SLB electrifies well control with new technology to boost drilling safety

Global energy technology company SLB on Tuesday launched EWC electric well control technologies, which reduce capex and opex, while making mission-critical drilling operations safer.

Well control technologies — which play a vital role in preventing the uncontrolled release of fluids from the well — have traditionally been powered by hydraulic systems, which encompass a complex network of hoses, valves and actuators.

This makes the well control system expensive to install and requires costly routine maintenance over its lifetime. EWC technologies replace hydraulics with a simplified electric power system that not only significantly reduces these costs but also provides real-time data insights and a continuous supply of on-demand power to well control components under any operating conditions, SLB said.

“As drillers continue to seek safer, cost-efficient solutions for well control, we continue to focus on innovation to answer this call,” said Cecilia Prieto, president, Well Construction, SLB.

“EWC represents the next evolution of well control technologies, which we pioneered with the industry’s first blow out preventer (BOP) a century ago. Not only do these technologies remove the upfront and long-term cost inefficiencies of traditional hydraulic well control systems — but they also bring next-level safety capabilities that are in line with new industry standards and regulatory requirements worldwide for closing times and full system redundancy.”

SLB’s first EWC technology enables drillers to instantly and precisely control and monitor BOPs onshore and offshore, leveraging industrial internet of things (IIoT) components along the system architecture to provide instant pressure readouts, without the need for conventional pressure gauges. This will help customers make better-informed decisions about the operation and maintenance of the well control system — reducing nonproductive time and minimizing opex.

SLB was recently awarded a front-end engineering and design (FEED) contract for a custom EWC BOP control system to be tailored to a rig for an operator in the North Sea. Work on this project has already begun and final review of the design is expected in the first half of 2025.