EFC Group, a leading designer and manufacturer of instrumentation, monitoring, handling and control systems for the global oil and gas industry, has delivered a highly innovative mechanical handling contract to provide a Rigless Intervention System for Baker Hughes.
Following a brief from the oilfield services company, Aberdeen-based EFC Group delivered on the ambitious concept by designing and building the Mastiff™ RIS.
The system was initially conceived for well bore tubular extraction during well abandonment and conductor pre-installation activities, however carries the potential for useful work in many other offshore well servicing and construction type activities.
Ted Littlechild, sales director at EFC Group , said: “The Mastiff™ RIS provides operators with an alternative method for carrying out pipe installation and retrieval operations, which typically require a costly offshore rig. Using the RIS reduces the cost of abandonment, workover and drive pipe pre-installation operations.”
The Mastiff™ RIS supports pulling and cutting of 15m (50-ft) sections of 36-inch (and larger) conductor pipe, inner casing and cement, a significant improvement over casing jack systems which usually work with 1.5m (5ft) sections.
The substructure has also been designed to accommodate a wide range of platform layouts to achieve a ‘turn-up and assemble’ capability, without the need for platform modification.
Overall, the design offers a high level of safety, removing the need for working at height. Employing simple, well-engineered principles and mechanisms has resulted in an affordable, portable solution in comparison to traditional approaches.
Mr Littlechild continued: “The RIS is highly innovative, with unique qualities such as the ability to be quickly dismantled into standard shipping containers, making Mastiff™ easily and affordably transportable to any international location.
“This is a significant contract for us, resulted from a segment opportunity which Baker Hughes identified in the global oil and gas service market. We pride ourselves on how closely we listen to our clients’ requirements, and offer a truly bespoke solution which encompasses these needs.”
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Subsea World News Staff , July 17, 2012; Image: EFC