Engine And Generator Control

Caterpillar Oil & Gas is introducing its Smart Engine Management System (SEMS) at the 2017 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC).

SEMS is the latest engine and generator controller algorithm developed by Caterpillar exclusively for land electric drilling rigs. SEMS is designed to efficiently and automatically manages the number of engines required to meet rig power demands and support rig automation.

SEMS works by continuously monitoring rig power demand and transient spikes versus available engine power.  Depending on the power demand and availability, engines are added or dropped automatically for efficient operation.

“By only running gensets as needed, it helps our customers significantly lower operating costs,” said Diana Hopkins, land drilling segment manager for Caterpillar Oil & Gas.  “Customer’s utilizing SEMS have experienced a reduction in fuel consumption of approximately 10-percent based on well profile. Additionally, SEMS reduces yearly maintenance cost with reduced engine run time.” SEMS results in a fifteen to twenty-percent reduction in engine runtime based on well profile.

“When used with Caterpillar’s Dynamic Gas Blending (DGB) system, SEMS facilitates higher substitution through better engine load management further reducing operating costs.”

In addition to fuel savings, SEMS offers improved safety at the rig by providing remote access to engine controls through HMI, as well as at the site for rig crew working around engines with local lockouts, visual and audible alarms before engine startup, the company said.