Offshore staff
NOTODDEN, Norway – Aker BP will be the first user of a technology said to dispense with umbilical-controlled tubing hanger operations.
The developer, intercention/controls provider Optime Subsea, claims its system leads to increased safety and reduced operational time, cost, and environmental risk.
Its relationship with Aker BP on the Norwegian shelf started with the use of Optime’s Subsea Controls & Intervention Light System (SCILS) on Odfjell’s semisubmersible drilling rig, Deepsea Nordkapp.
Now Aker BP has authorized use of Optime's Remotely Operated Controls System (ROCS) onboard the same rig.
“With ROCS, Aker BP can substantially reduce its completions time and cost by removing the umbilical. We avoid the costly mobilization, increase our weather window, as well avoid unneccessary ‘Red Zone’ work,” said Mads Rødsjø, special advisor Aker BP Drilling & Well.
Controlling the tubing hanger running tool is currently performed via a dedicated umbilical controlled from a large topsides hydraulic unit. During deployment, the umbilical is clamped to the riser for increased stabilization.
According to Optime, the operation is time consuming and the clamping involves hours of further higher risk operations. ROCS is said to offer the same controls functionality to the tubing hanger but without the topsides hydraulic unit and without a large, heavy and costly umbilical and controls system.
Trond Løkka, Optime's business development manager, said: "Until completing a few runs we will not be able to affirmatively state the total days in savings for subsea well completions, but we are convinced that this system will provide Aker BP and all other operators days, not hours, in savings, for every single well.”
The company hopes to have the system ready by the end of this year.
05/29/2020
