EXPLORATION • DRILLING • FIELD SERVICES
means that results and testing time can be hard to obtain.
What equipment manufacturers need is an independent downhole test facility, onshore and with the ability to replicate a variety of real life conditions. For equipment manufacturers that need to evaluate prototypes at stage four and five of TRL, having access to these test facilities will not only lower costs but also help prove designs more quickly and easily than before.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A TESTING FACILITY Due to increasing demand, such testing facilities are beginning to open in the UK. Some facilities currently available have the capacity to simulate as much as 40bar at the base of the well and can simulate a 400m fluid depth with representative well conditions for development, performance and reliability testing of components and systems. For some equipment it is important to be able to test with a variety of fluids in single or multiphase flow at elevated
pressure and temperature for extended durations. Furthermore the capacity to incorporate accurate, high speed measurements of downhole pressure, temperature and flow is crucial to ensure that product performance can be mapped over a range of conditions. Often facilities have CCTV that can be accessed via VPNs, enabling round-the- clock monitoring without the need to be at the facility in person. It is also crucial that conditions are entirely customisable in order for companies to meet specific technical requirements to meet national, international or industry standards. In addition, it is key that manufacturers use facilities managed by open innovation experts that are able to use their multidisciplinary experience in areas such as pumps, jet pumps, separators and instrumentation to understand which technologies will scale and bring the most business benefit and cost savings. Tese facilities have seen great success
working with companies producing equipment such as pipeline insulation for
Testing is crucial to ensure that equipment can withstand the extreme conditions of subsea environments
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