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to meet well-specifc requirements and provides operators with an alter- native to both mobile offshore drill- ing units and traditional platform drilling rigs on existing and future

Drilling installations. Using an MDR, in both greenfeld and brownfeld environ- ments, negates expensive CAPEX investments and/or costly re-activa- tion projects, Archer says. Renting an MDR also negates operating, maintenance, and re-certifcation costs on existing drilling facilities.

Archer secured a contract this spring for the provision of drilling services with Talisman Sinopec

Energy UK using the Archer

Emerald. This contract will be the frst operation using the modular

The Archer Topaz modular rig, as it will look when installed on the Heimdal platform. rig on the UK continental shelf. Image from Archer.

The initial two-year contract is

It is easy to integrate the modular rig existing pipe deck, whereas on Heimdal worth about $96 million. Mobilization onto a platform and easy to re-use. There a power supply is available, but it was is due to start in 1Q 2016, following a is no need to refurbish outdated platform necessary to supply a pipe deck. Lechner period of rig interface modifcation. The drilling rigs in situ. The structure can be says there have also been some ergonomic platform-based modular drilling activity re-confgured to reach other well slots. learnings from Maui for Heimdal, in terms will form an integral part of the Talisman

Its small footprint makes it appropriate of maintaining equipment in a compact UK Montrose Area redevelopment proj- for aging platforms with restricted space, space offshore. ect, aimed at prolonging the life of aging and its integrated power generation and Archer’s modular rigs (MDRs) are assets and extracting further reserves mud system allow for autonomous opera- designed to stand alone, can be rigged up from the Montrose reservoir.

tions, Archer says. on most offshore installations, and can Lechner thinks that once both modular

The VDD 400 range features a 400-ton perform most drilling operations nor- rigs are working in the North Sea in a pull capacity, a 100-ton pushing capacity, mally performed from a platform, includ- year and a half’s time—one a piece in the a maximum 12-ton module weight, two ing drilling and workover operations, Norwegian and UK sectors—“We’ll be direction skidding, and a compact 145 completions, snubbing services, casing able to showcase the technology, show x 12m footprint, without power supply. drilling, and plug and abandonment, that the work can be done with a very

The mast height is 28m and the drilling Archer says. They are rack and pinion low POB, and to the safety standards that depth 5000m. The hydraulically driven driven, modular drilling, and interven- we are talking about.”

VDD 400.2 has automatic pipe-handling tion rigs, a concept proven by Streicher The modular rig suitability assess- for tubular sizes 2½-in. to 20-in., and is on land rigs in Europe, but a new concept ment comprises a desk top feasibility suitable for operation in hazardous areas. for the North Sea. study, an offshore site survey verifying

This modular rig package can be tailored

The hydraulic power enables precise the fndings of the desktop study, a FEED control, and despite small compo- study, detailed engineering, and fnally nents, high power can be transmit- the offshore construction project, where ted. The rig and mud package weighs engineering teams are mobilized to 490-ton, the power package 128-ton, conduct the interface activities to install and the pipe deck and pipe-handling the MDR on the platform. This activity is crane 220-ton. conducted off the critical path, ahead of

The new modular rig follows mobilization, to mitigate any exposure to

Archer’s frst modular rig design, VDD delays during MDR mobilization.

400.1, the Archer Emerald, which

Archer’s rig manager for the Heimdal was a breakthrough when it was project, Bjørn Christensen, says that launched in 2012. The Archer Emerald

Archer personnel are currently being is currently operating offshore New trained up for Statoil’s Heimdal project.

Zealand in the Tasman Sea on Shell

Archer has more than 8100 employees

Todd’s Maui A offshore platform. It over 100 locations, including the North successfully completed its frst year

Sea, Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe, without any LTIs (lost time incidents)

North America, Gulf of Mexico, and in February.

South America. In addition to its two

The two projects differ in that for modular offshore rigs, it is operating on

Maui Archer had to supply its 33 offshore platforms and owns and oper-

The Archer Topaz modular rig, nearing completion own power, but was able to use an ates 77 land rigs. in Germany. Photo from Archer.

June 2014 | OE oedigital.com 38 036_OE0614_D&C3_Archer.indd 38 5/22/14 9:55 PM