In December 1994, the Drilling Engineering Association (DEA) started work on Phase 1 of DEA-91: Comparison of API and GOST Standards, a project which notes similarities and differences between Russian and American Petroleum Institute (API) standards for drilling related equipment and materials. The project is run by O'Brien-Goins-Simpson & Associates, Houston. GOST is the primary standards organization for Russia; the acronym stands for Gosudarstvennyi Obshchesoyuznyi Standart, or State All Union Standards. The standards are roughly parallel to API standards.
The DEA-91 project involves identifying the appropriate Russian standard for an item and translating it into English. The translation by itself is of limited value; the real value is a technical comparison of API and GOST standards, according to O'Brien-Goins-Simpson (OGS). Many pieces of local equipment (manufactured to GOST standards) are compatible with Western equipment (manufactured to API standards), yet other pieces are almost identical but with one or two critical differences.
For example, the GOST documentation for wellhead equipment lists the standard GOST wellhead sizes and pressure ratings. The information is useful for an operator planning to workover an existing well or purchase new GOST equipment for a drilling operation. In many cases the physical dimensions of the equipment are nearly identical. In other cases there may be one or two critical differences. The information is very helpful in planning an operation to minimize downtime in the field due to equipment incompatibilities, according to OGS.
The results are useful in planning operations in Russia and the other republics of the former Soviet Union, especially field work involving local equipment or materials. Most oil field equipment manufactured in the former Soviet Union is based on GOST specifications (pressure ratings, sizes, etc.). Many international operators working in this area incorporate local equipment to reduce initial cost, transportation cost, and import duties.
Phase 1 of DEA-91 was funded by five operators: Amoco Oil Co., Conoco Inc., Exxon Corp., Sakhalin Energy (Marathon Oil Co.), and Mobil Corp. Phase 1 of the study, to be completed in August 1995, covers the following subjects:
- Wellhead equipment
- Well control equipment
- Casing and tubing
- Drill pipe
- Drilling fluid materials
- Oil well cements.
Phase 2 of DEA-91 will cover subjects more closely related to the drilling rig itself:
- Derricks and masts
- Hoisting equipment
- Solids control equipment
- Wire rope and oil field chain
- Other drilling equipment (rotary tables, mud pumps, and draw works).
The deliverable results from the project include the following:
- Comparison reports for each subject
- English language translations of applicable GOST standards
- Original Russian language version of applicable GOST standards
- Digital reference catalog.
The project will last 8 months and requires five participants at $22,000 each (total project cost: $110,000).
Copyright 1995 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.
