Flagship vessel boasts solid streamers
CGG has launched the Geo Challenger, the new flagship of its 13-vessel seismic fleet. The new high-resolution 3-D/4-D acquisition vessel was recently converted at a Norwegian shipyard to 12 tow-point capacity and equipped with almost 50 miles (80 km) of new Sercel Sentinel solid streamers. It is the first seismic vessel in the world to operate with this solid streamer technology.
The introduction of the new vessel will allow the international offshore exploration community to benefit from its flexibility to perform the full range of high-resolution, wide-azimuth 3-D/4-D acquisition services. The vessel already has a backlog through the first half of 2007. It is currently conducting its first campaign in the North Sea and is scheduled for the Asia-Pacific region later in the year. www.cgg.com
Wireless system provides balance
The Ultra system from Ascend Geo is a wireless, continuous recording system that has been developed as an alternative to traditional cable systems for land 3-D seismic acquisition. It is designed to strike a balance between packaging, weight, power and cost. It weighs only 1.5 lbs per channel with internal power.
The system increases crew productivity and profitability through:
• Reduced weight and equipment requirements;
• Simplified crew operations;
• Random placement of individual recording units; and
• Wireless and continuous recording.
The system is ideally suited for active and passive seismic acquisition as well as peak particle motion monitoring.
Ultra does not rely on data transmission but instead stores data in individual data acquisition units. This reduces power requirements and permits all recording electronics to be stored in one self-contained unit. The system can record for up to 60 hours. After recording, the Data Off Loader and Charger (DOLC) recharges the batteries while simultaneously downloading the data. As many as 200 data acquisition units with 60 hours of recording each can be downloaded by one DOLC in 1.44 hours. www.acendgeo.com
Celanese introduces Premiol
The emulsions and polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) business of Celanese has announced a new initiative to develop high performing chemistry for oilfield operations aimed at meeting current challenges for improved performance and economics. Based on intensive research and development, Celanese's new Premiol line of performance chemicals will target a range of applications - initially starting in the areas of cementing and drilling. The first offerings in the Premiol line include three fluid loss control additives for offshore, deep well and mid-range well cementing applications. Celanese is supporting the new product lines with in-house cementing and drilling fluid labs and experienced personnel dedicated to oilfield customers and optimal performance of Premiol products in the field.
Three new technology pushes from Celanese in the area of fluid loss control for cementing operations are represented by three distinctive product lines. These include: Premiol DWC high temperature performance fluid loss control additives for deep well cementing; Premiol OSC high performing, environmentally friendly fluid loss control additives for offshore cementing; and Premiol MRC, a line of versatile, cost-effective fluid loss control additives for mid-range well cementing applications. The three product lines are listed below in further detail.
• Premiol DWC-50 is a powder-form fluid loss control additive for deep well applications that delivers high temperature performance (up to 150°C) at cost levels below traditional high molecular weight polymers. At the same time, this advanced additive demonstrates excellent, cost-effective performance at low temperatures (50°C to 60°C). With a single product that functions across a wide range of conditions, the oilfield service industry can consolidate inventory of fluid loss control products.
• Premiol OSC-10 is a proprietary water-based, fluid loss control additive designed for offshore cementing or onshore applications where liquid delivery is desired. This product delivers performance equivalent to the best of traditional low temperature, mineral oil-based fluid loss control agents. The aqueous nature of Premiol OSC-10 offers a better environmental profile than typical mineral oil-based products. The defining feature of this product is its high concentration that allows for economical delivery and cost efficiency when compared with competing technologies.
• Premiol MRC-33 is a powder-form fluid loss control additive for mid-range temperatures in oilfield cement applications. At temperatures between 75°C and 120°C, this product provides the excellent fluid loss and preferred, low surface rheology without settling. These benefits provide the oilfield industry with a cost-effective alternative to current polymer technologies.
Each of these lines begins with a single product, with additional products to follow in the coming months. www.celanese.com
Inteq launches TruTrak
Inteq has introduced the new TruTrak automated directional drilling service, which combines X-treme drilling motor technology with closed loop automated rib steering. The non-rotating TruTrak system provides superior hole quality, high rate of penetration, and minimum wear-and-tear on the drill string and downhole tools.
The TruTrak drilling system combines the automated steering control from Inteq's established AutoTrak rotary steerable system, integrated directional measurement-while-drilling (MWD) and X-treme motor technology to provide improved wellpath control and drilling efficiency vs. traditional drilling technology. The system's modular design permits the addition of additional MWD sensors, if required by the application. www.bakerhughes.com/inteq
Petrospec releases new software
Petrospec Technologies has released EQUIPOISE 2006, software for real-time pore pressure and wellbore mechanics prediction and analysis while drilling. The new release includes modules for real-time analysis of wellbore stability criteria and formation properties as well as integrated Internet security for real-time updates at remote network servers. Wells can now be simultaneously monitored in real-time at the office, at the wellsite or at any location with Internet connectivity.
As prospects are drilled in deeper water to greater depths at higher rates of inclination, all with concomitant climbing costs, maintaining wellbore stability has become the greatest of drilling challenges. The subtle and complex interaction between formation fluids, rock strength and stress must be accurately modeled with changes anticipated in advance drilling. The software confronts these challenges by using real-time drilling data such as resistivity, gamma ray, sonic shear and compressional slowness, geochemical and other well and formation data, to provide real-time analysis of wellbore stability condition and potential failure modes.
Wellbore stability calculations, coupled with EQUIPOISE's unique automated remote network server update service, allow streamlined real-time monitoring of wellbore stability and pore pressure and fracture gradient analysis from any location with network connectivity.
Data security is ensured using https protocol and integrated user authentication. EQUIPOISE 2006 is a browser application so users do not need to install the software on their computer. This provides an enhanced level of data security that companies handling sensitive data will appreciate. www.petrospec-technologies.com

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