Development of Oil & Gas Fields

Development Schemes (<300m)

Section 4

Tom Mangum, VetcoGray

Senior Services Training Manager

Offshore Field Development

Offshore fields are developped using :

Fixed platforms (steel or concrete) : > 90%
Floating platforms : < 10%
Surface and/or subsea wells

Comprehensive studies are necessary to select the most appropriate and cost
effective field architecture (ref. to Field development process)

Main field architecture options :

Wells
Drilling mode
Platforms
Storage and export facilities

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Field Architecture Options (1)

Wells
Surface wells
Single wells (mainly in shallow water)
Multi-wells cluster
Subsea wells
Satellite wells
Multi-wells cluster
Combination surface + subsea wells
Well profile
Vertical, deviated
Horizontal
Extended reach
Multi-drains
Selection depends on :
Platform type : fixed or floating
Reservoir geometry (extended, compact,
multi-layers, .)
Artificial lift and well intervention
requirements
Costs

Subsea satellite well

Deviated well

Extended reach well

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Field Architecture Options (2)

Drilling mode (fixed platforms)

Tender Drilling
Rig

Jack-up
Drilling Rig

Compact
Drilling Rig
Drilling deck

Max water
depth
~ 110 m

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Field Architecture Options (3)

Platforms
Fixed
Steel
Structure piled in the seabed
Or, self elevated platform
(rare)
Concrete
Floating
Semi-submersible (associated with
subsea wells only)
Tension Leg Platform TLP
(associated with surface or subsea
wells)

Fixed Steel
Platform

Fixed Concrete
Platform

Floating platforms

Selection depends mainly on :

Water depth
Type of wells (surface, subsea)
Environmental conditions (waves, wind,
current)
Topsides equipment (weight, size)
Construction strategy & constraints
(yard availability, )
Costs

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Field Architecture Options (4)

Oil storage and loading
Onshore storage and loading

Offshore storage and loading

Tanker loading at jetty (case 1)

Tanker loading from floating
buoy (case 2)

Floating storage + Tanker loading at

buoy (case 3)
Floating storage + tandem loading
(case 4)
Case 3

storage

tanker

tanker
Loadin
g buoy

Case 1

Floating
storage
Production
Plant

tanker

Case 2

storage

tanker
Floating
buoy

Case 4
Production
Plant

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Oil Storage And Loading (Examples)

Oil Storage

Tanker

Tankers loading at jetty (case 1)

Floating storage (cases 3 & 4)

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Conventional Development Scheme With Fixed Platforms

Frigg field (UK/Norway)
Wells
DP2
DP2

Gas treatment
&
compression

TCP2

TCP2
TP1

DP1

Gas
treatment

TP1

QP

Living
quarters

QP

CDP1

Norway

Wells
UK

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Conventional Development Scheme With Fixed Platforms

Ekofisk field (Norway)

Oil storage

Drilling

Living quarters

Flare

Mobile drilling rig (jack

up)

Oil processing

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Conventional Development Scheme With Fixed Platforms

Elgin/Franklin field (UK)

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Subsea Development Scheme With Floating Platform

Buchan field (UK)
Production semisubmersible
DRILL MASTER

Shuttle tanker

Exploration
well

Loading buoy

Risers

2 Satellite wells
4 wells template

Operator : BP
Location : North Sea UK
Water depth : 119 m
First Prod : 1981
Reserves : 200 MMBOE
Development scheme
7 subsea wells (2 Satellites +
4 template + 1 explo
recovered)
Floating production platform
Loading buoy
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Mixed Development Scheme With Fixed Platforms

Gullfaks field satellites (Norway)
(Gullfaks South, Rimfaks, Gullveig)

Gullfaks A

Operator : Statoil
Location : North Sea Norway
Water depth : 315 345 m
Discovery : 1979
Sanction : 1996

Development scheme :
Subsea wells tiedback to
existing subsea platform
Gullfaks A
8 subsea templates, 31 slots
Prod capacity : 125 000 b/d

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Subsea Development Scheme With Floating Platforms

Troll West field (Norway)

Troll C

Operator : Norsk Hydro

Location : North Sea Norway
Discovery : 1979
Water depth : 315 345 m

Troll B
TROLL B
Oil & gas provinces
First oil : 9/1995
21 subsea oil producers
24 subsea gas producers
Oil production : 270 000
b/d
Semi-sub production unit

TROLL C
Gas province
First gas : 1999
Prod capacity :
Oil : 190 000 b/d
Gas : 9 Mm3/d
Semi-sub production unit

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Platform Functions
Offshore platforms are used for different
functions :

Development drilling
Fluids processing
Water, gaz injection
Utilities

Living quarters
Flare
Storage

Integrated

Functions can be :
Split (one platform = one function )
Integrated (one platform = several functions )
Field examples
Split

Integrated

Oil
storage
Drilling
Living
quarters

Flare

Mobile drilling rig

(jack up)

Processing

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Fixed Platform Concepts

Two main concepts of fixed platform
Gravity based platforms
Platform stability is provided by one
compartment, filled with sand, located
at the base
Concept used for concrete platforms
Very limited number of applications :
less than 30 out of 20 000 platforms
worlwide

Tubular steel frame platforms

Structure (Jacket) piled in the seabed
Deck(s) supported by the piles

Specific concepts
Self installed platform
Recent design, few applications so far

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Fixed Steel Platform : Vocabulary

Lifted deck
Cut piled
after setting
Boat landing
Sea level

Deck
Jacket walkway

Horizontal diagonal

Conductor area

Boat landing

Jacket leg

Barge bumper

Jacket

Horizontal brace

Launch runner

Bracing stub
Vertical diagonal
Jacket leg can

Anodes

Skirt pile sleeve

Seabed
PILE

Pile anchored
In seabed

SKIRT PILE

Jacket

LAUNCH TRUSS

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Types Of Riser
Riser : vertical section of sealine between seabed and surface

Top View
Side View

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Platform Loads
Example
Water depth
Environ. conditions
Wind
Waves
Current (surface)
Tid
eStorm gap

Weights

Total
weight

Area

Upper deck
Lower deck

Topsides load
Drilling Rig

+ Marine Growth, Corrosion

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Installation And Transport Loads

Transport

Launching

!
!
Launch stresses may control
design of some structural
members

Lifting

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Piling
Forces

Different types of pile

F wind

Water

Water

Water

F wave +
current

Piles

Soil

Soil

Soil

Forces on piles at
seabed level
Classical
pile

Soil reactions

Insert pile

Skirt pile

The insert pile allows to increase the driving

depth
The skirt pile allows to reduce the diameter
of the jacket legs
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Pile Installation
Drilling
Hammering
Drilling rig
Drilling
platform

Installation barge
Main
battered pile

Jacket leg
Main
battered pile

Barge barge
Installation
Subsea
Subsea
Hammer
hammer

Soil

Drill
pipe
Cemented
pile

Skirt
Skirtpile
pile

Drilled hole
Drill bit

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Pile Driving
Pile Driving Operation
Piles

Hammers

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Pile Driving

Pile Driving Operation

Pile Drive Hammer

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Jacket Installation

Installation Of Jacket By Launching

Installation Of Self-floating Jacket

Vertical Lift

Horizontal Lift

Installation of jacket by lifting

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Jacket Installation
Transport on barge

Lifting

Launching

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Heavy Lift Vessels

Balder

Sapem 7000

Thialf

Sapem 7000

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Module Support Frame (MSF)

MSF : Interface structure between jacket and topsides equipment

Jacket piles

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Drilling Platform Topsides

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Production Platform Topsides

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Topsides Drilling & Production Platform

29.
30.
31.
32.
33.

DRILLING DECK & MAIN

RIG
1. Export pipeline
2. Mud mat
3. Skirt pile sleeve
4. Skirt pile
5. Anodes
6. Conductors
7. Export riser
8. Jacket leg
9. Barge bumper
10.Boat landing
11.Riser guard
12.Motor control center &
switchgear control building
13.Escape capsule
14.Living quarters
15.Helicopter pad
16.Bulk storage
17.Mud pump package
18.Derrick
19.Flare boom
20.Lift gas compression

Production manifold
Production separator
Crude oil heater
Test & cleanup separator
Injection gas compressor

PRODUCTION DECK
21. Water injection pump
22. Generator
23. Deaerator
24. Waste heat recovery unit
25. Firewall
26. Diesel storage
27. Wellheads
28. Chemical injection skid

CELLAR DECK
34. Potable water storage
35. Emergency generator
36. Water injection charge pump
37. Media filter
38. Cooling water cooler
Cooling water surge drum
Cooling water pumps
39. Air compressor
40. Sea water pumps
41. Gas lift & water injection manifold
42. Fire water pump
43. Crude oil cooler
44. Crude oil pipeline pump
45. Electrostatic treater
46. Inlet dehydration filter separator
Glycol contactor
Outlet dehydration filter separator
47. Production water treating
48. Glycol regenerator
49. Slug catcher
50. Plated deck
51. Flare scrubber
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Concrete Platforms
Concrete platforms are gravity based
Their use has been limited essentially to the North Sea & North Atlantic
(Canada)
They are used for very large fields in severe environment necessitating
heavy topsides equipment
They also provide large oil storage capacity at the base
First concrete platforms

FRIGG TCP2
BERYL A BRENT B

BRENT D

STATFJORD A STATFJORD B STATFJORD C

Water depth (m)

118 m

140

104

140

145

145

145

Year installed

1975

75

77

76

77

81

84

Drill & Prod

Drill & Prod

Gas treatment

Drill & Prod

Drill & Prod

Drill & Prod

Drill & Prod

40

38

48

42

42

42

Peak production (bopd)

150 000

160 000

160 000

300 000

180 000

200 000

Storage capacity (Mb)

0.9

1.0

1.2

1.3

1.9

2.0

Max deck weight (tons)

28 000

24 000

21 000

24 000

50 000

50 000

50 000

Function
Nb well slots

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Concrete Platform Concepts

Monopod

Multipod
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The Different Types Of Sealines

Flowlines
Transport the fluids from the wells, located on a surface wellhead
platform or on the seabed, to the production platform
Generally small diameter (4 to 12) and short length ( up to ~10 km )

Pipelines (or trunk lines)

Transport the fluid from the production platform to the export terminal
(onshore of offshore) for loading oil tankers or to the gas utilization
center (LNG plant, power plant,)
Generally large diameter ( up to 36) and long length (several hundreds
of km)

Loading lines
Transport the fluid from the storage facility to a nearby loading facility
(buoy or other)
Generally large diameter (20 to 40)

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Sealine : General Description

A sealine generally consits in :
A steel pipe
An anti-corrosion protection (coating)
An external concrete layer to provide mechanical protection and
weight
Pipe characteristics :

Steel pipe
Concrete layer
(1 to 5 thick)
OD

WT

Steel grade : X + (ex. : X65)

External diameter OD (ex. : 32)
Wall Thickness WT ( 0.75)
Chemical composition
Resilience
Dimensional tolerances

Anti-corrosion coating
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Sealine Installation Method (Logigram)

Pipe Welding
Offshore
Pipe preparation in standard lenght :
12 m joints
24 m double joints
Transport to site :
Supply vessel
Barge
Welding and laying :
Barge 1st generation
Barge 2nd generation
Barge 3rd generation
Conventional
S lay
Shallow water
< 200 m

Onshore
Pipe preparation in long sections (up to
several km)
Transport to site :
Surface tow (with buoyancy modules)
Bottom tow
Spooled (small diameter, short
lenght)

A few connections to
perform offshore

J lay
water depth
> 200 m

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S-lay And J-lay Methods

S-lay

J-lay
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Pipe Lay Barges

Brown & Root Semac 1

Allseas Lorelay

Sapem Castoro Sei

Stena Apache

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