Baker Hughes 2009 Annual Report Download - page 78

4 Baker Hughes Incorporated
Wellbore Construction. Wellbore completion products
and services include liner hangers, multilateral completion sys-
tems and expandable metal technology. Liner hangers suspend
a section of steel casing (also called a liner) inside the bottom
of the previous section of casing. The liner hanger’s expand-
able slips grip the inside of the casing and support the weight
of the liner below. Multilateral completion systems enable two
or more zones to be produced from a single well, using multiple
horizontal branches. Expandable metal technology involves the
permanent downhole expansion of a variety of tubular products
used in drilling, completion and well remediation applications.
Cased-Hole Completions. Cased-hole completions prod-
ucts and services include packers, flow control equipment,
subsurface safety valves and intelligent completions. Packers
seal the annular space between the steel production tubing
and the casing. These tools control the flow of fluids in the
well and protect the casing above and below from reservoir
pressures and corrosive formation fluids. Flow control equip-
ment controls and adjusts the flow of downhole fluids. A
common flow control device is a sliding sleeve, which can be
opened or closed to allow or limit production from a particular
portion of a reservoir. Flow control can be accomplished from
the surface via wireline or downhole via hydraulic or electric
motor-based automated systems. Subsurface safety valves shut
off all flow of fluids to the surface in the event of an emer-
gency, thus saving the well and preventing pollution of the
environment. These valves are required in substantially all off-
shore wells. Intelligent Completions® use real-time, remotely
operated downhole systems to control the flow of hydrocar-
bons from one or more zones.
Sand Control. Sand control equipment includes gravel
pack tools, sand screens and fracturing fluids. Sand control
systems and pumping services are used in loosely consolidated
formations to prevent the production of formation sand with
the hydrocarbons.
Wellbore Intervention. Wellbore intervention products
and services are designed to protect producing assets. Inter-
vention operations troubleshoot drilling problems and improve,
maintain or restore economical production from already-pro-
ducing wells. Products for wellbore intervention range from
service tools and inflatable products to conventional and
through-tubing fishing systems, casing exits, wellbore cleaning
and temporary abandonment. Service tools function as sur-
face-activated, downhole sealing and anchoring devices to
isolate a portion of the wellbore during repair or stimulation
operations. Service tool applications range from treating and
cleaning to testing components from the wellhead to the per-
forations. Service tools also refer to tools and systems that are
used for temporary or permanent well abandonment. Inflat-
able packers expand to set in pipe that is much larger than
the outside diameter of the packer itself, so it can run through
a restriction in the well and then set in the larger diameter
below. Inflatable packers also can be set in “open hole”,
whereas conventional tools only can be set inside casing.
Through-tubing inflatables enable remedial operations in
producing wells. Significant cost savings result from lower rig
requirements and the ability to intervene in the well without
having to remove the completion. Fishing tools and services
are used to locate, dislodge and retrieve damaged or stuck
pipe, tools or other objects from inside the wellbore, often
thousands of feet below the surface. Wellbore cleaning sys-
tems remove post-drilling debris to help ensure trouble-free
well testing, completion and optimum production for the life
of the well. Casing exit systems are used to “sidetrack” new
wells from existing ones, to provide a cost-effective method
of tapping previously unreachable reserves.
Specialty Chemicals
We are a leading provider of specialty chemicals to the oil
and gas industry. We also supply specialty chemicals to a num-
ber of industries including refining, pipeline transportation,
petrochemical, agricultural and iron and steel manufacturing
and provide polymer-based products to a broad range of
industrial and consumer markets. Through our Pipeline Man-
agement Group, we offer a variety of products and services for
the pipeline transportation industry.
Oilfield Chemicals. We provide oilfield chemical programs
for drilling, well stimulation, production, pipeline transporta-
tion and maintenance programs. Our products provide mea-
surable increases in productivity, decreases in operating and
maintenance costs and solutions to environmental problems.
Examples of specialty oilfield chemical programs include emul-
sion breakers, corrosion inhibitors, and chemicals which inhibit
the formation of paraffin (from organic material dissolved in
crude oil), scale (from mineral-based contaminants dissolved
in produced water), and natural gas hydrates.
Refining, Industrial and Other Specialty Chemicals.
For the refining industry, we offer various process and water
treatment programs, as well as finished fuel additives. Examples
include programs to remove salt from crude oil and to control
corrosion in processing equipment and environmentally friendly
cleaners that decontaminate refinery equipment and petro-
chemical vessels at a lower cost than other methods. We also
provide chemical technology solutions to other industrial mar-
kets throughout the world, including petrochemicals, fuel addi-
tives, plastics, imaging, adhesives, steel and crop protection.
Pipeline Management. Baker Hughes offers a variety of
products and services for the pipeline transportation industry.
We offer custom turnkey cleaning programs that improve
efficiency by combining chemical treatments with brush and
scraper tools that are pumped through the pipeline. Efficiency
can also be improved by adding polymer-based drag reduction
agents to reduce the slowing effects of friction between the
pipeline walls and the fluids within, thus increasing through-
put and pipeline capacity. Additional services allow pipelines
to operate more safely. These include inspection and internal
corrosion assessment technologies, which physically confirm
the structural integrity of the pipeline. In addition, our flow-
modeling capabilities can identify high-risk segments of a
pipeline to ensure proper mitigation programs are in place.
Artificial Lift Systems
We are a leading manufacturer and supplier of artificial
lift systems including electrical submersible pump systems
(“ESPs”) and progressing cavity pump systems (“PCPs”).