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CAN technology provides a reliable wellhead foundation with radically improved stability compared to conventional wellheads. Due to fatigue related issues, the wellhead system is widely recognized as the “weak link” in conventional well design. To meet the new 2021 NORSOK standards, it is imperative for operators to take steps to protect and extend wellhead fatigue life. Protecting the wellhead during installation With DP operated deep-water drilling rigs increasingly being used on shallow water wells, there is an underlying threat of “drift off” as well as a reduction in fatigue life of the wellhead. During drilling, the forces and bending moments placed on wellhead can be critical and cause damage, both in terms of fatigue and structural limits. The CAN-WSS (Wellhead Saver System) is designed to mitigate these risks by re-directing the bending forces from the BOP directly to the well foundation (CAN). It protects the wellhead, including associated welds and extension pipes from over-bending and over-stressing, resulting in extended fatigue life. While installed, the CAN overcomes fatigue issues with less, or no risk, of fatigue issues; and removes the risk of reduced operations time, which can occur due to fatigue. Addressing wellhead fatigue Once installed, CAN technology continues to protect the wellhead and deliver a reliable well foundation with radically improved stability compared to conventional wellheads. In the 28 projects carried out to date, CAN has a proven inclination of < 1 deg. As intermediate between the well construction and the soil, CAN technology removes uncertainties like top of cement, cement quality, and point of fixity. This results in more reliable fatigue modelling which decreases risk and improves overall fatigue life. The CAN has also enabled jetting in conductors in Norwegian Sea soil conditions. Here, soft seabed soil conditions may rapidly increase in strength to firm, non-jettable clays, thus stopping further conductor penetration. The verified load capacity of the CAN allows us to safely shorten the length of the jetted conductor. How CAN compares to conventional wellheads CAN technology offers a smarter well foundation for both exploration and production wells.

Neodrill, the innovators in pre-rig well construction technology through its CAN® technology, is pleased to announce new solutions for subsea templates. The announcement marks the company’s move to use its technology and pioneering spirit to rethink pre-rig well construction process and design for the subsea template market. Neodrill’s patents are unique and cover a broad scope of solutions, with the new template products the first to launch to the market. This cutting-edge technology is now available to subsea equipment suppliers for worldwide use through licences from Neodrill. The patent-protected solutions include a BOP/X-mas tree soft landing and load support system, wellhead support frame and cementing system to control the flow of cement. This enables a potential rig time saving of 3-4 days per well, resulting in estimated savings in the range of 80-100million NOK ($9-11 million or £7-9 million) per 4 slot template. The soft landing and BOP/X-mas tree support transfers the load away from the wellhead. The improved fatigue control achieved through this enhances the well life. The wellhead support frame transfers the well loads to the template structure itself, and facilitates the use of a short conductor. The cementing system guarantees full control of the cement level thanks to its fit-for-purpose design. ​ Similar to Neodrill’s conventional CAN® technology, the conductor can be installed in a workshop. This guarantees full integration control and allows more operations to be carried out prior to rig arrival. A number of health, safety and environmental (HSE) advantages also result. The shorter conductor will reduce the well’s environmental footprint and eliminate concerns associated with logistics, handling and installation of the heavy, conventional conductor by the rig. Neodrill’s subsea template solutions can be used on all well types. Neodrill’s Chief Executive Officer, Jostein Aleksandersen commenting on the launch: “Neodrill was born out of a determination to enable better pre-rig well construction. Since the success of our industry-leading CAN® technology, we have never stopped innovating. That is why I am so pleased to be launching the first licences on our technology for subsea templates. Our technology will deliver better well fatigue life while also cutting costs. This is a major win for any project and we look forward to working with clients and partners to deliver these results for them.” The launch of the new technology licence opportunities comes as Neodrilll announced its busiest start to the year ever, including projects with Repsol, Total and DEA Group. The solutions announced today are the first in a series of new offerings by the innovative Norwegian company. Neodrill is a sponsor of UTC Bergen in June 2019, where it will be showcasing its patent-protected technology for subsea templates.

We are pleased to have entered into a settlement with Equinor, ending the dispute over the validity of our patents for the CAN technology.

When the industry discusses subsea wells, the tophole construction gets scant attention. The Norwegian company Neodrill believes it deserves more. Using its conductor anchor node (CAN), the company has enabled operators to drill wells in offshore Europe with structurally more stable foundations, greater efficiency, and at substantially less cost than comparable traditional wells. Now Neodrill is trying to spread the technology to the Gulf of Mexico, Australia, and other major drilling areas. ​ To read the full article click here

Article written by E. Kopperud, A. Knudsen, S.J. Dybvik, and F. Hardinges, Centrica, and W. Mathis, SPE, NeoDrill and published in the JPT on 01 May 2017 The conductor anchor node (CAN) technology was introduced as part of the architecture for Centrica’s Ivory deepwater exploration well in the Norwegian Sea to optimize efficient operations for the well’s riserless section. ​ The CAN, developed by Neodrill, is a large steel cylinder that is open at the bottom with an open guide pipe in its center. The device sets into the seabed, working similarly to a suction anchor, and carries and secures a well’s conductor (top-hole casing). ​ To view the full article click here.

The CAN-ductor was one of several technologies that enabled OMV to successfully drill and test the recent well, Wisting Central II, in the Barent Sea. From the OMV press release: ​ The Wisting Central II well is the first horizontal appraisal well in the Barents Sea and sets a new drilling record; it is the shallowest horizontal offshore well drilled from a floating drilling facility. Water depth at Wisting is 402 meters. The well started vertically and was successfully steered into a horizontal orientation within a 250 meters depth interval. The total well length is 2,354 meters and the horizontal section measures 1,402 meters.

A Norwegian-Australian partnership has won its first Australasian contract after securing a subsea wellhead foundation contract for Woodside Energy’s Ferrand exploration well in the Carnarvon Basin. Norway’s Neodrill and Perth-based Icon Engineering have teamed up to rent and install Neodrill’s patented suction-based conductor anchor node, the CAN-ductor. The Ferrand well is located in around 1500 meters water depth in Block WA-404-P, approximately 260 kilometers NW from Dampier, Western Australia, and is scheduled to be drilled in the second quarter of 2018. According to Neodrill, the CAN-ductor offers a new approach of installing a subsea wellhead foundation and was developed in order to pre-install drilling conductors with anchor handling or light construction vessels instead of drilling rigs. The CAN-ductor is in principle a combination of a specially designed suction anchor and a centrally placed single length of conductor. Icon managing director, David Field, said pre-installing a Neodrill CAN-ductor with a light vessel instead of a drilling rig would mean cutting days from the rig time required to safely drill offshore wells. “The CAN-ductor’s ability to be deployed by a less expensive vessel, such as an Anchor Handling (AHTS) or Construction Support Vessel (CSV) means the operator’s drilling budget can be reduced, whether they are exploration or production wells.” “This is in addition to the higher operational and accidental well load capacities, fatigue risk mitigation and reduced environmental footprint,” he said. Neodrill chief executive officer, Jostein Aleksandersen, said: “The CAN-ductor has proven to save 3-4 rig days including plugging and abandonment (P&A) operations.” ​ “We are very happy having secured our first project with Woodside together with Icon, and are very optimistic for the future.” Featured in: Offshore Energy Today Subsea World News

This video produced by Woodside illustrates how CAN can aid exploration drilling. “The Punch & Go concept is a step change in Woodside’s exploration approach. By combining innovative, industry proven technologies and techniques we can expedite drilling times and fast-track our overall exploration activities to deliver value to our business.” ​ Thank you to Woodside for use of the video.

A new joint project has recently completed a ground-breaking subsea wellhead foundation contract in the Carnarvon Basin, writes Mark Pointon. A new Australian/Norwegian partnership - involving Woodside Energy, ICON Engineering, Neodrill AS and Siem Offshore Australia - has successfully installed and recovered a Conductor Anchor Node, the CAN-ductor, at Woodside Energy’s Ferrand-1 exploration well, which is located in Block WA-404-P, approximately 260 km north-west of Dampier, Western Australia. ​ Perth-based ICON Engineering Pty Ltd teamed up with Neodrill AS to fabricate and install the device using the Siem Offshore vessel Siem Amethyst. A spokesman said it was a logical tie up for Neodrill to partner with ICON, which has a 21-year history of offshore installations and engineering solutions. ​ In doing so, the project set a number of firsts for the CAN-ductor Anchor Node, an innovative cost-saving drilling initiative for exploration wells and production wells. ​ The Ferrand-1 well, at 1500 m, is the deepest that the CAN-ductor has been used to date; it is the first in the Southern hemisphere and the first to be deployed and recovered from an anchor-handling vessel (AHTS). ​ Woodside’s ‘Punch and Go’ concept ​ At the OTCAsia conference in 2016, Woodside Energy chief science and technology manager Neil Kavanagh spoke of a new technology Woodside was developing that would help lower costs, called the “Punch and Go” concept. It was devised from a study the company undertook to examine the drilling of subsea exploration wells from a light intervention vessel. ​ “All we want to know is, is there a reservoir, how thick is it, and are there hydrocarbons inside?” said Mr Kavanagh. He continued, “Taking some of the work that has been going on around the world, we asked the question, could a lightweight intervention vessel using a pre-installed conductor and surface casing drill into a reservoir and drill a very slim hole? What we learned is the answer to that question is yes.” ​ “We asked, could a lightweight intervention vessel using a pre-installed conductor and surface casing drill into a reservoir and drill a very slim hole? We learned is the answer to that question is yes.” ​ Neodrill/ICON Conductor Anchor Node ​ The first project to use the “Punch and Go” concept was completed in late July 2018, using the Norwegian Neodrill AS patented suction-based Conductor Anchor Node. The technology was developed to provide the option of pre-installing drilling conductors from anchor-handling or light construction vessels, instead of the costlier drilling rigs, thereby significantly reducing drilling costs. This type of anchor node is in principle a combination of a specially designed suction anchor and a centrally placed single length of conductor. The advantages of the system are that it reduces operational and technical risk by providing a strong well foundation with verified load capacity. ​ ICON managing director David Field said pre-installing a Neodrill CAN-ductor with a light vessel (like the Siem Amethyst), instead of a drilling rig cut days from the rig time required to safely drill offshore wells. “This is in addition to the higher operational and accidental well load capacities, fatigue risk mitigation and reduced environmental footprint [that the unit provides]”, he said. At the time the project was awarded in 2017, Neodrill chief executive officer Jostein Aleksandersen said “The CAN-ductor has proven to save three to four rig days, including plugging and abandonment (P&A) operations.” He further explained that “its ability to be deployed by a less expensive vessel, such as an AHTS or construction support vessel means the operator’s drilling budget can be reduced, whether they are exploration or production wells. ​ CAN-ductor deployment Manufactured in Batam Indonesia, the 16 m CAN was loaded onto the Siem Amethyst for installation in February 2018. Siem Amethyst is a 91 m dynamically positioned (DP) AHTS that has powerful 28,000 bhp engines and a bollard pull of 297 tonnes. During installation, the Amethyst’s fully redundant DP system was used to accurately keep the vessel in the required position and provide a platform for the remotely operated vehicle used in the deployment process. ​ The suction anchor is deployed once lowered to the seabed using the vessel’s anchor-handling winches. When in position, with its 16 m body embedded on the sea floor, the centre conduit is used to accommodate the conductor and provide its necessary top support. This operation was carried out ahead of the drilling Rig MS-1’s arrival and removed the 36” and 42” hole drilling, conductor running, and cementing operations from its drilling schedule. ​ Speaking after the unit was successfully recovered and returned to Dampier Western Australia, in July 2018, marine manager for Siem Offshore Australia Charlie Baker said: “Siem is delighted to be involved in the first CAN-ductor project in the Southern hemisphere. We quickly identified this as a real opportunity to demonstrate that our high-spec large anchor handlers, with integrated Itech7 –WROV (Work Class Remotely Operated Vehicles) are extremely versatile vessels. ​ “This particular project required a real collaboration from all parties, a true team effort. It was stimulating during the planning phase and exciting for it be executed with such a great success. Woodside, ICON, Neodrill and Siem have established that this form of subsea infrastructure is successful.” ​ To view the article in the OSJ click here

The world's deepest installation of a CAN-ductor (Conductor Anchor Node suction pile with integrated conductor) well foundation has been completed after being successfully recovered from Woodside Energy's Ferrand-1 deepwater exploration well in the Carnarvon basin, offshore Western Australia. The CAN-ductor was designed, supplied, installed and recovered by a venture comprising Norwegian developers Neodrill AS and Australian offshore installation contractor ICON Engineering Pty Ltd using a Siem Offshore Anchor Handling Tug in a water depth of 1,492 m.The CAN-ductor replaced the traditional well conductor casing, and provided significant additional structural capacity for the high pressure, high temperature well drilled in relatively weak soil. Its use reduced the number of rig days compared to the traditional method of installing the surface conductor and wellhead, and eliminated the HSE risk of lifting and landing numerous joints of heavy conductor.The recovery of the CAN after the completion of the well allows for its re-use in other wells. The 16-m high, 6-m diameter CAN-ductor was pre-installed in February 2018 in preparation for the semisubmersible drilling rig's later arrival in April for the drilling operations. ​ This content is from an article in World Oil magazine, published on the 11th October 2018. To view the original article, please click here.

As we enter the next phase of growth, we are delighted to welcome Martin Doig to the company as Business Development Manager, UK. Martin has over 30 year experience in the oil and gas industry. He has held engineering and managerial roles with operating companies and has a variety of experience with service providers, holding positions in Drilling Engineering, Business Management, Product Research & Development, Business Development, Procurement and Project Management. His skills cover many disciplines from well delivery to drilling waste processing and completions. ​ Martin, who joined the company on the 1st November, will focus on growing the business and opportunities for CAN technology in the UKCS. He will be based in Aberdeen.

Estimated market for Neodrill in Australia and New Zealand is $3-5 million USD Neodrill’s CAN-ductor for Woodside on its Ferrand-1 project in Western Australia in 2018 Tim Dallas has almost 30 years experience in the oil and gas sector, with 17 years focused on the Australian and wider APAC region Stavanger, 13 November 2019 – Today the innovators in pre-rig technology, Neodrill, announced it is bringing its CAN (Conductor Anchor Node) technology to Australia and New Zealand. To support this new phase of growth, the role of business development manager for the region has been created. The position has been filled by Tim Dallas, a business development expert with almost 30 years of experience in the oil and gas sector. ​ Neodrill’s technology is applicable under all well conditions and water depths. This adaptability is particularly useful in areas, like Western Australia, where there is a wide range of water depths and sea conditions. In the North West shelf waters can range from 50m to 1300m, with some newer exploration areas reaching further depths. With a strong commitment among operators in the region to high environmental standards, the technology’s green credentials will be a key selling point. A recent Lifecycle Assessment by Asplan Viak found that the environmental impact of the CAN-ductor is between 21 – 44% less than that of a conventionally drilled well. ​ In 2018, Neodrill partnered with Woodside Energy on its Ferrand-1 exploration well in Western Australia. At 1500m, it was the deepest CAN-ductor installation to date and led to significant cost savings with 3-4 rig days saved from the drilling schedule Commenting on the appointment, Neodrill’s Chief Executive Officer, Jostein Aleksandersen said: “Australia is a heavily regulated region and companies exploring for oil and gas are committed to minimising their environmental impacts. We are very proud to be playing a role in helping the industry transition to cleaner, safer and greener processes. ​ “We have already shown the ability of our technology in the region, with our deepest ever Can-ductor installation on the the Ferrand-1 exploration well. We look forward to working with more partners across the region – and setting new records for our technology.” ​ Tim Dallas, Business Development Manager APAC, said: “The CAN is an innovative adaptation of the long-established suction anchor technology. It is applied in a way that provides a step change in the approach to well design and installation. Not only does it reduce cost, but it provides the advantage of easy and effective decommissioning of an exploration well, with the added advantage of re-use. I am very proud to bring Neodrill’s CAN Technology to the Australian and New Zealand markets.” The Neodrill team is currently attending the Australia Subsea Technology Conference in Perth, which is run by Norwegian Energy Partners (NORWEP).