ArticuLock®

Stress and Fatigue Elimination

Drilling operations face safety and operational challenges, but an invisible contributing factor that can hinder operations is the weather. Operators can plan for weather related downtime but ArticuLock® allows them to help mitigate against the, often unavoidable, downtime associated with weather.

ArticuLock® is a simple and robust tool capable of opening up weather windows for installing subsea equipment by eliminating bending stress from rigid subsea deployment landing strings or stabilising equipment against currents.

ArticuLock® is based on a ball and socket concept that has been intelligently engineered with a seal stack arrangement to provide hydraulic sealing capability up to 5000psi.

With a torque mechanism to provide 30kftlbs of torque rating ArticuLock® has a selectable, lockable sleeve to secure the tool in a rigid axial position in the locked position, while also providing +/-15deg of articulation in any orientation when in the unlocked position. ArticuLock® is an easy to utilise solution for elimination bending stress and fatigue.

Expro's ArticuLock® technology provides open-water, riser, casing or landing string articulation, even in extreme conditions to:

• extend the weather window for deployment of subsea trees, flow-bases, emergency disconnect package (EDP)/lower riser package (LRP) or casing strings etc by >400%
• eliminate low cycle fatigue (remove stiffness) associated with hang-off or suspending loads during riserless or open-water operations
• provide a contingency to allow subsea deployment or intervention operations to continue even in high significant wave height, sea-swell or loop current conditions
• reduce Waiting on Weather (WOW) time

Technical features:

• 400 tonne axal capacity
• 30 Degrees of allowable articulation
• Torque through capability
• Pump through capability
• Cement through capability
• 5000 psi rating