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Innovation & Technology

“We focus our investments in innovation that differentiates our assets from the competition across the three dimensions of safety, efficiency and capability​; this includes developing proprietary systems, processes and technology that ultimately improve productivity of the drilling process itself for the benefit of our customers​.” – Senior Vice President of Operations, Gilles Luca

Continuous Tripping Technology

The Valaris Continuous Tripping Technology is a new proprietary solution that will help to further differentiate Valaris' assets from the competition by providing more efficient and safer pipe tripping, thereby helping to lower customers’ offshore project costs.

The patented Continuous Tripping Technology, in concert with other key equipment, sensors and process controls, fully automates the movement of the drill string into or out of the well at a constant controlled speed.

Continuous Tripping Technology can be retrofitted to both floaters and jackups and is particularly well-suited for ultra-deepwater drillships and larger modern jackups.

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Pipe tripping is performed for many reasons during offshore activities such as changing the drill bit, replacing part of the drill string or performing tests in the wellbore. Four joints of pipe totaling 135 feet (a “quad” stand) are removed at a time and stacked in a rack on the drill floor. Then all the pipe is reinstalled one stand at a time until the bit is back on bottom.

Moving pipe into the wellbore displaces fluid and the flow of the fluid generates surge pressures. When the pipe is pulled from the well, negative pressures are generated and are called swab pressures.

Efficient:

  • Enables pipe-tripping speeds of up to 9,000 feet per hour – up to three times faster than tripping times achieved by current conventional stand-by-stand methods
  • Tripping pipe is on the critical path for all drilling and workover activities and this step-change improvement uses automation and innovative technology to address a repetitive, time-consuming procedure

Safer:

  • Makes the pipe-tripping process safer by using automation to eliminate human error and personnel exposure associated with the conventional stand-by-stand method
  • The constant speed minimizes surge and swab pressure on the wellbore by eliminating intermittent stopping and starting as well as excessive peak speeds that typically occur when using current industry practices

Lower costs for customers:

  • Continuous Tripping Technology significantly reduces the amount of time spent tripping pipe, and can lead to cost savings for customers regardless of water depth or well type