Selection Of Strategic Components For Ultra Deep Water Field Development

Thomas M. Ehret Technip-Coflexip, Vice Chairman of the Management Board and President, Offshore Branch Gilles de Naurois Technip-Coflexip Offshore Branch, Technology Development Division

Introduction: Ultra Deep Water Challenges

Existing Deep Water Field Developments have been limited so far to 5000 maximum water depth for floaters, whether in GOM, WAF or Brazil, with step-out wells to 6000 in Brazil. The next generation of Ultra Deep Water Field Developments from 5000 to 10 000 water depth will create specific new challenges and will require a new contractual and technical approach in the selection process of strategic components. Key technical challenges derive from: The development of large, deep, often HP/HT reservoirs, with relatively unknown reservoir characteristics. Flow assurance problems, linked both to deep reservoir characteristics and to the high uplift in cold water to surface facilities. The exponentially increasing tension loads on all bottom to surface mechanical links such as risers, moorings, etc Due to the high productivity of the wells, development on a fast track basis is a key factor for the enhancement on the NPV of the field production. The specificity of Ultra Deep Water Field Developments resides therefore in having to make early choices on strategic component selection, with limited reservoir information and relying on often non mature F/D technologies, with little or no comparable previous experience.

Concept selection and definition:

Conceptual Engineering: At conceptual Engineering stage, the Operator needs to select a Field Development concept with relatively poor reservoir information. Some key aspects of the concept selection resides in the risk analysis and the adaptability of the chosen concept to various production levels either at maximum plateau production or during life of field. Front End Engineering: This stage generally requires detailed technical exchanges between operators and contractors to select the various strategic components and finalize the performance specifications of each product. This will include an analysis of the adaptability of each product / component to changes in performance specifications throughout the design definition. Detailed Engineering: The Detailed Engineering of Ultra Deep Water products is generally left to Contractors who have more experience on a given range of designs, but needs to be supervised very closely by the Operator.

Regional Experiences and solutions

The selection of conceptual and Front-End Engineering solutions in UDW is strongly related to the geographical location of the Field. GOM have used dry tree, TLP or Spar supported Field Development solutions, with vertical access production wells and tie-back of marginal fields using catenary rigid pipe solutions. Brazil have extensively used FPSOs monohull or semi, with catenary flexible risers and flowlines, always with subsea trees. West Africa have used monohull FPSOs and a mix of catenary or vertical, rigid or flexible, risers and flowlines, and have recently planned to use dry production units for very large fields.

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In these regional concept selection processes, factors such as the Operators past experience in deep water, availability of locally experienced contractors and installation capabilities were as or more important than the specific technical characteristics of the field. Recent developments have seen an increase in the cross-fertilization of concepts and experiences worldwide between operators and contractors, allowing for an ever larger choice of technical solutions to choose from to confront UDW challenges.

Floating Production Platforms / Spars:

Ultra Deep Water Developments rely both on dry and wet-tree solutions. Wet-tree solutions can be accommodated on semi-submersible platform, while dry tree solutions require the use of SPAR or TLP. Monohull FPSOs create higher tension on risers and can only be used in mild weather locations. The SPAR is less dependant on water depth and Technip-Coflexip has chosen to develop the SPAR concept further in order to face the specific challenges of UDW. These developments include: lower hull fabrication costs, through the use of truss structures and heave plates, or of cell columns, for the main body, aiming at a 20 % cost reduction at equivalent payload. The use of split riser systems reduces the weight and cost of the vertical risers. Self elevating designs such as the TPG 3300 and the DPS 2001, reducing both the cost and the installation time offshore, as well as allowing an increased efficiency in topsides design. The topside design load needs to be defined at an early stage, but a close cooperation between operator and contractor enables the development of a flexible top side design allowing changes to some topsides functions throughout the life of the field as well as the reusability of the unit at the end of its field life. Dry tree Concepts

PLATE SPAR

TRUSS SPAR

D.P. SPAR

COLSPAR

TEL SPAR

PIPE SPAR

DPS 2000

CONCRETE SPAR

CAISSON SPAR

DPS-2001

TPG 3300

Umbilicals, Risers and Flowlines (URF):

URF lines can be used for either production wells where they require specific insulation characteristics in UDW or for the water or gas injection wells. Technip-Coflexip has carried out a unique, extensive R&D program over the last 4 years to both extend the water depth range of existing products and elaborate totally new solutions, particularly for actively heated lines. These developments include: the extension of flexible line product capabilities down to 2500 MWD, through the use of new materials, new profiles and fabrication capabilities and an extensive qualification program the use of reeled single pipe and PIP products in catenary configurations with fatigue characteristics equivalent to J-layed pipe electrically heated PIP Integrated flexible production lines, incorporating umbilical functions (ISU) in a single product , as well as water circulation for active heating (IPB) Hybrid catenary risers combining flexible and rigid sections in a single line

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Subsea tie-backs
The development of UDW small to medium size fields may be carried out more economically by subsea development and tie back to either a nearby deepwater platform or even to a fixed platform in shallow water. The feasibility of long distance tie-backs depends on the successful development of subsea processing solutions, allowing to transport a stabilized product, with reduced flow assurance concerns. Technip-Coflexip has developed an extensive engineering experience of flow assurance problems and solutions and of the emerging subsea processing technologies that are today at various qualification stages. These include: Subsea separation Pigging technologies Subsea buoys Subsea chemical distribution Flow assurance risk mitigation.

Although most technologies are not yet fully qualified, the planned development of future deepwater field will need to take into account the time scale by which these technologies will be available, in order to incorporate them into the long term Field Development and production planning.

Installation and Intervention

The capability to install, maintain and repair UDW facilities at an acceptable cost, and with identical safety and environmental performance as in traditional water depth, represents a key concern. Deepwater installation have so far largely been carried out with modified / upgraded vessels, resulting sometimes in excessive installation delays and costs. Technip-Coflexip have chosen to both upgrade existing vessels when technically and economically feasible and to build new units. The upgrade of the companys construction vessels, allowed us to extend our capabilities to : 1500 MWD for the CSO Apache for reeled pipe 2000 MWD for the Sunrise 2000 for flexible 1500 MWD for the CSO Constructor for general subsea construction.

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Technip-Coflexip chose, however, in 1998 to invest in a new built vessel to carry out a combination of reeled and J-Lay rigid pipelay, flexible pipe lay and general subsea construction, down to 2500MWD. This new unit, the CSO Deep Blue, is based on a proven deepwater drillship design, with a total displacement of 50000 tons. The vessel, delivered in July 2001, has successfully carried out extensive pipelay campaigns in deep water and has been selected for the installation of reeled and J-layed in-field lines of the deepest worldwide planned field development, in the GOM, for the NaKiKa field in 2002/2003, down to 2300 MWD. In addition to this fleet development, strategy, Technip-Coflexip has also invested in a remote operation / intervention capability program, including the development of a new generation UDW construction ROV and associated connection and intervention tools. Technip-Coflexip Fleet CSO Deep Blue

Strategic component selection / Contractual strategies

Major key Deepwater development projects have been managed by Operators, using generally 5 to 10 major contracts for component procurement and installation, and selecting contractors within their area of expertise, with the Operator interfacing directly between all contractors. This requires a strong conceptual design phase, during which the Operator is generally assisted by an engineering contractor. In UDW, due to the increased interactivity between the different components of field development and the expanding range of potential solutions with little or no track record, this conceptual design phase may require much time and detailed cost estimates involving too many options, before final selection. Only the top 5 or 6 major operators would be technically capable to fully project manage such conceptual studies in UDW. Some Operators have chosen to rely upon design competions where the field development basic concept is divided in 3 main components systems, with the frontend design of the most critical components left open to selected contractors, who have both conceptual and detailed engineering expertise and are recognized as leaders in their field of expertise. In UDW, smaller operators may have to rely on integrated field development contractors to project manage these conceptual and Front End Engineering phases, due to their increasing technical complexity. The last 3 years have seen a significant move towards consolidation between engineering companies and specialised offshore contractors to create such integrated Field Development Contractors. Technip-Coflexip is a strong example of this consolidation trend, consisting in the integration of a general engineering contractor (Technip) with 2 specialised offshore contractors, one in subsea (Coflexip) and the other in deep water floaters and Field Development Engineering (Aker Deepwater Division).

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This consolidation trend is far from being finalised and the future should see the emergence of a few large, integrated contractors fully able to take on an UDW Field Development, from conceptual stage to installation and operation. Technip-Coflexip integrated contractor Oil & Gas value chain Technip-Coflexip position in the

Conclusion
The selection of cost efficient, reliable strategic components for UDW Field Developments requires a novel approach from Operators and contractors alike. At conceptual Engineering stages, the components selection needs to take into account adaptability to relatively unknown reservoir conditions, both during the design phase and throughout the life of the field, and requires a stronger integration between Operators and Contractors engineering teams. The absence of track records and operational experience in most proposed designs also requires both Operators and contractors to benefit from cross fertilization between technical solutions used in different fields and different geographical areas. Technip-Coflexip has recently implemented an offshore Technology Development Division in order to coordinate and maximize feed-back between the different technical development in which it participates throughout the world and aims to provide this technical information background to its clients through its internationally located Front End engineering divisions.

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