Centek Reduces Drilling Costs in Gulf of Mexico

UK-based centraliser manufacturer Centek has teamed up with US company Protech to reduce the cost of deep-water drilling operations in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Centek CT Centraliser, which uses Protech Centerform's CRB carbon fibre / ceramic composite technology, is expected to reduce costs by up to two-thirds when compared to centraliser subs.

CT Centraliser technology allows the centraliser to be pulled rather than pushed into the well so the drag is reduced. Centek claims the CT Centraliser is important because it brings new technology to the problem of close tolerance centralisation in deep-water operations.

The Gulf of Mexico is characterised by huge salt deposits which lie under the deepwater areas. The complex geology combined with extreme water depths and added reservoir depths of 10,000ft compound the problems associated with drilling operations.