Developing a taste for a better energy future

Is an automated robotic bartender going to help accelerate the transition to a better energy future?  Maybe!  And here’s why…  

If you drop by booth 3H60 at this year’s Offshore Europe, you’ll find something a little out of the ordinary.  Among the award-winning completion, intervention, and new energy technology solutions being showcased, you’ll also find an automated beer-dispensing robot, pouring three perfect pints at a time in less than eight seconds per drink.

The robot was built as a side project by some of Welltec’s engineers wanting to show off their creative sides at a company event, and serves as a playful illustration of the team’s ability to adapt and turn the power of expertise, knowledge, and technology onto new challenges – apparently just what is needed to work toward a better energy future.

Better energy – reducing carbon footprint

A better energy future is surely one where operations are optimized and as efficient as possible, and where service providers continually develop novel solutions to enhance the standard.  Welltec is already pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with e-line conveyed intervention solutions, applying a data-driven approach to traditional challenges to ensure a smaller footprint during operations, and in terms of logistics thanks to a typically lightweight setup.   

Two clear examples of this approach are among the tools on display at OE2023, both of which have been introduced within the last 18 months.  The award-winning Wellgrab™ ERFT is an advanced electric release fishing tool that has single-handedly brought the challenge of downhole fishing into the digital age, combining detailed surface readout data with up to 100,000 lbs of force, and an unparalleled ability to latch, release, and re-engage during fishing.

Meanwhile, the Well Miller^® CVF (Continuous Variable Force) is a comprehensive and dynamic system engineered to fully optimize hardware milling operations.  Utilizing multiple parameters measured throughout the milling process in real-time (including direct measurements of weight on bit, and rate of penetration), the CVF system produces levels of control, precision, and accuracy to blur the lines between what we know to be downhole milling and something more akin with CNC machining.

Better energy – new and versatile solutions

A better energy future means finding ways to improve existing regimes.  Take for example the upstream completion process in oil & gas, where metal expandable packer (MEP) technology has delivered significant benefits such as life-of-well integrity, a reduction in the need for cement, and the ability to eliminate sustained casing pressure (SCP).  Well-established products like the award-winning Welltec Annular Barrier (WAB^®) have provided a rock-solid foundation for continued development.

It’s less than three months since the official release of the Welltec Expandable Anchor (WEA), a 4-in-1 completion innovation.  In terms of ‘better energy’, the WEA has multiple applications and is suitable for the most challenging environments, providing operators with a degree of flexibility that enables simplified design, a reduction in inventory, and continued mitigation of environmental challenges like SCP. 
Ticking this many boxes with one solution can be incredibly freeing for operators with regards to time and resources which can then be put to good use elsewhere.

The versatility of Welltec’s completion technology has already provided a natural path into the New Energy segment, with specially qualified MEPs deployed as geothermal well relining solutions in the Philippines several years ago.  More recently, the 2022 opening of a full-scale advanced testing facility in Esbjerg, Denmark, has opened the door to MEP applications for sealing of subsea reservoirs in a carbon capture and storage (CCS) setting, with additional scope for services in material selection testing for almost any final purpose. 

Collaboration and knowledge-sharing at booth 3H60

Uniting the power of expertise, knowledge, and innovative technology to drive progress means there is a need for collaboration, and finding out what key actors can offer to help make incremental improvements, and test niche ideas today.

A team of highly qualified Welltec experts is standing by at booth 3H60, ready to engage and discuss ways to optimize and improve operations.  ‘Silent disco’ style presentations will be taking place at the booth on a daily basis, covering completion, intervention, and new energy and climate technology.

Drop by the Welltec booth during this year’s Offshore Europe, and join the conversation on a better energy future.