A bottle of water is sitting on the rail of the entry deck to the site manager’s office on a drilling site outside of Pecos, Texas. The temperature is dropping at the rate of 4 degrees per minute. As the temperature hits 26 degrees, the bottle freezes instantaneously and the bottle splits in two from the expansion. That was just the beginning of a prolonged extreme weather event that would cripple operations across the Permian plane. With literally thousands of exposed pipes lying on the ground full of water, there was no chance of avoiding a catastrophe, unless prior precautions had taken place beforehand.
WaterFleet is one of the providers to the Oil and Gas industry in the Permian basin, and we have our significant share of water pipes lying on the ground. Those pipes transfer potable water to the crew housing on drilling sites, and if they freeze up, it means no showers or toilets for the inhabitants just when they need it most.
WaterFleet’s winterization program is a significant effort that does not wait for winter to arrive; it begins as the spring flowers are starting to bloom. Our objective is simple: to shield our customers from the impact of extreme weather by ensuring uninterrupted service even during the most extreme weather conditions. While the goal is straightforward, the planning, production, and execution demands a monumental effort.
It Starts with Strategy:
While it is common freeze protection practice at our homes to insulate outdoor pipes and faucets, maybe even use heat tape for extra protection, just imagine doing that on dozens of remote locations with miles of pipes and hundreds of connections. Oh, and those pipes get disconnected, relocated, and reassembled every 40 days on average.
The WaterFleet solution is carefully developed and updated by the combined expertise of seasoned professionals and subject matter experts, relying on years of hands-on experience in the field. Together, they craft a comprehensive winterization strategy, with a clear, actionable plan. The plan encompasses evaluation of materials, processes, power requirements, connectivity, failure points, and labor application to ensure a seamless and effective implementation.
Execution Is Everything:
Every year, WaterFleet thoroughly evaluates our it’s systems and re-thinks as needed to drive continuous improvement. It isn’t just the man-hours invested in the design of the new system or the task of sourcing and procuring of upgraded materials. It goes well beyond that. Shop production is required to assemble the materials. Field production needs to physically install new components on location and return the old materials to our yards for upgrades. The installation and function testing of multiple hardware and technology upgrades are incorporated into the new design. The countless man-hours of production meetings to assess where we stand against our target milestones and make necessary adjustments along the way. It is all in the execution of the plan.
It extends far beyond the physical coverage of our systems in the field. We incorporate our remote command and control facility to track performance and detect issues early, pre-staging crews in the most affected areas, and stocking the most appropriate repair parts to quickly resolve issues.
The Secret Sauce:
Beyond the intellectual property (IP) associated with our automation and remote-control capabilities, the reality is that most of the material upgrades to our winterization solution can be purchased off the shelf. Two elements make all the difference:
- Smart application. We use our past failures to improve our current systems. Relentlessly eliminating the weak points and enhancing the capabilities using smarter techniques. Applying the chosen product solutions appropriately for the task at hand.
- Our Core Values and Mission. We emphasize behaviors rooted in Quality, One Team, Radically Innovative, Health & Wellbeing, and Respect; principles embedded in our company DNA. It’s our culture that drives us to challenge the status quo, to coalesce and attack as a team, to innovate purposefully to engineer best-in-class solutions, to develop a clear plan of attack, and to execute those plans with pride and urgency.
These are the things you cannot replicate, and you cannot buy, they are our secret sauce.
The Verdict Is In:
For us, that water bottle symbolizes everything at stake. When the temperature drops, every second counts, and the thousands of man-hours and millions of dollars we invest ahead of that time is our commitment to providing uninterrupted service to our customers during the winter season. The cost of this effort is huge, but the value is undeniable, especially for the crews who depend on our products and services daily.