ATELIER 4

Forage et Production en Grande

Profondeur
(> 1 500 m)
Technologie et Scurit
Ttes de Puits en Surface

Claude Valenchon Saipem s.a.

Agenda

Introduction
Saipem
Subsea vs. dry-tree development

Existing dry-tree units :

Tension leg platform (TLP)
SPAR
Geographical distribution

New concepts proposed by the industry

Deep-draft semi-submersible
Barge type

Drilling: Surface BOP vs. subsea BOP

Dry-tree unit selection criteria
Functions and environmental conditions
Incentives and favourable factors

Conclusion
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Introduction

Introduction : Saipem - Three Global Business Units

Offshore

Onshore
Drilling

Offshore Drilling

Onshore Drilling

Introduction : Saipem - Large / Deepwater Projects

Field Development and Floating Production
Usan (Nigeria)
URF and Loading Terminal EPCI
Client: Total

SURF EPCI
Normand Cutter

Sequoia (Egypt)

Manifolds, PLETs, flowlines,

jumpers
53 km. of umbilicals

Erha - FPSO EPC (Nigeria)

Akpo URF (Nigeria)

Local Content:
Production and Injection Network1.2 million man-hours
Umbilical Network-Gas Export pipelineOil Loading Terminal (OLT)-FPSO
Mooring System

1350m WD
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Introduction : Saipem Offshore Technology Development Topics

SURF Technologies
Subsea process
Offshore renewables
Floating

LNG

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Introduction : Typical Deepwater Subsea Development (Akpo Total Nigeria)

FPSO
Drill ship
Risers

Subsea wells

Flowlines

Introduction : Typical Deepwater Dry-Tree Development (Kizomba - Exxon - Angola)

Existing Dry-Tree Units

Existing Deepwater Dry-Tree Units (1)

Tension leg platforms (TLP):
First TLP: 1984 HUTTON (Conoco), North Sea
147 m wd
Deepest TLP: 2005 MAGNOLIA (Conoco-Phillips), GoM
1425 m wd
Maximum design depth: 2500 m wd (est.)

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Existing Deepwater Dry-Tree Units (2)

Spar:
First Spar: 1997 NEPTUNE (Anadarko), GoM
590 m wd
Deepest Spar: 2010 PERDIDO (Shell), GoM
2380 m wd
Maximum design depth: 3000 m wd (est.)

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Deepwater Dry-Tree Units Geographical Distribution

North Sea
3 TLPs

Gulf of Mexico
17 Spars
16 TLPs

West Africa
4 TLPs

Southeast Asia
1 Spar
1 TLP
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New Concepts proposed by the Industry

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Dry-Tree Deep Draft Semi-Submersible

Proposed by:

Aker Solutions: DDP

Floatec: Truss semiTM, E-semiTM
Horton Wison: Multi-column Floater
Moss Maritime: Octabuoy
Technip: EDP

Main characteristics:

From Mild to Harsh environment

Wide range of water depth (150 m 3000 m)
Can accommodate drilling, production and limited crude storage
Up to 30 wells

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Example of Deep-Draft Semi-Submersible: EDP Extendable Draft Platform (Technip)

Main characteristics:

The EDP has:

Superior motions to a conventional semi-submersible
Equivalent motions to a Spar
Simple taut moorings

Construction & Transport Configuration

Production & drilling

Wide payload range from wellhead
platform up to 50,000 tonnes and above
Full drilling surface BOP
Tender assisted drilling (TAD)

Courtesy

Operational Configuration

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Example of Deep-Draft Semi-Submersible: Octabuoy (Moss Maritime-Saipem)

Currently under construction for ATP
2 successive planned applications for this unit namely the
Cheviot field (150 m water depth) in the North Sea and a
GoM deepwater field (1500 m water depth)
10 dry trees
Courtesy

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Barge Type: the WellHead Barge (Saipem)

Specific environmental conditions (Gulf of Guinea):
Mild extreme environment: - Directional environment (swell, wind),
- Occasional long period swell with small amplitudes
West of Africa Gulf of Guinea
Hs < 2.5 m
Tp < 11 s
95% of waves
Hs < 4.5 m
Tp < 16 s
Wind

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WellHead Barge: Key Features

Large Water depth range from 500m

to 3000 m WD
From 6 to 30+ free standing toptensioned dry-tree risers
From test and manifold only to full
process capability
Large topsides loads capacity: oil
production from 50,000 bopd to
250,000 bopd
Flexibility in rig selection
Segregation of functions: utilities,
drilling, dry-tree, process
high
safety level

Drilling rig
Utilities
modules

Process
Modules

Living
quarter

High
pressure
risers
Hull & moorings

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Typical WellHead Barge for 20 wells, 100,000 bopd: General Overview and Dimensions

Topsides
Hull

Living
Quarter

Utilities

Drilling
& Risers

Process
Hull dimensions:

Length: 260 m

Width: 60 m

Height: 20 m

Moonpool: 70 x 20 m
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Drilling: Surface BOP vs. Subsea BOP

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Drilling: Surface BOP vs. Subsea BOP

Surface BOP

Used on fixed platform, TLP, SPAR

Smaller, lighter and simpler BOP
Permanent visual inspection
Easier and simpler BOP test procedures
Suitable for dual barrier drilling riser
Short kill lines

Subsea BOP :

Used with drillship or drilling semi-submersible

Heavy and complex system at seabed
BOP tests more complex and difficult
Long kill lines (more difficult well control)
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Dry-Tree Unit Selection Criteria

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Dry-Tree Unit Selection Criteria

Possible Functions of Dry-Tree Units

Completion only (drilling by MODU)

Drilling and completion (included, or with tender)
Work-over
Accommodation and utilities
Process from Manifold and test only to all process functions
Oil storage (limited on deep-draft semi-submersible, possible on barge type)

Environmental conditions
From mild to harsh: TLP, Spars, deep-draft semi-submersible
Mild (Gulf of Guinea): Barge type

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Deepwater Dry-Tree Units Selection Criteria (vs. Subsea wells)

Incentives:
Rapid and easy access to well for control, monitoring and interventions
Easier use of ESPs in wells (thanks to easy access);
Better reservoir management
(no commingling of well fluids, monitoring per well,...);
Improvement of flow assurance;
Higher recovery factor
Independence from drilling rig availability.

Favourable factors for the selection of a dry-tree unit:

Compact reservoirs;
Deeply buried reservoirs;
Wells requiring frequent interventions
(monitoring, ESPs, water flooding, side-track);
Scarcity / high cost of drilling vessels.
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Conclusion

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Conclusion

Dry-tree units have an excellent track record

Wide range of possible functions from completion / wellhead only,
to drilling wellhead and full production
Wide range of environmental conditions and water depth
Reduced subsea IMR operations during field life
(less equipment on sea-bed)

Dry-tree units might be a good way to develop deeper and

more difficult reservoirs?
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