Dril Quip (United States)

Abstract Demand for subsea production equipment capable of withstanding high-pressure/high-temperature (HPHT) operating conditions is increasing as the subsea industry progresses into new frontiers. Various subsea Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are striving to develop and qualify economically viable subsea trees (XTs) to meet this demand and the industry is beginning to see some of the first subsea HPHT greenfield developments move forward. This demonstrates that the economics of these projects are starting to meet investment thresholds. However, there remains ample opportunity for new designs and system configurations to increase operating profits and reduce the economic risk for operators drilling and completing these HPHT subsea wells.This paper presents one approach to 20 ksi HPHT subsea developments which delivers on both objectives. The unique manner of accomplishing lower costs and reducing risk involves a system capable of 20 ksi completion in the wellhead (WH), thus eliminating the tubing head (THD). This system is currently under development and qualification per API 6A, 17D, and TR8 requirements. This paper provides an overview of the system configuration, a description of the ongoing verification, validation, I3P and regulatory review process, and a state-of-the-art HPHT R&D Centre where this effort is being undertaken.

Floating vessels with dry tree production equipment are large capital expenditure projects with multiple interfaces often spanning several entities, including the Operator, Engineering Procurement and Integration Contractor (EPIC), Rig Builder, Production and Drilling Top-Tensioned Riser (TTR) supplier, Subsea Wellhead supplier, and Surface Wellhead/Tree supplier. Design and Interface Management play a significant role in the success of a project of this magnitude. The Shell Malikai Single Combo Casing Top Tensioned Riser (SCCTTR) was successfully deployed and commissioned on the first TLP in Malaysia. The Malikai SCCTTR is an industry first and an example of innovative design configuration coupled with rigorous project execution to deliver a system that is an enabling technology for current industry market conditions. The SCCTTR is a single riser used first for drilling and then remains in place for the full field life. This provides significant cost savings, both in hardware and operational time for large field developments, but introduces technical challenges to meet the requirements of both traditional drilling and production/water injection risers. This paper presents key design challenges to meet the requirements for ‘multi-purpose’ configuration and identifies how they were addressed to accomplish the project goal of flawless delivery. Project management was a key factor in achieving this goal. Shell chose a one-stop solution for delivery of the subsea wellhead and SCCTTR which provided advantages in management of interfaces and overall delivery. While this minimized interfaces, it still required a significant effort to coordinate components from multiple continents to deliver a single system. In addition to project management, the system required innovative design, as illustrated by the tensioner system, which introduced new features such as deflection absorbing bearing pads to limit the impact of the SCCTTR on the TLP hull design. Even with the additional features, the new tensioner system was designed, manufactured, and qualified within the project schedule. The Malikai SCCTTR stands as a testament to what can be accomplished when innovative design approach is coupled with robust project management and collaborative efforts between operator and equipment suppliers.

Abstract Watch circles are established by operators to ensure a dynamically positioned vessel does not induce loads that exceed wellhead system equipment capacities. In the event the vessel moves off station, beyond the boundary of the watch circle, loads could be transmitted that may approach or exceed the equipment ratings and possibly cause failure. A whole system weak point analysis approach is required to determine and identify the likely failure modes and locations throughout the system. This paper presents a system weak point analysis using a 3D finite element analysis (FEA) of an API Studded BOP Flange, Hydraulic Wellhead Connector, and Subsea Wellhead System. The FEA models include the first 200 ft below the mudline and are used to evaluate the capabilities of the entire system to failure. To ensure accurate load transfer between the components the actual field installation sequence was modeled, which included contact between components, all preloads, soil resistance, casing string weights, and cements. Subsequently, the global external loads from the rig were incrementally increased beyond the rated load capacities of the entire system to determine failure points. Loads, stresses, and strains in each component were determined as a function of the global external loads. Each component of the system was modeled using elastic-plastic material properties per ASME BPVC, Section VIII, Division 3, Paragraph KD-231.4. Critical points throughout the wellhead system were monitored for failure which was defined as either through wall plastic strain or through wall stress above yield across the entire wall of a component. A sequential order of limiting locations, or weak points, was determined (first limiting location, second limiting location, etc.). The weak point analysis performed provided valuable information to assess and help mitigate risk. The analysis results also provided valuable insight and context to the equipment manufacturer to develop more robust and reliable system designs. The insights gathered by doing a weak point analysis using large 3D FEA models of the entire system, inclusive of the wellhead system, wellhead connector, and flanged connection, are presented and provide a better understanding of the system behavior and failure mechanisms.

Abstract This paper will review the process a vertically integrated subsea equipment OEM took to implement Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) techniques in effort to satisfy API Specification Q1, 9th Edition risk assessment requirements. Through this paper, we will highlight the organization's implementation approach, challenges faced, and benefits expected including improved product quality, increased customer service level, and lower costs. Driven by recent changes in API Specification Q1, 9th Edition along with customer specific quality requirements, Dril-Quip desired to institute Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) processes across its diverse product line and global manufacturing footprint. APQP has been successfully deployed and adopted in many manufacturing industries including automotive, aerospace, and defense. In this paper, Dril-Quip will discuss how it defined APQP standards to fit the specific needs of the oil and gas industry and its approach to apply them to the full range of Dril-Quip products. We will discuss the cross-functional approach including development of Design Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analysis (DFMECA) and Process Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analysis (PFMECA) for subsea wellhead systems. Critical to that discussion will be a conversation about how Dril-Quip identified the Critical to Quality characteristics (CTQs) and the procedure by which these critical features were assimilated into Dril-Quip's Quality Management System. Additionally, this paper will highlight how APQP will help the organization improve product quality and thus unlock constrained manufacturing capacity. Traditional quality management processes used in the oil and gas industry rely heavily on quality control and inspection. As a result, manufacturing operations often generate a significant number of non-conformances and customers require witness and hold points to ensure product quality. APQP brings a more proactive approach to quality management starting with product design and carrying through product verification analysis and validation testing, manufacturing and product delivery; thus, reducing non-conformances. By reducing non-conformances and designing quality into the product and its production processes, overall product quality and customer confidence will improve eliminating the need for third party witness and unlocking trapped capacity. Equipment manufacturers who are able to unlock this capacity will in turn be able to increase production volumes, shorten lead times and reduce costs. While APQP is not a novel or new concept and has been successfully deployed in the automotive, aerospace, and defense industries, it brings a new approach to quality management in the oil and gas industry. The ultimate conclusion will focus on the reasons why APQP implementation at a vertically integrated OEM reduces costs, improves process efficiency, and achieves a vast quality improvement over previous models including highlighting benchmarks from improvements realized from implementing APQP in other industries.

Product miniaturization trend is inevitable. The needs for minimum invasive surgery, smaller sensors for smart machinery, packing more features on a product… require mass production of smaller components from engineering materials. Fabrication of microcomponents requires knowledge of micromachining to avoid costly tool failure and part damage. This research investigates microdrilling of commercially pure titanium, nickel titanium (Nitinol), and 316L stainless steel. A surface was polished and drilled in rows of ten holes. Through hole drilling at 6:1 aspect ratio was performed on NiTi sheets while blind holes were drilled at 10:1 aspect ratio on Ti or 316L blocks. Microdrills with 100–150 μm diameter and 1.5–3.5 mm flute length were utilized up to 50,000 rpm in minimum quantity lubrication. Finite element models were developed to find upper limits of drilling parameters. Flank wear of 15μm on fine grained WC-Co uncoated tools and peeling of coating layer were used as tool life criteria. Scanning electron microscopy was used to observed tool failure mechanism. Tool life modeling and hole quality were performed to evaluate and compare tool performance. Although successfully drilling all materials at 10:1 aspect ratio, excessive built-up-edge (BUE) was found on microdrills at all drilling parameters. Such BUE effectively blunted the drill tips and caused drill wandering, degraded hole quality due to rubbing against the drilled wall, work-hardened the drilled surface and accelerated drill wear, and formed burrs at both entrance and exit ends. Wear of a microdrill at the outer corner was more pronounced when drilling CP titanium, but attrition wear at chisel edge was more significant for 316L stainless steel. The classical Taylor equation for macromachining was applicable in microdrilling to rank tool performance and machinability of tested materials. For the same cutting speed of 20 m/min and comparable drilling distance of about 35 mm, CP titanium can be microdrilled 400% faster than 316L stainless steel when applying 0.1 μm/flute chip load for the former and 0.02 μm/flute for the latter. The AlTiN coated drills improved tool life by at least 120%. This coating reduced BUE, drastically improved hole position accuracy by 115%, and decreased hole diameter variation from 0.110% to 0.003% for each mm of drilling distance.