Shell has contracted offshore technology provider Enhanced Drilling to conduct a survey on its EC-Drill – a managed pressure drilling (MPD) technology system.
The Front End Engineering Design (FEED) study began in September and is examining rig and riser integration on a new build rig.
Run from Enhanced Drilling’s Houston head office, the analysis will look at the firm’s EC-Drill.
Currently under construction, the drill is to be used on floating rigs to drill within a narrow pressure window with Statoil, which also due to introduce MPD technology, in the Gulf of Mexico.
Enhanced Drilling was formerly known as AGR Enhanced Drilling.