Offshore staff
MELBOURNE, Australia -- The Shenzi field in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico has achieved sustained rates of 120,000 b/d of oil, according to BHP Billiton Petroleum.
The field is producing 120,000 b/d from seven wells. Two additional wells are shut in and available for production as needed, according to the company.
The Shenzi facility is 120 mi (195 km) off the Louisiana coastline and is installed in approximately 4,300 ft (1,300 m) of water on Green Canyon block 653. It comprises four blocks: Green Canyon 609, 610, 653, and 654. Initial field development includes seven subsea wells tied back to the TLP, with full field development expected to expand to a total of 15 producing wells and future water injection wells. Crude oil is transported via a 20-in. (51-cm) diameter pipeline connecting to Ship Shoal 332 B, while natural gas will be exported via the Cleopatra pipeline.
“Our primary goal during the early production phase of Shenzi was to safely achieve full design rates which we did within 50 days of start-up,” says J. Michael Yeager, chief executive of BHP Billiton. “We have now been able to sustain rates significantly in excess of design capacity over the past two months. The facility has also performed at over 95% uptime during this period.”
09/10/2009
