ZETEC INC.
Zetec, Inc. has introduced the New Topaz®32, a fully integrated phased array ultrasonic instrument for nondestructive testing (NDT) projects. Optimally designed for Oil & Gas, Power Generation, Manufacturing and Transportation applications, the Zetec Topaz32 ultrasonic instrument boosts productivity, reduces job time duration and can lower total cost of ownership, making it a smart investment.
Since its introduction in 2013, the award-winning Topaz ultrasonic instrument has always stood for portable productivity. The new Topaz32 has an advanced on-board computer that substantially improves the power of the instrument reducing typical processing times by up to 50% at setup creation, calibration or reporting. The ultra-bright touchscreen allows users to interact just like they would with a smartphone or a tablet. Configuration or connection with any Zetec scanner or accessory to the Topaz32 is automatically recognized and pre-configured, saving valuable time and resources.
Data acquisition speed is significantly improved, reducing time for processing and creating reports by up to 50% versus previous versions. Sectorial and linear scanning combine to increase the covered inspection area while reducing scanning time.
With UltraVision® touch software embedded in the Topaz32, 2D matrix array probe support is now included without the need of any external software. This fully-integrated and simplified approach can reduce the amount of equipment needed to perform an inspection. The rugged magnesium housing is long lasting and has no air intake making it ideal for harshest of environments.
Iqarus
Offshore and onshore healthcare and medical solutions company Iqarus has acquired Exmed, a leader in remote medical support, equipment and clinical education, as it further progresses its global growth strategy.
Exmed's customers include prominent international government and humanitarian agencies as well as global energy companies and media organizations including the BBC and Discovery Channel.
The company supports medical missions and operations in locations including Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Siberia. Exmed offers unique frontline training services and has invested in a new center of excellence set to open in July that offers a fully simulated two story street for replicating mass incident scenarios as well as arctic, jungle and desert simulation.
Iqarus was formed following the acquisition of Capita PLC's Aberdeen-based Energy Medical Services business by a management team led by CEO Tim Mitchell and MML Capital Partners last year.
The new business, which has a 40-year history of providing medical solutions to the North Sea oil and gas industry, aims to become the leading international player in healthcare solutions for remote and difficult environments through a combination of acquisition and organic growth, which includes building on its existing blue-chip energy customer base and investing in technology-enabled services.
Iqarus announced the acquisition of occupational hygiene consultancy C-CHEC earlier this year and the launch of a new Environmental Sciences Division to provide a new integrated offering.
McDermott International, Inc.
McDermott International, Inc. formally named its flagship Derrick Lay Vessel 2000 (DLV 2000) during a ceremony at the Keppel Singmarine Shipyard in Singapore.
Mrs. Brenda Cuthbertson, wife of 38-year McDermott employee and Asia Area Vice President Hugh Cuthbertson, serves as the vessel's godmother and named the DLV 2000 with the traditional breaking of champagne during the ceremony.
The DLV 2000 is a class 3 dynamically positioned vessel combining a 2,200-ton revolving crane with a deepwater under deck S-lay pipelay system configured to install pipelines with diameters ranging from 4.5 to 60 inches in water depths up to 10,000 feet. The vessel can accommodate up to 400 personnel to facilitate large hook-up and commissioning projects, has a fast transit speed and incorporates a large, 43,000 square foot open deck to allow the transportation and assembly of large subsea structures; enabling safe and efficient stand-alone operations in remote areas.
The DLV 2000's first assignment is scheduled offshore Western Australia on the INPEX Ichthys LNG Project. The DLV 2000 is expected to join the project in May 2016 for several months as part of McDermott's work program by providing heavy construction support for the subsea system. Work is scheduled to be performed in conjunction with McDermott's other new subsea installation vessel, the Construction Support Vessel 108 (CSV 108), which is working successfully on the project. The CSV 108 is expected to undergo an upgrade later in 2016 to install a Vertical Lay System and Reel Deployment System for use on the project and will then be referred to as the Lay Vessel 108 (LV 108).
Additionally, the DLV 2000 is scheduled to support the transportation and installation contract awarded by Woodside Energy Limited for the Greater Western Flank Phase 2 subsea pipeline and installation project in Western Australia.
MASTER RIG INTERNATIONAL
Master Rig International (MRI) recently completed an extensive and large-scale inspection, repair and recertification of the Jindal Drilling Rig Project in Sabine Pass, Texas, USA.
After initial inspections of drilling equipment, repair plans were developed and underway in late December 2015. Maintenance and recertification of drilling equipment began on January 15th, 2016, and MRI had the jackup rig operational by February 25, 2016, ahead of schedule and under budget.
The project's main challenge was the condensed time frame and the tremendous amount of work to be completed. The scope of work included complete teardown, inspection, rebuilding, and recertification of three top-mounted, belt-drive mud pumps, a top-drive unit, drawworks, brakes, rotary table, anchor winches, BOP controls, jacking system contractors, derrick, winch, DROPS, MCC section, HP lines, standpipe manifold, and choke/kill manifold. The job could have easily taken six months for completion, but despite the scale and complexity of the project, Master Rig International successfully completed the project's deadline within two months, meeting customer's requirements and providing quality product and services while maintaining worker safety and environmental sustainability.
WEATHERFORD
In late February, Weatherford completed a drilling and reaming project near Sakhalin Island, Russia, that resulted in a total of 52 hours in rig time saved.
The operator contracted Weatherford to enlarge a 3,641-ft (1,110-m) hole section from 81⁄2 to 91⁄2 in. on an offshore development well. Weatherford deployed a dual-reamer bottomhole assembly including a RipTide® drilling reamer and a RipTide Rathole Killer® drilling reamer. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags enabled both reamers to be opened and closed remotely and selectively throughout the run. This method allowed the crew to drill and ream the hole section to a total depth of 14,629 ft. (4,459 m), eliminate the rathole and clean the wellbore in a single trip.
By removing the need for a dedicated cleanout trip, which takes an average of 52 hours in this field, the RFID tools produced significant value in terms of time, cost and operational efficiency.
VALLOUREC
Vallourec is delivering close to 1,500 tons of seamless OCTG to Geothermie Holzkirchen GmbH for the geothermal power project at Holzkirchen, in Bavaria, Germany, which is planned to start operating in 2017.
Most of the tubes were produced at the Vallourec mills in Mülheim and Düsseldorf. Geothermie Holzkirchen GmbH uses geothermal sources in the Alpine Foreland to generate clean, green energy and heat.
The project calls for the drilling of two wells to a depth of nearly 5,000 meters, the first of which is now under way. This initial well will bring the geothermal water to the surface at a temperature of 140° C. A steam generator and heat exchanger will then transform this hot water to produce electricity and heat. Once cooled, the water will then follow its loop back down into the calcareous aquifer, descending through the second well.
The OCTG will be used to consolidate the wells; gas-tight and designed to resist harsh conditions - temperatures over 180° C and external pressures up to 743 bars.
Commissioning of the new geothermal plant is scheduled for 2017. It is expected to cover up to 80% of the heating needs for the town of Holzkirchen and will reduce annual CO2 emissions by nearly 10,000 metric tons when compared to the plant's alternative energy source.
For several years now, deep geothermal power has established a firm foothold in the German states of Bavaria, Brandenburg, and Baden-Württemberg as an environmentally friendly energy source. Bavaria has invested in geothermal energy now for over a decade and it will soon represent a major share of the Munich energy supply: the city has made a commitment to meet all of its electricity requirements with renewable energy by 2025.
FUGRO
Fugro has been awarded a contract by Indian oil and gas company, ONGC, for the provision of ROV services on board the drillship Sagar Vijay. The contract, which was signed at ONGC's offices in Mumbai, involves providing support for deepwater drilling operations off the east coast of India, in depths up to 900 meters.
A range of tasks will be performed by Fugro's FCV ROV, including seabed surveys, monitoring of subsea drilling operations, guideline cutting and reinstallation, remote intervention and AX/VX ring gasket installation. Services also include setting up regular fluid injection, drilling re-entry, bullseye checks and routine video monitoring, inspection and cleaning on and around the BOP.
Fugro will also provide drill support tooling during the 18-month project, which is expected to commence in May 2016.
Baker Hughes
Baker Hughes announced the commercial release of its FieldPulse™ model-based, predictive analytics software, which enables operators to proactively optimize production across entire fields by giving them clear understanding of an asset's performance in real time.
In order to provide this understanding, the FieldPulse software can seamlessly integrate and interpret large volumes of production data, well models and well test data from multiple sources; then, automating common petroleum engineering calculations, it helps identify and rank underperforming wells. Key performance indicators such as rate decline and model deviations are constantly monitored, and warnings and alerts are generated to accelerate well selection and provide actionable data to help operators make decisions relating to well remediation, when and where it is needed.
Because the FieldPulse software uses data from existing production and completion databases, operators can choose to avoid investing in new sensors, gauges or databases. The software also has its own built-in nodal engine, which allows real-time integration between field data and well models without the need for additional well modeling software.
The FieldPulse software can be used in real-time operations centers, in modern collaboration rooms, on tablet devices, on touch-enabled laptops and on conventional laptops and desktops. It works out of the box with minimal configuration and is easily deployed so value can be realized within hours.
The FieldPulse model-based, predictive analytics software is the latest example of Baker Hughes' strategy to improve well efficiency, optimize production and increase ultimate recovery.