Equipment/Software/Literature

Oct. 25, 2004
This two bladed, full hole stabilizer has been developed for bicenter drillbits.

New stabilizer for bicenter drillbits

This two bladed, full hole stabilizer has been developed for bicenter drillbits.

The V-Stab has no moving parts and is designed using bicenter geometry. Use of bicenter geometry allows the stabilizer to pass through a smaller hole, but stabilize the string in a larger hole, reducing the detrimental effects of string vibrations.

Normally, the firm says, when stabilizers are used with a bicenter bit, the maximum stabilizer diameter is the pass through (casing drift) size. When string vibrations occur, an undersized stabilizer can move in all directions, but does help reduce how far the string can move in any direction. However, string vibrations will be worse with an undersized stabilizer than when stabilizers are nearly the same size as the hole.

Because the V-Stab has two blades that are at the full hole diameter (the third blade is missing and does allow string movement to one side of the hole), string movement in the opposite direction is prevented. This reduces the effects of the string vibrations, and may result in longer bit runs, bit life, and increased rates of penetration.

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More than 12 runs have been made with the V-Stab, and the results have demonstrated improved ROP and improvements in bit life. In one case, A CSD 344 Bi-Center PDC Bit and two string V-Stabs drilled the entire interval replacing three bits and an underreamer from a direct offset. Where vibration data have been obtained, the vibrations are low compared with offset bicenter runs and in some cases lower than conventional drill- bit runs, the firm notes.

If there are no string vibrations in the drillstring, then the addition of a V-Stab will offer no improvement. String vibrations are almost always present in vertical wells but in nonvertical wells it is hard to predict when they will or will not occur.

Source: NQL Energy Services, 15500 International Plaza Drive, Houston, TX 77032.

New simulator models refineries, petrochemical plants

Petro-SIM, a new graphical process simulator, models refineries and petrochemical facilities.

It helps process engineers to optimize, analyze, and evaluate complex refinery interactions whether they are conducting multiunit simulations, determining the impact of feedstocks and operating targets, monitoring process performance, conducting investment studies, or updating a linear program model.

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Petro-SIM, based on HYSYS.Refinery, has an easy-to-use interface that helps visualize how one variable change can affect a thousand others. Its fully scalable architecture lets engineers optimize a specific process unit to improve daily operations or model an entire refinery to accurately value the impact of process changes.The simulator will predict realistic yields and determine the economic potential to help customers make better, informed decisions, the company notes.

Petro-SIM lets you build your own assay database from laboratory data or access comprehensive and up-to-date commercial crude assay databases available, featuring more than 400 internationally traded crude oils. The component architecture and tunable distillation column model make this a complete refinery simulation package.

Source: KBC Advanced Technologies PLC, KBC House, 42-50 Hersham Rd., Walton on Thames, Surrey, KT12 1RZ, UK.

New pipeline risk analysis version

A new, enterprise-wide version of the RiskFrame Modeler for risk analysis on liquid and gas pipelines is available.

For many operators, risk assessment involves time-consuming, manual data preparation and processing to perform risk and integrity analysis along a pipeline.The new version reads existing data through links in a data library, and using an intelligent wizard, automatically processes data.This allows RiskFrame Modeler to read data and configure a model in days vs. months with older risk modeling approaches, the company says.

With this version, the model runs using live data so that results can be explained by pointing back to the original source.

The new modeler also offers a greater degree of flexibility.It accepts different data formats, doesn't require data to be collapsed into predefined segments, and allows operators to build new risk models or load an existing model into the application.

RiskFrame Modeler also helps operators improve the efficiency of their integrity management program.To compile a risk score on any segment along a pipeline, this version factors in causes of problems that may arise and the consequence of those problems.Through this sophisticated, complex data analysis, the new modeler helps operators prioritize and focus on areas having the highest risk.

Source: GeoFields Inc., Atlantic Center Plaza, 1180 W. Peachtree St., Suite 1250, Atlanta, GA 30309.

New high-performance digital positioners for valves

The new Logix 3200IQ and 500si series high-performance digital positioners are on the market.

Offering quick setup and calibration of either diaphragm or piston-operated valves without the need for additional handheld devices, software, or configuration-calibration tools, the Logix 3200IQ and 500si series are used in production and refining operations.

The explosionproof 3200IQ and the intrinsically safe 500si use state-of-the-art piezo technology and inner-loop feedback to provide performance, control, and reliability with minimal air consumption in compact, lightweight, and modular designs.

The 500si series is available in two models: the 510si and the 520si. While the 510si is suited for analog (4-20 ma) uses, the 520si, like its sister, the 3200IQ, is suited for HART positioner applications. By using the HART communication protocol, the Logix 520si and 3200IQ can provide wide-ranging data to a facility's control system or to its maintenance database software.

Source: Flowserve Corp., 5215 N. O'Connor Blvd., Suite 2300, Irving, TX 75039.