The Future Is Now In Hydraulic Fracturing
A decade ago, few could envision the technologies we all currently enjoy. Technology has improved the way we approach just about everything in our day-to-day life.
Today, it is entirely possible that all your activities surrounding OTC–from booking airfare, securing a hotel, making dinner reservations, all the way to arranging for a driver to pick you up and drive you to NRG Park in a private car–were done using your smartphone.
That same phenomenon is occurring in well completions as frack operations just became significantly less complicated.
Thanks to new innovations, Weir Oil & Gas is taking frack-iron handling and flowback operations where they’ve never been before. Many will look back and wonder why the industry worked with such a large footprint of cluttered, disjointed pipes and thousands of moving parts to manage very high pressures, rising costs, and increased nonproductive time.
And, they will wonder how companies operated without real-time data and automated controls in managed-pressure drilling (MPD).
Today, Weir Oil & Gas is offering new, fit-for-purpose applications that can be tailored to any condition or basin from its new Simplified Frac Iron System to its innovative Pressure Control Intelligent Systems (WPC-IS).
While it may still be common over the next few years to see a maze of pipes and hammer unions that resemble a bowl of spaghetti more than a high-tech operation for natural resource extraction, this no longer needs to be the case.
These simplified iron systems reduce the amount of iron on-site by 84%, from the frack stack to the zipper manifold. Think of the simplification that brings to the jobsite: less potential leaks to chase, fewer connections, and a dramatic decrease in nonproductive time, to name a few.
An independent Canadian operator recently put the One-Straight Line (OSL), a component of this new simplified system, to the test. Results were persuasive, as they completed 40 frack stages resulting in minimal pipe wear. In addition to experiencing all the benefits mentioned, system components lasted more than 3x longer than similar applications under the same harsh operations.
Beyond a simplified frack iron system, Weir’s new Pressure Control Intelligent Systems (WPC-IS) include removing the guesswork for MPD and flowback operations.
For those applications, there has not been an accurate method for measuring the levels within the mud gas separator and eco-tanks, or for reporting the carbon footprint from vent gas emissions. The most common way of learning of a problem is when a tank overflows or a kick occurs, leaving little time to respond.
This technology now provides real-time data and automated controls to enhance safety, reduce environmental impact, and enable customers to make better, more informed decisions.
These systems provide customers with a control panel that enables the ability to receive and record information from sensors placed on pressure control equipment.
This information can be communicated through a Cloud-based customer portal and collects data for a single piece of equipment or multiple products, depending on need. An entire system can be used, or customers now have the ability to rent control panels and sensors and retrofit to their own equipment.
The system can monitor a variety of measurements for each piece of equipment.
Currently, Weir’s Vent Gas Analyzer IS (VGA-ISF), Mud Gas Separator IS (MGS-ISD), Ecotank IS (ECO-ISL), and the control panel are available for rent as part of the WPC-IS, with additional enhancements coming soon.
In a world where everyone wants more, it turns out less is more when it comes to the way we approach well completion operations.
Less NPT, less iron, less footprint, less guesswork, fewer connections, fewer potential leak paths, lower labor cost, less risk…it all adds up to more than we ever could have imagined.
Marine Energy Converters Could Be Viable Renewable Options
Many companies traditionally supporting the oil and gas industry are carefully observing the progress and potential of the renewable energy sector. Currently, much of this interest is focused on offshore wind; however, marine energy converters (MECs) are making headway as potentially viable options in the renewable energy industry.
MECs and floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) have, to date, been installed as individual prototypes, though arrays are in the early planning stages in Europe and Asia. When compared to the oil and gas industry, floating renewable energy structures are in their infancy, with standards in early development. This nascent industry offers potential for investment and collaboration, which may in turn lead to feasible products.
One opportunity for collaboration with the knowledge within the oil and gas industry is in the area of mooring design and installation of the MECs and FOWTs. For the most part, there are many similarities in the design requirements and processes for both industries; however, there are design drivers unique to renewables. Mooring designers within oil and gas have the practical experience and expertise to guide and influence the MEC and FOWT mooring design, and to help plan a successful installation for optimal operational performance.
Similarities between oil and gas structures and renewable structures
The similarities between the mooring design of renewable energy devices and floating offshore oil and gas facilities tend to lend weight to using current oil and gas mooring standards.
For both industries, the primary goal of the mooring system is to maintain station keeping without disturbing production or, in the case of renewables, energy extraction. Likewise, mooring equipment component types are similar for both industries. Line profiles commonly consist of chain, wire, synthetics or a combination of the previously listed component types. Associated jewelry and the need for anchors also are required and consistent for any moored system.
In addition, the same theoretical design spiral exists for both industries and plays a part in the final mooring design. This includes mooring design considerations regarding installation requirements, soil properties, metocean conditions, dynamic analysis, mooring component types and size.
Differences between oil and gas structures and renewable structures
Due to the unique behavior of renewable energy devices, there is a learning curve required to fully understand how to properly model and design the mooring for these devices. Mooring designers and renewable device designers are constantly learning and trying to compensate for these differences.
One case in point addresses vessel motions and analysis. Floating oil and gas facilities are typically single rigid body structures, while renewable devices often have several interacting moving parts that induce cyclic loads. For example, traditional wind/tidal turbine rotors induce thrust and torque loading due to their rotating blades, while wave energy converters often are designed to resonate at frequencies close to predominant wave periods. The additional loading and operational behavior are not factors conventionally addressed in oil and gas mooring design that must be considered in renewable mooring designs.
With regard to environment, MECs and FOWTs are typically moored in shallow water (less than 152 m [500 ft]) with harsh metocean and/or wind conditions to maximize energy production. These conditions may also limit anchor selection and installation. Shallow-water site locations can have hard soil or sand, which also limits anchor selection. Location, strong waves, wind or current also can limit installation windows and available installation vessels.
Moving forward
Improved collaboration between mooring designers and MEC/FOWT designers will help accelerate the learning curve with mooring design and installation of these structures. However, mooring designers traditionally involved with oil and gas must also work closely with device developers to properly consider the unique complexities of these structures. Working together can allow assessment of suitability and feasibility for these projects to move forward.
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