OTC 13177
Cantarell’s Akal C Complex: the World’s Largest Offshore Gas Treating
and Lift Gas Generation Platforms
Ron Kettles, Bechtel Corporation, J. C. Kuo, IPSI/Bechtel, and Javier Rubio, Petroleos Mexicano (Pemex)
Copyright 2001, Offshore Technology Conference
This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2001 Offshore Technology Conference held in Houston,
Texas, 30 April – 3 May 2001.
This paper was selected for presentation by the OTC Program Committee following review of the
information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper, as presented,
have not been reviewed by the Offshore Technology Conference and are subject to correction by the
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Abstract
Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) is undertaking a major upgrade and
expansion of the Cantarell oil field in the Gulf of Mexico in order
to increase crude oil production, reduce gas flaring, and improve
the reliability and operational safety of existing facilities. Within
the Cantarell Field, Akal C is the most important complex due to
its gas treating and compression capacities.
This paper outlines the design and construction challenges
associated with the modernization and expansion of the Akal C
complex to meet the Cantarell project objectives.
Introduction to Cantarell Oil Field
The Cantarell field, located about 80 kilometers (km) offshore of
the Yucatan Peninsula in the Bay of Campeche, Mexico (see
Figure 1: Location of Cantarell Oil Field), is the largest oil field in
Mexico. The Cantarell field is composed of four major fields:
Akal, Nohoch, Chac, and Kutz, in addition to the reserves in the
newly discovered deeper Sihil Field. Cantarell’s largest reservoir,
the Akal field, is considered the sixth largest reservoir in the world.
Since Cantarell’s initial discovery in 1976 and exploitation in
1979, reservoir pressure has declined by more than 60 percent (see
Figure 2: Reservoir Pressure and Oil Production Over Time),
leading to numerous operational difficulties in sustaining the target
oil production rate, including falling well fluid levels and the
increased need for lift gas.
In addition to overcoming the impacts from falling reservoir
pressure, Pemex wanted to accomplish several key objectives:
• increase the reserves,
• more than double oil production,
• utilize all the produced gas by adding sufficient
compression and process capacity, and
• modernize the existing facilities to improve operational
safety and efficiency.
The program to do so has resulted in several major
concurrent, integrated projects of unprecedented size and
complexity, which together have created the largest offshore
expansion of its type in the world. Major components of the
Cantarell project include:
• modernize 39 existing platforms and constructing 26 new
main platforms to increase oil and gas production and
handling capacity,
• developing two new complexes (Akal L and B),
• building a floating storage/offloading facility for oil
production handling,
• building the largest nitrogen generation plant in the world to
supply 1,200 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscf/d) of
nitrogen gas to pressurize the oil reservoir,
• laying more than 400 km of subsea pipelines to augment the
existing 1,700 km network,
• increasing gas handling capacity,
• building offshore gas treating platforms to generate lift gas,
• modernizing Akal C to increase its gas compression and
processing facilities to generate lift gas offshore, and
• modernizing the safety and control systems of all existing
platforms and complexes.
To execute this massive program, projects were grouped in
two “plans,” with considerable integration and tie-in between the
two. The Short-Term Plan focused on the most urgent upgrades of
existing 20-year-old facilities (complexes Akal C, Akal-J, and
Nohoch-A) and a new lift gas generation facility at Akal C to
allow oil production to increase and allow gas flaring to decrease.
The Long-Term Plan focused on additional lift-gas
production capacity and extensive new oil production facilities,
including new production complexes at Akal B and L, and 10 new
satellite wellhead platforms to enable substantially more
oil production.
This paper focuses on the technical, construction, and
execution challenges associated with generating additional lift gas
to meet increased oil production goals, and upgrading and
debottlenecking the offshore complex to increase operational
efficiency and accommodate the increased production objectives
2 R. KETTLES, J.C. KUO, J. RUBIO
for the Akal C complex which, when completed, will consist of 11
major platforms.
Generating Additional Lift Gas for Cantarell
Lift gas is commonly used in the oil-producing industry to
facilitate oil extraction from the reservoir. Pressurized lift gas is
injected into the extraction wells, where it mixes with the oil. The
resulting mixture is lighter and therefore easier to lift. The
availability of lift gas at Cantarell is crucial for a sustained increase
in oil production.
There are about 205 production wells in the Cantarell field,
producing between 4,000 and 16,000 barrels per day (bpd). Each
well requires, on average, approximately 2.8 mmscf/d of lift gas.
The combined requirements of increasing reservoir pressure
to maintain current production levels coupled with the increased
production objectives made the supply of lift gas the single most
crucial activity for a sustained increase in oil production for the
Cantarell field.
Existing Lift Gas Generation System. For the Cantarell field,
most of the “sweet” lift gas was previously generated onshore. A
80-km-long pipeline supplied lift gas from an onshore natural gas
liquids (NGL) cryogenic recovery plant to the town of Atasta,
Mexico, where it was transported offshore in another 80-km-long
subsea pipeline.
Some of the sour gas generated from oil field production was
sent onshore for gas conditioning and retail sale. However, some
of the sour gas was flared at Akal C because the existing gas
production facilities were not designed to handle either the
increased need for lift gas to maintain the oil production or the
additional gas quantities required to support the
increased production.
This increase in gas handling requirements created an
overwhelming need to significantly increase the gas handling
(compression and process) capacity.
Options to Generate Additional Lift Gas. A comprehensive
study was conducted to identify potential sources and the best
possible option for generating additional lift gas in order to meet
the increased oil production goals. Options studied included:
1. continuing to use onshore-generated (sweet) lift gas,
transported offshore through the existing subsea lines, and
using the sour gas generated offshore as supplemental lift gas,
2. generating additional (sweet) lift gas onshore and transporting
it through new onshore and subsea pipelines, or
3. installing additional platforms for treating the sour gas
offshore. This would require sweetening and refrigerating the
treated gas and meeting stringent hydrogen sulfide (H2S),
carbon dioxide (CO2), water, and hydrocarbon dew
point specifications.
Key factors considered in these analyses included:
• capital and operating costs associated with compression and
transportation of sour gas and lift gas,
• costs associated with revamping the existing lift gas injection
system to handle sour gas, and
• safety risks associated with the use of sour gas as lift gas.
OTC 13177
Option 1 was rejected because the Cantarell field lift gas
system was not designed to handle highly corrosive sour gas.
Furthermore, the cost and safety considerations associated with
replacing the existing lift gas system and installing an additional
lift gas ring for sour gas was prohibitive.
The second option, to generate lift gas onshore and transport
it offshore by subsea pipelines, was rejected because the existing
onshore gas treating plants are located 160 km away from the
platforms. Two new costly pipelines and additional compressor
and recompressor stations would have been needed, making this
option significantly more expensive.
The study concluded that the third option, to install the
additional processing and compression facilities offshore, was the
safest and most economical.
Location of New Lift-Gas Generation Facilities. The existing
Cantarell production facilities consisted of three main complexes:
Akal C, Akal-J, and Nohoch-A.
Of these, the Akal C complex is the largest and accounts for
the largest portion of oil and gas generated. The existing Akal C
complex had a capacity to compress 420 mmscf/d of gas, process
550,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil, and accommodate
264 workers.
The Akal C complex receives a two-phase oil/gas
hydrocarbon mixture from several remote wellhead platforms.
Numerous oil and gas pipelines enter or leave the complex.
Because Akal C already had the capacity to handle a major
share of the total gas available for gas conditioning, it was decided
that the new compression and process platforms for lift gas
generation would be installed as part of the Akal C complex.
This configuration eliminates the need for subsea pipelines to
transmit the sour gas for gas conditioning to these new platforms.
Lift Gas Generation Process. There are many different
combinations of treatment and refrigeration processes that can be
used to generate lift gas. The optimal process option, defined in the
study phase of the project (shown in Figure 3: Lift Gas
Generation Process) generally consists of:
• compressing the gas to between 1,100 and 1,200 psig
• sweetening the gas and then partially cooling it,
• dehydrating the gas, by cooling it to 55oF in propane chillers,
to remove the heavier hydrocarbon condensates,
• heating the gas by exchanging heat with gas from the
sweetening unit, and
• feeding the heated gas to the lift gas ring, where it is injected
into the reservoir.
Conceptual Design and Project Execution. Lift gas
generation plants of the size required for the oil production at
objectives of Cantarell have been built onshore, but never
offshore. The construction strategy and logistics of building
offshore, therefore, dictated the project’s conceptual design.
There are typically two options by which major projects are
installed and completed offshore: float-over, in which the unit is
lowered into place from its transportation vessel, or heavy-lift, in
 CANTARELL’S AKAL C COMPLEX: THE WORLD’S LARGEST OFFSHORE GAS TREATING
OTC 13177 AND LIFT GAS GENERATION PLATFORMS
which the unit is lifted into place with large
vessel-mounted cranes.
Early in the project, designers recognized that, regardless of
installation technique, the new lift gas generation plant would need
to be built in modules fabricated onshore and then shipped
offshore for installation.
The transportation and installation limitations of these
construction approaches dictated the size, weight, and weight
distribution of each module, which, in turn, dictated the layout and
equipment configurations.
The heavy-lift method of installation was selected for its
inherent advantages in flexibility and its ability to complete the
installation in challenging sea-states.
Developing logical process equipment layouts so that each
module was light enough to lift into place was a major design
challenge. Structurally, each module needed to support its own
weight and the weight of heavy process equipment.
This offshore facility also required many technical details that
are not typically included in an onshore lift gas generation plant.
For example, space was extremely limited. Among other things,
this necessitated designing a blowcase closed drainage collection
system in lieu of the sub-cellar deck in which a sump tank could
be located.
New Platforms and Equipment. The new Akal C
compression platform consists of a booster compression system,
a high-pressure compression system, a dehydration system, a
condensate handling system, and a utility support system. The
platform has six levels encompassing 9,920 square meters (m2) of
deck area within a footprint of 90 meters (m) by 45 m. The highest
point of the platform is 73 m above water line and the platform
topsides weight is 15,000 tons, making it the largest platform in
the Cantarell field.
The new compression platform was installed in two primary
modules: a single-level lower module (see Figure 4: Compression
Platform Lower Module Lift-Off From Barge) and a four-story
upper module (see Figure 5: Compression Platform Upper
Module Lowered Onto Lower Module), with four high-pressure
compressor modules.
The new Akal C process platform consists of gas
sweetening units, the propane dew-point control refrigeration
system, and additional utility support systems. It is built in three
levels encompassing 7,160 m2 of deck within a footprint of 82 m
by 45 m. The highest point of the platform is at 64 m above water
line. It also weighs approximately 15,000 tons and was installed in
similarly sized two modules, lower (see Figure 6: Process
Platform Lower Module During Onshore Fabrication) and upper
(see Figure 7: Process Platform Upper Module During Onshore
Fabrication), and four air-cooler modules.
The new facilities include:
• 484 mmscf/d high pressure compression from 125 psig to
1,100–1,200 psig,
• 900 mmscf/d methyldiethanomoline (MDEA) gas treating to
reduce hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and carbon dioxide (CO2)
concentrations,
3
• 450 mmscf/d triethylene glycol (TEG) gas dehydration to
reduce the gas water dew point,
• 900 mmscf/d propane refrigeration to reduce the gas
hydrocarbon dew point,
• 360 MMBtu/hr waste heat recovery unit for MDEA
gas treating,
• 40 mmscf/d acid gas (33 percent H2S) incinerator, and
• 80 mmscf/d acid gas (33 percent H2S) compression from
6 psig to 135 psig
The propane refrigeration system consists of four parallel
propane chillers, three propane compressors, one propane
economizer, and one accumulator. Each propane chiller has a
capacity of chilling 225 mmscf/d, and two propane compressors
can provide refrigeration for 750 mmscf/d of gas. Refrigeration
units of this size have never been installed offshore.
These new platforms are connected to the existing Akal C
process complex in the Cantarell Field. Ancillary structures
constructed at Akal C included:
• two new bridge supporting platforms,
• two interconnecting bridges,
• one flare bridge support structures,
• a flare bridge with three spans, and
• a flare and flare structure.
Additionally, a new habitation platform and living quarters
module was constructed at Akal C, providing capacity to house an
additional 250 workers.
The new compression and process platforms will have the
capacity to handle 900 mmscf/d of gas, producing 730 mmscf/d of
lift gas. When completed, the new offshore lift gas generation
platforms together with the upgrades to the existing facilities will
make Akal C the largest offshore complex in the world.
Debottlenecking and Revamping Existing Facilities
Revamping, upgrading, and debottlenecking of the existing
process systems on Akal C, Akal-J, and Nohoch-A were required
in order to meet the overall goals of increasing oil production and
reducing gas flaring.
This analysis was conducted across 75 platforms and
associated pipelines to develop an optimal conceptual design basis,
while at the same time developing innovative conceptual
approaches to the work.
The entire production and processing system was analyzed,
system by system, to identify processes that were currently
operating at full capacity and could benefit from refurbishment,
augmentation, or replacement by new ones with a higher capacity
or installing new equipment to handle the additional oil and gas.
Concurrently, many new pipelines and several remote
wellhead platforms were revamped with commensurate changes in
oil and gas production profiles. Tracking the oil and gas
production schedules from each wellhead platform and managing
the logistics to ensure sufficient oil and gas handling capacity were
challenges.
4 R. KETTLES, J.C. KUO, J. RUBIO
Existing Akal C Facilities. Revamping an existing platform
involves understanding the existing systems and identifying the
best modification strategy that will not hinder ongoing production.
Akal C is a full processing complex (see Figure 8: Pre-Expansion
Akal C Platforms and Facilities) consisting of:
• three production platforms,
• one booster and gas injection compressor platform,
• one pipeline tie-in platform,
• one high-pressure compressor and dehydration platform, and
• two living quarters platforms
The existing production system consists of first-stage and
second-stage separators, vapor recovery compressors, booster
compressors, high-pressure compressors, a gas dehydration unit, a
water treatment system, a condensate handling system, and oil
pipelines from remote first-stage separators, gas pipelines from
remote first-stage separators.
Debottlenecking Activities. The capacity of the following
process systems was increased or modified:
• oil/gas separation systems,
• compression systems,
• dehydration systems,
• sour gas injection systems and flares,
• sour water treatment systems,
• safety systems, and
• process system controls.
Complex tie-ins and integration between the existing
platforms and future platforms were designed and constructed.
The new system was scheduled to be commissioned in stages.
To accommodate the staged commissioning and to minimize
shut downs, various operating modes for the new systems were
identified in order to determine the location and size of tie-ins. The
Cantarell field remained fully operational throughout
debottlenecking activities.
Oil/Gas Separation Systems. First-stage separators were
installed on the remote platforms that feed Akal C, new lines were
laid to transport the oil and gas in separated lines, and the second-
stage separators at Akal C were replace by larger separators. This
reduced the excessive pressure drop on the pipelines and increased
oil and gas production.
Compression Systems. Increasing oil production results in an
increase in gas production. Therefore, the gas handling capacity of
the existing Akal C complex had to be increased, with the goal of
decreasing gas flaring.
The existing high-pressure compressors and dehydration
system were refurbished, and three new 150 mmscf/d injection
compressors were installed to inject the gas into the reservoir.
The gas header sizes and capacity of the associated
condensate and sour water treatment systems were also increased
in order to integrate with new lift-gas process systems to be
installed on the new platforms.
Dehydration Systems. The existing dehydration system was
refurbished to increase its gas handling capacity. Additionally, the
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coolers on the compressor discharge were revamped to increase
cooling capacity and to eliminate potential foaming problems in
the dehydration contactor.
Sour Gas Injection Systems and Flares. New injection
compressors were added to increase the reservoir pressure
until nitrogen injection could begin, to decrease gas flaring,
and to help dispose of the acid gas produced from the new gas
sweetening plant. To ensure safe operations of these
compressors, a new 18-inch flare header was installed and tied
into the existing flare system.
Sour Water Treatment Systems. The existing sour water
treatment system was relocated and replaced by a new larger water
treatment system with a capacity of 3,000 bpd. This new water
treatment system will provide sufficient water treatment capacity
for existing and future platforms.
Safety Systems. New gas and fire detection systems and
emergency shutdown systems were designed and are being
installed to bring the exiting platforms into compliance with
current international standards.
System Controls. The existing pneumatic control systems,
typical of all existing Cantarell facilities, were modified so that all
the system controls could be changed to distributed control
systems (DCS).
To provide new control capability to the existing pneumatic
level and pressure control loops on both the first-stage and second-
stage separators, an electronic level-indicating transmitter,
electronic pressure-indicating transmitter, electronic to pneumatic
transducers, three-way solenoid valves, and a common local
digital recorder were installed.
Complex Project Execution
The magnitude, complexity, and urgency of the program were the
determining factors in developing the strategy of executing the
program through multiple concurrent integrated projects.
In order to accommodate the fast-track nature of the program,
Pemex established an integrated Project Management Team
(PMT) to develop conceptual engineering and oversee the
development and implementation of the contracting program to
execute these projects.
In order to accommodate the fast-track nature of the project,
Pemex adopted an engineering-procurement-construction (EPC)
execution strategy, in which the EPC contractors are responsible
for detailed engineering, selected procurement, and all fabrication,
hook-up, and commissioning.
Contracting Strategy. Pemex adopted an engineering-
procurement-construction (EPC) execution strategy, in which the
EPC contractors are individually responsible for detailed
engineering, selected procurement, and all fabrication, installation,
hook-up, and commissioning of their respective projects
and contracts.
 CANTARELL’S AKAL C COMPLEX: THE WORLD’S LARGEST OFFSHORE GAS TREATING
OTC 13177 AND LIFT GAS GENERATION PLATFORMS
The projects were competitively bid nationally and
internationally under the Mexican Public Works Law on a fixed
‘unit rate by system’ compensation methodology, with associated
penalties for schedule delay. A total of 39 EPC contracts were
executed for the Cantarell project overall, including four
specifically associated with lift gas generation and debottlenecking
activities described in this technical paper.
Pemex’s intent was to maximize the use of in-country EPC
contractors to build the Short Term expansion projects. Therefore,
with the exception of six larger-scale EPCs, the contracts were
awarded to Mexican contractors. The 10 larger-scale EPC
contracts, two of which are specifically related to Akal C, were
tendered to international firms aligned with Mexican partners
or subcontractors.
EPC Execution Challenges. EPC approaches are becoming
commonplace in many parts of the world. However, because this
project was unprecedented in size and complexity, particularly in
Mexico, many of the in-country and local engineering and
construction contractors had little experience – prior to the
Cantarell Project – in the work processes associated with this type
of coordinated EPC approach.
Among the many design and construction challenges was the
extensive coordination required during both design and
construction phases between the short-term and the
long-term projects.
Careful attention to technical process-related detail, along
with production capacity and schedules, was required to ensure a
fully operational and safe facility through all phases of project
execution. Innovative and cost-effective shutdown execution
scopes and schedules were developed to ensure that production
downtimes were minimized.
Maintaining effective communications and logistics
throughout a program that is being executed simultaneously in
multiple locations and countries is a fundamental element,
particularly given the impacts of weather and sea state conditions
Figure 1―Location of Cantarell Oil Field
5
and priorities of an operating field. The safety of workers and
assets during construction, commissioning, and operation was a
top priority.
The PMT was therefore also responsible for ensuring that
schedule targets were aligned and persistently coordinated and that
consistent and acceptable design standards, construction, quality
control, and construction safety policies, procedures, and
initiatives were delivered across the project. Extensive support
and training was provided by the PMT to project contractors to
develop effective project safety, quality, and project control work
processes, systems, and procedures.
Project Achievements
The PMT, including Pemex and its construction management
consultant, designed, procured, and installed the largest offshore
lift gas capacity in the world at Akal C, five times larger than
any offshore lift gas generating plant.
Cantarell produced approximately 1.1 million barrels of oil
per day in 1996. Debottlenecking modifications, completed under
the Short Term Plan, have allowed an increase in oil production of
over 25 percent, to around 1.4 million bpd.
This year, the nitrogen injection platform (presented in a
separate technical paper) will increase oil recovery by
approximately 20 percent of the original oil in place.
When the new Akal C lift gas generating facilities are put into
operation, they will allow oil production to increase an additional
50 percent, and will allow a 55 percent reduction in gas flaring.
With an anticipated oil production capacity of approximately 2.2
million bpd in 2002, Cantarell production will be equivalent to the
combined oil production from the 25 largest fields in the
United States.
In addition to significant economic benefits, the Cantarell
field will meet the strictest international safety and
environmental standards.
6 R. KETTLES, J.C. KUO, J. RUBIO OTC 13177

Figure 2―Reservoir Pressure and Oil Production Over Time

Figure 3―Lift Gas Generation Process

 CANTARELL’S AKAL C COMPLEX: THE WORLD’S LARGEST OFFSHORE GAS TREATING
OTC 13177 AND LIFT GAS GENERATION PLATFORMS 7

Figure 4―Compression Platform Lower Module Liftoff From Barge

Figure 5―Compression Platform Upper Module Lowered Onto Lower Module

8 R. KETTLES, J.C. KUO, J. RUBIO OTC 13177

Figure 6―Process Platform Lower Module During Onshore Fabrication

Figure 7―Process Platform Upper Module During Onshore Fabrication

 CANTARELL’S AKAL C COMPLEX: THE WORLD’S LARGEST OFFSHORE GAS TREATING
OTC 13177 AND LIFT GAS GENERATION PLATFORMS 9

Figure 8―Preexpansion Akal C Platforms and Facilities