Page 41: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (May/Jun 2019)

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Source: Odfjell Drilling

Meanwhile, another rig

State-of-the-art: — the Deepsea Stavanger the Deepsea of Akastor-owned Odfjell

Stavanger semisub

Drillig — is on its way to the arctic having stopped at a Norwegian yard for its e-upgrade.

It reportedly has “third-party” drilling equipment on board, and that could be

MHWirth’s, although another Odfjell business division makes its own drill-tech.

With many rigs having been scrapped, those that remain are extra competitive for providing the savings, compliance and holistic digitalization that operators want.

Apart from sensory data from the drill bit in real time (again, see Schlumberger), operators employing digitalized rigs can now see the promised bene? ts of predic- tive analytics, as more engineering out? ts present digital, analytical software tools covering the derricks and the drill ? oor.

The upgrades are just in time. Oslo says there’s $31.12 billion in explora- tion, production and appraisal wells to be drilled between 2019 and 2021 by rigs and platforms: 60 exploration wells this year alone. That has tightened up rig markets, and only the truly digital seem to be getting any work. “One advantage we have is that we’re not having to catch up [technological- ly],” says McReaken. “It’s cool that we can embrace this now. We’ve been talk- ing about it for so long. It’s great that we can bring it all and tie it in.”

Some rig contractors, however, or- hole pressure. This early detection and a structural change as well, as the fo- dered advanced rigs years ago and are instant avoidance of “deteriorating drill- cus changes to drilling and completion only now, because of ‘The Downturn’, ing conditions” has solidly preempted a times rather than just drill rates.” diving into the automation they ordered. range of the costliest drilling mishaps One of the reasons Northern Drilling And then there are the modern, if not- and minor events. So, package item pursued the battery powered West Mira brand-new, rigs.

DrillTronics, alone, seems able to cut was to have a low-emissions, modern rig “It’s not like you can take a 30-year- drill times by from 4% (Equinor) to 8% with the digitization to enable the best old rig and turn it into PlayStation. Not (some say 20%). The trouble for some that automated drilling brings. having a more automated process to be- is that they can’t have it unless they’re “We saw the potentiality in under- gin with is the difference between new already somewhat digitalized. standing what our equipment and espe- assets and old assets,” McReaken says. cially what the drill bit is doing and in “With sensors tracking everything,

West Mira working more ef? ciently. It’s a trend, you get a heads up with a newer rig. “I think it’s a good thing,” McReaken a change,” McReaken says, adding, How many sensors? Maybe 15,000 on says of automated drilling. “The safer “Manual [drilling] breaks are still out a newbuild, or two on a 20-year-old we do it, the better. The quicker we there, but they’re not drawing a premi- rig,” he adds. “That sort of sums it up. do it, the more ef? cient the drilling ef- um, and they’re not garnering the rela- Just talk to the engineers. They can talk fort becomes. The bonus is that there’s tionships or contacts we have.” about it all day long.”

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