The oil and gas industry is exposed to a growing number of challenges in managing drilling rig operations. Today, drill plans are much deeper and more complex than ever before. And, many of the wells and drilling sites are typically characterized by a harsh environment. In such a scenario, it goes without saying that the archaic strategies and technology tools used to manage pressure variations produced by the mud pumps fail to handle the increasing pressure the rigs are operating under today. Looking deeper into the challenges, it is widely known that the gas-charged diaphragms used in pulsation dampeners have shortcomings such as uncontrolled ruptures, inadequate energy mitigation, and susceptibility to safety hazards.
Once the bladders fail, the mud pump has to be shut off till it gets repaired. This results in unplanned downtime and loss of value for every stakeholder involved in the project, from the operator to drilling contractor. As gas bladders lack the ability to meet the evolving demands due to technical limitations, the oil and gas industry is looking for a disruptive solution that can bring a comprehensive solution to these problems.

Katy, Texas-based Sigma Drilling Technologies is ushering in a modern renaissance in pulsation control technologies with its highly advanced, charge-free family of equipment.
The company’s Charge Free Conversion (CFC) Kit converts gas-charged pulsation dampeners into charge-free mitigation device that requires zero maintenance or lasts longer.

CFC Kit combines two energy mitigation systems to offer greater flexibility in solving the operational problems common to gas-filled bladders. Each kit has several ports that allow exchange of fluid between sixteen compression wedges. Instead of bladder and gasses, it uses a molded basket that has four layers, each designed to compress at different pressure points. The solution also works on a kinetic exchange model where it is transferred across each layer. “We have designed CFC Kit in such a way that users can utilize their existing assets to achieve increased performance in both energy mitigation and WMD detection while reducing the operational cost and risk of catastrophic failure,” says Justin P. Manley, President of Sigma.

Generations ahead of the primitive gas bladders, Sigmas's CFC Kit improves mud pumps’ uptime and rig performance metrics.
The kits can be easily installed in any 20-gallon discharge pulsation dampener and can work efficiently in extreme conditions for a long duration.

Focused on technology advancement and problem-solving, Sigma delivers state-of-the-art technologies such as their CFD System, a multi-stage pulsation control system, and CFS (Charge Free Stabilizer) for both compression and kinetic exchange without any gas charging or unreliable cartridges. Sigma’s solutions are designed to provide a simple way to manage drilling operations through the right rig metrics. “We help maximize both clients’ production output and the ROI on equipment,” says Manley.

For one of its clients, in an instance, Sigma conducted a rig survey and analyzed the data from two rigs running two mud pumps on primitive gas bladders. The rigs had 12 failures over a 12 months period. The average cost of replacement of the blown bladder was $4,000 approximately. After analyzing the data, the client decided to replace the rigs’ gas bladders with Sigma’s CFC Kit. After installation, the mud pump performance and MWD signal detection improved significantly.

Being at the forefront of technology developments, Sigma looks forward to educating clients on the importance of upgrading their supply side of the mud pump. Also, the company aims to upgrade its existing stack of solutions to better serve its clients.