Wood Group
Wood Group has appointed Michele McNichol to the position of chief executive officer (CEO) for Wood Group Mustang (WG Mustang), effective immediately. Michele succeeds Steve Knowles, who will retire from Wood Group on April 1, 2015.
Michele has more than 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry and has been with WG Mustang since 2001. She was previously executive vice president, with direct responsibility for offshore, onshore, oil sands and pipeline operations worldwide. She has served as president of the upstream business unit and regional director for upstream operations across the Americas. Her tenure at WG Mustang includes high-profile industry projects, including serving as WG Mustang's project manager for BP Thunder Horse, the world's largest semi-submersible production facility.
Steve Knowles has led WG Mustang since 2006, focusing on growth and international expansion. As a result, WG Mustang now has operations in 15 countries across five continents.
"I welcome the opportunity to take Wood Group Mustang into its next evolution, focusing on efficiencies and effectiveness to deliver the most competitive, creative solutions for our customers," stated Michele McNichol. "We will remain committed to our people-oriented, project-driven culture, which translates into highly effective teams."
Michele earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Texas A&M University. She is a registered professional engineer in Texas and is a certified Project Management Professional.
Halliburton
Halliburton's Production Solutions business line has introduced CoilCommSM service to help maximize well production and the success rates of coiled tubing well interventions. The service allows operators to identify which producing zones are benefitting from a stimulation treatment and which are being bypassed by measuring depth correlation and temperature profiles in a single trip down the wellbore. For jetting and underbalanced operations, the CoilComm service allows monitoring of critical downhole data to maintain the coiled tubing and tools within their safe operating envelopes.
Conventional methods of fiber deployment require permanent, casing-conveyed or tractor-in conveyance that can be expensive, limited in depth and risky. In contrast, the CoilComm service provides a more efficient and economical method for continuous, real-time monitoring of horizontal or highly deviated wells by installing the fiber optics inside various sizes of coiled tubing, tailored to the requirements of the wellbore.
With CoilComm service, depth can be accurately controlled with the casing collar locator, eliminating uncertainty about where to perforate or set a packer. Temperature related properties such as acid corrosion rates and chemical effectiveness can be maintained within optimum efficiency ranges through real-time downhole monitoring.
The CoilComm service was deployed for an operator in Mexico as part of an integrated coiled tubing solution on a highly deviated well in a carbonate reservoir. The CoilComm service provided ideal conveyance for Halliburton's StimWatch® distributed temperature sensing service to continuously monitor wellbore temperature across the entire horizontal while pumping a stimulation job. As a result, a thief zone was discovered in real time, the treatment was modified and final acid stages cancelled, saving the operator $120,000 in fluids.
Formerly known as Boots & Coots, Halliburton Production Solutions is a newly formed business line focused on delivering customized intervention solutions to maximize production efficiency and ultimate recovery. Production Solutions comprises several sub-product service lines: Pipeline & Process Services, Pressure Control, and Boots & Coots Well Control and Prevention.
Fugro
Fugro took delivery of the Fugro Americas, a new-build shallow draft survey vessel, on March 18, 2015. Custom designed to Fugro's specifications, the vessel is fitted with the latest geophysical survey equipment and houses some of the most advanced instrumentation in the field.
The Fugro Americas is optimised for working in the Gulf of Mexico, but she is also suitable for other geographical areas, being permanently mobilised and available for rapid deployment to locations throughout North and South America as well as the Caribbean.
The 59 metre-long vessel is capable of carrying out a wide range of offshore services including high resolution geophysical and light geotechnical surveys in water depths of up to 4,500 metres. Fugro Americas is built to operate Fugro's new 4,500 metre-rated Hugin 1000 Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), Echo Surveyor VII, which was delivered in December 2014. Specialist equipment on the new survey vessel includes a dynamic positioning system and state-of-the-art survey systems, including a deep water EM302 multibeam echosounder to be used for gas seep surveys.
The Fugro Americas meets stringent industry safety and environmental standards and was built by Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors in Louisiana, with supervision by Fugro Marine Services.
Weatherford
Weatherford International plc announced the commercial release of its TruFrac® composite frac plug at the 2015 Intervention and Coiled Tubing Association (ICoTA) Conference and Exhibition. With a high level of reliability, the TruFrac® composite frac plug maximizes the efficiency of plug-and-perf completion operations by reducing time on location.
Weatherford is the only integrated oilfield services company that manufactures its own 97 percent premium composite blend for TruFrac®, which allows for the ability to control quality and consistency throughout the entire process of creating the plug.
Because of its reliable sealing capability, the plug is rated for use in environments with temperatures up to 300° F/149° C and pressures up to 10,000 psi (689 bar). They can be used in single- and multiple-zone stimulation operations in vertical, deviated, horizontal, or multilateral wells. When deployed in horizontal wells, the plug can run in hole at a speed of up to 500 ft/min (152 m/min).
The TruFrac® plug recently helped an operator in the Eagle Ford reduce mill-out time to an average of 10.5 minutes per plug from the industry average of 25 minutes per plug, which enabled the operator to accelerate the plug-and-perf operation to begin producing the well faster. To date, the Company has successfully deployed more than 12,000 plugs with 99.98 percent reliability.
CIRCOR Energy
CIRCOR Energy announced that Erik Wiik has joined the Company as Group President. Mr. Wiik has joined CIRCOR Energy after a 24-year career at Aker Solutions, where he held positions of increasing leadership responsibility managing groups of businesses delivering advanced subsea technology to the oil and gas industry around the world. He replaces Wayne Robbins who is retiring.
Scott Buckhout, President and Chief Executive Officer of CIRCOR International commented, "Erik brings with him a wealth of experience within the energy market. I am confident that he brings the right mix of commercial savvy and operational excellence. He will be a strong addition to our senior leadership team."
CIRCOR Energy is a market-leading, global provider of integrated flow control solutions specializing in the manufacture of highly engineered valves, fittings, pipeline products and services, and associated products, for critical and severe service applications in the oil and gas, power generation and process markets.
Cray, Inc.
Global supercomputer leader Cray, Inc. announced it has been awarded a significant contract to provide Petroleum Geo-Services (PGS), a global oil-and-gas company, with a Cray® XC40™ supercomputer and a Cray® Sonexion® 2000 storage system. The five-petaflop Cray supercomputer will be one of the largest systems Cray has delivered to a commercial customer, and among the largest supercomputers deployed in the commercial sector.
Headquartered in Oslo, Norway with regional centers in London, Singapore and Houston, PGS creates high-resolution seismic maps and 3-dimensional (3D) models of the earth's sub-surface, which oil and gas companies use to explore and produce offshore reserves worldwide.
The new Cray XC40 supercomputer and Sonexion storage system will provide PGS with the advanced computational capabilities necessary to run highly-complex seismic processing and imaging applications. These applications include imaging algorithms for the PGS Triton survey, which is the most advanced seismic imaging survey ever conducted in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The new Cray systems are expected to be deployed in 2015.
Mayer Brown
Mayer Brown announced that Francisco Mendez has joined the firm as a partner in its Global Energy practice. Previously, he spent nearly 20 years at ExxonMobil Corporation as in-house counsel for Latin America, where he most recently advised the company on the opening of the oil and gas industry in Mexico to the private sector. Mr. Mendez will be based in the Houston office of Mayer Brown.
With the joining of Mr. Mendez, the firm takes another step towards consolidating its position as a market leader in connection with Mexico's energy reform. In addition, subject to Mexican legal and regulatory requirements, Mayer Brown intends to open a representative office in Mexico City that, if approved, would focus on serving clients operating and investing in the oil, gas and power industries in Mexico.
"For the first time in 75 years, Mexico's oil and gas sector is open to private investment. Francisco will bolster Mayer Brown's ability to advise oil and gas and energy services companies from around the world who are seeking guidance on how to invest in this new market," said Houston partner Dallas Parker, leader of Mayer Brown's Mexico Energy Reform initiative.
While at ExxonMobil, Mr. Mendez provided counsel on significant upstream and downstream projects in Latin America. He has deep experience in the negotiation and drafting of oil and gas contracts. Most recently, Mr. Mendez advised ExxonMobil on the opening of the Mexican oil and gas sector. He was also involved in the formation of the Mexican Hydrocarbons Association, the first such industry association in Mexico. In addition to Mexico, Mr. Mendez has experience in handling oil, gas and power matters in Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Guyana.
Mr. Mendez is licensed to practice law in Mexico and graduated from Panamerican University's School of Law (Universidad Panamericana) in Mexico City.
Antelope Oil Tool
Antelope Oil Tool, an industry leader in downhole solutions, has developed the CentraMax series, a unique centralizer design that provides a solution to enhance standoff and efficiency in cementing operations.
Antelope Oil Tool provides patented casing and cementing products and services to the oil and gas industry for onshore, offshore and deepwater applications.
The CentraMax improves efficiency for operators by maximizing stand-off percentage, while reducing drag with minimal impact on flow area and equivalent circulating density. The product also improves safety by allowing the centralizer to pass through tight spots without compromising standoff.
Designed with a 100% heat-treated steel, the CentraMax is a vigorous, single piece centralizer with a superior restoring force ideal for all well conditions. The CentraMax is currently in use in both land and offshore well applications.
Scott Safety
Scott Safety, a Tyco business, announced that it has completed the acquisition of Industrial Safety Technologies (IST), a global leader in gas and flame detection, from Battery Ventures for $329.5 million in cash.
The combination of IST and Scott Safety makes Tyco one of the largest global designers and manufacturers of gas and flame detection products and reinforces Tyco's commitment to growing its gas and flame detection business.
IST holds a technology leadership position in the gas and flame detection industry and is strongly committed to innovating in industrial safety solutions. From groundbreaking wireless gas-detection technology to the first SIL3 certified triple IR flame detector, IST provides among the most advanced and reliable solutions, protecting lives and workplaces around the world. IST brings strong market presence in Europe, the Middle East, and the Gulf Coast U.S. region and will complement the Scott Safety Flame and Gas Detection business.
Scott Safety has a broad, global offering of premium safety products, with a portfolio that includes SCBAs, air purifying respirators, gas detection systems, compressors, PPE, and thermal imaging products. With the addition of the IST group, Scott Safety will now be able to offer customers a much broader range of flame and gas detection products, with some of the most advanced technologies in the market.
CLS Offshore
CLS Offshore Limited announced James Norwood as their new Commercial Director. Norwood joins CLS Offshore from Raytheon Anschuetz GmbH, and will be responsible for developing the strategy, commercial and business development activities of the company.
Graduating in 2001 from the University of Plymouth with a degree in Maritime Business and Marine Law, Norwood joined Portland Port as their Marketing Manager prior to joining the Royal Navy in 2002. Leaving the Royal Navy in 2008, Norwood took on increasingly senior roles within BMT Group, TRANSAS Marine Ltd and latterly as Head of Business Development for Marine, Oil & Gas at Raytheon Anschuetz GmbH.
Speaking of his appointment, James Norwood said "I am delighted to be joining CLS Offshore at this exciting time. I have been following the phenomenal growth of this organisation over the last two years and am very pleased to now be a part of it. CLS Offshore is synonymous in the industry with providing high quality products and services and I look forward to working with the CLS team to further enhance our client's capabilities"
Norwood holds an MBA from Imperial College London and a BSC (Hons) in Maritime Business and Marine Law. He is an Associate Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation and an Associate Fellow of the Nautical Institute.
Schlumberger
Schlumberger announced the release of the ACTive OptiFIRE* coiled tubing real-time selective perforating and activation system that enables perforating with coiled tubing (CT) fiber-optic real-time telemetry. The selective perforation process is repeatable at different precise depths with positive indication of each firing and hydrostatic pressure control-all in a single run-saving time and operational costs.
The ACTive OptiFIRE system allows for arming the perforating guns on demand, and firing each gun individually from the bottom up and is repeatable up to 10 times. This new technology does not require a ball drop, pressure pulse system or fluids to detonate for reduced risks during perforating. The system can be safely used during underbalanced perforating, in low pressure wells or unconsolidated reservoirs.
During lab testing, the ACTive OptiFIRE system successfully actuated more than 40 simulated detonators at the full temperature rating of 347° F /175° C and has been field tested in more than 10 interventions in challenging onshore and offshore conditions, including Mexico and Malaysia.
In Mexico, a customer needed to increase production by reperforating a single zone historically inaccessible by conventional means of intervention without having to kill the well or delay production. The ACTive OptiFIRE system was used to access the zone at 13,327 ft-MD (4,062 m-MD), accurately place the perforating guns, and confirm downhole detonation in a single run. The system enhanced intervention safety, reduced perforating time by 75%, and allowed the operator to clean and kick off the well without needing additional equipment in the same run for increased efficiency.
Schlumberger also announced the release of the ACTive Straddle* coiled tubing real-time multiset inflatable packer. The packer provides all functions needed to isolate and treat multiple zones on a single run without coming out of the well, which reduces intervention time and optimizes production.
The inflatable packer is conveyed with coiled tubing (CT) into vertical, deviated or horizontal wellbores, eliminating expensive mobilizations and potential completion removals by enabling multiple treatments in a single intervention. The CT fiber-optic real-time telemetry provides downhole measurements to optimize fluid placement, ensure accurate depth control, monitor packer pressure during setting and unsetting, and enable precise flow control and setting tool manipulations.
During field testing, more than 147 inflation and deflation multisetting procedures were performed. The ACTive Straddle inflatable packer was also field tested in more than six interventions in challenging onshore and offshore intervention conditions, including the Middle East and the North Sea.
In the Middle East, a customer needed to identify and remediate multiple plugged inflow control devices (ICDs) in two wells. Using distributed temperature sensing analysis to discover problematic ICDs, a single ACTive Straddle inflatable packer run was performed to restore flow. In one well, production increased by 150% from 480 bbl/d to 1,200 bbl/d. Production from the second well increased 171%-from 2,100 bbl/d to 5,700 bb/d, saving more than a week of intervention time compared with conventional intervention treatments.