WorldWide Drilling Resource

Flexible Drop Pipe for Temporary and Emergency Backup Wells by Tracy Keck Hose Solutions, Inc. An oilfield refinery recently found itself in a very important decision-making process. Its production facility requires a great deal of water for operations. Surface water is not readily available, and the price of water in the area is extremely expen- sive, while a reliable source is mandatory. When water is required, it must be very quickly deployed. Downtime is tre- mendously expensive and not an option. The worksite has a handful of water wells in production where much-needed water is sourced. The problem is, if a pump goes down, it would take too long to pull up 20-foot sticks of steel, repair or replace the pump, and reinstall. After exploring all possible options, flexible drop pipe was selected as the solution to the problem. With its continu- ous length and no joints, the pipe was quick, easy, and safe to install. The power cable was secured alongside the hose every six feet with the provided straps. The pump was set at 600 feet with a six- inch discharge. Installation was complet- ed in a single day (around six hours) using lifting clamps and a standard rig. Now there is a new well that can be used temporarily for production, or as an emergency backup if the other pumps go down. Furthermore, if anything would go wrong with this backup pump, it could be pulled and reset very quickly. Yet another added benefit is the flexible drop pipe will expand and contract slightly under pressure when the pump kicks on and off, not allowing scaling or corrosion. The refinery requested no photos of the project be published, and the wish was honored here. The project was a success and a win-win for all. Tracy Tracy Keck may be contacted via e-mail at michele@wwdr-usa.com U.S. Energy Boom Causes Shipbuilding Boom Adapted from Information Provided by NPR It takes about 1000 workers more than a year to build a 115,000-ton oil tanker. The cost is $200 million. The Aker Philadelphia Shipyard is constructing two of these tankers and already has orders for four more along with two container ships. According to Scott Clapham, senior vice president of Aker Philadelphia, orders for large vessels skyrocketed over the last year. “We’ve seen, since 2013, just a steady increase in demand for the ships, both here in Philadelphia and other shipyards across the country,” said Clapham. The energy boom in the U.S. is definitely having an effect on the coun- try’s shipbuilding industry. Matthew Paxton, president of the Shipbuilders Counci l of America, said a relative boom in the construction of larger ves- sels is taking place at shipyards across the country, especially oil tankers. He said the oil tanker market wasn’t even on the screen three years ago, but shale formations in North Dakota and Texas have changed that. “All this oil is coming down to the Gulf Coast and we’re going to need to move that oil around the United States to refiners,” said Paxton. According to the American Maritime Partnership, more than 15 oil tankers, along with hundreds of smaller tugs and barges, are on order at shipyards around the country. However, it wi l l take months and possibly years to build them all. The domestic supply of energy is booming in the meantime. Yet, oil com- panies cannot bring in foreign ships to help move oil and gas around the U.S. due to a 1920s federal law called the Jones Act. Under the Jones Act, cargo can only be moved between two ports under certain conditions. “You need to [move cargo] on a vessel that is flagged under U.S. law, that is crewed by American citizens, and that is built in a U.S. shipyard,” said Tom Allegretti, chairman of the American Maritime Partnership. He said the Jones Act helps create jobs and keeps U.S. waterways in the hands of Americans. Others say the Jones Act is pure protectionism for shipbuilders and unions. Some experts claim a lack of competi- tion causes U.S. shipbuilders to become less efficient and not as technologically advanced as builders in other parts of the world. William Gray, an expert and con- sultant in shipbuilding operations and regulations, said shipbuilding in the U.S. declined drastically after World War II, so only a handful of major ship- yards are left. He said the cost of bulk carrier and container ships from American shipyards is about three times as much as those from shipyards in China, Japan, and South Korea. Scott Clapham, senior vice presi- dent from Aker Philadelphia Shipyard said without the Jones Act, ships would most likely be built overseas. “The Jones Act, with its requirement to be built in the U.S., greatly helps support the man- ufacturing facility...here.” Until more tankers are built, ener- gy companies may have to rely on rail, pipeline, and road transport to move the abundance of domestic gas and oil around the country. Cranes move heavy pieces of steel which will form part of an oil tanker at the Aker Philadelphia Shipyard. Photo by Jonathan Blakely, courtesy of npr.org 32 NOVEMBER 2014 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® 2!, /(& *"/) .& .++(- &* -.+ ' &3"- 5 .+ 5 *'- +0) * 02 ,!"* (("2 4 1 , / %)#$ +) 4 , / %)#$ #,+*.&",*". +) +!"( &3"- ."*. *! * !