AUTOMATION & SAFET Y
TOP: The Automation and Safety Systems panel session at the 2022 IADC Advanced Rig Technology Conference on 31 August
in Austin, Texas, included (from left): Mark Anderson, Ensign Energy Services (moderator); Don Bartusiak, Collaborative Sys-
tems Integration; Rafael Guedes de Carvalho, Schlumberger; Dale Bradford, Murphy Oil; and Andy Westlake, Seadrill (modera-
tor). BOTTOM LEFT: Disciplined alarm rationalization has helped Murphy Oil cut its alarm in the Eagle Ford from 10,000-plus a
week to approximately 100, Mr Bradford said. BOTTOM RIGHT: Validation of data quality is critical so that automation systems
do not lead to false alarms, which erode human trust in the systems, according to Mr Carvalho.

To help build trust, there also needs to be
a balance between generating sophisticat-
ed analytics and presenting those through
an interface in an easy way for the user to
understand. Finding better ways to com-
municate what the machine is actually
doing could help get buy-in from the drill-
er, Mr Carvalho said. “Trust only comes
from understanding.”
Addressing multi-vendor
challenges Contributing to potential distrust of
automation is that, even on a single rig,
there may be a variety of different sys-
tems that were not designed to commu-
nicate with each other, Mr Carvalho said.

Fellow panelist Don Bartusiak, President
of Collaborative Systems Integration and
Co-Chair of the Open Process Automation
Forum, asserted that the closed, propri-
etary nature of control and information-
56 using systems is a root cause of many of
the asset owner’s pain points in multiple
industry sectors.

“I know from first-hand conversations
with drillers you guys have a particularly
acute problem in terms of the number of
different companies that are performing
work or providing services on those rigs.

So if every company that wants to use a
control system or any information-using
system brings a closed proprietary solu-
tion, you’re going to have a problem,” he
said. One initiative that could aid integra-
tion of automated systems in a multi-
vendor environment is the Open Process
Automation Standard, facilitated by The
Open Group, which is working to transi-
tion the process control industry away
from proprietary solutions toward a stan-
dards-based, open, secure, interoperable
process control architecture.

“Just because we use the phrase ‘open’
does not mean we’re asking anyone to give
valuable intellectual property away,” Mr
Bartusiak said. “The whole point of it is
about standardizing the interfaces between
the components that make up the system.”
“This should influence what this com-
munity is thinking about in terms of what
the future of automation looks like in your
world.” Mr Bartusiak pointed to the Institute
of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
networking standards as one example of
industries achieving a common goal for
interoperability. “Take Wi-Fi for example. How much
economic value has been created by that
industry standard that has allowed solu-
tions providers to bring products to the
marketplace and how big that pie has
grown,” he said, calling it a “compelling
case for openness.” DC
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022 • DRILLING CONTRACTOR




PEOPLE, COMPANIES & PRODUCTS • DE PAR TM E NTS
Noble Corp completes merger with Maersk Drilling
The business combination between
Noble Corp and Maersk Drilling has been
completed, and the companies are operat-
ing as a single organization as of 3 October.

“Today marks an exciting new chapter as
we bring together these two exception-
al companies,” Noble President and CEO
Robert Eifler said. Additionally, Noble has
closed on the sale of five jackups (Noble
Hans Deul, Noble Sam Hartley, Noble Sam
Turner, Noble Houston Colbert, and Noble
Lloyd Noble) to Shelf Drilling.

Baker Hughes streamlines 4 product companies into 2 segments
Baker Hughes is restructuring its four
product companies to focus on two report-
ing business segments and streamlin-
ing its corporate structures. The Oilfield
Services & Equipment (OFSE) segment
integrates the current Oilfield Services and
Oilfield Equipment product companies.

The Industrial & Energy Technology (IET)
integrates the current Turbomachinery &
Process Solutions and Digital Solutions
product companies. As part of the restruc-
turing, Maria Claudia Borras was named
Executive VP of OFSE. Rod Christie was
named Executive VP of IET, and Jim
Apostolides took over as Senior VP of
Enterprise Operational Excellence.

New Welltec test flow loop facility to focus on CCS projects
Welltec has opened a new test flow loop
facility in Esbjerg, Denmark, to provide
corrosion testing for carbon capture and
storage (CCS) projects. This will include
Project Greensand – the most mature proj-
ect of its kind in Denmark, with the poten-
tial to store up to 1.5 million tons/year of
CO2 by the end of 2025, and up to 8 million
tons/year of CO2 by 2030.

Schlumberger to partner
with Aramco, Wintershall
Schlumberger and Aramco will col-
laborate on the development of a digital
platform that will provide sustainability
solutions for hard-to-abate industrial sec-
tors. The proposed platform will enable
companies to collect, measure, report and
verify their emissions, while also evaluat-
ing different decarbonization pathways.

Separately, Schlumberger was named as
Wintershall Dea’s preferred partner on the
acceleration of its Terra Nova subsurface
transformation program. The contract will
focus on deploying the OSDU data platform
in Wintershall’s Microsoft Azure cloud and
integrating it with petrotechnical work-
flows and data science tools.

Vallourec wins inaugural
NOIA ESG Excellence Award
The National
Ocean Industries
Association (NOIA) recently named
Vallourec as the winner of the NOIA ESG
Shane McArdle named
Kongsberg Digital CEO
Kongsberg Digital has appointed
Shane McArdle as its CEO, succeeding
Hege Skryseth. Mr McArdle previously
served as Head of Digital Energy at
Kongsberg Digital.

Wael Sawan to succeed Ben
van Beurden as Shell CEO
Ben van Beurden will step down as
CEO at the end of 2022 after a 39-year
career with Shell; he will be succeeded
by Wael Sawan, who will also join
Shell’s Board of Directors. Mr Sawan is
currently the Director Integrated Gas,
Renewables and Energy Solutions.

Matt Lyne assumes role
as Senior VP, COO at Valaris
Matt Lyne has commenced his role
as Senior VP and Chief Commercial
Officer at Valaris. Mr Lyne previous-
ly served as Chief Commercial and
Strategy Officer of Seadrill, where he
held senior marketing and commercial
roles for more than 12 years.

Bishop Lifting Products
acquires Westech Rigging
Excellence Award. The company was hon-
ored for its ESG roadmap, which prioritizes
measurable, third-party validated impacts
and targets, communication with employ-
ees and stakeholders, building trust with
communities, teamwork and innovation.

The NOIA ESG Excellence Award compe-
tition is open to any offshore service or
supply company that is in good standing
with NOIA.

Cole Ramsey named API Vice
President of Upstream Policy
API has promoted Cole Ramsey to
Vice President of Upstream Policy. Mr
Ramsey previously served as Counsel in
API’s Office of the General Counsel. He
joined API in 2018 as Policy Advisor and
Project Coordinator for The Environmental
Partnership. Prior to joining API, he spent six years
working in ExxonMobil’s US exploration
and production, gas and power marketing,
and refining and supply groups.

Bishop Lifting Products, a provider
of wire rope, slings, rigging and related
products, completed its acquisition of
Westech Rigging Supply. This marks
Bishop’s 10th acquisition since 2012.

Talos expands in deepwater
GOM with EnVen acquisition
Talos Energy has acquired EnVen
Energy, a private operator in the deep-
water US Gulf of Mexico, for $1.1 billion.

The transaction adds approximately
24,000 BOED of production – a 40%
increase – and doubles Talos’ operated
deepwater facility footprint.

BSEE names Paul Huang
as Deputy Director
Paul Huang has joined the US
Bureau of Safety and Environmental
Enforcement (BSEE) as the new Deputy
Director. He previously served as the
Assistant Administrator of Federal
Insurance for the National Flood
Insurance Program at the Federal
Emergency Management Agency.

DRILLING CONTRACTOR • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
57