What cert for wellheads?

Date 03-30-2011 23:51

I think you have summed it up nicely. You and others can do pretty much what you want in the oil patch. The oil companies and drilling companies care less how and if the work is done right. As long as it holds the pressure test everything is cricket.
And until there is a Macondo Deepwater Horizon incident, it will continue. With the current administration and attitude toward the oil industry I would hate to be the one that does the unlucky wellhead. Even if there is not loss of life all those responsible will be in court. And if you think your GL will take care of you when this happens, my bet is the insurance companies will start pulling the qualification and certification issue as a way not to pay. Better have a real good E&O in place in addition to the GL.

By Cactusthewelder (*****)

Date 03-31-2011 00:09

I damn sure aint trying to stir the pot here, However, The Deepwater Horizon did not have a Failure in the Wellhead. It had a Failure in the BOP Shear Ram and Blind Ram, which has nothing to do with welders as they are bolted connections

By dbigkahunna (****)

Date 03-31-2011 16:36

I understand the MDH was not a weld failure. However, I have know of failures of well heads that have resulted in releases. If one of them happens at the right time in the right place the thunder will be brought down. Having worked around a lot of rig chasers, the attitude is one of speed more than quality. And this is a reflection by the rig owner and oil company. All they are looking for is speed. They would not know a good weld if it hit them in the backside.
I have nothing but respect for the chasers that do good work. But there are a lot of them out there who are looking for the buck and can care less what the long term result of their work is. And the blame can be put directly on the shoulders of the oil company that is having the well drilled.

By Shane Feder (****)

Date 03-31-2011 02:58

Hi guys,
This has turned into a very interesting post.
I think I speak for all concerned when I say that the views expressed on this forum are not us non-oilfield workers taking "pot shots" at the work practices of oilfield workers.
I think it is more about understanding how and why things are allowed to be done that way and who is ultimately responsible.

Crane operators sue after high-pressure gas well explosion
3/29/2010 9:49 AM By Michelle Massey, East Texas Bureau
MARSHALL- After a blow out at a wellhead injured one man and killed another, the survivors have filed a suit against the well owners.

Subcontracted to help Innovate Wellsite Systems change out pins on high-pressure gas wellheads, crane truck operators James Dennis and James Siler were in the path of a violent explosion when a wellhead blew out. Silers was severely injured while Dennis suffered fatal injuries. The incident occurred Nov. 18, 2009, in DeSoto Parish, La.

Barbara Dennis, individually and as representative of the estate of James Dennis, Jill Dennis, Lauren Dennis and James Siler filed suit against Chesapeake Energy Corp. on March 19, in the Marshall division of the Eastern District of Texas.

The families of the workers claim Chesapeake Energy is liable for the men's injuries for failing to "kill the well." According to the lawsuit, Innovate employees requested that a down hole packer be used to keep the pressure of the well downhole away from the wellhead where the work was being preformed.

"Chesapeake refused to take the time to do so and wanted Innovative to continue the work with the lubricator which was set," the lawsuit states.

You can be sure that Chesapeake Energy will be doing everything it can to prove that either Innovative or the actual employees were in fact at fault.

Have a look at this court case - read right to the end. The finger pointing is amazing and even someones obesity is called into question.

http://www.supreme.courts.state.tx.us/ebriefs/09/09103001.pdf

Casing landing practice varies widely. When asked how a failed string of casing was landed an Oklahoma consulting engineer responded, "It was hung according to the API standard. We slacked off one third the weight". Many operators and/or their field supervisor shave no policy regarding hanging casing-they leave casing hanging to the tool pusher. One company hung no weight to save the cost of a wellhead. The casing lasted four days before it failed.
Tool pushers generally learn from another tool pusher. They have been known to hang from 25% to 125% of the as cemented weight. It is rare that they have any rational reason for the practice they follow.
The last sentence is a bit scary.

I knew of a welder on an oil rig in New Zealand who was directed to weld two pieces of 1" wire rope together by the Toolpusher. It was not to pull anything, purely to retrieve the rope but as you are well aware wire rope can have a mind of it's own and the welder refused. He was on the next helicopter back to shore.

Was looking through Google yesterday and there were numerous Wellhead Installation companies listing certified or qualified welders. Only one out of twenty listed the actual qualification - "All our welders are certified to AWS D1.1" - ????.

A rig-welder or company may get called up by Company A to weld a well head in the middle of nowhere based on the fact he/they have advertised himself / themselves as qualified / certified. Who at this rig (miles from anywhere) is capable of reviewing a WPS or Welder Qualification to ensure it is appropriate ? No one of course.
Everything is welded, tested and off he goes. No problem.
What if something goes wrong and someone is injured or killed ? Company A is going to hire the biggest bunch of lawyers and they will go straight for the throat.
Everything that happened from the time you arrived to the time you left will be scrutinised and picked apart.

Ultimately, it is Company A's responsibility to ensure the welder is suitably qualified to perform the work as required but if the welder was supposedly certified to AWS D1.1 and was welding pressure piping he better find a pretty deep hole to hide in.

Ultimately, who is responsible for quality control on oil field work ? - it appears no one.
If something happens and it ends up in court the winner will be the company with the biggest pockets - and we know that won't be the poor old welder.

It seems strange that after the BP disaster that the industry hasn't cracked down on everything to do with oil exploration quality and safety.

Hope this hasn't seemed like a rant,
Regards,
Shane

By Cactusthewelder (*****)

Date 03-31-2011 23:46 Edited 04-01-2011 00:05

Shane and BIGK, I understand both of your points. I have NO clue where to even begin to change it. I DO think there should be a Governing Body to control some of the fiasco's we see in the Oilfield. ESPECIALLY with Welders. IF there were some sort of Control and Standard for everyone to follow, It would weed out some, if not all of the Fly By Night Get Rich Quick Welders. Most of the Cuthroats have no clue how or why they are doing what they do. All they know is they get a HUGE check for few hours. No understanding of the Liability Whatsoever. Here is an example. Welders who are professionals at setting heads, Conductors, etc... Have NO NEED to advertise their services on the Internet. Word of mouth will get you all the work you can handle. I have never spent 1 penny on advertising outside of buisiness cards or a few caps for my guys. There is no need. I cant keep up with what I am doing now. Also, Shane, The Wellheads that are being referred to in your post that are underpressure. They are not the same Wellheads that this post is about. IMHO, Chesapeake IS at fault for not killing the well. However, The company that was working on it should have known that, unless they were also trying to jump on the Oilfield Bandwagon. I couldn't tell you how many Welders came out of nowhere 2 years ago. They welded a pipe fence once on their grandpas farm. Now they took the old Hay Truck and threw Grandpa's SA-200 or Bobcat on it and went to Spindletop or Patterson and said We're Here ! We Are Welders !. I actually saw a Flatbed at Spindletop with a HaySpear on it ! It has been Crazy the past couple of years. Well, I guess you get the picture

By dbigkahunna (****)

Date 04-01-2011 22:50

You are right there is not good answer until the oil companies decide to tighten down. And the design itself of the wellhead may, and I have to say is, idiot proof. The over design may be enough to deal with most of the problems. I do have to say the failure rate of the things is very low. I only know of two that have failed in the last three years. And the way the patch is shaping up right now it looks like the rest of the year will be really good.
Which will bring out more "Certified" welder and contractors.

By Cactusthewelder (*****)

Date 03-31-2011 23:50 Edited 04-01-2011 01:16

Here is a perfect example. This was just posted on another thread in Welders Exchange about work in Lockhaven PA. What does a Utility Contractor know about gathering lines ? I will tell you what they know. They pay alot better than Water Lines. That is ALL. No Experience needed. Here is the Post

"Harger Utility Contractors, they're putting together a welding division to do gather lines on the shale gas"

By weaver

Date 04-13-2011 04:24

The inside weld looks like poop. Too cold.. Inside pass 3/16 lh , one pass.. Outside 3/16 two passes, post heat , test , go to the next one.. 1 hr tops

By Cactusthewelder (*****)

Date 04-13-2011 12:16

I have never used Two Passes on the inside. That could cause problems with the Bit or Casing.

By weaver

Date 04-13-2011 13:10

Me neither, but the guy in the picture did

By Cactusthewelder (*****)

Date 04-13-2011 13:20

Makes you wonder what his Overhead looked like

By weaver

Date 04-13-2011 22:17

I am guessing cut throat welding, like half of the rig chasers up here right now..lol

By Cactusthewelder (*****)

Date 04-13-2011 22:55

The Real question is this. Why did the take that head off to cut a cross section ? I dont know of any Company that has done that. Not even a Manufacturer

By Rig Hand (***)

Date 04-13-2011 23:30

I think it was a test weld. If you look at the picture were they are heat treating (middle picture), its only a few feet of casing setting on a stand. There's no holes in the flange either???

By Shane Feder (****)

Date 04-18-2011 01:05

Guys,
You have to read the story - it is welding simulation trials done in a laboratory.
It is actually three passes inside and three passes outside with a variety of different PWHT cycles on each coupon to determine the best welding/PWHT procedure to achieve allowable hardness values.
This is basically what this whole post is all about.
We have one Canadian oil company qualifying weld procedures on well heads by doing numerous tests to ensure they are going to achieve a sound (and code compliant) weld and we have all the American oil companies you guys work for just letting the welder decide what he wants to do.
What electrodes do you use ?
Why do the Canadians weld it with 6 passes (3 internal / 3 external) but American well heads apparently only require 3 passes(1 internal / 2 external) ?
Who decides the time and temperature for PWHT ?
What is the maximum hardness allowed ?
What is maximum heat input allowed ?
All these critical items will be listed on the welding procedure - hang on, there isn't one.

Why is hardness in sour service and tightly controlled NACE requirements on well heads considered so critical in Canada but not considered critical in the US ?
Regards,
Shane

By Cactusthewelder (*****)

Date 04-18-2011 01:34

I have a Question for a Canadian Oilfield Worker (or anyone who can find out this info) How long does it take to drill a Hole in Canada with a 12,000 ft.TD ? Lets say it has a 5000 ft Lateral ?

By Johnny Walker (***)

Date 04-18-2011 11:55

Heck idk