Stabiltec Downhole Tools,
Parks, La., acquired Electric Line Technologies Inc. (Eltech) in Broussard, La. Details of the acquisition were not available. Derrick Derouen, president of Eltech with more than 20 years experience in tool design and manufacturing, will serve as vice-president of the new Stabiltec Eltech Division. That division will remain at its present location in Broussard until relocated to the Stabiltec corporate facility in Parks. Stabiltec specializes in the precision manufacturing and refurbishing of downhole tool and has proprietary technology for application of hard surfacing to extend the life of drilling components. Eltech specializes in design and manufacturing of accessories and components of E-line tools. This acquisition greatly expands Stabiltec's suite of services and expertise and increases its inventory, said Stabletec President Michael Robicheaux. He said, "Future plans are to provide full-service design and manufacture of a wide range of electric wireline tools and accessories."
EMAS AMC,
Singapore, the subsea construction division of the EMAS operating brand of Ezra Holdings Ltd., was contracted by BP Exploration & Production Inc. for subsea work in the Atlantis field in Green Canyon block 743 in the Gulf of Mexico.
The project includes installation and replacement of subsea equipment comprised of manifolds, pipeline end manifolds, jumpers, and associated hardware in 6,800 ft of water, as well as assisting BP in complete commissioning and start-up activities. EMAS AMC's regional headquarters in Houston will execute the planning and installation for the BP project during the first half of 2012.
A previous contract awarded to EMAS AMC by BP for work in the Atlantis field was completed in 2010 with the installation of subsea hardware for BP's Thunder Horse project. EMAS is a leading offshore contractor providing construction, marine, production, and well intervention services. It operates globally with offices in 16 locations spanning Africa, the Americas, the Asia-Pacific, and Europe. Earlier this year it completed acquisition of Aker Marine Contractors AS.
The SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden's
Department of Fire Technology and the Swedish Petroleum Institute (SPI) propose a research project on ethanol tank fire fighting, designated ETANKFIRE, to develop and validate a methodology for fire protection and fire suppression involving tanks of ethanol fuels. Researchers also hope to determine the large scale burning behavior of ethanol fuels.
Fredrik Rosen, marketing manager of SP Fire Technology in Borås, Sweden, said, "As ethanol storage and handling facilities are expanded, it is ever more important that the fire behavior of ethanol is understood so that effective methods of fire protection and suppression can be developed." Existing fire suppression methods such as alcohol resistant (AR) foam may be effective for ethanol storage tank fires "if done very carefully," Rosen said—or perhaps not.
"The fact is that no scientific research has been released to the public that claims success in this matter," he said. "Similarly there is no experience from real ethanol tank fires that shows that we can successfully combat a full tank fire using conventional methods, even given AR foam. Clearly, there are still many unanswered questions to be investigated before a reliable solution can be found."
The project will be guided by a steering committee of funding stakeholders. Further information about project plans, dates and locations of workshops, and additional background are available at www.sp.se/en/index/research/etankfire.
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