Arctic Oil Drilling - Boon or Bane?

The latest news that has created waves in the world of oil rig is the possibility of oil drilling in US Arctic. The crowd has been divided in favor of and against US Arctic drilling. A brief synopsis of this event and its effects on oil drilling equipment manufacturers...

The need for oil has increased in the recent years. Unfortunately, there are not many oil rigs left. This has lead to the rise of oil prices and consequently of all other commodities everywhere. Also, many countries like the USA have to depend on other countries, and pay a very high price for very little oil. Hence, oil drilling companies are always on a lookout for new sites for drilling.

A renowned oil company recently claimed that the Arctic regions that are close to Alaska are ideal for oil drilling. More than five companies have already headed to Arctic as the new round of oil drilling is due this July (2012).

But what led to the sudden interest in the Arctic? Well, as we all know the ice on the Arctic has begun to melt. Though this is a catastrophic event for rest of the world, it is a boon in disguise for the oil drilling companies. As the ice has begun to melt, many regions of the Arctic Circle are now easily accessible.

According to the US Geological Survey 2008, the Arctic holds 13% of the world's technically recoverable oil supply, which is almost 90 billion barrels of oil! However, the environmentalists fear that offshore drilling can be disastrous in case there is even a single event of oil spilling. The oil drilling companies however, have assured the environmentalists that only the best wellhead equipment will be used for the purpose.

Blowout preventers and wellhead equipment certainly play a crucial role in oil drilling, whether it is offshore or onshore. We at Integrated Equipment manufacture state-of-the-art wellhead equipment and pressure and flow control equipment like expanding gate valves. Our products conform to Manufacturing Quality Standards and are accredited per ISO 9001. We manufacture annular and RAM blowout preventers as per the norms of API 16A.

The US Department of Interior (DOI) has approved the Oil Spill Response Plan (OSRP), as the oil drilling companies claim to have a developed a plan, to protect the environment and avoid hazardous incidents like a well blowout. Incidents like this can in fact be avoided if quality oil drilling equipment is used. However, there are many more aspects that need to be considered before moving to the Arctic. If the oil drilling companies are able to put the concerns of the environmentalists to rest with a full-proof plan, the oil drilling in Arctic is sure to be a revolutionary step in the history of oil drilling.

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Quality guarantees safety

David A. Des Autels makes the otherwise unglamorous world of oil drilling wells and equipments interesting in his novel, “The Alaska Oil Conspiracy”. The book is set in the background of Alaska oil fields, where he has spent most of his working years as a Geo scientist. The story unravels the mystery of the unexpected and unusual happenings at the local oilfields in Alaska.

Des Autels rightly points out that the oil and gas industry is one of the highest technology-based industries. The book provides insight into the oil and gas industry. It is an undeniable fact that it is risky to work on oil wells, and the book highlights this fact. The oil drilling equipment should be of the best quality to safeguard the lives of people working on the oil wells.

Pulsation Dampener

Integrated Equipment Inc. is a company, which predominantly caters to the oil and gas industry worldwide and assures safety, quality, and reliability for its extensive range of pressure and flow control equipments. Our Annular blowout preventers and Ram Blowout preventers meet all requirements of API 16A. Its Manufacturing Quality Standards are accredited as per ISO 9001 standards. Our Pulsation Dampener Line is ASME U and U2 Stamp encoded & carries CRN approval.

We aim to achieve complete customer satisfaction by delivering defect-free products and unmatched service through continuous improvement in all processes.

We manufacture Annular Blowout Preventers that have proven to be able to seal on kelleys, drill pipe, tool joints, drill collars and casings. They have the ability to safely strip the drill pipe in and out of the hole. The specifications are mentioned in the diagram below.

Some of the features of an Annular Blowout Preventers manufactured by Integrated Equipment Inc. are:

·         They comprise strong and simple construction, and thus, are easy to use      .              

·         The use of Hydrogen Sulfide service is standard.

·         The compact body saves between 15% and 20% in height over some competitive Annular Blowout Preventers.                

·         Reliable and field proven packing elements provide a long sealing life.           

·         Only two hydraulic connections are required making the hydraulic system extremely simple.                            

·         The trash ring prevents the debris from dropping into the operating chambers during field replacement.

·         Wear rings on moving parts reduce metal to metal contact, thus improving the preventer’s life.

·         They meet all API 16A and NACE requirements.

Integrated Equipment Inc. has constantly improved its ability to reach and respond to customers quickly, over 15 years of operations. This ability has lead to the exponential growth of its product mix.

Item	Qty	Description
1	1	Lower Housing
2	1	Piston
3	1	Adapter Ring
4	1	Upper Housing
5	24	Stude
6	24	Nut
7	1	Packing Unit
8	1	Seal Repair Kit
8A*	1	Lower Piston Seal
8B*	1	Upper Piston Seal
8C*	1	Piston Seal
8D*	1	Top Adapter O-Ring
8E*	1	Lower Adapter Seal
8F*	1	Upper Adapter Seal
8G*	1	Upper Housing O-Ring

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Tracking system for oil field equipment

In a capital-intensive industry like the oil and gas industry, the tracking of oil field equipment like pulsation dampeners, wellhead equipment like X-mas Tree Caps, Tubing Head Adapters, Casing and Tubing, etc. is vital.  The downtime of these equipment will result into losses.

Maintaining and locating these equipment in an oilfield is a challenge. Traditional and manual ways for asset tracking have been employed, which are tedious and not accurate. In the past few years, many companies have started using GPS and the RFID method to track the location of the equipment. They provide operational benefits but they are not good enough as standalone technologies. Hybrid solutions such as web-based tracking have increased operational efficiencies. Many companies are using a combination of RFID, GPS along with hardware and software solutions to streamline their assets and manage the equipment on the field. Companies are depending increasingly on hybrid solutions where companies combine different technologies on one platform to cater to their unique requirements.

However, along with this, it is important that the equipment is certified according to industry standards. Integrated Equipment, Inc, based in Houston, Texas, designs, manufactures and distributes oil-drilling equipment, which meet API 16A requirements. Our manufacturing standards conform to ISO 9001 standards. Pulsation Dampeners are ASME U and U2 Stamp encoded, and are CRN approved.

All the wellhead equipment is manufactured under the Integrated Equipment’s API 6A license. Some of them are:

1)      X-mas Tree Cap is mounted on top of the X-mas tree, and provides access to the tree plug and hammer nut. Standard API-UP Tbg lift thread is provided in the body. The plug has a provision for mounting a pressure gauge to measure well pressure.

2)      Expanding Gate Valves combine the proven expanding gate design with close machining tolerances to provide a valve that seals under virtually all conditions. Below are the sizes and pressure ratings they are available in the following sizes and pressure ratings.

Size	Pressure Ratings
1-13/16	10000
2-1/16	5000
2-1/16	10000
2-9/16	5000
2-9/16	10000
3-1/8	5000
3-1/16	10000
4-1/16	5000

Some of its features are:

• Standard trims with F-1 seats            
• Forged/cast body in alloy or stainless steel
• Expanding gate provides positive sealing                     
• Bolted bonnet for easy change out of internal parts
• Conforms to API 6A                               
• Trims available for sour gas applications

Integrated Equipment, Inc. also manufactures blowout preventers, both Ram and Annular. Each product has unique design features based on years of operational experience. The essence of our manufacturing process has always been our in-depth research. Our focus has always been customer satisfaction, thus making it one of the best oil well equipment manufacturers.

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Striking Black Gold

The demand for oil is leading to more investment in oil and gas production. This can only be good news for oilfield equipment manufacturers.
The Corporation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) is planning to increase its oil and gas capacities by investing $666 billion. One major reason for this is that petrol barrel prices have increased to $100. Research reports say there will be investments of $1.1 trillion in oil and gas projects within the next decade. In terms of oil and gas projects in the Gulf, Saudi Arabia is leading with an estimated increase of approximately $9 billion.
This is certainly good news for companies that design and manufacture oilfield equipment. The number of offshore projects from this increase in project numbers will create a huge demand for pressure and flow equipment.
Among the many corporations worldwide, one company that will surely benefit will be Integrated Equipment. We have a vast network of equipment agents and sales representatives for countries such as Saudi Arabia, Libya, Oman, Iraq, Abu Dhabi, and Bahrain.
Our standard products, which include Ram and Annular Blowout Preventers, Pulsation Dampeners, and Expanding Gate Valves, are used by many well servicing contractors, land drilling contractors, and major oil companies. We are also known for our BOP control systems.
We make sure our customers receive the quality service they deserve. We provide excellent aftermarket services; with quick responses and fast deliveries for all our products. We have repair centers around the world to provide you round-the-clock services and cost saving solutions. Our field services include but are not limited to:

• Field Repairs and Troubleshooting
• Onsite Inspections and Recertification
• Assembly and Installations on all Brands of Equipment in terms of BOPs and Valves
• Scheduled and Emergency Maintenance
• Energizing Seals
• Testing Flanges
• Lubrication Services
• Technical  Support

 Integrated’s success is derived from our extensive research in oil and gas equipment. Our products are designed with the philosophy that our components can be interchanged with parts of other OEM brands. This makes product servicing in the field easy, reducing inventories of spare parts.
Our oilfield equipment is certified to meet global standards. Our RAM and Blowout preventers meet the requirements of API 16A. Our wellhead products are certified under our API 6A license. Our pulsation dampeners are encoded with ASME U and U2. They also have CRN approval.
With the oil and gas industry growing enormously every year, it only gets better for OEMs.

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Integrated efforts towards research

Oil and gas industry is a very capital intensive industry. The requirements for maintenance are high with equipments like pulsation dampener, drilling dampener, blowout preventers, expanding gate valves, etc. Continuous research has to be adopted to reduce operating costs, and check safety of workers.

Research and development:

Integrated Equipment Inc., has a sharp focus on research for improving the complex processes and equipments. In an endeavour to broaden and strengthen existing relationships it becomes imperative that we strive to improve our products and manufacturing processes. R&D has helped us to increase our efficiencies and reduce rejections in manufacturing. It has improved our production process, the method of production, reduced machine time and has resulted into higher production rates. This had made it possible for us to provide our customers with competitive and superior products. R&D in our system and operating processes has resulted into better communication and leaner organization.

J.D Edwards system:

We have implemented the ERP system; J.D Edwards system at our manufacturing location. The business processes in the Oil and Gas industry are complex. This ERP solution has enhanced operations reliability. It has eliminated repetitive failures and damage of equipments. The implementation of this solution has improved product quality and consistency.

Design for interchangeability:

We design equipments that are interchangeable with similar components of the OEM brands. Though we have always strived to improve our designs, for better performance, simpler operations and greater reliability, we have always believed in designing for interchangeability and standardization. How has it made a difference for our clients? Well, it has made it easier for our clients to get the equipments serviced. It has further reduced the inventories of spare parts. The team at Integrated has a talented designers and engineers. Equipments like pulsation dampener, blowout preventer, well head equipments, drilling dampener all are interchangeable and standardized.

Finite Element Analysis (FEA)

Our team conducts Finite Element Analysis (FEA) on all our products. This has helped us to come up with speedy development of new products and provide our clients with greater product reliability. We also have the ability to conduct design analysis of the clients’ requirements. This has made us come up with new equipments, custom made for our end users. Thus, we advise our end users with appropriate equipments.

Choosing products like pulsation dampener requires knowledge about pressure system, the system components, and the fluid characteristics. At Integrated Equipments we study and suggest the appropriate equipment for your specific application.

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