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TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

Subsea Technology

For several years, after the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), I have had Jacques B. Saliés, SPE, is Drilling
the opportunity to address the JPT audience and comment on subsea technolo- and Completion Manager of Petrobras
gies and field applications that came to the forefront. This year, however, before America for the Gulf of Mexico. His
getting to business, I would like to comment on the major event that hovered 28-year career at Petrobras spans engi-
over OTC and the questions that could not stop being asked: “What happened?”
“What consequences will the industry face?” “How should we get prepared for neering and management positions in
the day after?” I waited until the day before my review was due to put thoughts E&P, including coordination of the
on paper. During this period, I closely followed developments and efforts to solve Petrobras Technological Program on
the catastrophe. Nevertheless, more time is necessary to cap the well and much Ultradeepwater Exploitation Systems—
more time will be necessary to recover the environment. How long it will take PROCAP 3000. Saliés holds a BS degree
us to be back in business is another question that we all would like to answer.
in mechanical engineering from the
As we find the answer, our industry will be revisited comprehensively—from
regulations and drilling procedures to equipment construction, safety, and envi- Military Institute of Engineering, Brazil;
ronmental response. Time will tell. an MS degree in petroleum engineering
Now, let us address subsea technology and the papers of this issue. It was from the Federal University of Ouro
pleasing to see new fields implementing subsea boosting in different parts of Petro, Brazil; and a PhD degree in petro-
the world. Three fields particularly caught my attention: Perdido, Parque das leum engineering from the University of
Conchas, and Azurite. The Perdido field, in the ultradeepwater Gulf of Mexico,
combines a spar with a subsea-boosting system—an engineering master piece. Tulsa. He has served on the SPE Board
The Parque das Conchas (BC-10) field, in ultradeepwater Brazil, uses a subsea- of Directors for Brazil and has authored
boosting system. The Azurite field, in ultradeepwater West Africa, uses a subsea- or coauthored several papers. Saliés
multiphase-pumping system. Subsea boosting attests that the operators have serves on the JPT Editorial Committee.
been looking attentively into this type of solution as the technology evolves into
the ultimate subsea-to-shore production systems.
I am pleased to suggest a collection of papers that addresses such solutions and
their significant benefits to the field. I hope you enjoy it! JPT

Subsea Technology additional reading


available at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org

OTC 20418 • “Experiences From Operating New-Generation Riserless-


Light-Well-Intervention (RLWI) Units in the North Sea, Challenges and Future
Opportunities” by Robert Friedberg, Island Offshore Subsea, et al.

OTC 20619 • “Experience to Date and Future Opportunities for Subsea


Processing in Statoil” by Simon Davies, Statoil, et al.

SPE 124290 • “The First All-Electric Subsea System on Stream: Development,


Operational Feedback, and Benefits for Future Applications” by Pierre
Gerardin, Total, et al.

OTC 20993 • “AKPO: The Subsea-Production System” by Stuart G. Nelson,


Total.

52 JPT • AUGUST 2010


SUBSEA TECHNOLOGY

Perdido Development: Subsea and Flowline Systems

The Perdido development is in the


western Gulf of Mexico in 7,817 ft of
Makeup
water. It is being developed with sub-
oil
sea technologies to mitigate key devel-
opment challenges including extreme
water depth, rugged seafloor terrain,
low-pressure reservoirs, and aggres- Flow-Control Assembly
sive hydrate-formation tendency. An
Gas Liquid
overview of the subsea and flowline Gas
systems and the associated flow-
assurance strategy is presented. The
enabling technologies were a subsea-
boosting system (SBS) and the surface
blowout preventer (BOP) for drilling
and completing subsea wells.
Liquid
Introduction Electrical Submersible Pump
Inlet Assembly
The Perdido development includes the
Great White, Silvertip, and Tobago fields Fig. 1—Schematic of SBS concept.
and is in the Perdido basin and fold belt
in the Alaminos Canyon Protraction lation, operation, maintenance, and ment system also incorporates a high-
Area. This area is 200 miles south of flow-assurance challenges. pressure single-bore top-tensioned riser
Freeport, Texas, USA, and 8 miles north • Problematic seafloor terrain—rug- with a surface BOP, for drilling and
of the Mexico maritime border. All ged seafloor terrain in this area includes completing the subsea wells.
three fields are developed with subsea geologic features such as fluid expul-
wells tied back to the host, which is a sion, seafloor erosion, and steep slopes. Subsea Layout
spar with full offshore-processing capa- These features make the subsea-equip- The Perdido development consists of
bilities and pipelines for export. ment layout and choice of host location three fields with four major subsea clus-
Significant challenges include the extremely challenging. ters. The subsea wet-tree DVA concept
following. • Distinct fluid properties—the three includes additional subsea tiebacks for
• Extreme water depth—7,800 to oil-bearing formations, Oligocene offset wells. The concept provides rig
9,600 ft, representing significant instal- (Frio), Upper Wilcox (WM-12), and access to a maximum number of subsea
Lower Wilcox (WM-50), have a fluid- wells while minimizing the size of the
This article, written by Senior Technology property range of 17–40°API and gas/ host platform.
Editor Dennis Denney, contains high- oil ratios of 350–2,600 scf/bbl.
lights of paper OTC 20882, “Perdido • Low temperature and pressure— Flow-Assurance Strategy
Development: Subsea and Flowline these reservoirs require subsea-boost- Because of ultradeep water, low reservoir
Systems,” by G.T. Ju, H.S. Littell, T.B. ing technology to ensure hydrocarbon energy, and marginal project economics,
Cook, M. Dupre, K.M. Clausing, E. delivery. flow assurance is critical for success of
Shumilak, SPE, and W.W. Schoppa, • Market condition—being sanc- this development. In particular, compre-
Shell, and W.A. Blizzard, Seahorse tioned under active market conditions hensive fluid-sample analysis and ther-
Deepwater Technology, prepared for the made on-time delivery of equipment mal/hydraulic studies were initiated at
2010 Offshore Technology Conference, and an accurate cost estimate of the the onset of the project-feasibility assess-
Houston, 3–6 May. The paper has not project extremely difficult. ment, which enabled key flow-assurance
been peer reviewed. Therefore, the Perdido development considerations to be identified and incor-
uses technologies that include wet-tree porated into the appraisal-well campaign
Copyright 2010 Offshore Technology direct-vertical-access (DVA) wells and (for fluid sampling) and the overall con-
Conference. Reproduced by permission. an SBS for artificial lift. The develop- cept selection and project execution.

The full-length paper is available for purchase at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org.

JPT • AUGUST 2010 53


Subsea Boosting pumping. It was also decided that a diameter, 350-ft-long caisson in the
Production simulation indicated that rigorous technology-maturation plan, seabed for liquid retention.
artificial lift would be required to ensure from design, equipment qualification, A 1,600-hp ESP is deployed inside
reasonable production rates. Several and a full-scale flow-loop test, would be the caisson. The inlet assembly is con-
subsea artificial-lift systems were inves- carried out to demonstrate the robust- nected to the host through a 14-in. top-
tigated, including riser-base gas lift, ness of the system before the project tensioned riser that contains three sepa-
multiphase pumps, two-phase sepa- was sanctioned. Fig. 1 shows how the rate flow paths. After the production
ration with single-phase pumps, and Perdido SBS uses a vertical gas/liquid is separated, the liquid drops down to
wellbore pumps. The preferred system cylindrical-cyclonic (GLCC) separa- the bottom of the caisson while the gas
was determined to be a subsea caisson tor that achieves two-phase separa- flows upward through the outer annu-
separator with an electrical submers- tion. The separator consists of an inlet lus of the riser. The liquid is pumped
ible pump (ESP). This system achieves assembly (the GLCC concept) for pas- by the ESP though a 75/8-in. tube inside
two-phase separation with single-phase sive gas/liquid separation and a 35-in.- the riser. To extend pump life, a 27/8-in.
tube inside the 75/8-in. production tube
enables oil to be recycled down from
the topside into the caisson to ensure
all-in-one safety that there is sufficient liquid flow to
cool the pump motor during low-flow-
rate scenarios, such as well ramp up.

Surface BOP
The wet-tree DVA concept minimizes
the size of the host, while maximizing
the number of subsea wells with DVA
from the spar. For the DVA subsea
wells, drilling, completion, and work-
overs are performed with a rig on the
spar. The rig stays in a fixed position
over the dedicated drilling/completion
slot, and the host is moved around the
well pattern by use of the active moor-
ing system to provide vertical access to
all the wells in the working area.
A custom wellhead/riser/BOP system
was developed for this project. The sur-
face BOP is a 163/4-in. 5,000-psi-rated
The XNX Universal Transmitter stack. It is connected to a top-tensioned,
supports all Honeywell gas high-pressure drilling and completion
sensing technologies and riser (DCR). It has a 17.25-in. outside
works with virtually all diameter and a 15-in. drift, and it is rated
communication protocols. for 5,000-psi internal pressure at surface
with 10.1-lbm/gal fluid in the riser.
The XNX can be easily integrated with Honeywell’s leading
gas detection sensing technologies—catalytic bead,
Unlike surface-BOP operations from
electrochemical and Infrared. It also supports HART® floaters, no subsea-isolation device will
Communication Foundation’s latest digital communications be installed on the bottom of the riser
protocol and provides optional MODBUS®, or up to because the spar rig is considered a per-
three relays for alarm and fault. This interoperability gives manently moored structure and because
manufacturing plants a wider range of transmitter options the DCR is designed to stay connected
for their gas monitoring applications. In addition, the unit
offers faster startup and commissioning and better status
during hurricane abandonment. Well
indicators for predictive maintenance. Ideal for use with operations are in general very similar to
dedicated gas monitoring controllers or industry standard dry-tree DVA wells for most drilling and
PLCs, the XNX is a cost-effective, all-in-one gas transmitter completion activities (e.g., drilling, run-
solution, upgradeable as your needs grow. ning casing, wellbore cleanout, perforat-
Honeywell Analytics. Experts in gas detection. ing, and gravel packing).
The most significant challenge for
subsea-well completion with a surface
BOP is running and landing the subsea
tubing hanger without a subsea isola-
To learn more, or to obtain a free copy of Gas Book, tion device. The main issues that must
our 84-page guide to gas detection, call 1-800-538-0363, be addressed for this operation are
visit www.XNXHoneywellAnalytics.com or email detectgas@honeywell.com double terminations of the umbilical
© 2010 Honeywell International Inc. All rights reserved.
lines if a surface spanner joint is used,
pressuring up the annulus for testing,

54 JPT • AUGUST 2010


and the size/weight of a conventional umbilical for this water
depth. The solution was a hybrid configuration in which the
umbilical is replaced by two six-line flat packs for hydraulic
functions and a single line for the electrical connection. The
lines are run with the landing string; therefore, no surface
spanner joint is required.

Subsea Trees and Manifolds


With the water depth approaching 10,000 ft, existing first-
generation standard-tree systems were not applicable. Also,
it was desired to incorporate technology advancements in
seals, actuators, materials, and connectors, and to be able to
accommodate a wider range of deployment and intervention
options. As a result, the project team developed an updated-
Wellhead to
standard-tree system that incorporated learnings from previ-
ous systems and the latest technologies.
• Rated for 10,000 psi and 10,000-ft water depth
Market
• Retrievable flow module containing the multiphase flow-
meter and the choke
• Modular design allowing the tree system to be reconfig- Anywhere in
ured depending on functional requirements
• Compact and lightweight design accommodating a wide
range of deployment and intervention options
the World
Subsea Manifolds. Two production manifolds are used.
Each manifold has two main headers, and each header is
connected to one of the five artificial-lift SBSs. Round-trip
pigging capability is not required.
Planned and potential future production require connection
points on the manifolds, including future DVA well tie-ins
100,000+
and potential flowline-sled connections. Both manifolds use
km of pipeline
an identical configuration, which includes 10 inlet hubs (eight
5-in. hubs and two 7-in. hubs), providing maximum flexibility

600+
for future production. In addition, the design allows production
from any branch hub to be directed to either header for full
operational flexibility. The manifolds are in the center of the
DVA cluster, surrounded by 22 subsea wells, including water subsea trees
injectors and production wells.

Flowlines

100+
The flowline infrastructure includes two 8-in. production
flowlines, three 10-in. production flowlines, one 10-in. water-
injection line, one 10-in. water-injection line/riser, and one
6-in. service flowline/riser. The production flowlines are coated floating systems
with 3 in. of insulation. The water-injection lines are internally
and externally coated with fusion-bonded epoxy.
The Perdido pipelines and flowlines required a combi-
nation of installation methods to address the challenges.
Technical limitations required both reeled and J-lay installa- INTECSEA is the largest assembly
tion methods for the flowlines and risers. Installation of the of deepwater expertise in an
export pipelines, driven by the distance to existing infrastruc-
ture, was feasible only with S-lay. Because of the tight installa- independent engineering and project
tion schedule of the spar, some flowlines were installed on the
seafloor below the host before host arrival; and a few other
management company, offering global
flowlines and risers were installed after host arrival. full service solutions in the subsea,
In addition to the technical challenges of extreme water
depth and rugged terrain, the project team had to overcome pipeline and floating production
challenges caused by hurricanes Dolly, Ike, and Gustave and arenas.
tropical storm Edouard, which occurred during the instal-
lation phase of the Perdido flowlines in 2008. The storms
affected the offshore-installation schedule and caused exten- Experts seeking employment opportunities,
sive damage to the onshore infrastructure that supported the
offshore operations. JPT
please contact Laura.Irwin@intecsea.com or
apply online at www.INTECSEA.com/careers

JPT • AUGUST 2010 55


SUBSEA TECHNOLOGY

Parque das Conchas (BC-10) Subsea-Hardware Systems:


Selection, Challenges, and Lessons Learned

The ultradeepwater Parque das Conchas


Project, offshore Brazil, includes the
Ostra, Abalone, and Argonauta-BW
fields in separate clusters tied back to
the floating production, storage, and Injection
offloading (FPSO) vessel Espirito Santo.
At 2,000-m water depth, several sig-
nificant challenges had to be overcome
and significant new technology had to
be developed to make this project a Without
reality, including the following. meter
• Ultradeepwater completions de-
ployed through a surface blowout pre-
venter (BOP)
• A combination of boosting-module
Tree assembly
systems in an artificial-lift manifold With meter
• First use of a heave-compensated
landing system (HCLS) in Brazil Fig. 1—BC-10 subsea-tree system (left) and flow-module arrangements
(right).
Introduction
Parque das Conchas is in water depths tubinghead spool (THS) for landing and accurately on the seabed from an AHV
of approximately 2000 m. Phase 1 orienting the tubing hanger, providing in almost any water depth. The installa-
of the project comprises the subsea flexibility for offshore installation ves- tion method uses an automatic motion-
development of three fields tied back sels and sequencing of events. The sub- compensation system that eliminates any
to a central FPSO. In Phase 2, a fourth sea tree contains the chemical-injection tuning or adjustments needed because of
field (Argonauta ON) is planned to be capabilities, and, therefore, no chemical changes in weather conditions.
tied back. is delivered at the production manifolds
or to the pipeline terminations. Spacer Spool. Typically, the use of
Tree System THSs imposes additional riser-handling
The BC-10 subsea-tree system, shown in Slimbore-Completion System. It was operations to space out the riser when
Fig. 1, uses a vertical-tree design based decided to extend the surface-BOP moving from a drilling mode to a com-
on the field-proven 10,000- and 15,000- (SBOP) technology to include comple- pletion mode. The main challenge is to
psi high-pressure/high-temperature ver- tion techniques for these ultradeep- reduce risk to personnel by eliminating
tical-tree systems. The system also uses a water wells. The SBOP enables use of riser-handling operations. Therefore, a
smaller and less-expensive drilling rigs spacer spool was designed to have the
This article, written by Senior Technology to drill and complete the ultradeepwa- same height as the THS and to run con-
Editor Dennis Denney, contains high- ter wells. The tubing-hanger system nected on the bottom of the subsea-iso-
lights of paper OTC 20649, “Parque das is small enough to pass through a lation device (SID) during the drilling
Conchas (BC-10) Subsea-Hardware 135/8-in. SBOP stack and is backward mode. After the drilling operations, the
Systems: Selection, Challenges, and compatible with subsea BOPs. SID was disconnected and the spacer
Lessons Learned,” by L.A. Olijnik and spool swapped out for the THS. Then
D.A. La Caze, Shell, prepared for the HCLS. The drilling rig on the Parque the rig initiated completion operations
2010 Offshore Technology Conference, das Conchas project is a moored ves- with the SID connected to the THS,
Houston, 3–6 May. The paper has not sel requiring anchor-handling vessels without respacing the riser.
been peer reviewed. (AHVs). These AHVs were also deployed
for installation of subsea trees and THSs. Flow Module. The challenge was to
Copyright 2010 Offshore Technology The HCLS technology enables subsea enable an easy changeover between a
Conference. Reproduced by permission. trees and THSs to be landed softly and producer and an injector subsea tree

The full-length paper is available for purchase at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org.

56 JPT • AUGUST 2010


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Boosting module
The ALMs are equipped with manual-
ly and hydraulically actuated gate valves,
with ROV-override capability. The valves
are controlled through electrohydraulic
multiplexed control systems mounted on
each of the boosting modules. Each pair
of boosting-module control systems at
ALM 1 directly controls half of the mani-
fold valves, with a logic configuration
that enables one of the boosting modules
at each pair to be retrieved, transferring
the manifold-valve control to the remain-
Conductors and liners ing boosting module. At ALM 2, each
boosting-module control system directly
controls all the manifold valves.
Template The ALM is designed to be retriev-
able and reinstallable independently
Fig. 2—ALM 1 layout with boosting modules in place. from the spacer template/conductors
foundation. A gimbaled socket in each
without having to make changes to the subsea retrievable and reinstallable by slot of the ALM engages itself precisely
overall subsea-tree design. The sub- use of a detachable mud-mat-type shal- to its respective conductor cone. These
sea installable/retrievable flow-module low foundation, which remains on the sockets were designed to have sufficient
assembly enables this changeover. It seafloor once installed. flexibility to accommodate conductor
contains several components such as “out-of-vertical position” resulting from
a bolted bonnet choke, a multiphase Artificial Lift the stack-up tolerances relative to the
flowmeter (MPFM), and upstream and Each electrical submersible pump (ESP) spacer-template and conductors arrange-
downstream transducers. is incorporated into a boosting-module ment. Similar to the subsea-tree system,
system. These modules are deployed the ALM incorporates a retrievable flow-
MPFM. Flow from the Ostra and in the seabed caisson, not in the pro- module assembly containing chokes for
Abalone wells is commingled subsea at duction wells. The main challenge is the gas, oil, and service flowlines.
the artificial-lift manifold in the caisson- to commingle the flow from several
separation system. The total flow is mea- wells into a single boosting module. Boosting-Module System. The boost-
sured topside by use of fiscal meters, and The artificial-lift manifolds (ALMs) are ing-module system consists of a top-
the challenge is to back allocate the pro- designed to accommodate these boost- end assembly, closely resembling a sub-
duction to individual wells. Therefore, ing modules, with ALM 1 (four module sea tree and hanger. The ESP comple-
MPFMs are mounted on the Ostra- and slots) serving the Ostra and Abalone tion string hangs inside a 100-m-long
Abalone-well flow modules to measure fields (Fig. 2) and ALM 2 (two module caisson. Each boosting-module/cais-
flow rates of the individual wells before slots) serving the Argonauta-BW field. son/ESP system weighs approximately
the flow is commingled. This measured The 42-in. conductor was drilled and 130 t and lands in one slot of the ALM,
flow stream then is allocated to each installed through the 48-in. conductor with the caisson inside the conductors.
well by use of a mass-balance principle to achieve the final depth. Final adjust- For maintenance, the boosting-mod-
that splits the measured flow to indi- ments to the conductor height were ule/caisson/ESP system can be retrieved
vidual wells on the basis of a calculated made with shims mounted inside the by recovering the entire unit to surface.
ratio derived from the MPFMs. conductor cones deployed on top of The boosting-module top-end assem-
each conductor. Later, the ALM was bly contains the helical/tangential intake
Production-Manifold (PM) landed over these cones. that promotes the gas/liquid separation.
Overview The gas exits from the top of the boost-
PM 1 and PM 2 are four-well-slot flow- ALMs. The design complexities are ing module and flows unboosted to the
through-type manifolds, with flowline related mainly to the boosting module’s FPSO. The liquids flow down to the
connections at the inlet and outlet of operability requirements to enable the bottom of the caisson passing through
each main header. The PMs are equipped recovery of an individual boosting mod- a junk basket before flowing into the
with hydraulically actuated gate valves, ule without affecting the operation of 103/4×133/8-in. shroud section that
with remotely-operated-vehicle (ROV) other units. A key technical achievement houses the ESP components.
-override capability. The valves are con- was the design of a multibore connector,
trolled hydraulically from the electro- enabling all of the process connections Conclusions
hydraulic multiplexed control systems (i.e., inlet, gas outlet, and pumped-oil These subsea systems and components
mounted on each connected subsea tree. outlet) to fit within the tight constraints are critical components of the BC-10
PM 1 has dual main headers and a third of the ALM. In the Argonauta-BW field, Parque das Conchas project and made
header with outlet connection only. the gas content is low; consequently, this development possible. The meth-
PM 2 incorporates dual main headers there is no gas flowline or piping. For ods and technology described can be
with a removable circulation loop fitted standardization purposes, the gas-pro- applied to similar developments in
on the header inlets. The manifolds are cess connection is blanked off. ultradeep water. JPT

58 JPT • AUGUST 2010


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SUBSEA TECHNOLOGY

Subsea-Hardware Installation From an FDPSO

Subsea installation for deepwater-field capability of the FDPSO, which was in


developments requires specialized ves- turn determined by the mooring system,
sels to carry out the work. A float- flexible-production-riser limitations, and
ing drilling, production, storage, and water depth. All production and injection
offloading (FDPSO) vessel positioned wells were required to be within a 45-m
directly over the drill center provides radius, enabling access by the drilling rig
an alternative to traditional methods. on the FDPSO. This close well spacing
Unique challenges related to subsea- supported either a template development
hardware installation from an FDPSO or a tight cluster of wells in a radial array
and the methods developed to over- around a subsea manifold. The cluster
come those challenges are presented. configuration was chosen, with wells
surrounding a combined production/
Introduction water-injection manifold as shown in
The FDPSO is over the wells for direct Fig. 2. The multiphase pumps and a sub-
access (Fig. 1). Therefore, perform- sea distribution unit (SDU) were placed
ing subsea-construction and -inter- nearby but outside of the drilling circle
vention activities directly from the to permit intervention activities from the
host becomes possible. The FDPSO FDPSO if problems arose.
provides a large stable platform from
which these activities can be accom- FDPSO vs. Subsea-
plished, but it has limited access and Construction Vessel
maneuverability, and challenges that Several functional requirements must Fig. 1—Azurite FDPSO over the
must be addressed. These challenges be provided for nearly all subsea- subsea drill center.
were overcome in the Azurite field in installation campaigns and include the
the Mer Profonde Sud Block offshore following. tree to the seafloor. This crane makes
the Republic of Congo. The FDPSO • Transportation of equipment to the subsea-hardware installation possible
was fitted with a remotely-operated- offshore worksite and provides a method to recover spe-
vehicle (ROV) spread and a crane sized • Lifting capacity offshore cialty equipment from the wellhead, as
to install heavy hardware. • Means to lower equipment to and well as a means to demobilize the drill-
land equipment on the seafloor ing rig from the FDPSO after all wells
Subsea Scope and • Underwater control and interven- are drilled and completed.
Field Architecture tion A support vessel in the field on long-
The Azurite field subsea architecture • Subsea-positioning capability term charter was upgraded to perform
was driven primarily by the excursion Typically, a subsea-construction ves- additional duties. The vessel houses a
sel equipped for these functions is used. second working-class ROV for subsea-
This article, written by Senior Technology However, these vessels are expensive construction activities and is equipped
Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights and have limited windows of avail- with a subsea winch line capable of
of paper OTC 20495, “Subsea-Hardware ability. With the FDPSO, with the host lowering deployment frames and distri-
Installation From an FDPSO,” by Thomas directly over the drill center, an alterna- bution equipment to the seafloor, after
J. Stensgaard, Murphy West Africa, tive to traditional subsea installation was a subsea transfer is performed with the
and Charles E. White and Kevin R. studied. The FDPSO provides an inher- FDPSO-mounted crane.
Schiffer, Doris Inc., prepared for the ently stable work platform from which
2010 Offshore Technology Conference, to perform installation operations. Installation Techniques
Houston, 3–6 May. The paper has not The FDPSO was fitted with a full Subsea-hardware installation was divid-
been peer reviewed. working-class ROV spread. Also, the ed into two primary phases to work
capacity of one of the FDPSO cranes around the arrival of the FDPSO in the
Copyright 2010 Offshore Technology was specified at 100 t to overboard and Azurite field. The host’s normal operat-
Conference. Reproduced by permission. lower equipment as large as a subsea ing position, directly over the drill cen-

The full-length paper is available for purchase at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org.

60 JPT • AUGUST 2010


compensation is required to land the Intervention Techniques
Mooring lines
CGB to reduce the risk of damaging the Certain intervention activities can
wellhead or its sealing surface. be undertaken from the FDPSO that
Tree. The subsea tree is a vertical-style otherwise would require a subsea-
Production tree that locks onto the wellhead above construction vessel. The subsea mul-
flowlines Umbilical the tubing hanger. Then, the tree is tiphase-pump station is positioned on
installed by use of a heave-compensated the seafloor such that a pump can be
wire from the surface. A formation- replaced by use of the 100-t crane and
Water- Multiphase isolation valve was used downhole to the FDPSO’s ROV. The electrical- and
injection pump
flowline isolate the formation after the tubing hydraulic-distribution modules on the
Production- hanger was installed, alleviating the SDU, connecting the umbilical to the
flowline
jumpers FDPSO need for a completion riser to pull plugs. equipment in the subsea center, also
Subsea overhead Well Jumper. The well jumper is can be serviced from the FDPSO. Flow
manifold a flexible pipe with vertical hydraulic modules and subsea control modules
Subsea tree
connectors and soft-landing capabili- housed on each tree can be replaced
Flexible
well
ties. The hub-to-hub distance between quickly from the FDPSO with avail-
jumper the tree and manifold is very short by able spares.
flexible-jumper-installation standards
Radius=45 m (25 m). This short distance, along with Simultaneous Operations
the limited range of movement of the On a vessel that is capable of drill-
Subsea host, did not support the typical two- ing wells and producing, storing, and
distribution line flexible-jumper-installation method. offloading crude oil, the nature of
unit Therefore, the well jumpers were simultaneous operations forces pri-
rigged under a spreader bar to permit oritization of activities on board or in
Umbilical
a single-point lift. This method allowed the field. Experience showed during
the FDPSO crane to lift and install the the first few months of operation that
jumper in the same way as a conven- drilling activities are limited if the
tional rigid jumper. Because the mani- 100-t crane is engaged in installation
Fig. 2—Azurite field layout. fold and wellheads were installed to activities. Driving this limitation is the
within 1° of vertical, angular misalign- need to have the FDPSO in optimal
ter, required that the manifold, pump ment of the connector to the hub was position to support drilling activities,
station, and SDU be installed before not a concern during soft-land engage- whereas construction activities might
arrival of the FDPSO. Flowlines and ment of the connector. dictate a different position for the
umbilicals were prelaid, and risers were Steel-Tube Flying Leads (SFLs). The FDPSO. In addition, during comple-
installed and temporarily abandoned. SFLs, used to transfer hydraulic power tion activities, there is little room on
Connections between the subsea hard- and chemicals from the SDU, were the deck to stage subsea equipment be-
ware and flowlines also were made before deployed by use of a subsea horizontal- fore installation.
arrival of the host. Once the FDPSO was carousel frame. The SFL was wound Subsea-installation activities are
on location, the remainder of the subsea- around the horizontal carousel, with restricted during offloading opera-
equipment spread (i.e., subsea trees, flex- the heads on each end situated for tions also. Tandem offloading from the
ible well jumpers, and flying leads) could easy access. The frame was overboarded spread-moored FDPSO requires the full
be installed with the FDPSO’s 100 t with the FDPSO’s crane and then trans- attention of the onboard operations
heave-compensating crane. ferred under water to the supply ves- team. It must be coordinated carefully
sel’s winch. Once the frame was on the and requires multiple anchor-handling
Post-FDPSO-Arrival Hardware In- seafloor, the supply vessel lifted one end vessels in the field to keep shuttle tank-
stallation. Upon arrival of the host, of the SFL from the frame and allowed ers safely on station.
flowlines and umbilicals were connect- the entire SFL to unwind and straighten
ed and commissioned. After each well vertically in the water column. Once the Conclusion
was completed by the FDPSO and the SFL was hanging vertically, the supply Installation of subsea equipment from
tubing hanger installed, a completion boat laid it on the seafloor as close to its an FDPSO is a viable alternative to use
guidebase (CGB) was installed to assist final location as possible. Finally, ROVs of conventional subsea-construction
subsea-tree orientation during instal- installed the heads. vessels. Future FDPSO developments
lation. Once the tree was landed and Electrical Flying Leads (EFLs). The will improve upon Azurite’s successes.
tested on the wellhead, the well jumper EFLs, used to transfer power and signal Excursion capabilities can be increased
and distribution equipment were con- between the subsea control modules to allow for greater access to the field.
nected to the tree so that commission and the SDU, were deployed from a sub- Additional downline capabilities may
activities could begin. sea frame. The frame was overboarded be added to increase flexibility and
CGB. The subsea trees require a CGB with the FDPSO’s crane and then trans- options of installation methods. Greater
for alignment to the tubing hanger ferred under water to the supply vessel’s deck space would allow prestaging of
installed in the wellhead. The CGB is winch. The frame was placed on the subsea equipment, reducing the overall
installed with a running tool, deployed seafloor, and then two ROVs were used time to install equipment and bring
on a wire from the surface. Heave to deploy and install each EFL. wells on line. JPT

62 JPT • AUGUST 2010


Sometimes a well needs some fixing to get production back up where it should be – sand bailing, screen repair,
re-perforating, replacing valves or plugs. Now FMC Technologies has the tool – thoroughly field tested in the North Sea – to
make the fixes using efficient monohull vessels instead of costly rigs. It’s called Riserless Light Well Intervention (RLWI). It
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2010
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FMC Technologies.All
Technologies.
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