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M-1 Offshore Production
M-1 Offshore Production
Lecture by
M. Aslam Abdullah
1. Exploration
2. Exploratory drilling
3. Development drilling
4. Production
6. Transportation
6. Energy economics.
7. Technological advent.
6. Pore pressure & temperature prediction. 12. Thermal shock (steep gradient, seasonal
change, fluid injection)
3. Drilling technologies.
4. Subsea technologies.
6. Hydrate formation.
2. Geology not cooperating (Like finding 100MMbl pockets when we used to find
500MMbl to 1bln barrel fields).
3. Cluster developments are expensive (five (100MMbl) fields do not equal one
(500MMbl) field).
4. Escalating rig rates were a leading indicator for the cost increases across the sector for
deepwater developments.
5. Multi-component seismology
The offshore environment has a much more significant influence on drilling operations than
the onshore environment. It is necessary to carry out a suite of location surveys before starting
drilling operations in order to obtain data such as weather forecast during drilling operations,
bathymetric map around the location, current profiles, properties of the sea bottom soil,
topography of the sea bottom, and shallow geological hazards.
Wind and current measurements for several months would be carried out at a proposed
location about one year ago before operations.
2. 30 years ago, a deepwater operation implies exploring water depths up to 500 feet.
4. Ultra-deepwater exploratory drilling now occurring in water depths over 5000 ft to 10,000
feet. i.e.,( 1524m to 3048m)
5. The challenges in ultra deep reserves are more complicated than exploring space.
Deep water refers to a depth greater than 1000ft (304.8m) and less than 5000ft (1524m).
Onshore
1. The scientific research well “SG-3” in Russia reached the depth of 12,263 m in 1988,
has had the depth record ever since.
2. The deepest exploration drilling for hydrocarbons was carried out to the depth of
9583 m in the United States of America in 1974.
Offshore
1. A hydrocarbon exploration well was drilled offshore Brazil in 2965 m of water in
2001.
2. A production well was completed with a subsea completion system offshore Brazil
in 1852 m of water in 1998.
The offshore technology is steadily in progress towards deeper and deeper seas to search and
produce subsea resources for the future welfare of the world.
1. Because of the location remote from infrastructure, offshore rigs also carry
on board a number of service systems such as cementing, geophysical logging,
and so on.
3. Accommodations and catering for crews working for 24 hours are required
on the rig.
All these factors make offshore rigs complex and sophisticated, and therefore
offshore drilling costs are higher than land drilling costs for similar depth wells.
1. Rigs that can be moved from place to place, allowing for drilling in
multiple locations.
Once large deposits of hydrocarbons have been found, a permanent platform is built to
allow their extraction.
Rigs that can be moved from place to place, allowing for drilling in
multiple locations (Mobile bottom- supported and floating rigs).
1. Drilling Barges.
2. Jack-Up Rigs.
Water depth less than 50 m and calm sea: Tender or Jack-up assisted platforms.
Water depth less than 400 m and mild sea: Self-contained platforms.
Water depth from 500 m to 3000 m: Drillships or Semisubmersible rigs with dynamic
positioning system.
Isolated area with icebergs: Drillships with dynamic positioning system.
Severe sea conditions: Semisubmersible rigs or new generation Drillships .
1. Drillships.
2. Semisubmersible Drilling Rig (centre of buoyancy is typically above the centre of gravity).
3. Spars (centre of gravity is greater than its centre of buoyancy, hence it is intrinsically stable).
Positively buoyant structures which are tethered to the seabed and are heave-restrained are:
For drilling as well as production these units are modified for dual function. (Excluding TLP
and SPAR, because of limited motions these are suitable for surface-completed wells only)
Example for Drilling, production & Storage in 1 unit is FPDSO (Floating Production Drilling
Storage & Offloading) (vessel motions is the only hesitation for its development)
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Largest Offshore Structures
Example minimal
platform concepts
(LINX, MANTIS II and
TRIPOD) for
marginal field
2. Jacket Structures:
Fixed jacket structures (or template
structures) consist of tubular members
interconnected to form a three-dimensional
space frame
4. Jack-ups:
The jack-up barges are typically three-legged structures having a deck supported on their
legs. The legs are made of tubular truss members. The deck is typically buoyant.
5. Subsea Templates:
Subsea technology covers a wide range of offshore activities. Examples are subsea Xmas
trees, manifolds, templates, flowlines and risers, control systems, well fluid boosters,
multiphase pumping and metering, water separation, water injection, remote and diverless
connections, guideline-free installations, seabed electrical power distribution systems,
interventions, etc.
6. Subsea Pipelines:
Subsea pipelines are used to transfer oil from the production platforms to storage facilities
or to the shore.
Submersible drilling rigs consist of upper and lower hulls connected by a network of
posts or beams. The drilling equipment and living quarters are installed on the upper
hull deck.
The lower hull has the buoyancy capacity to float and support the upper hull and
equipment. When water is pumped into the lower hull, the rig submerges and rests on
the seabed to provide a working place for the drilling.
Movement and drilling operations proceed as that of the jack-up rig. Most submerged rigs are
used only shallow waters of 8 to 10 meters.
Ship-shaped submersible rigs are also used, which are called swamp barges.
The tender anchored alongside the platform contains drilling equipment such as pumps and
tubular goods, and accommodation for personnel. A catwalk connects the platform and the
tender.
If weather conditions (wind, swell, and current) become too harsh, the drilling operations must
be shut down due to excessive motion of the tender.
The tender platforms are used in Gulf of Guinea and the Persian Gulf waters where good
weather conditions prevail, resulting in low downtime less than 2% of total operation time.
Typically designed to have their lowest modal frequency to be below the wave energy, as
opposed to the fixed structures, which have a first modal frequency greater than the
frequency of wave energy.
1. Articulated Platforms:
One of the earliest compliant structures that started in relatively shallow waters and slowly
moved into deep water.
“Articulated tower is an upright tower, which is hinged at its base with a cardan
joint and is free to oscillate about this joint due to the environment.”
The base below the universal joint on the seabed may be a gravity base or may be piled.
The tower is ballasted near the universal joint and has a large enough buoyancy tank at the
free surface to provide large restoring force (moment).
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(II) Compliant Structures
2. Compliant Tower:
A compliant tower is similar to a traditional platform and extends from surface to the
sea bottom, and it is fairly transparent to waves.
Compliant tower is designed to flex with the forces of waves, wind and current. It uses less
steel than a conventional platform for the same water depth.
3. Guyed Tower:
A guyed tower is a slender structure made up of truss members, which rests on the
ocean floor and is held in place by a symmetric array of catenary guylines.
Most floating production units are neutrally buoyant structures (which allows six-degrees
of freedom) which are intended to cost-effectively produce and export oil and gas.
1. FPSO:
The FPSO generally refers to ship-shaped structures with several different mooring
systems.
2. FPS
FPS refers to Floating Production systems which are finding application in marginal
and deepwater field development.
The Larger is a Drillship with Dual-Activity Drilling System (TSF Discoverer Enterprise), and the
Smaller is a Previous Generation Drillship (TSF Discoverer 534) Alongside with a Supply Boat
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(III) Floating Structures
3. Semi-Submersible Platform:
Semi-submersibles are
multi-legged floating
structures with a large
deck. These legs are
interconnected at the
bottom underwater
with horizontal
buoyant members
called pontoons.
Semisubmersible Platform
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A computer graphic of a
semisubmersible installation.
1. Semisubmersibles can achieve good (small) motion response and, therefore, can be more
easily positioned over a well template for drilling.
2. Semisubmersibles allow for a large number of flexible risers because there is no
weathervaning system.
Disadvantages of semisubmersibles:
1. Pipeline infrastructure or other means is required to export produced oil.
2. Only a limited number of (rigid) risers can be supported because of the bulk of the tensioning
systems required.
3. Considering that most semisubmersible production systems are converted from drilling rigs,
the topsides weight capacity of a converted semisubmersible is usually limited.
4. Building schedules for semisubmersibles are usually longer than those for shipshaped
offshore structures.
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Semisubmersible (As Drilling Rig)
Semi-submersibles are multi-legged floating structures with a large deck. These legs are
interconnected at the bottom underwater with horizontal buoyant members called pontoons.
Semisubmersibles have submerged pontoons (lower hulls) that are interconnected to the drilling
deck by vertical columns
The lower hulls provide improved stability for the vessel. Also, the open area between the
vertical columns of semisubmersibles provides a reduced area on which the environment can act.
In drilling operations, the lower hulls are submerged in the water about half-length of the column,
but do not rest on the seabed. When a semisubmersible moves to a new location, the lower hulls
float on the sea surface. Semisubmersible rigs are towed by boats, and some rigs have self-
propelled capacity.
On drilling site to keep the position, the anchors usually moor semisubmersibles, but the dynamic
positioning systems are used by new generation semisubmersibles.
Semisubmersible Drilling Rig (JDC Hakuryu 3) (Reproduced Courtesy of Japan Drilling Co.)
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Because of the reduced heave motion, the use of rigid risers (instead of flexible risers), which are self-buoyant, is easier.
Because of the reduced heave motion, the use of rigid risers (instead of flexible risers),
which are self-buoyant, is easier.
Types of Spars:
1. Classic spar
2. Truss spar
3. Cell spar
(Cell spar is3rd generation spar. The hull consists of multiple ring-stiffened tubes, or “cells”,
which are connected by horizontal and vertical plates. This method of construction is
cheaper than the traditional plate and frame methods.)
The structure is vertically restrained precluding motions vertically (heave) and rotationally
(pitch and roll). It is compliant in the horizontal direction permitting lateral motions (surge
and sway).
It borrows from the concept of the tension leg platform and provides a cost-effective
marginal field application.
Moses MiniTLP appears to be a miniaturized TLP as the deck structure is supported by four
columns and the columns are connected by pontoons.
Motion characteristics of Moses is similar to that of SeaStar and, unlike the standard TLPs,
miniTLPs need to dedicate a large percentage of their displacement (35 - 45%) for
pretension.