High-resolution video screens aren’t just for the kids in the house anymore.

            People in the oil and gas industry, from investors who might live thousands of miles from the drillsite to the crew that does the work, now often rely on high-tech video systems for safety, information and production.

            The systems fall into basically two categories: closed-circuit television monitoring for production and safety purposes at the drilling site and systems that broadcast activity via satellite so the viewer can watch on a monitor or through Internet access.

            A pioneer in the latter type, Michael Dwinnell, is president and chief executive officer of Dallas/Fort Worth-based Drillsite Broadcast Company (www.drillsitebroadcast.com). He developed a proprietary system called Remote Drillsite Broadcast System that delivers data in real-time streaming video from the drilling rig.

            An obvious advantage, Dwinnell said, is being able to watch what’s happening at the drillsite from the comfort of home or office. For example, an interested party might be in Houston and want to know what’s going on at a drillsite in North Dakota where it’s minus-27 degrees.

            “It’s kind of nice not to have to be out there,” Dwinnell said.

            One of Dwinnell’s customers is Alfaro Oil and Gas, based in San Antonio. Brian Alfaro, chief executive officer and president, said the technology is especially popular with investors who may live so far away from a drillsite that it would be impractical to travel there. By obtaining a password, the investor can log onto a site and watch the action in real-time.

            “They’re able to go and basically see their well drilled,” Alfaro said. “It just makes it more real.”

            Another happy customer is James L. “Larry” Poston, chief executive officer of Aruba Petroleum, an operating company located in Plano. Poston’s company operates mainly in the Barnett, Marcellus, and Haynesville shales. He had Drillsite Broadcast equipment in use in the Barnett Shale from September 2007 through August 2008, when an economic downturn made him cut back on expenses. He plans to use the system again when the economy picks up.

            “We were able to see at any time what was going on at the location,” Poston said. “You could just about be on location with your eyes whenever you wanted to be.”

            Poston, and others who have experience with cameras at the drillsite, said the crew does not resent being on camera and does not consider it an invasion of privacy. In fact, many of them like knowing that wives and children can log on and watch what’s going on.

            Poston added that the year-long surveillance didn’t reveal any unusual activity. Dwinnell, the developer of the system, said occasionally guys will be caught “performing” for the camera, but usually they are so busy, they forget about the cameras.

            “We’ve seen a couple of rig hands who hammed it up,” he said, including “moonwalking” on the rig floor after the death of pop star Michael Jackson, who created the dance move.

            In fact, Dwinnell—and customers—say having cameras onsite does more to raise awareness than to create hazardous distractions. Having cameras at the drillsite increases accountability, safety and security, he said.

            “It hits on many different points,” Dwinnell said.

            Dwinnell’s company, Drillsite Broadcast, assembles the oilfield-sturdy equipment at its Fort Worth facility and then leases it. His employees rig up the cameras—usually four, but as many as 16—and leave them in place as long as they are needed, which usually ranges from 12 to 90 days. Costs range from $275 to $350 per day, depending on number of cameras.

            The equipment is built in pods, which makes for easy shipping to a drillsite, Dwinnell said. Once the equipment is in place, the Drillsite crew leaves, and the system is unmanned. Workers return when the operation is complete to remove the system.

            Dwinnell got the idea for his system in 1999 and has since developed it into the product it is today. He jokes that the original setup, put together with store-bought parts, was a long way from what he produces now.

            “It was more like Orville and Wilbur Wright’s first airplane was—not a Lear Jet,” Dwinnell said.

            Keith Lear of Louisiana had similar humble beginnings with Drill-View Video System (www.drillviewvideo.com), which he started in January 2003 with one camera.

            Lear first began building systems in 1997 while working with another company that decided not to pursue the idea because there was not enough business. He opened Drill-View Video System, which combines both local viewing and remote viewing via satellite, in January 2003. Now, the Baton Rouge, La.-based company sends crews all over the world to install closed-circuit TV systems to guide production and to enhance safety. Typically, from four to eight cameras will be installed.

            “We are the eyes of the rig,” Lear said.

            Lear’s employees go to the drillsite, install the cameras onto the rig, and train the crew to use the equipment. They also service the equipment and return to the site as needed. Lear recalled that a customer once called because he couldn’t get the system to work. A Drill-View employee quickly diagnosed the problem—the coffee pot was plugged into the wrong receptacle, knocking out power. But once the equipment is installed, it’s pretty easy to learn to operate, according to the company.

            In fact, said Drill-View’s Mark Andermann, the system is simple enough for a 10-year-old to grasp. Most of the younger guys on a rig grew up with video and computer skills, so learning the system is a piece of cake.

            “In seven minutes, they’ll tell you all about the system,” Andermann said.

            The equipment may be easy for rig hands to learn to use, but it is built rugged enough to withstand the vibrations and jolts that a rig can hand out.

            “This is oilfield equipment,” Andermann explained. “This is industrial.”

            Drill-View’s equipment primarily is installed on land rigs that move constantly, but because of its ease of use, the equipment can be rigged up and down by rig personnel. Newer systems come with touch screen technology—if the buyer wants to fork over the money. Lear, general manager and chief executive officer of the company, said prices range from $16,000 for the one-camera Eagle 2 system that he developed, to $55,000 for the System 800, with touch screens and seven or eight cameras.

            As fancy and “gee whiz” as the equipment is nowadays, its purpose is serious business. In fact, Lear said, most large companies like Exxon Mobil, Shell and BP won’t even do business unless the operation includes video technology said.

            The standard message from those folks is, “You will have video on this rig or you will not drill,” Lear said.

            And for good reason. If “a picture is worth a thousand words,” that can be especially true when it comes to explaining an accident to an insurance company. And, the video can be used to train crews, show how to prevent future accidents, and provide a historical record.

            Video has come a long way since it was first used in the oilfield. Closed-circuit TV (CCTV) first arrived on the scene in the 1970s, said Russell Lanclos, vice president and general manager of Royal Service & Rentals in Broussard, La.

            In 1984, Royal placed its first unit offshore. Lanclos said the main use for CCTV systems is observation of job functions and personnel. Lanclos described his company’s product as a “plug and play” system that, once installed by Royal technicians, can be operated by rig personnel. Systems range from one camera to multi-camera operations. They also can offer remote viewing.

            Costs range from $18,000 to $40,000, Lanclos said. The CCTV system in many cases works in conjunction with other job processes during normal work activity, Lanclos said.

            For example, Royal offers a crane boom camera that attaches to the tip of a crane with a monitor inside the cab of the crane. That allows the crane operator to see over or around anything blocking his view.

            From manufacturers to customers, people experienced in the video technology used in today’s oil and gas industry agree that it is an ever-evolving technology. New types of equipment and new uses for video are always popping up. For example, no one could have envisioned in the 1970s, when CCTV came about, that someday images would bounce off satellites and onto a laptop screen.

            Keith Lear, general manager and CEO of Drill-View Video System, started his business just 12 years ago and couldn’t have imagined then what all his employees would be doing today.

            “Every day it’s something new,” he said. By Loretta Fulton, Special Contributor.