Safe Influx: Automated Well Control

Safe Influx Ltd is an independent supply company providing pioneering Automated Well Control solutions to the oil and gas industry. We are the first company to develop this revolutionary technology designed to fully automate influx detection and shut-in sequences. The sensitivity of our Automated Well Control technology enables fast identification, decision-making and reaction to well control events, dramatically reducing the influx size and prevent major accident hazards. Developed to address the main safety issue of human factors, the proven technology improves safety and operational efficiency, reducing risk to people and the environment.

AUTOMATED WELL CONTROL

A predictable, reliable and perfect response every time

Safe Influx features Automated Well Control, a smart technology that makes the well control process safer by using automation to improve drilling performance and increase efficiency in wells operations, while mitigating risks. Our proprietary system is the only one available in themarket that fully automates influx detection and shut-in sequences during the drilling.

Safe Influx technology enables continuous realtime monitoring of the well and manages influx flow automatically. Once an influx is identified, the Automated Well Control system precisely takes control of the rig, performing a series of commands to stop the top drive, space out, shut down the pumps and shut in the BOP.

Designed to minimise personnel exposure to risks and enhance decision making in critical well control situations, our technology substantially improves well control. Our decades of knowledge and experience enable us to provide our clients with confidence to drill even the most challenging wells.

The Automated Well Control is customisable and can be adapted to provide very effective bespoke solutions to a particular well control problem, regardless of location, water depth or well type. Prior to Automated Well Control being installed, a rig survey is always performed to evaluate the rig equipment and define the scope of work for installation.

Cutting Edge Technology

The heart of the Automated Well Control system is a controller using very highquality components. The footprint on the rig is this controller, which is the size of a filing cabinet, and an HMI screen, which sits in front of the driller.

Easy-to-use, the HMI screen can be incorporated into the rig’s existing HMI screen system, and is set up, run and operated by the driller. Using control algorithms, the controller accurately monitors the parameters from the rig’s existing sensor package and controls the rig’s existing equipment. No additional monitoring or control systems are required.

When a kick is detected, faster and safer, the machine code instructions enable simultaneous commands to be issued and executed. The system alerts the driller at the HMI. Once Automated Well Control sequence has commenced, the system precisely takes control of several pieces of equipment that the human operator would normally control. However, the driller has the power of veto, and can intervene at any moment.

Currently, the Minimum Viable Product is sitting at TRL8 in the 9-step scale and the technology possesses a Technology Qualification Certificate to operate on a cyber rig and traditional rig.

Functions and Benefits

• Can be retrofitted to cyber or conventional rig, stand alone or integrated.

• Simple and short rig installation process. Typically, installation should take one to two days of predominantly offline work.

• Drillers-assist tool used by the existing rig crew. No additional personnel are required, except for the initial commissioning and training.

• Enable shut-in five times faster than conventional human interface methods, with the final influx size typically 20-25% of those experienced during manual shut-in.

• Enhanced decision-making, efficiency and safety.

• Reduce influx volumes and improve the well design to reduce well costs by 20%.

• Reduction in probability of human error, which could lead to a potential loss of well control, by 94%.

SPONSORED BY

www.leyton.com

The UK’s largest innovation funding consultancy

Our expert teams work in close partnership with thousands of businesses each year to maximise the financial benefit they receive from R&D Tax Credits, Grants, and other innovation funding schemes.

In the past year alone, we have helped our clients successfully claim more than £200m in tax relief to support their future growth.