Stinger Wellhead Protection Canada reports its 200th ball launch job took place on Jan. 29.

 

The first Stinger Sure Drop Ball Launcher treatment was completed on July 19, the company says.

 

The Sure Drop tool holds incrementally sized balls designed to assist in horizontal multi-stage completions. The tool is positioned outside of the frac stream and can handle up to 27 balls whose diameter range from 0.75 inches (19 millimetres) to 4.75 inches (120 millimetres).

 

Stinger currently has six ball launchers in Canada servicing the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. The launcher design provides multiple confirmations of successful launches, says the company.

 

"The Sure Drop Ball Launcher is controlled remotely by a laptop, which can be located in any safe area of the customer's choosing," says Julian Majic, sales manager for Stinger Wellhead Protection Canada. "Remotely launching balls protects workers by removing them from a high-pressure hot zone."

 

Stinger Wellhead Protection Canada is a subsidiary of Oil States International, which provides wellhead isolation tools and ball launchers to the oil and gas industry. Stinger's Canadian headquarters is located in Red Deer, with a sales office in Calgary, and additional service centres in Red Deer, Grande Prairie, Medicine Hat and Weyburn.