WEST pioneered the business of 3rd-party assessments of well control equipment and is still the preeminent leader in this field, with thousands of BOP/well control surveys. WEST is also an industry leader in survey assessments of drilling systems on rigs of all kinds, from ultra-deepwater to land rigs. These assessments cover a wide range of equipment and activities, such as:
Nothing is more frustrating than having new equipment and then finding that it does not work as you envisioned. Highly experienced WEST personnel will oversee, commission and accept new construction. When needed, WEST's engineering expertise may be called upon. Project management services are also available. Working with manufacturers, integrators and shipyards, these WEST personnel ensure that the equipment is fit for your purpose.
Specification
Rig Specification
WEST specification services use the parameters of the intended drilling program to develop critical specifications for rig equipment. These include recommended operational efficiency standards, any technical documentation that aids the selection process, and parameters that will disqualify rigs (must-have capabilities).
Rig Screening and Selection
These surveys define rig fitness for purpose based on rig specifications. Some activities for these paper or field-based reviews include:
- Review downtime statistics and rig efficiencies
- Identify advantages and disadvantages for various options
- Estimate costs of alternate choices using efficiency and downtime data
- Prior to contract award, generate a list of shortcomings to be resolved prior to commencing drilling
Rig Upgrades
WEST will review contractor-planned upgrades to ensure adequate specification, fabrication, installation and/or integration. We can also define acceptance criteria and perform acceptance against those criteria. This has been particularly useful in reducing the “teething” problems commonly experienced with new equipment on existing rigs.
Equipment Design and Purchasing
Most people understand that doing it right from the beginning will save money. Steps to take when choosing the best equipment for your project include:
- Recommending vendors and models of equipment and systems for purchase using knowledge gained from experience
- Generating and reviewing equipment specifications (to avoid change orders)
- Interacting with equipment vendors to resolve mechanical, electronic, and network interface issues between systems
- Assurance of adequate integration specifications and test regimes
- Reviewing operator controls for optimized efficiency and availability
- Reviewing equipment layout
- Reviewing electrical distribution systems design
- Reviewing quality plans, ensuring proper hold and witness points
- Witnessing PMI (Positive Material Identification)
- Creating or reviewing FAT procedures
- Optimizing scientific systems support (for scientific drillships)
Equipment Design and Modifications
Several API specifications recommend reporting issues and non-conformances back to the manufacturer for resolution and distribution. Unfortunately, this does not always happen. As a quality and safety-oriented company, WEST Engineering Services will take the initiative to work with manufacturers to identify the root causes of problems and how to eliminate them. WEST’s pool of experienced engineers will assist when needed.