DEPARTMENTS
International Edition
Volume 74, Number 12
December 2014
FLOWLINES AND PIPELINES
In-line inspections guide offshore feld management decisions ............................. 81
Assessing the working condition of aging offshore pipelines is a challenging process made more
complicated by their location on the seafoor and limited access points. An operator off the coast
of West Africa faced such challenges in its plans to inspect 160 shallow-water offshore pipelines
that had been in service for decades. These pipelines possessed widely varying temperature,
pressure, and fowrate profles, and the operator had a limited local inspection infrastructure
to draw from. The operator needed an in-line inspection solution that could accurately assess
the condition of these lines, which ranged in size from 8 in. up to 24 in. (200 mm to 600 mm) in
diameter and from 0.5 to 17. 3 mi (0.8 to 27.8 km) in length.
EQUIPMENT & ENGINEERING
Baker Hughes unveils Auto Trak eXact rotary steerable system .............................. 82
Baker Hughes has released its Auto Trak eXact high-build rotary steerable system designed to
help operators drill complex 3D wells with improved directional control and borehole quality.
Schlumberger introduces StingBlade conical diamond element drill bit ................ 82
Smith Bits, a Schlumberger company, has introduced the StingBlade conical diamond element
bit designed to drill longer and at a higher rate of penetration while giving improved steering
response in directional applications.
Online .................................................. 10
Comment............................................. 12
Data ..................................................... 14
Global E&P .......................................... 16
Offshore Europe .................................. 20
Gulf of Mexico..................................... 22
Subsea Systems ................................. 24
Vessels, Rigs, & Surface Systems ...... 26
Drilling & Production .......................... 28
Geosciences........................................ 30
Offshore Automation Solutions .......... 32
Regulatory Perspectives..................... 34
Business Briefs ................................... 91
Advertisers’ Index............................... 95
Beyond the Horizon ............................ 96
COVER: Offshore announces the
Top 5 projects for 2014. The projects are selected on the basis of the
best use of innovation in production
method, application of technology,
and resolution of challenges, along
with safety, environmental protection, and project completion time. The
operator for each feld will receive
an Offshore Five Star Award trophy,
with the project’s name and operator
etched on the base. This cover was
designed by Adam Questell (questell@
akyudesign.com).
