China Oilfield Services Limited (COSL) uses Altium technology to enhance its logging image system.
“Altium‘s technology truly provides for all our designs needs. The unified design environment provides a new way of designing that is easier and more efficient. This means we not only save time, it means COSL can develop innovatively and focus on the areas of design that really makes a difference.”
- Shang Xiu-Sheng,
Engineering Manager, COSL
The need
China Oilfield Services Limited (COSL) specializes in integrated oilfield services that cover each phase of the offshore mining and production process. In recent years, COSL has been expanding its portfolio, particularly in the borehole logging services sector. It had seen the rise in use of image logging technology on offshore mining and how it offered miners more detailed geographical data. The system, which was gaining popularity in offshore mining, was opening up areas in deep water and fractured sea-beds, areas that were once considered too difficult to drill. However, image logging equipment could only be imported, and while the technology offered significant advantages, the costs involved and market restrictions made it difficult to obtain.
To overcome this challenge, COSL decided to develop its own advanced image logging system. The new in-house system could then be made specific to China’s unique geological characteristics in addition to reducing COSL’s equipment costs.
The challenge
Geological oil logging is an integral part of oil and gas mining. Small sensors positioned on the mining equipment provide real-time data, allowing experts to make important drilling decisions and to estimate the value of the resource. The system does this by combining multiple disciplines: it brings together the fundamentals of geophysics, electromagnetism, acoustics, thermography, mechanics, nuclear physics, electronics and mechanical engineering for high resolution images that represent surrounding geological characteristics. Developing such a system with this level of detail is complex. The engineers at COSL needed to create a system capable of handling several sources of data and process these at incredibly high speeds.
The solution
COSL decided to develop its enhanced image logging system using Altium’s unified design environment. Rather than loosely linking several software packages, Altium combines the various disciplines of design into a single design application. This means schematic, board and embedded device designs are all on a single design environment. Changes that occur within one domain are automatically reflected throughout the entire design. This allows for a different approach to design, and frees time usually spent on version control and documentation to be used on developing different and more innovative electronics.
Altium Designer also provided COSL with a powerful design rule environment. Interactive routing features, ensure that factors such as track clearance, path lengths and trace widths are closely monitored, while still allowing for complete control over the final layout of the design. Altium’s signal integrity analysis and impedance control features provide the flexibility to develop high-speed, high-density electronics with confidence. The final result is better performance and system stability.
The results
The resulting product, the ‘Enhanced Logging Imaging System’ (ELIS), is state-of-the-art. The system has been successfully integrated into COSL’s drilling equipment and provides highly accurate interpretations of the geological parameters in real time.
The system reduced equipment costs and provided a tool vital to complex oil and gas excavations. The design has been so successful it has been made commercially available through COSL’s mining services and has been deployed in off-shore operations in China, Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Product information
ELIS is a fully owned and developed system from COSL. The system provides high resolution images that allow mining to take place in areas that were once considered too difficult. Areas in deep-water or with low permeability and fractured thin beds, can now be drilled using the vital data provided as guidance.
Customer information
China Oilfield Services Limited (COSL) is a leading integrated oilfield service provider in the offshore mining market. With over 30 years’ experience in the industry, COSL is the largest oilfield service provider in China, and offers some of the most diversified services in the industry.
For more information, visit http://www.cosl.com.cn