Active Control Device drills deepwater MPD section in Black Sea

AFGlobal recently completed the first MPD section in a Black Sea well for Shell on Noble Drilling’s Noble Globetrotter II drillship. Key to this project is the Active Control Device (ACD), which uses a non-rotating device with an actively pressurized, co-molded element to seal the wellbore annulus and divert returns. This eliminates complex bearing assemblies and high-wear rotary seal components found in traditional rotating control devices (RCDs). In this video at the 2019 OTC in Houston on 6 May, Austin Johnson, Lead Development Engineer with AFGlobal, explains how the system works and its potential benefits. Watch the video for more information.