The need for a new concept for surface control facilities that could be tailored to the unique requirements of each individual drill stem test has been recognized, met and extensively field proved.
The new concept consisted of designing unitized, modular components for this specific purpose. Each component was individually designed, materials of Construction carefully selected and all machining and inspection done in-house, for highest possible degree of control. This input of quality, beginning at the design stage and carrying all the way through final inspection, helps to assure the well owner of the high degree of safety, reliability and versatility demanded by extreme conditions being encountered in offshore, Arctic, sour gas and extreme high pressure areas. As our energy search expands its horizons, more and more, we shall be encountering these severe conditions, sometimes in combination.
This paper describes the design, manufacturing control and three years of worldwide field experience with this system.
The high quality, combined with simplicity, insisted upon from the beginning, has resulted in a versatile, dependable system, requiring a minimum of field maintenance and which has met the challenge of some of the world's harshest environments.
A new concept in Formation Testing surface equipment has been designed, Developed and field proven by three years experience. Modular design of the equipment permits tailoring the surface equipment to fit The various demands of each individual Formation Test. Meeting these specific requirements provides the maximum in safety, convenience and reliability.
To meet the world wide demands, all components are available in either of two series. The S-15 series is for standard service and is rated at 5,000 psi working pressure and 20,000 psi test pressure. For sour gas service, the 5G-10 series is rated at 10,000 psi working pressure and 15,000 psi test. Tensile strength of both series is sufficient to pick up the weight of most strings of pipe and in the majority of applications exceeds the strength of the drill pipe.
SG-10 Components utilize special materials where necessary to meet the strength Requirements. All steel parts in the components are carefully heat-treated to Rockwell C 17–22. This complies with the NACE(National Association Corrosion Engineers) specification for sour gas service. The low heat treat of the SG-10 equipment makes it ideally suited for the extreme cold encountered in Arctic operations.
Internal research plus a thorough search of the literature by highly qualified metallurgistsaided the engineers in selecting materials for each piece. Manufacturing procedures were established, and quality control programs initiated for each part of each component. In-house inspection and pressure testing of each item insures top quality components for the energy search expanding to the Arctic, offshore, extreme high pressure areas and sour gas areas.
Quality control of the equipment is initiated with inspection of the raw stock. Both metallurgical and dimensical inspections are made on the raw materials. Most materials are roughed out, that is, the material is shaped to the approximate size,(slightly oversize on the outside and slightly undersized on the inside prior to heat treat so that better thorough hardening is obtained.
