A little background to NS-2™

The NS-2™ standard has been based on real life equipment failures. These failures have been investigated and recorded by Fearnley Procter and subjected to analysis over time. The underlying concept is to base our inspection on the prevention of failures and ultimately the reduction of Non-Productive Time (NPT).

However, this is a complete system. Inspection being one link in the chain of events involved in drilling operations. Inspection may even be the most crucial stage, as the smallest error made during inspection can have the most detrimental effect downhole, costing millions in NPT.

The NS fleet of standards and publications have been developed with this idea in mind and at the core of its content. Never the less, this is not enough. Having an inspection standard that could potentially save millions in NPT sitting in the inspection bay is one thing, but having an inspector with a competent working knowledge of the inspection standard along with the principles that govern it, is far better.

At its inception NS-2™ was a Shell document and known as 8002-001 Shell Drillstring Inspection Standard. Shell had taken it over from Exxon in the US, since at the time little was available in the way of inspection standards for minimising drillstring failures. Shell assembled a quality team to work on the project of developing this document, which at the time, was still in its infancy. One of the members of the quality team happened to be Kevin Fearnley. Who, at the time, was the founder of OCTG Consultancy Limited: a successful and rapidly expanding consultancy company operating in Aberdeen.

Shell assigned Kevin as their Principle Author, who sometime later, returned the document to Shell complete with enhanced Acceptance and Rejection Criteria and detailed Inspection Procedures.

Shell released 8002-001 into the industry but soon wanted an organisation to take ownership of it along with SQAIR (Shell Quality and Inspection Requirements) for the manufacture and testing of New Drillstring and Well Completion Equipment.

In 1998 OCTG Consultancy merged with Procter & Collins, another specialised Consultancy Company in Aberdeen, to form Fearnley Procter Group.

Fearnley Procter, took over full ownership of the two standards; SQAIR, which became NS-1™ and 8002-001, which became NS-2™.

Since those days at Shell, the standard has grown and developed, moving with the advances in technology and experiences of the sector. Drilling operations have become more intense, and increasing stress is given to the reliability of the drilling equipment. NS-2™ has always prided itself on being at the forefront of the industry. Today it is in use with many Operators, Drilling and Service Companies worldwide, as is NS-1™