Halliburton innovation and technology improves offshore Norway safety for Aker BP

Offshore Norway presents multiple challenges to manage operations in a safe, environmentally acceptable, and efficient way. For example, a typical workday includes the manual operation of equipment, which presents a potential for exposure to noise, dust, fumes, and other operational risks. However, an ongoing focus to leverage innovation and technology for improved safety is delivering much success to keep people out of harm’s way.

Beginning in 2020, Halliburton and Aker BP established a continued collaboration to improve the cuttings handling system on Deepsea Nordkapp, a 6^th generation semi-submersible rig. The collaboration resulted in the development of a digitized, remote management system that allows operator to remotely perform many tasks. Specifically, the BaraStream^Ⓡ surface cuttings handling system focuses on four key areas:

1. Live cuttings weight monitoring in honeycomb bottom tanks, control & measurement of lubrication volumes, utilizing an array of sensors and purpose designed interface
2. Remote valve operation and automation of the flow and transfer of cuttings
3. Digital monitoring of the ‘skip and ship’ process by installing weight measurement sensors and camera monitoring of tanks
4. Remote managing the offloading of cuttings to vessel-based cuttings transport tanks using, remote operated valves, Camera oversight

This digitalized approach delivered a multitude of benefits including:

• Reduction in personnel on-board (POB) while moving remaining personnel further away from the danger area using an automated flow control including automated line up,
• Elimination of staff onboard to operate vessel equipment, and  
• “Best practice” programming that incorporates previous learnings and experience, weight control and real-time modelling of cuttings left in hole, mass-balance, as well as predicting hole cleaning.

Aker BP’s Drilling Superintendent, Marc Wassenborg, for the Semi Alliance added: “This upgrade delivers the world’s first automated and remote-controlled cuttings handling system on a semi-submersible rig, namely Odfjell Drilling’s harsh environment rig, Deepsea Nordkapp.”

The digitalized approach also delivers HSE and business benefits such as:

• Lower HSE exposure and decreased CO₂ footprint through reduced manning offshore,
• Automation facilitates reduced POB and therefore reduced cost, and
• Systematic data gathering and sharing between services facilitates real-time monitoring of dimensioning parameters, as well as lookahead on wellbore activity.
• Effective contingency plans back up the system and facilitates fully manual operation when required.

The development of this solution is part of the journey towards offering more remote, managed systems at the wellsite and is another building block in the Drilling Alliance automation strategy.