Expro delivers offshore excellence: safety, speed and savings with Blackhawk Cement Head

Customer Challenges

Cement head management:

• The customer was required to demobilize the cement head after every job for onshore inspection and redressing, resulting in operational inefficiencies 
• During previous campaigns, residual cement debris was repeatedly found inside the cement head, rendering it unfit for immediate reuse and contributing to project delays

Dart reloading capability:

• The customer needed a cement head design that allowed darts to be reloaded on location without removing pup joints, enabling faster, safer job preparation • In an earlier operation, the cement head became detached when the rig inverted it to break out the upper pup joint, causing one fully day of non-productive time (NPT)

Safety improvements:

• A key customer priority was to reduce personnel exposure within the Red Zone by adopting equipment and processes that enhanced operational safety

Expro Excellence

Enhanced safety:

• The Blackhawk Cement Head with Skyhook system removes the need for personnel to enter the Red Zone at any stage of the cementing operation 
• By integrating hands free handling and controlled tool positioning, Expro’s solution significantly reduced physical exposure and improved overall operational safety

Improved Operational Efficiency:

• The proprietary QuikLock™ connection, which is included on all of Expro’s Blackhawk Gen-II & Gen-III cement heads enabled, fast, on location dart reloading without having to break out pup joints 
• This streamlined process reduces rig floor activity, shortened job preparation time, and enhances both safety and workflow efficiency

Reliable Internal Cleaning:

• Our purpose built cage design ensured continuous mud flushing through the cement head’s internal diameter 
• This eliminated the need to stop circulation to clear bypass channels - an issue common with previous cement head designs - ensuring reliable, repeatable performance across runs

Reduced Logistics & Cost Savings:

•  Expro’s cement head was designed to remain offshore between jobs, eliminating the requirement for onshore redress or cleaning
• This reduces logistics handling, minimizes vessel movements, and lowers both planning and operational costs for the customer

Value to Client

Faster preparation for subsequent operations:

• Our solution saved 2 hours on cement head preparation for each job 
• We had no requirement to invert the cement head to break out pup joints, reducing operational steps and simplifying the workflow 
• Minimized the risk of damage to rig equipment and removed unnecessary personnel exposure on the rig floor

Reduced cement line handling:

• Expro’s Skyhook system enabled rapid connection and disconnection of cement lines, saving around 1.5 hours per operation 
• Workflow becomes significantly more streamlined, reducing manual handling and improving efficiency

Enhanced personnel safety:

• Cementing operations could be completed with personnel fully removed from the Red Zone, supporting the highest safety standards 
• We eliminated the need for man riding activities, significantly decreasing the likelihood of safety incidents

Contact

For further information, please contact wellconstruction@expro.com.