SLB has launched its new EWC™ electric well control technology, which aim to lower costs and enhance the safety of drilling operations.

Traditionally, well control systems have relied on hydraulic systems, which involve a complex network of hoses, valves, and actuators, making them expensive to install and requires costly routine maintenance over their lifetime.

The EWC technology replaces these hydraulic systems with a simpler electric power system, significantly cutting costs and providing real-time data and continuous power to well control components under any operating conditions.

“As drillers continue to seek safer, cost-efficient solutions for well control, we continue to focus on innovation to answer this call,” said Cecilia Prieto, president, Well Construction, SLB.

“EWC represents the next evolution of well control technologies, which we pioneered with the industry’s first blow out preventer (BOP) a century ago. Not only do these technologies remove the upfront and long-term cost inefficiencies of traditional hydraulic well control systems, but they also bring next-level safety capabilities that are in line with new industry standards and regulatory requirements worldwide for closing times and full system redundancy,” Prieto added.

The EWC technology allows for instant and precise control and monitoring of BOPs onshore and offshore, leveraging industrial internet of things (IIoT) components to provide real-time pressure readouts without conventional gauges.

This will help customers make better-informed decisions about the operation and maintenance of the well control system, reducing nonproductive time and minimizing opex, SLB said on Tuesday.

SLB has also secured a front-end engineering and design (FEED) contract to develop a custom EWC BOP control system for a rig in the North Sea, with the final design review expected in the first half of 2025.