Innovative Solutions to Bypass Non-Productive Time

TESCO is leading the way in the Mexican oil and gas industry with its own line of specialized products. Top drive rentals and Casing Running Tools (CRTs) are the main drivers of the company’s offering, while offering and integrating a broad range of components and accessories for the drilling market has continued to be a pivot of TESCO’s strategy. Michael Irausquin, Vice-President Mexico and Central America Geomarket of TESCO, proudly boasts the company’s innovative approach to CRTs to provide optimal solutions for the drilling sector. One of the firm’s trademark products is the Casing Drive System™ (CDS), a tool that tackles downhole cementing to deliver a user-friendly system. By rotating and reciprocating while cementing, the CDS guarantees a smooth finish and is able to significantly reduce non-productive time (NPT). All of these factors equate to a well-rounded, customeroriented solution that Irausquin is confident will spark great interest among the new players in Mexico’s oil and gas industry. “Throughout our entire product line, our main focus as a company is to reduce NPT. We understand the critical importance of avoiding downtime in drilling operations and we carefully analyze the potential factors involved throughout each step of the development process for each of our products.” While there are many alternatives for casing in the market, TESCO’s Tubular Services product line offers patented technologies for casing and tubing to guarantee integrity in conventional and complex well completions. Successful casing jobs will determine a well’s lifespan, where corrosion and leakage can deteriorate downhole reliability and the effective flow of hydrocarbons. Parallel to the technicalities of the products, Irausquin explains that TESCO is aware of the safety concerns that are intricately related to any drilling operation. “Along with the reduction of NPT, safety is one of our most important foundational blocks. It is rewarding to see that our customers in Mexico increasingly demand results that are aligned with these two principles.”

Another exclusive component of TESCO’s portfolio is the Multiple Control Line Running System (MCLRS), which aligns with the company’s aim to become specialized in full rig mechanization. According to Irausquin, the MCLRS will soon be in great demand in the Mexican offshore drilling market given the state-of-the-art system it utilizes. “When running the lines that control the completion system inside the offshore well, they must be run through the slips that prevent the casing from going downhole. During this procedure, extreme care and appropriate equipment must be used, since a mistake can potentially cost millions of dollars. By using MCLRS, the lines are extended away from the danger zone with an independent and automatic mechanism that runs the line underneath the rig floor. Basically, it is a stand that elevates all the operations to a certain height relative to the rig floor. As a result, all of the activities that could potentially cause a dangerous situation happen at this simulated level, while the lines are running underneath. In other words, using the MCLRS helps to ensure that every single smart completion operation is successful,” he explains. Its onshore counterpart, the Hydraulic Multiple Control Line Running System (HMCLRS) works under a similar mechanism providing substantial cost benefits and reducing NPT for onshore drilling operations. “In onshore environments, the HMCLRS allows operators to leave a rig aside when doing a smart completion. Currently, operators need a whole rig to do this, which means that a significant amount of money, about US$60,000-70,000 per day for each rig is being wasted. By using our HMCLRS, the rig can leave the site and drill wells elsewhere while our equipment takes care of the completion process with its own power supply. We have already started to implement this product in Colombia successfully and we are hopeful to find some good opportunities to implement this solution in Mexico.”

Servicing its own equipment has now become a strategic priority for the company in Mexico. The importance of expanding its in-country presence has spawned the opening of a new branch in Villahermosa, which is expected to serve its current client base in the region. With extensive servicing capabilities to meet future demand, the new center’s main purpose is to expand TESCO’s equipment servicing capacity in the country to better serve its existing customers, while also generating business with new companies. Not only will this new base serve as a strong foundation to service TESCO’s equipment, but it will also be capable of servicing other companies’ equipment assuring the full structural integrity and operational success of its clients. Additionally, storage capacity at the Villahermosa branch will also increase the availability of specialized drilling components in the Mexican market.

TESCO is aware of the growing importance of offering integrating services, and Irausquin lays out the ingredients for a successful strategy. “PEMEX, as well as any international operator, constantly aims to reduce the number of contracts it has with service companies. In the case of Mexico, we have already seen Schlumberger, Halliburton, and Baker Hughes focusing on integrated project management, where they are responsible for contracting out the required services while dealing directly with the oil company. In the future, we want to be a bigger player in that integrated approach to our services.” Overall, Irausquin foresees that TESCO will be expanding its tubular service capabilities in the coming years, along with its aftermarket services. “We can see that the rental market will eventually diminish over time, as our clients will prefer to have their own equipment. We must be ready for this change,” he concludes