Solutions

Solutions & products

The founders of RTR SMART and their close partners have a well-established history of identifying equipment, system and service gaps during the planning and execution stages of exploration wells and development projects. These ideas have originated from practical, hands-on experience, evolving into concepts that has involved close collaboration with suppliers to generate a variety of cost saving and sustainable value adding solutions and products.

To facilitate the provision of equipment and managed solutions to the Operator, RTR SMART has access to a broad spectrum of suppliers, particularly engineering resources, as well as machine and fabrication workshops.

Below are some examples of ideas that were transformed into Subsea equipment, as well as a variety of solutions and accompanying services that have been widely utilised over the past 25 years.

corral | subsea xt launch & recovery system

Application: The Corral XT launch and recovery system was designed and constructed in 2010 to facilitate the deployment of unitised Deepwater Subsea Xmas Trees (HXT) and Choke Modules (CM) from an IMR Vessel of Opportunity. Additionally, the Corral was designed for rapid mobilisation and demobilisation and to accommodate up to three (3) XT and CM units in a single voyage.

History: The Corral system was delivered to Shell in 2010 and was utilised to deploy and install ten (10) Deepwater HXT and CM units for the Ormen Lange Project in Norway. While under Shell’s ownership, the Corral System was utilised on three (3) distinct IMR Vessels.

The Corral System underwent modifications in 2020 and was employed by Neptune Energy, Norway, to successfully deploy and install an additional ten (10) HXT and CM units off-line and ahead of Subsea completion operations from the Rig. This was achieved using two (2) IMR Vessels across three (3) distinct subsea development projects.

open water retrieval tool | (OWRT)

Application: The OWRT has been designed as a multi-purpose tool that can be easily re-configured and used with all suppliers of 18-3/4″ Subsea Wellhead Systems coming equipped with standard or high-capacity H4 mandrels (27″ and 30″ OD) or CIW hub top. The OWRT can be employed in both offshore open water and onshore workshop and yard applications.

History: The Open Water Retrieval Tool (OWRT) shown here was configured with a TechnipFMC, 18-3/4″ Spring Load Tool to shear out and retrieve 10-3/4″ Wearbushings from UWD-15 RL-OA Wellheads before installing the unitised EHXTs and Choke Module Assemblies from the IMR Vessel. The OWRT was run a total of 6 times from different IMR Vessels at an average water depth of 320m, achieving a 100% success rate in deployment and retrieval.

cement sniffer adapter | CCDS & Smo adapters

Application: The Cement Sniffer Adapter (CSA) has been designed as a standalone unit that can be integrated into any Template or Guidebase that incorporates a Cuttings and Cement Disposal System (CCDS) outlet. Due to the spool configuration, the CSA can be quickly re-configured and integrated into Suction Module (SMO) Adapters without making any changes to the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) standard design.

History: The CSA allows for the integration of Oceaneering’s Battery-Powered Cement Sniffer into the flow path of the CCDS and SMO, applicable to both standalone development and exploration well scenarios. The integration between the CSA and the Battery-Powered Cement Sniffer, as opposed to traditional wired ROV cement probe, has returned numerous operational and cost-saving advantages inherent in this straightforward design and its implementation. The primary benefit has been only a single Work-Class Remotely Operated Vehicle (WROV) subsea around the well to monitor circulation and cementing operations.

cement sniffer adapter | lp & hp wellhead

Application: The Cement Sniffer Adapter (CSA) has been designed as a standalone unit that can be integrated into any suppliers of Subsea Wellhead LP Wellhead / Conductor Housing when the well is drilled guidelineless.

Two separate Adapters and Oceaneering’s existing Battery Power Cement Sniffer Unit are required. The first Adapter to allow sensing of the Cement returns from the outside of the Conductor annulus (CSA-1), and the second to sense Cement returns from the Conductor x Surface Casing annulus (CSA-2).

History: The integration between the CSAs and the Battery-Powered Cement Sniffer, as opposed to traditional wired ROV cement probe, has yielded numerous operational and cost-saving advantages inherent in this straightforward design and its implementation. The primary benefit has been the precise monitoring of cement appearance at the wellhead during circulation and cementing operations. Knowing the exact appearance time has provided more accurate information about the condition of the previously drilled section after running and setting the conductor or surface casing.

drilling guide funnel | lp Wellhead Housing

Application: The Drilling Guide Funnel (DGF) serves the purpose of safeguarding the top of the LP Wellhead/Conductor Housings against mechanical damage caused by drilling assemblies. It also acts as a straightforward yet robust guide when inserting drilling and other assemblies into the conductor string. This is particularly advantageous in areas where there are stronger seabed currents.

The DGF is a split hinged design that allows this to be easily opened by the ROV from either side by removing either R-pin and pulling the hinge pin down and out. Each half of the DGF weighs approx. 90 Kg allowing the majority of WROVs to fly the separate halves into the subsea basket if available on the seabed.

History: The DGF has been successfully used in operation on subsea exploration wells on the Norwegian Continental Shelf from early 2023.

P&A sleeve | Lp WELLHEAD HOUSING assembly

Application: The main purpose of the P&A Sleeve is to have a flexible thin walled cover pre-installed around the Subsea Wellhead, LPWHH / Conductor Housing extension to prevent the cement bonding to the OD of the Conductor Pipe during installation subsea. Preventing the cement bonding over a short distance below the seabed allows the wellhead extensions to be cut and stripped out of the cemented annulus during Plug and Abandonment (P&A) operations with more time certainty and first time recovery.

History: The P&A Sleeve was conceptually designed, researched and specified in 1996 by one of RTR SMARTs founders when working as a Field Service Engineer for a major supplier of Subsea & Surface drilling and productions products.

The P&A Sleeve was initially employed on Wellhead Systems supplied to Statoil’s exploration wells in 2000. Thanks to its immediate operational success and cost-saving benefits per well, the P&A Sleeve achieved widespread adoption in Norway and is now utilised in various locations around the world.

Grouting Tube Blanking Plugs

Application: To help prevent expensive subsidence of Subsea templates c/w suction pile foundations, the Grouting Tube Blanking Plugs were created for sealing the upper ends of the grouting tubes used during drilling and cementing of Conductor and Surface Casing strings.

The Blanking Plug(s) serve to block the flow of seawater through the grouting tube(s), ensuring that the primary circulation occurs through the appropriate seawater inlet on the CCDS when a suction pump is connected to a Cuttings and Cement Disposal outlet on the Template.

History: Drawing from costly past incidents of Subsea Template subsidence, a thorough examination was conducted on the entire top-hole drilling program, equipment choices, supplier interfaces, and procedures.

Following an investigation into frequently reported problems, one of the underlying factors identified was the presence of an unrestricted circulation path extending outside the Template tailpipe and offering easy access to the Template’s suction foundations. It was revealed that, under specific seabed and operational circumstances, the flow through the grouting tube(s) played a significant role in the subsidence of the Template during top-hole operations.