Development Project of The Tantalum Field

By

Kaushik Dandu Student Id : 51124047

Table of contents

Topic Summary Introduction Life and Production rate of the field Sub-surface facilities Top Side Facilities Field development Plan 1 Field development Plan 2 Flow Assurance Issues Flow chart of Main system Conclusion References

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SUMMARY
The Tantalum Oil Field has been discovered 50 Km offshore in a remote location. This report has been prepared to suggest two separate options of development plans and evaluating them on the basis of Technical, Economical and Safety standpoints. It also presents with the various aspects of plans detailing the design and the systems used for their success along with the transportation options available. An analysis has also been conducted on the issues the project might with regards to flow assurance during the duration of the field. Both the plans however culminate by utilizing the Process facility and tanker berth 500 Km away by Land.

INTRODUCTION
The field is located 50 Km offshore and the processing facility is a further 500 Km away with a tanker berth facility. The field will be developed by six production wells, including recompletion of the two appraisal wells with the requirement of a further 2 wells in the future. However the licensing comes with a ban on flaring of excess gas produced. Facts and Data from the Field: Depth of Water Estimated recoverable Oil Reservoir Depth Initial Pressure Initial Gas Oil Ratio Bubble point pressure of Oil Crude Quality Climate Expected peak Production Rate : 120 m : 30 MMboe : 10,000 feet : 5000 psi : 450 scf/bbl : 3,800 psi : 36 API gravity : Temperate : 1,300 m3 / day

It can be deduced from the given data that the crude is black oil and the sulphur content is low hence less corrosion and the field being in a temperate climate it can be assumed that will be no issues with freezing of the subsea pipelines while it can be concluded that this is a marginal field and there will not be any requirement for artificial lift during the initial stages of production. Based on the above data the following have been proposed.

Life and Production Rate of the Field:

Life of the field is 11 years Peak production rate : 8,200 BOPD Initial Production rate : 7,200 BOPD Late Production rate : 6,000 BOPD

Sub-Surface Facilities:
The components of the sub surface system change with the type of platform and plan being utilized to develop the field however some of the major components remain the same and are listed below. Well Head: It is employed to seal the well as well as for flow adjustments through the production tubing. It employs Christmas tree, casing head spool, hanger and tubing head spool. Christmas tree: It is basically part of the wellhead and is used to control the flow of the fluid with help of valves , gauges and chokes while assisting with chemical injection and well interventions. A simple wet tree should suffice for this project as it is less expensive and perfectly suited. Jumper: It is employed in between the Christmas tree and the sub-sea manifold and is used to transfer the production fluids from the tree to the subsea manifold. Subsea Manifold: It is an assembly of pipes and valves and acts as a collection point to combine control and monitor the fluid from different well heads. It is also used to distribute the injected water into the different wellheads.

Umbicals: It consists of both electrical and hydraulic lines and are used to send signals to the subsea control systems along with the electricity while they are also used for chemical injections as well as providing the hydraulic power to operate the manifold. Risers: It connects the manifold to the production facilities and transports the multiphase liquids from the sea bed and also to re-inject the fluids into the wells. They come in both rigid and flexible format and we will be using the flexible riser as it can withstand nay harsh environment and simultaneously has a low maintenance as well.

Top Side Facilities:

Once the fluid comes out of the risers the next set of processes are carried out on the top side which includes separation, Gas treatment and dehydration and others. Listed below are the systems along with their functions. Separators: This is where the well fluids are separated to heavier hydrocarbons from water and then again into oil and gas. Separators can be of either vertical or horizontal and usually have multistage or Single stage. They can be combined in any method depending on the platform, crude being produced, weather conditions etc. For our field we will be using a 3 phase 3 stage horizontal separator will be used because the field produces sweet crude with low API therefore the oil leaving the separator is already in BS&W standards. A horizontal separator gives the advantage of being less expensive as well low in installation and maintenance while a multistage system requires less power and offers better separation. Water Treatment: The produced water from the separator unit still contains oil in it along with some other contaminants which should be removed before disposing it into the sea or re-injecting it back into the reservoir to maintain the pressure. The accepted level of tolerance in 40 ppm of Oil in water before dumping into the sea. An enhanced gravity separation system can be used for this field as it uses a hydro cyclone and it is not sensitive to motion or turbulence and efficient in keeping the oil content in between 15-30 ppm.

Gas Dehydration: This is done to remove the water vapor from the gas in order to control the hydrates formation and minimize the corrosion formation in pipelines. The generally used methods are gas stream refrigeration, adsorption, membrane separation and glycol dehydration. A glycol dehydration unit is best suited for the needs of this project giving the distinct advantage of low cost, smaller footprint and continuous operation. Oil Dehydration: The crude oil has a Basic sediment and water content requirement to meet market conditions and the water specification for light crude is 0.1% while it is 0.5% for heavy crude oil. The various ways generally used are by chemicals, heat, electricity and retention time. Giving it ideal retention time to allow for gravity separation is ideal for this project.

Gas Compressor: The Gas being produced in this field is used for power generation and thus a reciprocating compressor should be ideal giving the advantage of easy installation, low cost and maintenance and it comes with flexible capacity limits. Auxiliary Equipments: The platform also consist the necessary equipment such as gas turbine , cooling water system , electrical power generator , heat transfer fluid systems and fuel Gas scrubber.

Field Development Plan 1: Using a MOPSU and a tanker to transport

It can seen from the data that this a marginal filed located in a remote area without any existing infrastructure in place to exploit and investing to create a permanent structure is not worthwhile considering the life expectancy of the field at 11 years. Therefore a Mobile Offshore Production and storage Unit (MOPSU) can be employed in tandem with an oil tanker to export the oil. A MOPSU is a converted jack up unit where a steel plated storage tank is supported directly on the sea bed with a barge type platform with jack up legs attached, with a large deck to install production equipment, accommodation and a detachable drilling template. The unit can be wet towed to the location and deployed with a quick turnaround time. The unit has a storage capacity of 90,000 barrels while production can be ramped up to 40,000 bpd.

Installation: As this is not a permanent structure it can be wet towed to the location. The MOPSU is a self installation platform where the storage tank is attached to the legs and forms the foundation, it is then lowered and supported on the seabed with the barge type platform raised above the water level to the required height and bolted on the topside where the production facilities can be deployed. Transportation: The platform comes with offloading hoses and mooring hawsers through with the crude oil can be transported directly to the processing facility. Decommissioning: De-installing the MOPSU is exactly opposite to the installation process, after removing the production tubing from the well followed by the tubing and the sub-sea systems, The top side components can be dismantled and shipped away, finally the storage tanks along with the legs are jacked up and the hull is lowered to the sea-level and the platform is ready to tugged to the next location.

Field Development Plan 2 : Using an FPSO and a tanker to transport

Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel is usually large oil tanker converted into a floating platform with the processing and production facilities on the topside and hydrocarbon storage in the hull. Usually moored to a place the vessels are adept at adjusting to the harsh conditions of the sea easily as they are able to adjust easily. After processing oil and gas is stored in the hull before offloading periodically via shuttle tankers or pipelines. The facilities on a FPSO are similar to the ones found on regular platform. Installation: It is a mobile field and hence can sail directly to the spot and more itself. No additional equipment is necessary to move the platform around. Transportation: The oil is stored in the double hull of the tanker and then periodically transported to the on land facility via shuttle tankers. Decommissioning: The production riser can be disbanded and the sub-sea systems removed and the mooring lines are detached this makes the platform a ship again and it can simply sail away to the next field.

Fig 2: FPSO
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Flow Assurance Issues:

The biggest gains of using a FPSO or an MOPSU in tandem with shuttle tankers to offload the oil are the flow assurance issues. Since there are no pipelines involved formation of waxes or hydrates is very small but the only drawback are the chances of an explosion in the tanker. Care should be taken to make sure there is no empty space in between the oil loaded and the tanker ceiling as flammable gasses can accumulate in this space and can trigger an explosion.

Flowchart of the Main Systems:

Conclusion:
For a filed designated as marginal the most important factor will be the cost effectiveness of the project. It can be seen that the project lasts for a very short period of 11 years with the viability depending on the market prices of crude oil. Care has to be taken while deciding on the capital costs, running and decommissioning so that the investment incurred can be recovered. This report has given two development plans by using MOPSU and FPSO units with a shuttle tanker facilitating the transfer of the Crude oil. It can be seen that they have their own storage capacity and do not need any additional units while they have their own advantages and disadvantages in production and storage. After looking at both the options I would strongly suggest the company to go ahead with the option of using an MOPSU with a shuttle tanker to transport the oil. This system gives the stability to the production platform while also having the resistivity to absorb the turbulences of the sea. It is a safer option to store a large quantity of oil when compared to an FPSO as well as a less expensive option to rent and maintain on the long run. The transport costs are the same for both the options as they are both using a tanker facility.

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Refrences : http://ipims.com/data/fe31/E3103.asp?UserID=&Code=3275 accessed on 10-04-2012 http://www.faqs.org/patents/app/20100135728 - accessed on 10-04-2012 http://www.perisai.biz/pdf/brosures/proposal-client.pdf - accessed on 10-04-2012 Ken Arnold - Surface Production operations. Volume 2 design of gas handling systems & facilities. - accessed on 10-04-2012 Boyun Guo- Petroleum Production Engineering - accessed on 10-04-2012 Ken Arnold- Surface Production Operations - accessed on 10-04-2012 H. Alboudwarej, SPE 103242 : Flow Assurance Aspects of Subsea Systems Design for Production ofWaxy Crude Oils - accessed on 10-04-2012 Richard Kopps, SPE 109670 :Flow Assurance Challenges in deepwater Gas Developments accessed on 10-04-2012 N.D. McMullen , OTC : Flow-Assurance Field Solutions (Keynote) - accessed on 10-04-2012 Sylvain Denniel , OTC 16686 : Review of Flow Assurance Solutions for Deepwater Fields accessed on 10-04-2012 R.J Brown, SPE 18237- Technical Considerations For Deepwater Pipeline Installation & Connections - accessed on 10-04-2012 T.Ley, OTC 18233: Puling & Towing Of Pipelines & Bundles by J.G. Berthin, OTC 4876: Installation of Maureen Gravity Platform Over a Template - accessed on 10-04-2012 P. Broughton,OTC 11027 :The Removal of the Maureen Steel Gravity Platform - accessed on 10-04-2012 http://users.coastal.ufl.edu/~sheppard/OCE3016/Offshore%20Structures.pdf - - accessed on 1504-2012 M.R. Williams,OTe 5496: Simple Subsea Trees for Shallow Water:An Economical Alternative Hvard Devold, OIL AND GAS PRODUCTION HANDBOOK - 15-04-2012 Robert G, SPE 9996: Gas Compressor Design & Operation - 15-04-2012 ARNOLD, K., eds, 1989. SPE Reprint Series No. 25 Production Facilities. Richardson,TX: Society of Petroleum Engineers.- 15-04-2012

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Arulanantham,D, 2012.Facilities Engineering Lecture Notes, University of Aberdeen - 15-042012 Ted Mason, 2012.Facilities Engineering Lecture Notes, University of Aberdeen Yong Bai, Subsea Structural Engineering Handbook - 15-04-2012 http://www.rigzone.com/training/insight.asp?insight_id=299&c_id=12 for Fig 2 accessed on 1904-2012

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