Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas), a global energy company with operations in North and South America, and MIT Innovation Sdn Bhd have partnered to develop Intelligent Circulation While Drilling (iCWD), a smart technology that can lower drilling costs significantly. In a recent statement, Petronas said iCWD is the industry’s first drilling valve system that provides remote-controlled operations with ‘agile activation’, an intelligent system that activates and communicates with downhole tools.
The iCWD features enable drillers to carry out the placement of loss circulation material and cement plugs, in the event of loss of fluids while drilling, saving operators’ time and money.
The iCWD, which is manufactured in Malaysia, has been deployed for Petronas’ domestic operations and will soon be used at the group’s international locations, including operations in the Americas.