Taking on the drilling challenge

Activity in the region often occurs in remote locations where climatic extremes test both workers and equipment with temperatures that rise above 100°F in the summer and fall below 0°F in winter. In addition, a considerable amount of the activity occurs in extremely hostile downhole conditions in which it is common to find both high temperatures and corrosive environments that can be very damaging to the downhole tubulars. Last but not least, operating companies face the risk of working in some of the most environmentally sensitive areas of the world.

Tenaris has been supplying premium ‘gas tight’ connections and advanced tubular products to the Caspian Sea region since drilling began decades ago. In 2001, the company increased its participation by establishing a commercial office in Baku. The presence of the company in the region has grown steadily as the company has developed premium connections and specialty high-strength, corrosion-resistant steel tubulars to cope with the demanding well characteristics of the region.

In an effort to increase its level of service to the operating companies in the region Tenaris recently completed the establishment of a service base in Aktau, Kazakhstan. Now operating companies who were previously required to transport tubulars in need of repair to distant facilities at great expense can benefit from a full-service base that offers threading, thread repair, accessory manufacturing and other pipe management services closer to their operations.

“We anticipate an increase in casing and tubing requirements in the region as the Caspian countries accelerate their drilling activity to meet with their aggressive plans to raise oil and gas production,” comments Derek Smith, Tenaris Manager for the Caspian Sea Region. “It is important for our development to continue increasing the level of service we are providing to our customers both from a technical and operational point of view. We have been supporting the major projects in the region with high end products for many years and are now adding further value with our local pipe related services.”

The technology
The innovative TenarisBlue and TenarisBlue Dopeless premium connection technologies are being quickly adopted by the oil and gas operating companies in the Caspian Sea region as in other parts of the world. Since its introduction in late 2002, this technology has become the preferred choice for a considerable number of the operating companies due its operational, environmental and safety advantages. In addition, the technology is very well suited for both carbon and CRA materials, allowing for connection standardization during well design.

Extensive studies, coupled with an active commitment to research and development in corrosion, metallurgy and connection design resulted in the TenarisBlue Dopeless connection, the first commercial dope-free connection for the petroleum industry that completely eliminates the requirement for using thread compounds during the running of casing and tubing.

By utilising the Dopeless technology, operators can eliminate the environmental problems associated with the use of thread compounds while also improving safety. The technology reduces the time for tubular running preparation and the disposal cost of any possible hazardous waste.

Traditional connections require the application of storage compound prior to their dispatch from the mill. When the pipe arrives to the rig site or pipe yard, the storage compound has to be removed and the thread compound (or “dope”) is applied for downhole running. The use of the Dopeless technology cuts out this process and therefore has a tremendous impact in environmental compliance by avoiding the contamination from heavy metals and other non-metallic substances used in dopes and storage compounds. With less handling, the risk of accidents is reduced thus improving the safety of operations in the yard and at the rig site, this has an enormous advantage in particular in harsh environments when personnel operate in extremely low temperature conditions.

ConocoPhillips made the first running of these dry dope-free connections in a complex offshore well at the Ekofisk field in Norway, in 2003. “This was the first time that a Dopeless connection had ever been run,” says Jim Aivalis, TenarisConnections Managing Director. “The goal was to carry out a reliable and efficient operation with minimum impact on the environment. The technology was well suited for this objective and it proved itself in this initial running and others that followed in the same field.”

By late 2003, TenarisBlue Dopeless had been run in oil and gas wells in nearly every part of the world, in a variety of operating conditions including very complex drilling environments. Its outstanding performance and operational benefits were confirmed repeatedly.

Snøhvit goes totally dope-free
Early in 2004, Statoil joined other operators in endorsing the new technology by announcing that all of its permanent tubulars installed in the Snøhvit field would use the new technology. This made Snøhvit the first field in the world to adopt TenarisBlue® Dopeless for all casing, production tubing and liners. At the present, Statoil has successfully used these connections in several materials, including carbon steel grades L80, TN110 low temperature, and in CRA’s, such as 13Cr L80 and 25Cr Duplex.

Snøvhit is the first development in the Norwegian sector of the Barents Sea. Statoil’s choice of the new technology stems from the fact that the area is subject to stringent environmental regulations due to its importance for commercial fishing. Ultimately, Tenaris was the only supplier that could meet Statoil’s strict environmental requirements.

As a result, Statoil’s Snøhvit organization eliminated the use of all pipe dope when connecting permanently installed downhole tubulars. Accordingly, the elimination of dope allowed for the eradication of black chemical discharges, allowing Snøhvit to adopt a zero discharge policy and to operate in a safer, more efficient working environment on the rig.