John Waggoner - Houston
GoM enters era of 20k psi subsea wellhead
The quest for ever greater high pressure/high temperature (HP/HT) subsea projects in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) has sparked the world’s first round of supply contracts for 20,000 psi 18 ¾-in. rated wellheads and other equipment.
The emerging technology is the first major foray into 20,000 psi (138 MPa) range offshore technology since Total’s Elgin/Franklin in the North Sea took shape a decade ago. The demand for higher pressure wellheads in the GoM means there will also be a need for innovation of trees, blowout preventers (BOPs), and increased casing suspension capacity to handle loads in excess of 1.5 million lbs per string.
Shown here is a schematic diagram of the world’s first 20k psi 18 ¾-in. wellhead developed by FMC.
In March, Anadarko awarded FMC a contract to manufacture and supply an 18 ¾-in. HC-20 high capacity subsea wellhead system. In addition to extreme pressure, the equipment is engineered to perform at temperatures as high as 350º F (177º C) and allows drilling with 15,000 psi rated BOP stacks until higher-rated technology is readily available.
The HC-20’s enhanced load bearing capacity allows operators to drill deeper wells with heavier casing strings. The wellhead system also incorporates an independent load distribution mechanism to support up to 4 million lb (1.8 million kg) of combined casing string capacity plus full 20,000 psi BOP test pressure.
The HC-20 system is scheduled for delivery to Anadarko in 4Q 2009 and from FMC’s facility in Houston.
Following this announcement, BP America awarded manufacturer Dril-Quip a two year, $80-million contract to supply 15,000-psi (103 MPa) and 20,000-psi proprietary Big Bore subsea wellhead systems for its GoM operations. At the option of BP America, the contract may be extended for three additional years.
Wellheads are not the only equipment being rolled out for 20,000 psi rated systems. At the time of publication, Cameron planned to exhibit the world’s first 18 ¾ in. 20,000 psi working pressure BOP at the 2009 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, May 4-7, 2009.
Meanwhile, High Pressure Equipment has developed a new line of block and bleed needle valves delivering operation to 20,000 psi. These new needle valves are offered in both single and double block and bleed configurations. Both valve styles have Type 300 stainless steel tee handles with a non-rotating stem design as well as with optional wetted parts and optional O-rings available.
HiP’s (MVBB series) single block and bleed needle valves provide a small valve body/package and Teflon packing to 400° F (204° C) with tube sizes of 1/4-in., 3/8-in., 9/16-in. medium pressure and 1/4-in., 3/8-in., and 1/2-in. FNPT. The MVBB series is designed for calibration operations by providing controlled flow to high pressure hydraulic and pneumatic systems through both shut-off regulation and diversion.
HiP’s (DBB series) double block and bleed needle valves are manufactured from cold worked stainless steel and 17-4-H1075 with 1/4-in. to 1-in. medium pressure, coned, and threaded connections and Teflon packing from 0° F (-17.8° C) to 400° F (204° C). The DBB series is suited for pressure monitoring and testing, chemical injection, and drain line isolation applications.
Given the dismal backdrop of a global economic crisis and oil prices lower than a year ago, the new round of contracts for innovative and capital-intensive HP/HT projects in the GoM is a positive sign.
Schlumberger introduces new telemetry platform
Schlumberger has released the Orion II telemetry platform. According to the company, the new platform enables communication with bottomhole assemblies whether drilling at high penetration rates or longer boreholes.
The new generation Orion II telemetry platform combines new data compression technology housed in the MWD/LWD tool with new surface and downhole sensors that modulate and demodulate signals, and overcome interference from drilling and rig noise. Downlink commands are sent in real time while drilling without affecting delivery of measurement data to surface.
The recent extended-reach drilling record by Maersk Oil Qatar was drilled successfully and geosteered using a PowerDrive rotary steerable system, geoVISION imaging-while-drilling service, adnVISION azimuthal density neutron tool, and TeleScope high-speed telemetry service running the Orion II telemetry platform.
Presently available on IMPulse, adnVISION475, and EcoScope LWD services, as well as TeleScope and SlimPulse telemetry systems, the Orion II platform is scheduled for rapid deployment to other tools in the company’s LWD/MWD fleet.
“With Orion II, more quality data and higher resolution images can be transmitted, at greater depths, enabling better drilling decisions to be made in real time,” says Ian Falconer, marketing manager, Drilling & Measurements, Schlumberger. “Both drilling efficiency and geosteering accuracy are enhanced by the system, which holds the records for world’s deepest downlink, deepest logging-while-drilling and measurement-while-drilling transmission, and deepest directional control.”
New launch of real-time drilling software
Verdande Technology unveiled at the SPE/IADC conference in Amsterdam new case-based reasoning software for real-time drilling operations.
DrillEdge is designed to lower risk, increase the rate of penetration, and limit non-productive time while drilling. The software draws on a database of lessons learned, best practice, and experiences across a range of rigs and assets. Operators can access this knowledge to diagnose and avoid costly drilling problems before they occur or escalate. The technology also is being extended for assistance in planning phase operations.
Trondheim-based Verdande has been working on DrillEdge, a spin-off from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, for the past four years. According to a spokesperson, the company also has coordinated a pilot operation of DrillEdge with StatoilHydro on three platforms on the Norwegian shelf, and there could be further pilot installations shortly in the Gulf of Mexico and the Middle East.
