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Operators must verify that conductor heads remain with acceptable inclination tolerances before well construction activities can proceed.
This verification provides the confidence needed to make informed decisions about subsequent drilling operations and helps reduce uncertainty during a critical stage of the well construction process.
Traditionally, conductor inclination has been verified using a bullseye inclinometer viewed by an ROV. While effective in some situations, this approach can be affected by poor visibility, suspended drilling mud, changing ROV viewing angles, and operator interpretation.
A major operator working offshore Brazil wanted a more dependable approach to conductor inclination verification. Our survey and engineering teams developed a customized application and deployment approach using survey-grade subsea measurement technology. The resulting solution delivered accurate, real-time inclination measurements, providing reliable data to evaluate wellhead alignment and support subsequent well construction activities.
Our Plan
We combined survey expertise, ROV operational knowledge, and in-house engineering capability to develop a customized application and deployment approach tailored to the customer’s conductor inclination verification requirement.
Our engineering team designed and manufactured a custom mounting frame to securely position the inclinometer on the conductor head and support installation, operation, and recovery by ROV. The design was tested and validated before deployment to confirm it would perform reliably in offshore conditions and maintain measurement integrity throughout the operation.
The completed solution incorporated acoustic positioning and inclinometer technology installed on the conductor head, together with a second unit mounted to the ROV. The two units communicated throughout the operation, transmitting real-time pitch and roll data to the survey team in the drillship’s ROV control room.
This data, combined with ROV heading data, enabled real-time conductor inclination calculations, providing the customer with reliable measurements to support operational decision-making. Close collaboration between engineering, survey, offshore, and ROV teams helped ensure the system could be deployed safely, perform reliably, and deliver trusted results in a challenging deepwater drilling environment.
Value Delivered
The solution provided accurate, real-time conductor inclination measurements, giving the customer reliable data to support a critical stage of the well construction process.
By combining proven measurement technology with a custom-engineered deployment solution, our teams delivered a dependable method for verifying conductor alignment in challenging deepwater conditions.
The project also demonstrated the value of close collaboration between engenharia, pesquisa, ROV, and offshore teams. The resulting approach can be adapted to future conductor verification scopes and similar drilling applications.
- Engineering-Led Innovation: Designed, manufactured, and validated a custom deployment solution tailored to the customer’s operating requirements.
- Reliable Verification: Delivered real-time conductor inclination measurements to support alignment verification and operational decision-making.
- Improved Operational Awareness: Provided immediate access to measurement data, enabling offshore teams to assess results as operations progressed.
- Supported Critical Well Construction Decisions: Provided reliable inclination data to help evaluate conductor alignment and support informed decision-making during a critical stage of the well construction process.