New products developed in response to BP spill unveiled in U.S.

A number of products developed in response to the devastating BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico were unveiled at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) that concluded here on Friday.


More than 2,500 companies were exhibiting their products and technologies at the annual event, the largest of its kind in the world, compared with 2,385 companies in 2010. Attendance at this year's conference was also expected to be higher than last year's.


Companies were presenting new products designed to prevent a repeat of last year's BP accident that killed 11 workers and unleashed the worst oil spill in U.S. history.


National Oilwell Varco introduced its ShearMax low force casing shear rams, a pair of tridentlike blades that can shear tool joints as well as casing when combined with 5,000 psi and a 22-inch operator.


Robbins & Myers' T-3 Energy unit unveiled its new design for a shear ram. Unlike most of the shear rams that use a pair of V-shaped blades to cut pipes in an emergency, the new device uses a curved blade like the curved hook on a Swiss Army knife can opener.


The curved blade is expected to do a much better job of moving any pipe in the well bore to the center for cutting than the V-shaped blades.


GE Oil & Gas's new blowout preventers include a hardware and software system that allows an operator to know how far shear rams close within the blowout preventer.


The BP spill surely aroused the industry's sensitivity to safety of operation, an exhibitor at the conference said.


Founded in 1969, the annual Offshore Technology Conference is the world's foremost event for the development of offshore resources in the fields of drilling, exploration, production, and environmental protection.
(Source:http://news.xinhuanet.com)