E&P Tech Trends: Next Evolution in Gyro Surveying; Continuous Corrosion Monitoring; More

[Editor's note: A version of this story appears in the May 2020 edition of E&P. Subscribe to the magazine here.]  

Data platform integrates operations

Weatherford has released Centro, a data platform for effective management of complex wellsite operations digitally. By integrating each element of an operator’s well data, team members from any global location can access, share and store all the vital project information at any time. Centro makes consolidated data available in real time, enabling advanced domain viewing and live analytics. The platform combines data management, visualization and real-time engineering technologies from a single provider. It also provides real integration and gives a single engineer the analytical capacity of an entire team. Centro can monitor multiple wells simultaneously using a single interactive interface that combines data from all sources. The platform enables operators to visualize with advanced 2D and 3D ren­derings through a high degree of compatibility with industry data formats and operations. It also helps avoid downhole hazards and tool failures with continuous real-time updates of dynamic hydraulics, torque and drag, and vibration models. Operators also can receive alerts by setting basic or condition-based smart alarms that deliver instantaneous notifications to global users.

Application simplifies access to continuous corrosion monitoring data

Emerson has released the Plantweb Insight Inline Corro­sion application to provide the oil and gas industry real-time interpretation and analysis of critical data that help prioritize maintenance and make informed integrity decisions. The application delivers field data from the Roxar wireless corrosion transmitters, providing valuable insight into instrument health and process corrosivity. It offers alerts on preset thresholds for severe corrosivity, probe life span for electric-resistance probes and low-bat­tery levels. This latest application, based on the Indus­trial Internet of Things, integrates into existing wireless infrastructures and delivers field data as frequently as once every 15 minutes. By keeping remote operators updated on changing conditions, the application allows personnel to make fewer manual inspections in the field, thereby minimizing their exposure to hazardous areas. As part of Emerson’s Plantweb digital ecosystem, this new application is the latest addition to a scalable and secure portfolio of transformational technologies, software and services that provide relevant personnel with enhanced insight to drive operational excellence. Plantweb Insight applications combine continuous, real-time data with predictive analytics to give maintenance and operations personnel actionable, up-to-date process information in any location, improving reliability, safety, production and energy management.

One-trip remedial system to mitigate sand control failure in wells

Tendeka has released the Filtrex remedial sand control system, which provides the flexibility to be installed through tubing and through the tightest of restrictions. The system provides the ability to perform sand clea­nout while installing the tool. Using an open cell retic­ulated depth filter, the tool is run in hole compressed, and once set, the filter will expand into the casing or failed screen, filling the annular gap. The filtration is fully protected during deployment and will not be exposed until the correct location. The tool will retain sand while allowing fluid flow through the depth filtra­tion media. Once set, the tool requires no further inter­vention. In mature basins, sand issues account for 8% of all shut-in wells either due to failure of the existing sand screen or onset of sand production due to depletion or water production. Filtrex prevents the need to perform a full workover. According to the company, it will be the only tool on the market that can perform a sand clea­nout and install a permanent solution at the same time, which prevents multiple trips.

System measures the Earth’s rotational rate to improve wellbore placement

Gyrodata released its all-attitude, solid-state Omega^X drop gyro surveying system that incorporates two independent three-axis sensor probes to measure the Earth’s rota­tional rate, precisely and accurately determining inclination and true north to improve wellbore place­ment. The system is not affected by mass unbalance errors, which eliminates post-run calibrations, and it enables surveys to be collected during pipe connections, reducing necessary rig time. Significantly smaller than previous offerings, the Omega^X system’s sensor package and electronics are only 19 inches long, including memory and data processing. This smaller size enables greater flexibility related to landing in different bottomhole assembly designs and configurations. In a recent project in the Utica Shale, an operator encountered detection issues with the MWD equipment while drilling an extended lateral section. After running an Omega^X survey to fill in the gaps in the data, the operator discovered a declination error of approximately 0.7 degrees from the MWD equipment, resulting in a lateral difference of 433.8 ft between the Omega^X and MWD surveys. In addition, using the sys­tem reduced the ellipse of uncertainty by 77%, reveal­ing that the wellbore had not been placed accurately as noted in the original MWD survey.

New digital platform to attract talent for the upstream industry

Xergy Group has released Proteus, a cloud-based work management system that allows companies to find the right people for projects as and when they are needed. According to the company, the system will transform the way in which the industry sources and uses talent to resource and deliver these projects with increased profitability. Proteus is a software platform that facili­tates working remotely within a working environment, reducing the carbon emission from commuting and traveling. It aims to increase efficiency by removing fixed overheads and needless costs as well as improve utilization rates and project management. With offices in Aberdeen and Dubai, Xergy has already recruited 12 people with extensive upstream oil and gas experience to work alongside a team of outsourced expert software developers to build and test the software. Xergy believes Proteus has the potential to capture a large share of the oil and gas gig economy and the oil and gas enter­prise and resource planning market. The platform connects all the key workflows used by most oil and gas companies from finding opportu­nities to closing out invoices and everything in between. According to the company, the systems integrate seamlessly and are accessed through an interface designed to simplify every workflow.

Remote operations platform increases safety and efficiency

Geosite’s geospatial platform offers spatially referenced data to discover actionable intelligence and insights for better asset management. The company’s goal is to enhance opera­tional awareness and maintain a common operating picture between the office and distributed operators. Geosite provides users with up-to-date and high-resolu­tion satellite imagery, which allows them to conduct desk­top recon quickly and efficiently without downloading massive datasets or running complicated queries. The streamlined platform fuses data streams (e.g., Internet of Things, SCADA and drone data), eliminating the need for users to make comparisons in their heads. Geosite allows users to leverage geospatial data, connecting exec­utive, project management and workforce teams on an easy-to-use and collaborative cloud-based platform.

Editor’s note: 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 Faiza Rizvi at frizvi@hartenergy.com.