Aberdeen based well control company Safe Influx Ltd has been granted a patent by the United Kingdom Patent Office covering its Automated Well Control technology.
"The patent secures key elements of Automated Well Control technology, including a wide range of modules using the same technology," the company said.
This patent recognizes the ability of the Automated Well Control to detect the presence of a fluid influx condition in a wellbore, make a decision against criteria to shut-in, and then automatically initiate an initial well control protocol that results in the well being safely shut-in, the company explained.
According to Safe Influx, its Automated Well Control system enables fast identification, decision-making and reaction to well control events. It is, the company says, capable of reducing the size of an influx compared to conventional techniques, and this means a reduction in delays, costs and operational issues in getting back to drilling.
Additionally, Safe Influx says, the confidence obtained with reliably smaller influxes can lead to much more efficient well designs, leading to an estimated 15-20% saving in well costs.
"We are very pleased that Safe Influx has been granted this patent for our Automated Well Control, which reinforces our position in the industry”, said Bryan Atchison, Co-founder and Managing Director at Safe Influx. “With the technology behind this patent, we are able to provide a system with unique capabilities unavailable from any other company.”
"I believe that applying automation in well control represents a step-change in the area of process safety. Implementing this novel technology allows faster decision making, and significantly reduced well control risks and costs. The system’s ability to detect and automatically initiate and complete the vitally important well control protocol without manual intervention will represent a much-needed step change for the industry.”