The New Technology Showcase sessions occurred on Wednesday, October 9, 2019 from 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. and Thursday, October 10, 2019 from 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. in Room 245 on the second floor. View the full schedule for more information. 

For much of its existence, the oil and gas industry has pushed the limits of innovation.

Through hard work, creativity and “out-of-the-box” thinking, extraordinary new technologies have been developed to find and produce oil and natural gas. For the 5th time in the exposition’s existence, LAGCOE dedicated two technical sessions to recognizing exhibitors’ best forward thinking solutions by giving them an opportunity to present a brief overview of a recent innovation or technological advancement. This forum allowed exhibiting companies a chance to showcase new technology to the scores of industry leaders and LAGCOE attendees assembled for this one compact time slot.

 

2019 NEW TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE WINNERS

Corporate Services | Basis proprietary software with mobile access

Basis is a powerful and easy-to-use equipment rental and service software that can help businesses manage remote operations. From purchasing and maintaining equipment, to dispatching and invoicing customers, Basis makes it easy to track the revenue, cost, location and utilization of assets throughout the world. Now, with the launch of a mobile app, Basis offers even more flexibility, providing users with access to the same data and functionality as office-based personnel.

The mobile app allows users to enter sales quotes, field tickets, add/edit repair/service tickets, capture signatures, as well as email signed documents. And when Wi-Fi or cell access isn’t available, the app can be used in offline mode as well. Businesses using Basis have access to more real-time data, including KPIs, that enable faster decision making and more efficient operations.

Delmar Systems, Inc. | RAR Plus™ in-line mooring line release component with manual/remote trigger

The RAR Plus™ is a next-generation rig anchor release technology for the offshore drilling industry. It gives DP/moored MODUs all of the station-keeping advantages of moored rigs while maintaining all of the mobility advantages of DP rigs. Thanks to drastically shorter t-times (reduced from days to hours), DP/moored rigs can now drill in waters that were previously inaccessible due to insufficient mooring strength (surviving storm or ice floe activity) or any water depth that provided DP watch circle limitations. The RAR Plus also makes it possible for DP/moored vessels to operate in areas with emission restrictions and refueling gaps because it significantly lowers fuel consumption and emissions during normal DP operations.

One of the most important features of the RAR Plus is its mechanical backup release, which ensures moorings can still be released in case of acoustic transmission failure. In addition, the release load rating has been increased to over 360 tonnes, allowing for disconnection at higher line tensions. A MODU can rapidly release from its moorings during a well containment emergency or weather related situation, allowing better access for personnel evacuations or emergency response vessels. By reducing downtime and increasing efficiency, the RAR Plus makes relocating rigs easier and more cost-effective.

Finkl Steel | HVX® stainless steel forging material used for fracking

Finkl's HVX® is a patented, high quality martensitic stainless steel developed especially for the demanding hydraulic fracking industry and manufacturers of fluid end pumps. HVX is tougher than 410 stainless at an equivalent hardness, but is also capable of being processed to higher strength levels through greater cross sections than are possible with 410 stainless without costly alloying additions. An additional benefit of the composition is that the carbides formed in HVX® improve its wear resistance when compared to other stainless grades.

Frank’s International | iCAM® Intelligent Connection Analyzed Make-up System

Traditional methods of evaluating casing and tubular connection make-up (CAM) graphs rely solely on training and operator experience. Frank’s iCAM® Intelligent Connection Analyzed Make-up System harnesses artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide automated evaluation of connection make-up data. Designed to reduce personnel on board and reduce or eliminate the need for connection lay down and rework to achieve cost savings.

iCAM® removes human subjectivity by giving the operator a suggested connection disposition (i.e., accept/reject) along with diagnosis and prescription of remedy if an anomaly occurs. iCAM is an automated connection integrity evaluation and prediction system that uses machine learning and big data analytics to “learn” from historical data and act or make recommendations to assure connection integrity. Based on connection manufacturer and customer criteria, make-up graph data, and analysis of historical data, the iCAM system monitors make-ups for anomalies, diagnoses observed deviations, and prescribes a remedy. While a complete list of anomalies the system is capable of detecting would be quite exhaustive, the system, owing to its machine learning engine, is capable of diagnosing conditions beyond human capability and do so more quickly and accurately.

Glider Products | Automated Glider Pipe Handling System

Glider Products has developed a new patent pending Automated Pipe Handling System that offers new touch-free and automated solutions for pipe handling in the field. It offers several improvements over existing products, including touch-free pipe handling from pipe yard to wellhead, automated pipe tally and fully automated pipe movement with the push of a single button.

The Glider Automated Pipe Handling System’s features offer several benefits to rig operators. First, the touch-free handling option can potentially reduce worker hand injuries, a major source of reportable incidents in the field. Second, the Glider System improves the labor-intensive and error-prone manual process of pipe tally, with real-time monitoring from anywhere in the world via the internet. Third, by freeing up workers from manually moving and tallying pipe, the System reduces manpower needs and allows limited workforce resources to be deployed elsewhere.

Ironclad Performance Wear | Hi-Viz Ironclad Command™ Gloves

With the rise of technology in so many aspects of oil and gas operations, Ironclad Performance Wear saw the need for a new work glove that offered superior worker hand safety with effective touchscreen control. Developed after extensive research, the IEX-HZI Hi-Viz Ironclad Command Glove is the first glove to combine Ironclad’s proprietary high conductivity Command™ touchscreen technology with high visibility fabrics and impact protection. Unlike existing touchscreen gloves in the market, Command technology is introduced at the beginning of the process, ensuring that gloves remain conductive throughout their entire lifecycle, and that the touchscreen does not impact any other aspect of performance. Providing better conductivity test results than the human hand alone, Command technology ensures that worker’s hands are protected, while not limiting their ability to get their job done in the digitally connected workplace.

On the back of the hand, High visibility Safety Orange and Yellow features, combined with reflective accents keep users’ hands visible, while ANSI Impact level 1 protection keeps them protected from accidental bumps and scrapes. On the palm, ANSI Cut level 2 Command™ touchscreen technology helps workers stay safe, without causing any loss in productivity. This is the first glove on the market to incorporate all of the aforementioned features into one glove model.

MEYER | SPYDER™ Multi-Station Grease Manifolds

MEYER's patent pending SPYDER™ Multi-Station Grease Manifold System allows a single operator to remotely grease valves individually without repeated rig downs. By eliminating rig ups, it provides a safer, more ergonomic work environment. Reduced cycle times means significant cost savings in frac crew downtime. Plus, the use of hose reels reduces the labor required to hook up the stac and makes for a safer and cleaner footprint by eliminating coiled hoses. A Lubrication Flow Meter provides quick and accurate readings to help ensure valves are properly greased. Modular units can be daisy chained to accommodate multi-well fracs.

First developed in 2015, the SPYDER™ Multi-Station Grease Manifold System has been field tested and refined, culminating in the 2019 debut of the Gen-3 SPYDER™ Manifold, which offers greater automation and technology support, including automated grease programs, data logging and operations monitoring. This means lower valve repair costs, less NPT and a safer work environment.

Probe Technologies Holdings| Modular constant current sensor architecture

Probe’s Multi-Arm Caliper Tools (MAC™) are designed to identify integrity problems, such as mineral deposition, corrosion, wear or mechanical deformation, inside a completion. Available in 24, 40 and 60-finger configurations with an extended range of measurement, the tools are feature a small diameter housing that allows them to traverse most completion restrictions. A precision machined calibration bowl ensures that each tool configuration delivers accurate and reliable data.

Probe has recently developed a modular constant current sensor architecture for these multi-arm calipers that allows seamless scaling between different tool sizes. It has also been field-proven and validated through extensive engineering testing. As part of this work, Probe has also introduced a new method for analyzing caliper data at temperature that significantly shortens the heat characterization process to a few hours rather than days. It does this while delivering a half percent full-scale accuracy, a radial resolution of twenty microns, a fast sampling speed (up to one hundred samples per second), and a low power consumption around one watt under downhole high temperature environments.

Tenaris | Tenaris Hydril Wedge 623® RW® for mitigation of casing wear in deepwater wells

The rising complexity of deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, including water depths of more than 10,000 feet and true well depths of more than 40,000 feet, has led to a need for improvements to existing materials and structures to withstand more extreme environments. At lower depths casing strings are subject to greater formation pressure and higher temperatures, increasing the risk of casing wear in excess of allowable limits. That’s why Tenaris has developed the Hydril Wedge 624 ™, a premium connection technology designed for improved casing wear performance, even in the most severe deepwater and high pressure applications.

The Tenaris Hydril Wedge 624™ is an improved version of the Wedge 623 connection design with greater resistance to wear. It can accomodate more Tool Joint ID wear while maintaining connection performance as validated through combined load testing. Thanks to its simultaneous engagement of opposing flanks of the dovetail thread it offers exceptional torque capability and compression efficiency

Ulterra | SplitBlade™ PDC drill bit technology

SplitBlade™ is an advancement in PDC-bit engineering that increases performance, durability, and control. By redesigning hydraulics to improve cuttings evacuation and prevent recirculation, the bit boosts cutter performance and ROP. SplitBlade ensures efficient cutting evacuation to keep cutters clean for faster drilling.

Ulterra’s SplitBlade has a number of innovative features. First, its double barrel hydraulics create separation between the primary blades and cutting structures to better wash each section. This keeps cutters cleaner, cooler and in better condition. Second, SplitBlade includes a two-in-one cutter layout, with a cone layout for control and a separate shoulder layout for durability and speed. Third, the bit increases distribution of lateral points of contact to the formation while drilling, which improves tool face control, reduces torque variances and helps directional steering and tracking.