Customer application 11 July 2019

Easy Integration – Safe Operation

In the oil and gas industry, the process of spooling, unspooling and straightening coiled tubing (CT strings) is fraught with uncertainty. For the team at Baker Hughes GE, the risk of equipment failure and costly tubing damage was too high. The result was the Intelligent Injector Control (IIC) system.
“We had lots of issues with operation mistakes in the field,” explains Senior Project Engineer at Baker Hughes GE Bo Wu. “We spent a lot of time on the troubleshooting and completion of this coiling job. Based on this situation, we thought about research and development and focused on new technology and protecting the equipment by eliminating or minimizing human operation mistakes. That was our main purpose when setting out to develop this advanced system.”

Your benefits with WAGO:

  • WAGO meets the certification requirements for Ex or marine applications.

  • Highly versatile: one PLC for all applications

  • Fast, comprehensive service and support

Strict certification requirements

The IIC system that Wu and Baker Hughes GE came up with used their CIRCATM REAL-TIME (RT) modeling software to provide live updates on CT string limits. The IIC system could also visually display coiled tubing position and reel rotation. To achieve this, Wu used many products from the WAGO terminal block, PLC and I/O system portfolio. He explained that while Baker Hughes GE had previously used WAGO products in other areas, the IIC system is the first time they used them in their coil product lab.

“When WAGO came up in the discussions, we said, ‘We need to know that your product will meet these certifications. If it does, send it to us,’” Wu explains. “The process was really that simple.”

“The PFC200 fit the bill nicely for Bo’s team and Baker Hughes GE for many reasons, such as hazardous area and marine approvals, a wide temperature range, high shock and vibration resistance, specialty I/O modules like the 750-632 and, most importantly, multiple protocol capability,” says WAGO Regional Sales Manager John Hagar.

The success of Baker Hughes GE with the IIC system was recognized as the Best Well Intervention Technology at the 2018 World Oil Award for the oil and gas industry. “It was fantastic to be honored in this way,” says Wu. “It is a meeting of all the major oil and gas companies, and our technology was recognized as efficient. It is a really special thing.”

Easy Cooperation, Great Support

For Wu and the Baker Hughes GE team, WAGO was able to support their project by keeping the products and the work relationship simple. “They can use one PFC for all applications across the board,” Hagar explained. “This speeds development and decreases time to market for Baker Hughes GE and their customers.”

“WAGO helped us simplify the program and integration, from planning to manufacturing. It made everything simple and easy. The WAGO service and technical support is very good. The production lead time – even the customer request response time – is impressive. And these are all reasons why we continue to use WAGO products.”

“Human operator errors were the problem.”

Interview with John Hagar, WAGO Sales Manager for Northwest Texas

What were the challenges in the Baker Hughes project?

John Hagar: In the past, hydraulic proportional valves configurations settings were separated from supervisory control. The operators were in direct control of the equipment – and this led to unsafe situations as a result of human operator error.

How did WAGO empower Baker Hughes GE to solve the problem?

Hagar: WAGO Empowered Bo Wu and his team by giving them supervisory control over the equipment, the Intelligent Injector Control System; this made for a safer and more efficient system.

How can this serve as an example of best practices for other companies?

Hagar: Very simple – by relying on WAGO’s automation expertise and more than 500 modules to expand the capability of their automation systems. The customer will have a safer, more efficient system and higher profitability.

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