manuhcturing output. In 1997, the focus is on supporting current factory capacity (fab ramp to 15,000 WSPW, 0.25 micron process automation development and Year 2000 fix), as well as adding carrridge manufhcturing automation system testing.In parallel, continuous improvement of integrated volume test methodologies is being implemented.Maintaining its position as the world's largest manufacturer of semiconductors, Intel increasingly depends upon automation in manufacturing. As rewarding as this technology is, however, this dependence has a downside. A problem in the automation system may shut down an entire hctory.
Military electronics and sensors with hermetic packages specified to 125°C have been the mainstay of the industry for many years. Oilfield service companies have long designed these components into downhole tools that operate in environments up to 175°C, but for significantly reduced periods of time. However, new development of hermetic military electronics has all but ceased, forced from the marketplace by less demanding, lower temperature consumer applications such as cell phones, portable computers, and personal data assistants (PDAs). Unfortunately, downhole tools designed with consumer electronics face substantially reduced life at higher temperatures. Therefore, oilfield service companies must employ innovative solutions and rigorous environmental qualification to ensure maximum reliability. At the same time the desire for additional services in ever more extreme environments is growing. This paper describes the development program, tool architecture, mission profile, and prototype testing results to date of a retrievable, reseatable measurement-while-drilling (MWD) tool specifically designed to operate at temperatures up to 200°C and pressures up to 35,000 psi. Summary This paper describes the development of a retrievable, reseatable, high -pressure/high-temperature (HP/HT) MWD tool specifically designed to operate at temperatures up to 200°C and pressures up to 35,000 psi. This project began in 2003 and is partially funded by the United States Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory (DOE/NETL) as part of the DeepTrek Program. DOE/NETL is active in promoting research into new oilfield technologies. To date, the DOE/NETL DeepTrek Program has provided greater than $24 million for research projects in the following four key technology areas: Background The DeepTrek program is aimed at expanding America's economically recoverable deep (>20,000 ft) gas resource. This program targets technologies that will allow greater efficiency in drilling operation at temperatures in excess of 200°C, pressures of between 20,000 to 30,000 psi, and achievement of reduced overall drilling costs in deep natural gas and oil wells. The development of a reliable HP/HT MWD tool is an important element in this overall program. MWD technology incorporating advancements in tool design, electronics, sensors, and power supply is expected to allow real-time assessment and analysis of direction and inclination, subsurface temperature, annular and internal pressure, formation identification via gamma ray, and other drilling parameters in this hostile environment. Historically service companies have provided MWD solutions to operate in bottomhole temperatures of up to 175°C. As client markets expand there is an increasing need for tools that will survive much higher temperatures. Wireline tools, owing to shorter run durations and their ability to be run with flasks, have long been able to evaluate these higher temperature wellbores, but directional drilling (DD) has been constrained partially due to lack of real-time surveying equipment that can survive for the time required downhole. The >175°C MWD market is small but growing. This true 200°C direction and inclination (D&I) tool is designed and built not just to "survive" at very high wellbore temperatures and pressures, but to perform reliably for a specified minimum amount of time. The pressure rating of 35,000 psi is considered in anticipation of the new frontiers in deepwater drilling. Because many HP/HT environments are particularly challenging from a drilling mechanics standpoint, annular and internal pressure measurements are included as well.
An ultrasonic tool has been developed for MWD applications that simultaneously performs realtime bore-hole caliper measurements and realtime gas influx detection. The caliper determines the ovalness of the hole with a high degree of accuracy and excellent vertical resolution. These measurements are transmitted to the surface and also used to compensate LWD measurements. Furthermore, with early and accurate real-time caliper measurements, bore-hole instability can be detected. Real-time gas influx detection insures early and reliable gas kick detection and should provide a considerable improvement in drilling rig safety. The new tool is particularly useful for avoiding problems associated with shallow gas formation where response time for kick detection is critical.
Well site operations utilize many types of equipment which can involve health, safety and environment (HSE) aspects. Changes in equipment design in the industry have often been made in reaction to incidents or in reaction to changes in legislation and regulatory standards. This reactive approach can reduce the safety margin of the equipment when engineering teams become focused on minimum standard compliance rather than overall safety. This can be an increasing concern where the equipment is new and novel as the speed of design changes may outpace changes in regulation, and there is less in-use experience on which to base the risk analysis. It can also increase overall cost if changes in design are made at later stages in development. In order to move to a more proactive approach for HSE in engineering, an oilfield services company formally implemented a program to integrate HSE aspects into the equipment design cycle. The program not only considers the operational risk of the equipment but also considers the risks in the verification and testing phases, and during manufacturing. Key elements to this implementation are:HSE competency and training of engineers, designers and project managers.Documented standards and best practices that can foster intelligent reuse.Project management framework that guides development teams in identifying risk in all areas, including HSE.Integrating HSE personnel with design teams to understand the functional and business requirements and constraints. Proactively introducing HSE requirements early, and continuously, during engineering projects can positively affect design, making the resulting equipment safer to use and reducing costs due to non-compliance and design re-work.
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