Frank’s Sheaveless COBRA® Control Line Manipulator Arm (SCLMA) Named Co-winner of “Designed for Safety” Award

The Frank’s International Sheaveless Control Line Manipulator Arm (SCLMA), or “Sheaveless COBRA®” was recently named a co-winner of the “Designed for Safety” Award category as part of the 2019 Shell Wells Leadership Team Quarterly Focus Awards for Q1. The SCLMA was honored for its success in facilitating sheaveless installation of smart completions for the Brunei Shell Petroleum Company (BSP) Wells team. Frank’s shared the award in the “Designed for Safety” category with the Shell UK Wells Team for their lift minimization program.

The SCLMA solution was acknowledged for eliminating the requirement to use sheaves in the derrick during smart completions running. Safety was enhanced through removal of the need to work at heights to hang sheaves, and through reduction of DROPS risk and personnel RED zone exposure. The SCLMA also facilitated a reduction in manual handling associated with clamp installation, further supporting safety.

The SCLMA technology aligns with an industry focus on reducing the risks posed by dropped objects. In addition to eliminating sheaves and associated man-riding operations, it includes a failsafe “cut and secure” system in the event of uncontrolled descent of a string. It offers multiple features that help improve control line integrity and reduces personnel on the rig floor. The full system, including SCLMA, spider and elevator, can be operated via remote single-handed control and is suitable for deepwater, land and shelf operations.

Eddie Sinclair, Frank’s Technical Director for APAC, commented, “We are honored to be recognized for our SCLMA technology. I extend my appreciation to the teams who worked safely and effectively throughout this successful smart completions operation. Our core value of safety runs throughout all aspects of Frank’s culture and operations and we are proud to work with Shell in support of their GOAL ZERO safety efforts.”