UK-based oil and gas well construction firm DeltaTek Global has been granted US, European and Norwegian patents for its ArticuLock technology.
According to DeltaTek, its ArticuLock tool, based on a ball and socket concept, is capable of mitigating weather-related downtime by opening up weather windows for installing subsea equipment in more adverse environmental conditions, ultimately eliminating bending stress from rigid landing strings for a safer deployment.
The company said that the technology has been utilized in several successful deployments, most recently offshore in Norway.
"The system was used to de-couple the fixed MODU [mobile offshore drilling unit] from the hanging conductor, which was suspended beneath ArticuLock, whilst shallow gas pilot hole and top hole dual drilling operations were ongoing.
"As a result, the client was able to safely execute dual drilling operations, retaining the opportunity to move off location without the hanging conductor potentially damaging the rig equipment," DeltaTek said.