Casing filling and equipment at centre of TRS offering

Casing equipment load ratings and casing filling has significant role to play in successful drilling projects, writes Andrew Corrigan, TRS product line manager

The drive for safe operations has never been so important, as the industry seeks to maximise economy, efficiency and emission reductions at a time of constrained budgets and resources. The essential ingredients for success in drilling projects, from the smallest components and operations through to the big-ticket headline-grabbing elements, require attention to all details.

From project planning through construction, operation and decommissioning or repurposing, health and safety standards have been front and centre through many decades of execution in the harshest environments.

That remains true of every part of the supply chain and each stage of projects large or small – and for tubular running services (TRS) elements such as casing equipment, must include among other things a fundamental focus on load ratings.

Just as important is prioritising casing filling. This can be an overlooked part of any drilling job, but Odfjell Technology believes it deserves the same attention to detail, engineering and application often reserved for higher profile segments of the work programme.

Done correctly, casing filling not only protects well integrity and increases safety but can also help to maintain well control, avoid stalls and obstructions on the way to total depth (TD), and facilitate cutting-edge operations in some of the industry’s most extreme deep-water environments.

We understand the complex challenges involved. Odfjell Technology prides itself on working to facilitate evolving industry requirements, and offers a proven culture of compliance and rigorous crosscheck with industry standards, alongside the required focus and endeavour on crucial activity such as casing filling.

Compliant and comprehensive solutions

Fill-up and circulation tools provide an ideal solution for operators seeking optimum results: filling the casings with mud, circulating to keep the hole clean, offering higher pressure to clear obstructions and doglegs, and for flow-back applications.

The right set of tools can be configured to client requirements and tailored to meet the demands of shallow, deep or ultra deep-water wells.

The results will save the stop/start of traditional hose-fill solutions – optimising time spent – while also avoiding the messy drill floors and/or contaminated threads often associated with top drive options.

And increased efficiency is key to industry efforts to maximise returns and minimise downtime while maintaining safety standards. The right tool, like Odfjell Technology’s Casing Running Tool (CRTi), can in fact facilitate continuous operation and so increase running speeds by up to 30% on large casings.

Because for casing equipment, mitigating against the risks of failure is essential: to avoid failed lifts and collapsed strings and the associated health and safety, operational, financial and reputational impacts.

Load ratings apply across the board with casing equipment – slips, elevators, CRTIs etc. – and operational parameters including water depth, string length and ton weight, casing filling properties, buoyancy, circulation and overpull requirements.

Odfjell Technology’s complete TRS offering is aligned with API regulations and other industry, regional and national standards as part of a wider philosophy of QHSSE and a long-standing commitment to rigorous testing, documentation and ratings compliance.

We are also responsive to changing industry demands, and have a history of developing solutions to meet the challenges of the ever-evolving oil and gas sector – be those technical, operational, economic or emissions-reducing.

Making good choices

Load ratings are of course equally important whether boosting returns and performance from mature markets through fresh drilling, or scaling up to address the much greater load challenges associated with the next-generation strings associated with ultra deep-water geographies.

Proper load ratings – and the ability to meet and document compliance as defined by API and other standards – are an integral element of safe operations across the oil and gas industry.

Operators have a world of choice for every element of tubular running services, from equipment to services and beyond. That is why Odfjell Technology believes that everything from the workhorse to the cutting-edge requires dedication, application and expertise.

And like everything that we bring to the industry, our casing filling offering is backed by the shared heritage, combined competence and significant synergies provided across the wider Odfjell family of companies.

At Odfjell Technology, we work hand in hand with clients to ensure that the right TRS casing equipment, with the correct ratings, is deployed in the right way on every project, whatever the shape of the market and however steep the demands on the industry. A successful operation, after all, starts from a solid foundation of tried and tested equipment, refined skills and proven economy. This is part of our DNA, and because we understand the true cost of risk, of start-stop operations, of non-productive time.