Anyone with an affinity for the old-generation, joystick-controlled video games would feel right at home at Weatherford's fully automated tubular bucking facility in Port Fourchon, which is designed to handle everything from 28-in. casing to 4V2-in. production tubing with minimal personnel. In May, the wholly-computerized facility, which offers offline tubular makeup and breakout services up to triple lengths, will celebrate its first year of operation on a 5.5-acre site that Weatherford subleases from Expert Riser Solutions. According to Weatherford, the new-generation plant not only minimizes safety risks, but significantly reduces tubular running time on the rig. Area Manager Rodney Sanders said that with daily spreadsheets running between $700,000 and $1.1 million in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, the ability to deliver completely made-up stands to the rig can reduce costs appreciably.
展开▼
