Seamless Sampling Cylinder Range Conforms to TPED
Parker Instrumentation has launched a range of stainless steel sampling cylinders, conforming to the Transportable Pressure Equipment Directive (TPED). The new TPED Series Cylinders are “hot spun” from 316 stainless steel tubing, providing a seamless finish for maximum integrity and corrosion resistance. This weld-free process provides a smooth internal flow path through the neck, minimizing the pockets that can trap sample material for easy cleaning after use.

The cylinders allow the extraction of a sample from a process location, and provide safe containment for storage and transportation to the laboratory for analysis. Typical applications include hydrocarbon sampling in refineries, gas sampling in chromatography, and condensate sampling in fossil fuel and nuclear power plants. Sampling cylinders are also commonly used as pressure surge accumulators or reaction vessels.

Four sizes are available: 150, 300, 500 and 1,000 cc; all are rated for use to 124 bar (1,800 psi). Precision, controlled-tolerance female NPT threads are machined at each end of the cylinders for connections with valves and fittings.

The stainless steel material used is heat code traceable. This traceability follows each cylinder through manufacture, heat treating, cleaning and pressure testing. Parker offers a comprehensive range of accessories for use with the cylinders including valves and carrying handles. Parker Instrumentation provides tube fittings, valves, double block-and-bleed valves, manifolds and enclosures for process and plant instrumentation in such sectors as oil and gas, chemical/petrochemical, alternate fuels, pulp and paper, and analytical/high purity.

The organization is a division of Parker Hannifin. With annual sales exceeding $7 bln, Parker Hannifin is the world’s leading diversified manufacturer of motion and control technologies and systems, providing precision-engineered solutions for a wide variety of commercial, mobile, industrial and aerospace markets. It employs over 48,000 people in 46 countries.
www.wordsun.com

New Hornet® MD 6K Retrievable Packer from Baker Oil Tools
Baker Oil Tools introduces the Hornet® Medium Duty (MD) 6K retrievable packer for completing shallow wells, and for water flood and CO2 applications.

Operators east of the fifth meridian in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin needed an economical and reliable 6K packer for completions and workovers. Baker Oil Tools responded with a new, fit-for-purpose Hornet MD (medium duty) 6K packer. The Hornet MD 6K was built with the same chassis design as the field-proven Hornet 10K, but with ratings scaled down for less hostile environments.
Rated for 6,000 psi, the Hornet MD addresses not only the physical environment, but also the economics of the moderately pressured production applications, which call for low cost, reliability and versatility. Its lower end temperature rating of 45 F (7 C) ensures the Hornet MD fills any temperature requirements into the range of the Hornet 10K packer.

As in other tools in Baker Oil Tools’ Reliant series of packers, every Hornet MD component – including the jay track, the internal bypass, the packing element system, and the upper and lower slip assemblies – has been developed to provide the highest reliability for setting and releasing.

The Hornet MD packer is versatile. It can be set on wireline or mechanically. The packer can be landed in tension, compression or neutral; the ability to pack off with applied tension makes it ideal for shallower applications. Setting and releasing with a one-quarter turn is made easier with an enhanced upper slip system which has been thoroughly tested across API minimum to maximum casing ID tolerances for each specified weight. The slip wicker configuration provides bi-directional load support while facilitating easy release. The solid upper cone supports highest tensile loads, and the staged release action eliminates high over-pull requirements. Minimum set-down weight is required to anchor slips.

The bonded internal bypass system with no O-rings means fewer leak paths. The Hornet MD is available with NACE trim for H2S service, and can be specified with 9 chrome flow wetted material, plastic coatings, or nickel plating as required for the application.
www.packersystems.com

P260 Computerized Welding Machine
The CRC-Evans P260 external welder is a functional upgrade to the legacy P200 system. This single torch external welding system offers consistent welding parameter and quality control, and provides the user 32 programmable welding passes. In addition, this welding machine offers
Tip-to-Work Tracking to maintain consistent work distance around the circumference of a weld.
www.crc-evans.com

Schlumberger to Develop Special Application Rotary Steerable System
Schlumberger Oilfield Services has contracted with Shell U.K. Ltd. and BP Exploration Operating Company Ltd. to develop a rotary steerable system for slimhole drilling and through-tubing rotary drilling (TTRD) applications.

“With the push to maximize production from mature reservoirs where the drilling targets are becoming smaller and smaller, we had to find a way of reducing drilling costs and sidetracking from an existing but obsolete well. TTRD is a good way of doing that,” said Todd Franks, well engineer, Technology Team, Shell U.K. Exploration and Production. “Developing a rotary steerable system for drilling slimholes will help us reach targets and achieve drilling performance comparable to conventional hole sizes.”

The new system will offer a step-change in the cost of drilling with rotary steerable technology when applied through tubing since there is no need to pull the completion string for redrills. The system is expected to reduce the cost of accessing infill-drilling targets and enable the economic recovery of small pockets of trapped hydrocarbons in tough environments, such as existing fields in the North Sea.

Schlumberger plans to develop and build the new system by 2005, using its experience with the PowerDrive Xtra* 475 rotary steerable system for 6-inch hole size. This technology is unique in that it offers full rotation of the entire drillstring at uniform speed. There are no stationary components to create friction that reduce efficiency. Effectively there is no physical “anchor” to hold up the bottomhole assembly (BHA) during drilling. Efficient flow of drilled cuttings past the BHA ensures fewer cuttings are reground, maximizing rate of penetration.

Rotary steering with slimhole, through-tubing rotary steerable technology have major implications in mature areas. Cost discipline is crucial on redrills of existing wellbores designed to drain small pools of hydrocarbons. Drilling 6-in. and smaller hole as the primary size for infill sidetracks removes the cost of preparing the well by cutting and pulling the tubulars in place to accommodate a larger hole tool.

The system will be developed and built at the Schlumberger Global Drilling Technology Center located in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, U.K.
www.slb.com/oilfield/powerdrive

Hughes Christensen Introduces Premium Line of Elastomer Sealed Tricone Bits
GX Tricone®
Hughes Christensen recently introduced GX Tricone®, a premium line of elastomer sealed bits that utilize a new generation of highly efficient components that increase durability to consistently deliver longer runs at maximum penetration rates. Engineers have incorporated new compact shapes, optimized carbide grades and new more reliable G3 bearing enable GX Tricone® bits to deliver superior performance in either rotary or motor applications.
Cutting Structure
Cutting structure improvements started with advances in carbide grades that resulted in tougher, more wear resistant compacts. With the new carbide material in place, finite element analysis was used to document how a new engineered tooth shape distributes stresses over a broader area creating a more durable tooth. The engineered shape and new carbide grades allow design engineers to increase tooth projection on the inner rows to increase penetration rates by up to 25 percent.
Hydraulics
GX Tricone® features four different hydraulic configurations to optimize cuttings removal in a specific application.
• Conventional: Bottom Cleaning – Standard nozzle configuration directs fluid between the cones towards the corner of the borehole wall. Hydraulic energy is focused at the formation.
• Clean Sweep 2 & 3: Cone Cleaning – Nozzles are positioned so fluid stream cleans the heel and adjacent heel teeth where the majority of hydraulic energy is focused on the cutting structure
• XStream: Cone & Bottom Cleaning – Nozzles are positioned to clean multiple rows of cones as well as create high turbulent energy to efficiently clean the hole bottom.
G3 Bearing
The G3 bearing system features optimized stress distribution through tighter design tolerances and unique non-cylindrical geometry. Hard metal alloy wear pads on the journal surfaces along with silver-plated cones are protected by a custom grease formulation that make G3 the most reliable elastomer sealed bearing available on the market today.
Field Performance
Red Rock Field, Alberta – GX-20 cut drilling costs by 30 percent relative to offset average.
Denton County, Texas – Drilled 29 percent more footage than competitor’s offset.
Richland County, Montana – Drilled 20 percent faster than competitor’s offset average.
www.hugheschris.com