‘o18/2020 Subsea systems - PetroWiki
Subsea systems
‘Many hundreds of subsea wells are currently in service worldwide.
Contents
Characteristics
Design and installation considerations
Multiwell templates
References
Noteworthy papers in OnePetro
External links
See also
Characteristics
Subsea characteristics include: Wellhead (see Fig. 1) and trees are installed on the seabed
+ Well diling or intervention requires vessels such as jack-up rigs or semisubmersibles
+ Reservoir fluids are generally tied back to a host facility for processing and export
Utilities, control, and chemicals are supplied from the host facility via umbilicals
|. 1_Subsea field development.
Design and installation considerations
Subsea wells may be installed individually, in clusters, or on a template where the reservoir fluids from all the wells are
channeled to a manifold that is tied back to a host platform. A simple template arrangement is shown in Fig. 2.
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Fig. 2—Subsea template.
Often wellheads and wet trees are di
installed, maintained, and repaired either by remote control using equipment that does not need guidelines or tools
sned as “diverless” and more recently “guidelineless” because they can be
that are wire guided from a vessel. Fig. 3 shows a single-well diverless subsea production system.
Fig. 3—Diverless subsea production system.
‘The wellhead sits on a guide base on the seabed and acts as a location device for the Christmas tree. Attachment of the
tree to the wellhead and flowiine is by remote control. While referred to as new technology, the diverless wellhead has
proven to be reliable. It has permitted the development of fields in water depths beyond the saturation diving limits
and competes with diver-assist subsea wells in moderate water depths because of potential cost savings.
Mul
For multiwell templates, some cost savings can be realized during drilling because the vessel does not have to be
ell templates
relocated for each well. Further, major savings may be possible by transferring the reservoir fluids through one large
flowline rather than individual flowlines. Well testing is accomplished by installing a separate flowline with a valve
‘manifold for switching wells, Potential further cost savings may be possible for the control systems and piping for gas
lift and water injection, However, one of the major hazards that must be considered at the design stage is dropped.
objects during drilling and the risks associated with producing from completed wells while the other wells in the
template are drilled. If production from completed wells is not possible until all wells have been drilled, the potential
cost savings may be negated through cash-flow considerations, One technique that has been adopted for combining,
some of the advantages of single and multiwell subsea systems is to produce moderately spaced satellite wells to a
central manifold unit on the seabed. The manifold permits the reservoir fluids from the wells to be mixed and wells to
be tested, and cost savings may be significant
the host facility is located miles away. Conventional welded steel pipe
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is used for most flowlines. The steel is protected against external corrosion by coatings, anodes, or both. An alternative
for steel flowlines is the use of flexible piping that comprises laminations of steel wires and other materials. Although
expensive in comparison with steel pipe, the costs may be offset by savings in installation cost. Flexible pipe, through
use of large-diameter reels, can be installed relatively quickly and does not need a separate external coating. For
further discussion, see the Piping and pipeline systems page.
References
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Noteworthy papers in OnePetro
Use this section to list papers in OnePetro that a reader who wants to learn more should definitely read
External links
Use this section to provide links to relevant material on websites other than PetroWiki and OnePetro
See also
Offshore and subsea facilities
Offshore production operations
Offshore arctic operations
Fixed steel and conerete gravity base structures
Compliant and floating systems
Flow assurance for offshore and subsea facilities
PEH:Offshore_and_Subsea_Facilities
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