The Challenge

The properties of cement, such as viscosity, thickening time and strength are of prime consideration when developing varied solutions, which are crucial to the success of a wide range of offshore and onshore land drilling well applications..

Similar challenges also apply when the cement needs to be conveyed in bulk dry powder form, transferring it from storage silos to ships and road tankers for onward distribution to the point of use.

The storage and distribution stage is a crucial part of the production process, especially as the loading and unloading process is subject to the additional complication of tidal movements - and time and tide wait for no man, not even cement! Consequently the conveying process needs to be achieved quickly and smoothly and this is where HPC’s expertise in compressor technology has been really appreciated.

Halliburton's Requirements

The site in question is at an exposed location on the harbour side of the River Yar at Great Yarmouth, where a 110kW HPC DSD202SFC Rotary Screw Compressor injects dry compressed air into the drilling cement dry powder which effectively ‘fluidises’ it to smooth its flow during the conveying process from silo to tanker.

An appropriate power supply was an issue at what is a remote, exposed site and this was a major factor in the previous decision to select a portable diesel powered compressor with a desiccant dryer for the injection process. Unfortunately the diesel compressor had become unreliable, was noisy and was prone to breakdown which had an adverse effect on the conveying process.

Furthermore, these issues were compounded by the need for Halliburton to hire a stand-by compressor along with the associated out-of-hours support costs.

The Solution