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New family of coiled-tubing services uses real-time downhole measurements to interpret and optimize treatments while they are still in progress
Schlumberger announced today the release of the ACTive* family of live downhole coiled-tubing services. These services provide innovative interventions to elevate the performance, efficiency and results of coiled- tubing operations in various types of well configurations.
A ruggedized high-bandwidth fiber-optic cable deployed inside the coiled-tubing string connects bottomhole sensors with surface monitors and controls, allowing engineers to measure, interpret, and act on downhole events in real time as they unfold. Continuous monitoring provides instantaneous insight and quantitative feedback on the progress of downhole treatments, and alerts the engineer to any deviation from the job design. The real-time measurements can be instantly cross-referenced to surface and reservoir data so that service performance can be evaluated and enhanced.
"You can only improve what you can measure," said Sherif Foda, vice president, coiled-tubing services, Schlumberger. "When you know exactly what's happening downhole, you can adjust job parameters in real time based on downhole measurements. For the first time, operators can manage their treatment and make a difference to the results with complete confidence when it matters the most - while the operation is still in progress".
Presently, the ACTive portfolio is composed of six services.
- ACTive Matrix monitors injection rates, downhole pressures, and temperatures of matrix treatments to maximize fluid penetration and coverage, enhance diversion, and optimize treatment volumes.
- ACTive Cleanout uses differential pressure readings to avoid formation damage and minimize the number of trips and operating time, while ensuring thorough removal of fill.
- ACTive Perf achieves accurate depth control and target coverage in a single run while controlling hydrostatic balance to minimize formation damage.
- ACTive Isolation ensures efficient, on-depth setting of isolation devices in a single run, controlling differential pressure across the sealing elements to ensure their integrity.
- ACTive Lift improves the efficiency and results of nitrogen lift jobs by continuous monitoring and balancing of wellbore pressure while avoiding solids production.
- ACTive Profiling enhances all ACTive services by including distributed temperature surveying (DTS) to provide a 3D time/temperature profile across the entire well to monitor treatment placement and production performance.
Date 7th May 2008
New technology application delivers accurate flow rate measurements for
Suncor in SAGD operations
Schlumberger announced today the first ever application of multiphase flowmetering technology for steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) wells.
“Multiphase flow measurement is a new service for heavy oil and bitumen SAGD production,” said Dr. Bruno Pinguet, multiphase domain champion, Schlumberger. “Extreme operating conditions such as high temperatures, unpredictable emulsion properties and a fourth phasesteamhave, until now, meant this type of flow monitoring was not possible with conventional technology in thermal heavy oil operations.”
The multiphase flowmeter uses Vx* technology to measure the flowrate of each phase from the wellhead without the need for time-consuming separation tests. Vx technology is available in the Schlumberger PhaseTester* portable multiphase well testing equipment or PhaseWatcher* fixed multiphase well production monitoring equipment. The technology enables better understanding of the production dynamics of SAGD wells operated with high-temperature electric submersible pumps (ESP).
SAGD wells represent a new application extension for the field-proven Vx technology. As Schlumberger develops new services for heavy oil production, this test marks the first-ever multiphase metering operation in SAGD applications, and demonstrates the production optimization potential of this technology for more viscous oils. The test was completed at the site of a Canadian operator, Suncor Energy, in Alberta, Canada.
Date 1st May 2008
ABS Issues Guidance for Protective Coatings
ABS is assisting shipbuilders, ship owners and operators prepare for the new IMO mandated Performance Standard for Protective Coatings (PSPC) (IMO MSC 215(82)) by issuing a completely revised and expanded edition of its Guidance Notes on Inspection, Maintenance and Application of Marine Coatings. The IMO standards take effect on 1 July 2008 and will apply to the dedicated seawater ballast tanks on all ships of not less than 500 gross tons for which the building contract is placed on or after 1 July 2008; or, in the absence of a building contract, the keels of which are laid on or after 1 January 2009. The standards also apply to the double-side skin spaces of bulk carriers of 150m in length and upwards.
The guidance provided by ABS covers both the technical requirements of the new regulations and the role coatings play in contributing to the longevity of the structure. They also take into account the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) Procedural Requirement (PR34) that specifically addresses the application of the new IMO standards.
The ABS Guidance Notes are recognized by NACE International as being quality introductory training material for marine coating inspectors. NACE is globally recognized as the leading professional technical society dedicated to the prevention of corrosion and governs the NACE Coating Inspector Program, which sets the benchmark for other coating inspection programs and is referenced in IMO MSC 215(82).
“Coatings comprise a significant proportion of the cost of a new ship,” says Todd Grove, ABS Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff. “Both the IMO and Class have recognized that the quality of the coatings directly affects the structural integrity of the ship, its environmental performance and, ultimately, the value of the asset. Although the new standards place the primary responsibility for the proper application of the coatings on the shipyard, these new guidelines should help clarify the issues, and potential pitfalls, for all parties while clearly delineating the responsibilities of class for verifying that the applicable processes are complied with.”
Shipyards are already gearing up to meet the new IMO standards as the ten members of IACS, late last year jointly agreed to advance the 1 July 2008 implementation date for tankers and bulk carriers subject to the new IACS Common Structural Rules (CSR). The new coatings standards apply to all CSR ships for which the orders have been placed on or after 8 December 2006. Construction of the first CSR vessel ordered to ABS class to which the new standards apply is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2008.
The updated ABS Guidance Notes address the fundamentals of coating technology as applied to ship structures, and the regulatory requirements for coatings in ballast tanks, void spaces, cargo tanks, cargo holds and outer hull anti-fouling systems. The chemistry and mechanics of corrosion are explained and methods of surface preparation are introduced along with safety guidance and a matrix detailing the advantages or disadvantages of each method.
Factors such as human error, environmental conditions, surface preparation, contaminants, film thicknesses and the method of application all play a role in determining a coating’s effectiveness. To aid in the assessment of how coatings perform, the ABS Guidance Notes illustrate typical failures and provide advice on appropriate repair and maintenance strategies.
Recognizing that the auditing of coating inspection procedures is an extension of class responsibilities into a new area, ABS has initiated a comprehensive training program (also recognized by NACE,) for its surveyors with the initial participants being those currently assigned to the major shipbuilding centers.
ABS offers a class notation (CPS) for those ships complying with the PSPC standards and procedures during the coating application process. This notation is explained in detail in the newly released Notes.
Still under discussion at IMO is the extension of the coatings regulatory regime to cover cargo holds/tanks as well as void spaces and the through-life maintenance of coatings.
Date 5 September 2007
Chemtex Selects Dresser-Rand Compression Equipment
For LNG Projects in the People's Republic of China
Chemtex International has chosen Dresser-Rand Company to provide compression equipment for two liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants in the People's Republic of China. Dresser-Rand is one of the world's leading suppliers of rotating equipment solutions to the worldwide oil, gas, petrochemical, and process industries.
Dresser-Rand has secured an order to provide two DATUM® centrifugal refrigerant compressors with 16,000 horsepower motor gear drives. Chemtex, with headquarters in Wilmington, North Carolina, is the plant contractor for the projects. Black & Veatch Corporation, of Kansas City, is the LNG process designer.
The equipment is planned for two new LNG production facilities to be built near the Erdos Basin gas fields of Inner Mongolia. The facilities will convert stranded natural gas supplies into liquefied natural gas for transportation by truck or rail to markets not served by gas pipelines. Once completed, each plant is expected to produce approximately 200,000 tons a year of LNG. The facilities will be roughly double the size of a typical peak shaving LNG plant in the United States. Currently, there are 55 such plants, ranging from 1000 to 8000 horsepower each. Chemtex also has plans for three additional similar sized LNG facilities in China.
The gas fields of the Erdos Basin are estimated to contain more than 700 billion cubic meters of natural gas, making it the largest reserve in China, and one of the largest in the world. The rapidly expanding industrial base in China has greatly increased the need for readily available fuel supplies, and has created a growing demand for low-emissions energy sources.
"These projects represent very promising developments in the People's Republic of China," said Dave Johnson, project development manager at Dresser-Rand. "We're very pleased to be playing a key role in the growth of clean fuel energy supplies in the region. The use of duplicate DATUM units at multiple facilities provides definite advantages to the equipment operators of these plants."
Date 29 June 2007
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