Offshore staff
LYSAKER, Norway – Aker Solutions is preparing to open an advanced drilling equipment simulator in Houston early in 2012. The $2.5-million facility will double the capacity of Aker’s existing Houston facility and will be open to rig operators.
The centerpiece of the 9,800 sq ft (910 sq m) training facility is a new 240º domed simulator. Its dome-shaped screen, combined with actual drilling control systems software, creates an environment that emulates that on a rig. Each specific rig is recreated as a virtual asset, including all rig equipment and control systems. This offers the possibility of onshore training and detailed operational planning, with the same signal treatment, in virtual environments that are identical to those that will be experienced offshore.
The training center's server systems are made up of 88 individual servers, which provide enough capacity to run simulations on two drilling rigs simulator systems simultaneously. A manual switchover solution allows quick change of the rig configuration in the simulator.
"A realistic, real-time visualization of drilling operations enables rig operators to learn to make better and faster decisions. The result is safer operations, more efficient drilling and increased rig uptime. This simulator technology certainly allows us to offer superior training facilities for our clients and our own employees," say Glenn Ellis, head of drilling technologies for Aker in the United States.
12/28/2011
