that made their 2013 debut for reservoir measurement and testing, fluids management, and offshore markets.

Reservoir measurement and testing

A new downhole reservoir testing system for ultra-high temperatures was unveiled by Schlumberger this year. The Quartet-HT high-performance downhole reservoir testing system from Schlumberger combines four down-hole technologies into one advanced downhole string design for ultra-high temperature reservoirs up to 210°C (410°F). This tool, which is part of a reservoir characteristics services portfolio, can deliver high-quality measurements and reservoir-representative fluid samples with maximum safety and efficiency, all in a single run, according to the company. The system offers multiple advantages over conventional drillstem test configurations, the company said, including shorter string design, lower operating pressure, less nitrogen, fewer seals and connections, multicycle flexibility, single-trip efficiency, all-ceramic multichip module design, and high-resolution quartz measurements. Each of the four Quartet-HT technologies is engineered specifically for high-performance, ultra-high temperature reservoir testing:

  • The CERTIS high-integrity reservoir test isolation system combines the features of a retrievable drillstem testing packer with a hydraulic set permanent packer for single-trip, production-quality well isolation;
  • The IRDV, an intelligent remote dual valve, features a flexible multicycle independent command and control system for reliable well control and reservoir interaction;
  • The signature quartz gauges with a large memory capacity and long battery life can ensure that high-quality measurements are provided for accurate reservoir characterization; and
  • The SCAR inline independent reservoir fluid sampling system produces contaminant-free representative fluid samples maintained at or above reservoir pressure in nonreactive chambers.

With the rugged test string, operators can isolate the zone, control the flow, measure pressure and temperature, and acquire and retrieve multiple reservoir-representative fluid samples in a single run at ultra-high temperatures.

Expro released its mobile well test units that are fully portable production facilities, specifically designed for harsh arctic operating conditions. The units provide well tests and cleanup operations. According to the company, the units process and measure well effluent and remove water and solids prior to flowing to a production facility.

Conventional methods called for equipment to be transported to the well site in several pieces, carried in by trucks. By combining the equipment into one mobile unit, transportation costs are cut and logistical efficiency is enhanced, according to the company.

Houston-based Bell Technologies launched this year its new flow measurement system, the Torus Wedge Primary Flow Element. The product measures differential pressure flow in liquids, gases, and slurries. The tool’s circumferential ramp gradually merges the flowstream into the orifice plate. The stream is then discharged along the downstream ramp, isolating the flowstream from coming into contact with a hard edge and keeping wear to a minimum, according to the company. By allowing for more efficient flow, the tool enables a user to pump downstream using less horsepower. The ramp self-cleans, eliminating grease and oil on the orifice plates and turbine meters.

In addition, the bidirectional tool can fit between standard pipe flanges, making it easy to replace, according to the company. The addition of remote seals can provide insulation from the transmitter. When Colorado Engineering Experimental Station Inc. compared 2-in.-, 3-in.-, and 4-in. versions of the tool with same-size orifice plates, it found that the Torus Wedge allowed the fluid to expend less energy while passing through the measurement device.

New for General Monitors this year is its PA4000 Photoacoustic Infrared Gas Monitor. The device eliminates interference from water vapors when monitoring gas, according to the company. The product comprises a photoacoustic infrared sensor to monitor gases including hydrocarbons, solvents, alcohols, CO, CO, and others. The gas monitor eliminates cross-sensitivity to water vapor with a sensing technique that determines the amount of water vapor in a sample. It then subtracts those data from the gas reading, allowing the final reading to be stable with no compromise to the sensitivity of the measurement.

It is able to operate for months without drift. The technology also can be used by delivering a pressurized sample to the unit. Depending on the specific configuration, the gas monitor has a range of 0 ppm to 1,000 ppm and is accurate to approximately 2 ppm of reading at 0 ppm to 100 ppm and approximately 10% of reading from 100 ppm to 1,000 ppm. For certain gases it detects concentrations as low as 0.01 ppm. The monitor operates in a range of 0°C to 50°C (32°F to 122°F). It has a storage temperature range of -55°C to 70°C (-67°F to 158°F). The technology has a temperature effect of ±0.03% per Celsius degree of reading and operates at a relative humidity range of 0% to 95%, noncondensing.

Fluids management and treatment

Halliburton announced this year the release of its new fracturing fluid system that allows operators to use produced flowback water. The company’s UniStim Service is its latest advancement to the H20 Forward service and suite of products aimed at reducing freshwater use in completions.

The UniStim Universal high total dissolved solids (TDS) crosslink fracture fluid can enable operators to use 100% produced or flowback water. The crosslinked gelled water system has the ability to tolerate salt concentrations in excess of 300,000 ppm as well as other contaminants. Additionally, the hydraulic fracturing fluid system allows companies to use waste streams to negate fresh water used in completions, with economic and environmental benefits. The UniStim service can allow companies to recycle all available impaired waters with minimal treatment and make stable crosslink fracture fluids in high-TDS waters, according to Walter Dale, Halliburton’s strategic business manager of water management solutions. This advancement can reduce the amount of water treatment needed to make stable fluids, with the end result being a reduction in the use of disposal wells and fresh water.

AquaMost Inc. unveiled its new SX PECO Reactor, which enables chemical-free water treatment, the company said in a press release. The chemical-free biocide can handle different water types and flow rates with little or no operator interaction. The technology can treat fresh, brackish, and salt water as well as flowback and produced water. The system can be installed at disposal wells, fixed plant recycling facilities, and the wellhead. In addition to the chemical-free killing of multiple bacteria types, the reactor also has a modular design that is scalable to meet industry requirements and a compact footprint, and it can lower energy consumption. In spring 2013, systems were deployed in the Eagle Ford and Barnett shales in Texas, the Piceance and Denver-Julesburg basins in Colorado, and the Uinta basin in Utah. When used in these areas, the company’s reactor outperformed chemical biocide treatment methods, killing more types of bacteria for less money without requiring the purchase, storage, handling, and insurance of chemicals, according to the release.

RCW Energy Services’ new water transfer management system enables real-time monitoring of operations. The company introduced its H2OmniView water transfer management system for use in fracturing and oilfield operations, the company said in a press release. In addition, RCW signed an agreement with Anelto LLC for a user-friendly cloud-based platform to accompany the system. Using this software, fracturing operation managers can track all phases of the water transfer process using any device connected to the Internet, RCW said. The technology can help companies conserve water and provides a real-time interface that monitors water flow, pressure, and volume; detects leaks; and communicates alert notifications.

A new particle analysis technology developed by Cambridge Consultants will allow real-time measurement of droplets of oil or particles of sand and wax in produced fluids at offshore and remote production sites, the company said in a press release. This has the potential to allow produced water to be safely reinjected into a well or disposed of overboard. The new technology combines optical measurement and signal processing techniques to measure the size distribution of droplets ranging from sub-micron (µ) to tens of µ in diameter at typical production flow velocities. The technology’s hardware allows it to be deployed online in remote locations, with the results then sent directly to an operator to allow remedial action to be taken before a situation becomes critical. The new technology has the potential to be affordable enough to allow numerous devices to be deployed at multiple locations, the company said. Such a system also could include a local alarm that would flag potential problems and send control signals to fix an issue or turn off a valve.

With a compact, lightweight design, Moyno 500 Grinder Pumps pair a high-performance progressing cavity pump with a solids reduction unit, the company said in a press release. The pumps include replaceable carbide tips on a cast iron cutter disc, which rotate against a tool-steel cutter ring. This allows debris to be reduced in size, which can help prevent ragging and blockages in process equipment, the company said. The pump can be used in a variety of applications including marine oil spills and septic systems, environmental cleanup, and industrial waste transfer. The technology includes discharge pressures to 100 psi, prelubricated fully sealed ball bearings, American National Standards Institute-compatible tank mounting flanges, a carbon/ceramic mechanical seal, and flow rates up to 15 gal/min.

Offshore

Baker Hughes launched its new gravel-pack and frac-pack system that can help improve production ratings offshore. The company’s SC-XP gravel-pack and frac-pack system is designed to increase operational efficiency by withstanding higher bottomhole temperatures and can improve production ratings compared to previous sand control systems, Baker Hughes said in a press release. The system, which can be used for both frac packing and openhole gravel packing, can be run into the well up to 30% faster than previous systems and can operate in temperatures up to 204°C (400°F) and with treating pressures of 15,000 psi. The system also can convey proppant volumes up to 1.6 MMlb at a rate of 65 bbl/min while still preserving casing integrity and is available in 7 5/ 8 -in. and 9 5/ 8 -in. sizes, according to the press release. Working with a major operator, Baker Hughes used the system to frac pack a completion in 7 5/ 8 -in. casing at a depth of 3,840 m (12,600 ft) in the Gulf of Mexico’s (GoM’s) South Timbalier field.

GE Oil and Gas introduced this year flexible pipes aimed at helping operators overcome challenges in the Santos basin, the company said in a news release.

Each pipe layer is made with a material specifically engineered to withstand the more acidic environment, the release said. Altogether, about 70 professionals worked on the flexible pipe technology project, which the GE team in Niteroi is continuing to enhance through more R&D. The team has been working on the technologies for the past three years. As a result, the company said it now is one of only two accredited providers of advanced flexible pipes to be used in this location.

GE said the technology builds on its 2011 acquisition of Wellstream Holdings, which enabled GE to grow in the FPSO segment that underpins deepwater oil and gas production activities in Brazil and around the world. The business specializes in the engineering and manufacturing of high-quality flexible risers and flowline products for oil and gas transportation in the subsea production industry.

To drive additional innovation, GE is establishing a new US $250 million global research center in Rio de Janeiro, which will host a subsea systems laboratory that will focus on developing more solutions for the presalt layer and ultra-deepwater exploration, according to the release.

In addition to the future subsea systems laboratory, the company also has announced a total of $262 million in investments to expand its equipment production facilities in Niteroi and Macau – both in Rio de Janeiro – and Jandira in Sao Paulo.

Dow Corning Corp. has developed Dow Corning XTI-1003 RTV Silicone Rubber Insulation for HP/HT equipment used in deepwater production infrastructure and tiebacks. The insulation is a solid, nonsyntactic advanced thermal insulation solution. This room temperature-curing liquid-silicone rubber elastomer cures to a durable and flexible translucent rubber without potentially harmful byproducts. The technology currently is being tested for implications of increased joint strength; flexibility; thermal stability; gains in field performance, reliability, and service life; and application ease. The company said the tests indicate these improvements.