Jaime Kammerzell Gulf of Mexico Editor
Drillpipe tong
The Rogers Oil Tool Services', www.rogersoiltools.com, drillpipe tong is self-contained and allows operation with a minimal amount of movement, reducing the risk of accidents. The high torque tong is durable but has the advantage of exerting less stress on pipe, thus minimizing tool joint wear. The positioning device for this tong is fully automated/mechanized and allows for hands-free operation. Its versatile position allows flexibility of movement on the rig floor and allows the tong to move to the offline holes or to the rotary in safe, controlled, and smooth motions. The tool also provides the ability to make connections up to 12 ft. above the rig floor, the company says. Cyber-Eye technology allows this fully automated tong to locate the seam of the drilling connection. Additionally, the positioning device has the capability of hanging most models of casing tongs for safe and accurate deployment, eliminating the need for a cable in the derrick. When not in use, the parking system opens up a safer rig floor environment.
Mid-frame diesel engine drive
Miller Electric Mfg. Co., www.MillerWelds.com, has redefined the mid-frame, low speed diesel category with the introduction of its PRO 300 CC/CV engine-driven welding generator. The PRO 300 features stick pipeline arc performance, an 1800-RPM CAT diesel engine, a 20 to 410 amp multi-process welding output (stick, TIG, MIG, flux cored), and 12 kW of generator power. It weighs 1,100 lb with an empty fuel tank. While weighing nearly 300 lb less and measuring 35% smaller than a comparable DC generator, the PRO 300 provides a stronger welding output, offers 9,000 watts more generator power, uses 0.4 gal/hr less fuel, and runs about twice as quietly, the company says. Further, it provides Lift-Arc TIG arc starts suitable for code-quality welds on process pipe and a true CV output with the flux cored wires used for structural steel.
ROV tool
Mako Technologies Inc., www.MakoTechnologies.com, has expanded the company's ROV tooling rental fleet with an ROV – isolated hydraulic power unit (IHPU). The unit was developed from proven technologies adapted to the subsea industry and is fabricated for the supply of aggressive fluids to subsea systems, the company says. The unit has been designed on the basis of three different hydraulic circuits, including an intensifier (amplifying the input pressure), a unit capable of pumping water, ISO fluids, water/glycol and methanol, and a suction pump capable of evacuating buoyancy chambers to a partial vacuum with up to 11,044 lb of suction force. The IHPU system is designed to interface with any standard work-class ROV via the ROV onboard hydraulic valve packs or switchable hydraulic supply. The heart of the IHPU system is its self-reciprocating double action piston pump, powered by the ROV's ISO hydraulic system. The pump is designed to isolate the pumped fluids from the reservoir and the ROV hydraulic system, thus eliminating the cross contamination of fluids. It has been designed to operate at pressures up to 9,000 psi.
Mud pumps accommodate fluid end modules
To eliminate equipment compatibility issues and the prospect of additional spare-parts inventories for drilling contractors, the LeTourneau Ellis Williams Co. (Lewco), www.lewco-equip.com, can factory-equip its heavy-duty W-Series and general-duty WH-Series mud pumps with virtually any major brand of fluid end module. Customers not specifying a particular brand receive Lewco's standard one-piece or two-piece fluid end modules made of quenched and tempered forged steel, featuring off-the-shelf expendables readily available from domestic and international sources. Lewco mud pumps are manufactured in-house. The pumps provide input ratings of 300 to 3,000 hp and deep-drilling discharge pressures as great as 7,500 ppsi. Their components include a pressurized lubrication system that force-feeds lubricant to all power-end bearings, including upper and lower crosshead slides; a balanced forged steel crankshaft that reduces noise and vibration and helps extend component life throughout the pump; and a robust frame of double-wall, welded-steel, mounted on a heavy-duty oilfield skid.
Corrosion resistant, lightweight handrails
Dynarail handrail from Fibergrate Composite Structures, www.fibergrate.com, resists corrosive saltwater, drilling fluids, acids, alkalis, and other chemical compounds found in offshore drilling applications. In addition to offering a high level of corrosion resistance, Fibergrate handrail is a fraction of the weight of metal handrail, cutting the effort and expense of installation and reducing critical weight on the rig as well, the company says.
Vacuum insulated pipe
Chart Industries' vacuum insulated pipe systems (VIP) are designed for the transfer of cryogenic liquids at extremely cold temperatures needed to transfer LNG among other applications, the company says. Chart's static vacuum insulated, laminar radiation-shielded piping is offered in rigid and flexible styles with inner line diameters ranging from 3/8 in. through 24 in. All stainless steel construction, TIG welding, mass spectrometer leak checking, and vacuum retention testing help to ensure reliable, maintenance-free service. Chart, www.chart-ind.com, will also engineer and manufacture special piping systems for specific customer applications. The LNG tank risers require the piping system provide strong long-distance support between the ground and top of tank, strong, pipe within a pipe that can't be damaged, and built-in bellows to make installation easier.
Ultra-capacity control valve
Flowserve Corp., www.flowserve.com, a global manufacturer of fluid motion control products and services, has launched its new Mark 100 globe control valve, designed for improved capacity, extra-fine control, and easy maintenance. The Flowserve Mark 100 delivers higher capacity in a smaller valve than conventional globe control valves in sizes 6 in. to 16 in. and pressure classes 150-600. The wide, streamlined gallery of the Mark 100 increases capacity an average of 15% over competing valves. This provides end-users significant cost savings by often allowing a drop in valve size, the company says. The Mark 100 is available with a full range of noise and cavitation reduction severe service trims. The Mark 100 also uses longer strokes to provide precise flow – even under rigorous demands – reducing waste and increasing the purity of a final product in applications such as chemical processing.
