Downhole HD camera for wellbore inspection

Calidus Engineering is developing CaliCAM, a downhole camera inspection tool that is designed to give engineers high-definition (HD) video images of the wellbore hole. Previous methods of obtaining downhole images forced engineers to find and repeatedly pass inspection points to take still images of the well wall in sections, rotating a mirror or prism in front of a camera. Now, according to the company, downhole inspection times are significantly reduced by providing a video taken in a single run. The camera can withstand temperatures up to 125°C (257°F) and comprises a color HD sensor housed in a heat-resistant Dewar flask, the company said. The tool is 2.25-in. in diameter and includes a four-arm roller centralizer. It runs in surface readout mode on standard wireline monocable. The video is transmitted at 1.5 m/sec (5 ft/sec) over electric line to the surface. The high-resolution video that is produced can be recorded onto a PC-compatible 32-Gb secure digital card. It provides at least 5 hours of recording for later download via Ethernet, the company said. caliduseng.com.

COcapture, compression

The Quest integrally geared centrifugal compressor by MAN Diesel and Turbo will begin capturing and compressing COin oil sand operations. The tool will capture more than 1 million metric tons of COper year, the company said. The centrifugal compressor can handle 80,000 cu m/hour (2.8 MMcf/hour) of CO. A hydrogen unit produces hydrogen for the conversion of bitumen to synthetic crude oil. The COis then removed from the “syngas” by contacting it with an activated amine. After separation from the amine, the purified COstream is compressed by the MAN Diesel and Turbo RG90-8 type compressor in eight stages to a discharge pressure of 1,885 psi, which will send the compressed CO60 km (37 miles) via an underground pipeline to a wellhead and will inject the dense-phase CO2.3 km (1.4 miles) below the surface into a saline rock formation for permanent storage, the company said. mandieselturbo.com.

Deepwater equipment insulation for HP/HT

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, according to the company. 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. dowcorning.com.

Monitoring, data acquisition for wellhead and conductor fatigue

To ensure the structural integrity of drilling risers and wellhead systems, Pulse Structural Monitoring has designed the DrillASSURE system. The tool is for enhanced real-time monitoring and data acquisition for wellhead and conductor fatigue. The company said the technology can accurately track structural integrity of the riser and wellhead system by measuring riser and riser-stack motion response. It also offers real-time direct access to the riser response data without needing to recover instruments and enables operators to view and analyze information instantly, the company said. It can mitigate risk of damage to risers and wellheads during riser installation and retrieval and tracks fatigue loading on the wellhead and conductor, thereby extending asset life. It also can help to reduce unnecessary costs and operation downtime by optimizing maintenance and inspection activities. pulse-monitoring.com.

Flex joint cleaning tool for marine ROVs

The new flex joint cleaning tool from Seanic removes excessive marine growth where balls and sockets meet on work-class ROVs. This allows an optimal inspection of the elastomer material, the company said. This is the second of its kind. This new addition can accommodate pipeline diameters ranging from 6 in. to 24 in. The tool can be used with any of the standard work-class ROVs, according to the company. Once cleaned, the high-definition still photography and video collected can enable 3-D modeling if any anomalies are found. seanicusa.com.

Downhole reservoir testing system withstands ultra-high temperatures

The Quartet-HT high-performance downhole reservoir testing system from Schlumberger combines four downhole 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 drill-stem 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. slb.com/Quartet-HT.

BOP cleaner designed for deepwater environments

An accumulation of drilling debris and solids can hinder the correct operation of a BOP and may cause loss of time and money. One solution can be found in the Tornar Deep Water BOP cleaner from Archer. The technology is designed for safe and effective BOP and riser cleaning in deepwater and ultra-deepwater environments. The tool is based on in-house developed magnet and flow dynamics technology, which removes and captures wellbore debris from BOP and marine riser cavities safely, rapidly, and reliably in challenging depths, using a vortex suction effect, purpose-built powerful magnets, brushes, and junk baskets, according to the company.

In deepwater and ultra-deepwater scenarios, the time it takes to retrieve and re-run the marine riser and BOP can extend from several days to weeks. This tool can be used to minimize that lost time, the company said. The tool allows well control during cleanup operation; it accomplishes this by implementing a three-stage flow sleeve that diverts flow out through the cleaning ports or through the bottom of the string. archerwell.com.