Expro has performed a first commercial deployment of its Remote Clamp Installation System (RCIS) for an unnamed operator in the North Sea.
The system was developed by Frank’s Tubular Running Services, a division of Expro, for smart well completions applications requiring real-time monitoring and control of downhole tools from the surface, via control lines.
The RCIS is designed to eliminate the manual intervention process typically needed for installing control line clamps on tubing during completion operations. By fully automating this process, the system is also said to reduce risk through lessening personnel exposure on the rig floor.
An initial deployment took place in the UK North Sea in fourth-quarter 2024 as part of a test trial. bp collaborated in the project, part-sponsoring development of the technology.
This spring, the RCIS was deployed elsewhere in the North Sea, with Expro’s team running an upper completion at up to 15 joints per hour, achieving a claimed increase in running efficiency by 25%.
The control line clamps were installed remotely, which is said to have cut the installation time by about two minutes (50% per clamp).
Earlier this month, Expro reported it achieved a world record by deploying the heaviest casing string to date, using its Blackhawk Gen III Wireless Top Drive Cement Head with SKYHOOK technology. Expro says the record was achieved on “a significant project in the Gulf of America for a supermajor.”
