TECH TIDBITS is a nominally monthly e-newsletter prepared and distributed for the information and benefit of WEST Engineering Services customers. This "news you can use" is disseminated based on the understanding that improved knowledge will improve safety and environmental performance, as well as reduce costs, for everyone in the drilling industry.

	Volume 8, The LMRP was pulled after recognizing the subsea hydraulic rigid conduit hose was leaking. Like is often the case, numerous factors contributed to the failure, including people, process, and equipment issues.
	Volume 7, Typical land rig surveys result in the identification of numerous items with a high potential for downtime or critical safety issues. A brief list of the significant items is included along with other helpful recommendations.
	Volume 6, The function of an Uninterrupted Power Supply, or UPS, is to provide a clean back-up power supply for essential and critical systems in the event of a power failure of the primary power source(s). Accordingly, irregularities with the UPS systems could result in system failures with devastating consequences. Minimum battery capacity is covered by regulatory bodies; however, frequency of battery replacement is not.
	Volume 5, PVC is a common material on rigs; however, use of PVC in hazardous or classified areas can cause build up of static electricity resulting in explosions. WEST has found that many rigs have PVC piping in hazardous areas including drains, vents, waterlines, mud vacuum suctions, and chemical injection lines.
	Volume 4, A slight AC current in an SCR powering a DC motor caused unusual wear in the brushes nearly leading to motor failure. Diligent inspections by rig electricians and installation of alarms can alert crew to this unusual problem.
	Volume 3, Capacities cannot always be determined from a simple review of the equipment list of manufacturers and model numbers. A detailed look at systems can identify mismatched equipment and ensure you can conduct the program you've designed.
	Volume 2, Certain serial numbers of the Multilin electrical protective device may require upgrading to prevent spurious trips.
	Volume 1, WEST-Hou, Inc. changes name to WEST Engineering Services to better reflect the nature and scope of our services greatly expanded beyond BOP expertise.