subcon scene
Premier exploring
new depths
IN 1989, the total investment in the UK oil industry was over £2.5 billion - over 10% of total UK
investment in all its industry sectors. By 1992 that investment had doubled and although it is less now,
it continues to rise in the 21st century and continues to have one of the highest levels of investment in
UK industry. Accounting for some 25-30% of its annual turnover, the oil and gas industry sector is also
big business for St Albans-based precision engineering company, Premier Deep Hole Drilling.
Although some analysts predict a downturn in the industry sometime in the 2020s, continuing
technological advances will allow oil companies to viably extract from hundreds of smaller finds
which are, as yet, uneconomical. By linking them to established North Sea platforms and pipelines, a
good flow will be sustained. This will greatly extend the life of the oil fields and to a certain extent this
has already begun.
This ongoing development work results in far more capable equipment that is also more robust and
reliable. For example, the down hole Logging-While-Drilling (LWD) data capture systems used now
contain far more sophisticated electronics, which makes the housing unit machined by Premier more
complex. Managing director, Stuart Grant, explains: ‘LWD systems are used for assessing reservoir
potential and provide real-time formation evaluation data during drilling. Of course it is beneficial for
oil exploration companies to obtain this functionality from their drilling tools, but in turn it makes
the component parts, such as the data logging housing, more demanding to machine. They also want to
extend the operational life, in terms of wear and corrosion resistance. To achieve this they specify high
nickel content Inconel, which gives the desired results in the field but is very difficult to machine due
to its tendency to work harden.’
This creates additional heat during the machining operation which, due to the tight tolerances
required, can cause problems for the inexperienced. Grant says: ‘These are thin walled parts which
must be tightly controlled in terms of accuracy and concentricity. Fortunately we have the experience
with the material and the gun drilling process to achieve the specified ±3 micron run out over a 1m
length.’ Oil well condition monitoring tools are also produced by Premier from the same difficult to
cut material.
Demanding in a different way are the subsea manifolds machined by Premier. These look similar to
tombstone work fixtures measuring around 600 by 200 by 300 mm and are made from 316 stainless
steel. With anywhere up to 90 blind, through and intersecting holes drilled into the manifolds these
parts are produced on the company’s four prismatic knee drilling machines. ‘Our recent investment in a
large ejector drilling machine allows us to machine the larger components used in the offshore
industry, such as well head parts up to 4 m long. And, we have increased our CNC machining capacity
up to 1.5 m to support this extension of our capabilities,’ concludes Stuart Grant.
www.premier-drilling.co.uk
72 MWP july 2008
Shearline
cleans up with
new aqueous
washing plant
IN its latest drive towards best
practice, quality processes and
environmental awareness and
responsibility, award-winning
manufacturing company Shearline,
has invested in an aqueous washing
system from MecWash. The new
system, a Midi 400 cleaning station,
features MecWash’s innovative
rotational washing technology,
which uses water at elevated
temperatures to produce
consistently high levels of
component cleaning. Through the
replacement of traditional cleaning
solvents such as trichloroethylene,
the system will also make significant
contributions to environmental
improvements.
The facility is now fully integrated
into the manufacturing process at
Shearline’s showcase factory in
Cambridgeshire and is achieving
outstanding levels of cleanliness and
helping to maximise product quality.
Jon Littlechild, Shearline’s
Environmental Manager, comments:
‘We serve a range of high profile
international companies in the
scientific and medical, aerospace,
automotive and electronics
industries so component cleanliness
is absolutely paramount. Whilst this
has always been a central part of our
production processes, the
installation of the MecWash system
is generating savings in costs,
constantly delivering parts and
components in a clean and dry
condition, and importantly, enhances
our environmental performance,
which is a key element in
responsible, modern engineering
and manufacturing.’
www.shearline.co.uk
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