Subsea development from pore to process

Oilfield Review

Volumn 17, Issue 1, 2005, Pages 4-17

  Amin, Amin ^a   Riding, Mark ^a   Shepler, Randy ^a   Smedstad, Eric ^a   Ratulowski, John ^b  

^a Shell Global Solutions ^*

^b SHELL GLOBAL SOLUTIONS INTERNATIONAL B V   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

DEEPWATER RESERVOIRS; ELECTRICAL SUBMERSIBLE PUMPS (ESP); OPTICAL FLUID ANALYZER (OFA); SUBSEA PRODUCTION SYSTEMS;

OFFSHORE OIL FIELDS; OIL WELL DRILLING; PETROLEUM INDUSTRY; PETROLEUM RESERVOIRS; PRESSURE EFFECTS; PRODUCTION CONTROL; PROJECT MANAGEMENT; SUBMERSIBLE PUMPS;

OFFSHORE OIL WELL PRODUCTION;

EID: 20144376370     PISSN: 09231730     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: None     Document Type: Review

References (31)

1. Crabtree M, Eslinger D, Fletcher P, Miller M, Johnson A and King G: "Fighting Scale - Removal and Prevention," Oilfield Review 11, no. 3 (Autumn 1999): 30-45.
2. Drillers have long endeavored to reach the 10,000-ft mark. The record was finally broken in October 2003, when the Discoverer Deep Seas, owned by Transocean Inc., drilled an exploration well for ChevronTexaco on its Toledo prospect. This Gulf of Mexico well, located in Alaminos Canyon Block 951, was drilled in 10,011 feet [3,051 m] of water.
3. A prime example is the Canyon Express Project, developed to produce gas from three separate deepwater fields. Production from two wells in the Camden Hills field (developed by Marathon Oil Company), four wells in the Aconcagua field (developed by TotalFinaElf, now Total), and four wells in the King's Peak field (discovered by Amoco, now BP) is tied back to a platform some 55 miles [89 km] north of Camden Hills. Over this distance, the flowline must climb from a water depth of 7,200 ft [2,195 m] at Camden Hills to reach the production platform in 299 ft [91 m] of water at Main Pass Block 261. For a review of Canyon Express operations: Carré G, Pradié E, Christie A, Delabroy L, Greeson B, Watson G, Fett D, Piedras J, Jenkins R, Schmidt D, Kolstad E, Stimatz G and Taylor G: "High Expectations for Deepwater Wells," Oilfield Review 14, no. 4 (Winter 2002/2003): 36-51.
4. For more on electrical submersible pump applications, problems and monitoring: Bates R, Cosad C, Fielder L, Kosmala A, Hudson S, Romero Band Shanmugam V: "Taking the Pulse of Producing Wells - ESP Surveillance," Oilfield Review 16, no. 2 (Summer 2004): 16-25.
5. Fleshman R and Lekic HO: "Artificial Lift for High-Volume Production," Oilfield Review 11, no. 1 (Spring 1999): 49-63.
6. Multiphase flowmeters are not used to measure production in all subsea developments. Another way to determine production from each well in a field is to allocate by difference. This technique requires the operator to shut in production from a well, then measure the decrease in production at the separator. By shutting in production separately from each well in the field, the operator can determine its contribution to total output. For more on multiphase flowmeters: Atkinson I, Theuveny B, Berard M, Conort G, Groves J, Lowe T, McDiarmid A, Mehdizadeh P, Perciot P, Pinguet B, Smith G and Williamson KJ: "A New Horizon in Multiphase Flow Measurement," Oilfield Review 16, no. 4 (Winter 2004/2005): 52-63.
7. A hydrate is a crystalline solid consisting of water with gas molecules in an ice-like cage structure. Water molecules form a lattice structure into which many types of gas molecules can fit. Under high pressure, gas hydrates can form in temperatures well above freezing. Gas hydrates are thermodynamically suppressed by adding antifreeze materials such as salts or glycols. Gas hydrates are found in nature, on the bottom of cold seas and in arctic permafrost regions. In such environments, hydrates affect both drilling and production operations. For more on hydrate control while drilling: Ebeltoft H, Yousif M and Soergaard E: "Hydrate Control During Deep-water Drilling: Overview and New Drilling Fluids Formulations," paper SPE 38567, presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, SanAntonio, Texas, USA, October 5-8, 1997.
8. The bubblepoint marks the pressure and temperature conditions under which the first bubble of gas breaks out of solution in an oil. Initially, petroleum reservoir oils contain some natural gas in solution. Often the oil is saturated with gas when discovered, meaning that the oil is holding all the gas that it can at reservoir temperature and pressure, and that it is at its bubblepoint. Occasionally, the oil will be undersaturated. In this case, as the pressure is lowered, the pressure at which the first gas begins to evolve from the oil is defined as the bubblepoint.
9. Similar flow behaviors are exhibited in deviated or horizontal wells; for more on multiphase flow in deviated wells: Baldauff J, Runge T, Caldenhead J, Faur M, Marcus R, Mas, C, North R and Oddie G: "Profiling and Quantifying Complex Multiphase Flow," Oilfield Review 16, no. 3 (Autumn 2004): 4-13.
10. The Joule-Thompson effect produces a change in temperature as gas expands. It is often assumed that this change results in lower temperature. The change in temperature, however, depends on the inversion point of the gas. Each gas has its own inversion point, defined by temperature and pressure. Below the inversion point, the gas will cool, and above that point, it will heat up.
11. Asphaltenes are defined as the n-pentane or n-heptane insoluble components of petroleum crudes that are soluble in toluene. For further information: Jamaluddin AKM, Joshi N, Joseph D, D'Cruz D, Ross B, Creek J, Kabir CS and McFadden JO: "Laboratory Techniques to Define the Asphaltene Precipitation Envelope," Petroleum Society of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy & Petroleum, Paper 2000-68, presented at the Petroleum Society's Canadian International Petroleum Conference 2000, Calgary, June 4-8, 2000.
12. For more on gas hydrates: Collett TS, Lewis R and Uchida T: "Growing Interest in Gas Hydrates," Oilfield Review 12, no. 2 (Summer 2000):43-57.
13. Ratulowski J, Amin A, Hammami A, Muhammad M and Riding M: "Flow Assurance and Subsea Productivity: Closing the Loop with Connectivity and Measurements," paper SPE 90244, presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Houston, September 26-29, 2004.
14. Ratulowski J, Fuex A, Westrich JT and Seiler JJ: "Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of Isothermal Compositional Grading," paper SPE 84777, SPE Reservoir Evaluation and Engineerings, no. 3 (June 2003): 168-175.
15. For fluid property variation within a vertical wellbore: Betancourt S, Fujisawa G, Mullins OC, Carnegie A, Dong C, Kurkjian A, Eriksen KO, Haggag M, Jaramillo AR and Terabayashi H: "Analyzing Hydrocarbons in the Borehole," Oilfield Review 15, no. 3 (Autumn 2003): 54-61.
16. Ratulowski et al, reference 12.
17. For more on the measurement of mud contamination in downhole fluid samples: Andrews JR, Beck G, Chen A, Cribbs M, Fadnes FH, Irvine-Fortescue J, Williams S, Hashem M, Jamaluddin A, Kurkjian A, Sass B, Mullins OC, Rylander E and Van Dusen A: "Quantifying Contamination Using Color of Crude and Condensate," Oilfield Review 13, no. 3 (Autumn 2001): 24-43.
18. For more on pressure and temperature effects on hydrocarbon samples, and a discussion on downhole fluid-property evaluation tools: Betancourt et al, reference 13.
19. Ratulowski et al, reference 12.
20. Pigging allows operators to clean or inspect pipelines by pumping a spherical or cylindrical device, known as a pig, through the pipe. Fluid flowing through the pipe propels the pig along the length of the pipeline. Scraper pigs are fitted with cups, brushes, disks or blades to clean out rust, wax, scale or debris inside the pipe. Other pigs, often called smart pigs, can carry cameras, magnetic or ultrasonic sensors and telemetry devices to detect corrosion, cracks and gouges, or to measure temperature, pressure or wax deposition.
21. Offshore completions can be loosely classified as "dry-tree" or "wet-tree," depending on where the wellhead, or "tree" is located. Generally, dry-tree completions are used in shallow to moderately deep waters, where a wellhead is placed on a platform, above sea level. In moderately deep waters, dry trees can be found on compliant towers, spars and tension leg platforms. Conversely, a wet tree is a subsea completion for deep and ultradeep water depths. The wellhead is situated on the seafloor, and production from the well is piped from the subsea tree to the platform.
22. Devegowda D and Scott SL: "An Assessment of Subsea Production Systems," paper SPE 84045, presented at SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Denver, October 5-8, 2003.
23. Shepler R, White T, Amin A and Shippen S: "Flow Boosting Key to Subsea Well Productivity," presented at the Deepwater Offshore Technology Conference, New Orleans, November 30-December 2, 2004.
24. Shepler et al, reference 21.
25. Shepler et al, reference 21.
26. Atkinson et al, reference 5.
27. Ratulowski et al, reference 12.
28. Amin A, Smedstad E and Riding M: "Role of Surveillance in Improving Subsea Productivity," paper SPE 90209, presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Houston, September 26-29, 2004.
29. The Intelligent Well Interface Standardisation (IWIS) Panel formed in 1995 as a joint industry project between oil and gas operators and downhole equipment manufacturers and service companies. Their stated intent is "To assist the integration of downhole power & communication architectures, subsea control systems and topsides by providing recommended specifications (and standards where appropriate) for the interfaces between them, and other associated hardware requirements." For more on the IWIS joint industry project: http://www.iwis-panel.com/index.asp (accessed February 4, 2005).
30. Shepler et al, reference 21.
31. Amin et al, reference 26.