Tech Trends (Week of Sept. 13, 2021)

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Editor's note: This "Tech Trends" section appears in the new E&P newsletter. This weekly section highlights the latest upstream technologies and services for the oil and gas industry. The copy herein is compiled from press releases and product announcements from service companies and does not reflect the opinions of Hart Energy. Submit your company’s updates related to new technology products and services to Ariana Hurtado at ahurtado@hartenergy.com.

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Cathodic protection technology for FPSOs chains and mooring systems

Imenco Corrosion Technology (ICT) has released its Pacu cathodic protection technology. Initially intended for use in the chains of FPSO units, the system is equally applicable to any mooring system, such as those on floating wind platforms of offshore aquaculture installations. Comprising ICT’s Piranha clamp and an integrated bracket-mounted sacrificial anode, the technology will dramatically extend the lifespan of mooring chains. The tool has undergone significant internal and external testing, and with a move from qualification to commercialization, operators can now take advantage of the full package, including computer modeling, testing, installation and verification of the protection. Prior to launch, the company worked with a major international operator to complete a technology qualification project with the objective of de-risking an anode retrofit solution for mooring chains. The project demonstrated that cathodic protection and the use of Pacu provided a viable solution for operators.

Recyclable wind turbine blade for commercial use offshore

Siemens Gamesa has developed the RecyclableBlade, the world’s first recyclable wind turbine blades ready for commercial use offshore. With this technology, separation of the materials in the blade is possible at the end of its lifetime, enabling recycling into new applications. The first six 81-m long blades have been produced at the Siemens Gamesa blade factory in Aalborg, Denmark. Many components of a wind turbine, such as the tower and nacelle components, have established recycling practices. Until now, the composite materials used in wind turbine blades have been more challenging to recycle. Built on proven, reliable processes, the RecyclableBlade enables recycling at the end of its life cycle and sets the path to a future where the full recyclability of projects will be market requirements. Siemens Gamesa is committed with RWE to install and monitor the world’s first turbines with recyclable blades in Germany at the Kaskasi offshore wind power plant. Current plans are for the project to be producing energy from 2022 onward.

Water well drill rig reduces total cost of ownership

Epiroc has released its VA20 (Valoria) water well drill, a modular drill rig that delivers flexibility and productivity with low investment. The VA20 is designed to meet the changing demands of the market while continuing to reduce the total cost of ownership. The rig is available in select regions, including the markets of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, South America and Latin America. Built with sturdy construction and rugged components, it ensures proven availability and utilization across the water well range. The rig offers the unique flexibility to select the preferred carrier to create the right configurations for their drilling operation. Customers can purchase the VA20 long with a truck assembled at the factory or as a module to easily mount it locally on the truck of their choice. All operations of the rig are mechanically controlled from the driller’s console with clear separation of main and auxiliary functions. The ergonomic layout allows increased operator comfort for maximum productivity levels.

Digitalization initiative improves crew safety

PGS is using Industrial DataOps software, including Cognite Data Fusion, to take a more proactive approach to HSEQ incident management. PGS and Cognite have worked together to ingest observation cards from the reporting system into the data platform and sort the different observations into larger categories. As part of the company’s focus on safety, crew members log actual and potential safety issues in a card-reporting system. Since the observations are free text, it can be difficult to analyze the data and extract insights. Cognite and PGS have developed an application called HSEQ Categorizer to sort and categorize the free text based on keywords. The application looks for the presence, exclusion or combination of certain words. With proactive prevention of incidents in place, PGS is reducing the time and effort spent on reactive incident management. Using digitalized outputs, the company has become more responsive to the vessel crews and can act faster when issues arise.

Net designed to tackle human error in global dropped object prevention

Dropsafe has released a version of their steel wire mesh net, adding an enhanced layer of security and traceability to an essential piece of safety equipment. The new range of Dropsafe Nets will help operators in industries such as oil and gas, power generation and mining, enabling them to reduce the risk of human error. The nets have been supplied to more than 300 energy businesses worldwide. Feedback from these users directly informed the design. This retains all the core features, including high-quality stainless-steel construction, a wide range of sizes and tool-free installation, while building in an extra level of security. A particular focus of the R&D program was the carabiner, a standard component accepted as a matter of course in many industries. The company found room for improvement, however, particularly as standard carabiners aren’t designed for the unique technical and usability requirements of drop prevention or use in harsh operational environments such as offshore energy installations.