TechTAC

An oilfield tubing anchor plays an important role in safe and efficient production operations. Not only does it provide stability to the tubing string, it also prevents unwanted vertical and lateral movement. This is particularly the case in highly deviated and high productivity wells.

The team at TechTAC® has supported dozens of Authorized Dealers in the Bakken for many years. In the past, however, those relationships were managed out of the company’s Oklahoma City office. While that arrangement worked well, we knew that a more permanent residency in the area would provide our Bakken customers with even better service and delivery. That’s why in May of this year, the TechTAC® North Dakota office officially opened for business in Williston.

Anchor assembly at no additional charge is available for TechTAC’s standard B2 anchors and the company’s patented Slimline® TAC. Many operators and service companies have standardized on the Slimline® TAC for their downhole assemblies because it provides up to 245% more flow area than the standard B2 design.

A recent computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study found that with that increased flow area, the Slimline® creates far less pressure drop and turbulence, as fluid and gas flow around the TAC, than a traditional design. Wells that experience less pressure drop and turbulence are much less likely to encounter plugging and gas locking.

In the unlikely event that a Slimline® TAC does get stuck in a well, the anchor’s unique design allows it to be cut over in far less time than a standard B2 TAC. Due to the smaller diameter, only the slip protectors and slips need to be cut over.

TechTAC® is making a change to simplify the purchase process and deliver more value to customers. As of March 1, 2024, the company will no longer charge a fee for the assembly of tubing anchors. This pricing change applies to all sizes of TACs, regardless of the quantity purchased.

“While the actual dollar amount is minimal, we found that charging a separate assembly fee on tubing anchors could create some friction in the ordering process, particularly for large shipments, so we wanted to eliminate that issue,” said TechTAC® CEO Brad Crist.

In contrast, when a gas separator is deployed with a Slimline® Tubing Anchor Catcher, the separated gas can flow up the annulus and around the anchor, rather than being trapped below it. The reduced OD of the Slimline TAC creates up to 245% more flow-by area than a standard B2 anchor. In other words, a Slimline TAC plus a gas separator is uniquely effective at addressing formation gas.

As one manager at a major distributor of artificial lift technology put it this way: “The combination of the 5.5-inch Slimline TAC and a gas separator is a top-of-the-line solution for mitigating the issue of gas locking.” Many production companies and operators concur with that assessment.

You never know who you’ll meet at a trade show.

The TechTAC® team recently attended the Society of Petroleum Engineers Artificial Lift Conference and Expo in The Woodlands, Texas. Near the end of the event, I found myself in the hotel elevator with an executive from a company that manufactures downhole gas separators. We talked briefly about the trade show and our complementary products. As this executive exited the elevator, she said, in effect, “I tell all my customers that if they run a gas separator with a traditional tubing anchor, they’re just throwing away money.”

The oil and gas industry is a major contributor to the health of the American economy and various state economies around the nation. The oil and gas statistics below, collected from various sources, highlight the positive economic impact of hydrocarbon production.

Oil, natural gas, and coal provide 80% of American energy (source: U.S. Department of Energy).

That was the finding of a research study conducted by Echometer Company. The Texas-based software firm offers solutions for analyzing and optimizing the performance of oil, gas, and water wells. In this case, the firm studied the production rates of 11 oil wells. Each well had high fluid levels and the pump intake was located below the perforations. Yet despite these seemingly favorable conditions, nine of the wells showed a pump fillage rate of less than 90%.

According to the report: “In these wells that exhibited high fluid levels … the fluid distribution in the wellbore below the liquid level was not uniform. The wellbore in the vicinity of the pump intake was primarily filled with gas with a minimal volume of liquid. …The presence of a tubing anchor set high above the pump intake is considered to be the main cause of this uneven distribution of fluids in the wellbore.

“The particular tubing anchor used in these wells provides a flow area of about 2.9 square inches between the body of the anchor and the casing compared to a flow area of 14.4 square inches between the casing (4.892-inch ID) and the tubing (2.375-inch OD). The small flow area could increase the velocity of the upwards flowing gas to the point where it would be difficult for liquid present in the upper part of the annulus to flow downwards past the depth where the tubing anchor is set. The anchor would essentially act as a choke and also cause an increase of the annular back pressure.”

SALT LAKE CITY – Nov. 7, 2023 – TechTAC®, an industry leader in downhole tubing anchor solutions, today highlighted the availability of the Slimline® Casing Patch TAC, a tubing anchor catcher that gives engineers and field personnel more options for anchoring a tubing string within an oil well where the wellbore casing has been patched, is swollen or has a reduced ID due to scale. This custom-made anchor leverages innovative mechanics and the unique design of the Slimline® to navigate an oil well casing patch or similar anomaly while still being able to fully set below the patch or affected area.

When it’s time to repair or rebuild a piece of downhole equipment, one of the main questions an operator needs to answer is whether to use parts made by the original manufacturer or aftermarket parts made by a third-party supplier. Both options have certain advantages. The right choice depends on an operator’s business and production goals.

This article will outline five important factors to consider when evaluating replacement parts. Specifically, we’ll look at:

Quality and steel grade

Short- and long-term costs

Compatibility and fit

Availability and customer service

Lifespan and component integrity

When looking at the history of crude oil prices in the United States over the last 50 years, both the highest oil price and the lowest have been marked relatively recently. Rising inflation, scarcity concerns, and once-in-a-generation global events like the COVID-19 pandemic have all played a role.

The optimal alignment for most TACs is as deep as possible while still remaining in the vertical section. For unconventional wells, that typically means just above the kickoff point. This placement anchors the maximum length of the tubing string while maintaining proper alignment, helping to avoid introducing bending moments or undue stress on the tool.

Sometimes benefits are a little tough to visualize. If you’re in the market for a new truck, it’s one thing to read about a vehicle with a 40,000-pound towing capacity. It’s something quite different to see that truck hauling 20 tons of rock and steel up a grade on the way to a jobsite. More often than not, seeing is believing.

A Flow-by Area Comparison

In the case of the Slimline® Tubing Anchor Catcher (TAC), documenting the increased annular area around the TAC, when compared to a Baker B2-style (standard) anchor, isn’t as compelling as seeing it in action. The Slimline® offers an increased flow-by capacity of up to 245%. That distinction can best be seen in a side-by-side comparison:

The technology of the moment is certainly artificial intelligence, or AI. Stories about its uses and potential applications are everywhere — and the oil industry is no different. Following is a roundup of some of the latest perspectives on how AI will impact the oil and gas industry:

Improving Demand Forecasting

In a recent post, software firm Appinventiv highlighted many promising use cases for AI in the oil patch. One of the key applications cited in the article is demand forecasting:

“Traditional methods of demand prediction often fall short in handling the complexities of today’s global energy markets. This is where AI solutions for oil and gas, powered by advanced machine learning algorithms, are revolutionizing demand forecasting processes.

“AI models can uncover intricate patterns and correlations that human analysts might miss by analyzing vast amounts of historical data, market trends, geopolitical events, and even social media sentiment. This empowers companies to make well-informed decisions based on data-driven insights.”

The technology of the moment is certainly artificial intelligence, or AI. Stories about its uses and potential applications are everywhere — and the oil industry is no different. Following is a roundup of some of the latest perspectives on how AI will impact the oil and gas industry:

Improving Demand Forecasting

In a recent post, software firm Appinventiv highlighted many promising use cases for AI in the oil patch. One of the key applications cited in the article is demand forecasting:

“Traditional methods of demand prediction often fall short in handling the complexities of today’s global energy markets. This is where AI solutions for oil and gas, powered by advanced machine learning algorithms, are revolutionizing demand forecasting processes.

“AI models can uncover intricate patterns and correlations that human analysts might miss by analyzing vast amounts of historical data, market trends, geopolitical events, and even social media sentiment. This empowers companies to make well-informed decisions based on data-driven insights.”

The Slimline® QuickSet™ TAC offers a flexible solution for anchoring production tubing strings in deep or deviated wells. Compared to the original Slimline® or a standard TAC, the QuickSet™ requires fewer string rotations to fully set the anchor. Yet it retains the patented Slimline® design, which increases flow-by capacity in the annulus by as much as 245%. That combination has helped the Slimline® QuickSet™ TAC support a wide range of deployments.

One engineer with a large energy company operating in the Permian described the anchor’s impact this way: “Despite trying a variety of different products, we could not get a tubing anchor to set in the dogleg of one of our horizontal wells. We tried standard and quarter-turn anchors but kept getting the same result. Finally, after hearing about the Slimline QuickSet TAC, we decided to give it a try — and we were able to fully set the anchor in the bend of the well.”