Intelligent step forward for platform drilling
8 May 2013
The WestMira rig will be capable of secure drilling 40,000 feet deep beneath 10,000 feet of water.
Powered by GE’s Full Fathom Five propulsion system, the WestMira rig drilling platform is bound for the North Atlantic.
Engineers from GE Power Conversion designed a system of connected power generators, drives, and propulsion systems that listen to data from the rig’s electronic brain and positioning system.
The device will be used on the WestMira rig drilling platform.
The WestMira is fully equipped with software that gathers the rig’s location data, blending it with wind speed and current information, keeping the rig secure whilst in transit.
Once the platform is secured, the drilling process must be as accurate and efficient as possible.
“When you are drilling, you need to stay where you are,” said Paul English, marine vertical leader at GE’s Power Conversion business.
Once the platform is secured, the drilling process must be as accurate and efficient as possible
22 Petrobras drill-ships have also employed GE’s dynamic positioning system (DP) for deep sea drilling off the coast of Brazil, reaching depths of 7,000 feet.
As with the WestMira system, the Petrobras ships will need precise positioning equipment to maintain their location.
The DP system has the capability to keep each drill-ship within a 15-foot radius whilst operating on the swells.
“Coming off the wellhead because you have lost position could be a very expensive and very risky process,” English added.
