FMC to supply subsea systems to Statoil, Petrobras
FMC Technologies Inc. will supply subsea production systems for Statoil's Norne satellites – Stær and Svale – project in the North Sea. The Norne field is 125 mi off the Norwegian coast in 1,250 ft of water.
The $79-million agreement includes eight subsea trees, manifolds, production controls, and associated systems. An additional contract will include technical services related to installation and startup.
The Norne satellites will be tied back to Statoil's Norne production vessel, and oil production will begin by late 2005.
FMC also has received an order from Petrobras to supply subsea production equipment for the company's Roncador project in the northern part of the Campos basin offshore Brazil in 4,900-6,200 ft of water. FMC supplied subsea systems for two previous phases. The order includes manifolds, production controls, and associated equipment.
Technip wins contracts for Otway gas project
Woodside Energy Ltd. has awarded Tech-nip two major contracts as part of the Otway gas project in Australia.
The project includes the development of the Geographe and the Thylacine gas fields, both 70 km south of Port Campbell, Victoria. The proposed development includes:
- A wellhead platform on the Thylacine reservoir
- A subsea manifold on the Geographe reservoir
- A subsea pipeline from the wellhead platform to the Victorian coast
- An onshore gas plant located near Port Campbell.
The contracts awarded to Technip relate to the wellhead platform, in 100 m of water, and to the onshore gas plant, which will use Technip's Cryomax gas processing technology.
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Both contracts include project management, detailed engineering, procurement of equipment and material, construction, and pre-commissioning of the wellhead platform, the onshore gas plant and onshore pipeline. Construction will begin in Sept./Oct. 2004. Production will start mid-2006.
Intervention system for smaller vessels
Worldwide Oilfield Machine has introduced a line of subsea gate valves and actuators designed to work over wells from smaller, less expensive vessels. The system isolates wellbore pressure when tools are being changed out and has two levels of redundancy for safety.
The EDP includes mono-block construction to reduce height and weight.
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In case of an emergency, the Magnum valve and actuator can cut 2 7/8-in. coiled tubing to shut in a well without leaving a slug in the valve body. After cutting, the valve shuts quickly.
The system can carry out a controlled closure of the flowhead, emergency disconnect package, and lower riser package valves in emergency situations. Intervention system components, flowhead, emergency disconnect package (EDP), lower riser package (LRP), and choke manifolds isolate and secure the well.
The EDP includes mono-block construction to reduce height and weight. A 7 3/8-in. hydraulic fail-close gate valve and actuator can cut an electric line and seal 10,000 psi, the company says. The actuator has a pilot-operated quick dump valve and closes the valve at the first sign of hydraulic pressure loss.
Hydro, Statoil sign North Sea contract
The Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority has granted Norsk Hydro Produksjon and Statoil ASA consent to execute manned subsea operations under a contract with the Stolt-Subsea 7 joint venture.
The consent covers planned activities and contingency diving in 2004 under the "Hyper-baric welding and diving services/contingency" contract, which Statoil, Norsk Hydro, Esso, Pertra, and Gassco have entered into with the JV.
Norsk Hydro and Statoil are limited to 180 m maximum diving depth. The Safety Authority will require additional information for other activities before the companies are allowed to continue.
The Safety Authority has approved the following vessels for the work: MSV Regalia, DSV Seaway Osprey, DSV Toisa Polaris, DSND Pelican, and Jacob 3.
Statoil has permission to repair riser clamps at 8 m and 45 m water depth on the Kvitebjørn platform using the Jacob 3 workboat and a saturation vessel in the first half of 2004. The Kvitebjørn field is in block 34/11, east of Gullfaks in the North Sea.
Kvitebjørn is in 190 m of water. The reservoir lies 4,000 m down and features high pressure and temperature conditions. Statoil may also connect pipes and an umbilical to a new christmas tree on the Glitne field, in Norwegian blocks 15/5 and 15/6.
Statoil is also using a new strategy to drill the complex Kristin reservoir in the Norwegian North Sea. Extremely high reservoir pressure and temperature, of 910 bar and 170° C respectively, make big demands on subsea equipment and drilling procedures. The high pressure requires that all the wells be completed before the field goes onstream. Five of the 12 wells will be drilled horizontally. These will take longer to drill, and cost more than the wells in the original drilling program. Kristin is due to start production on Oct. 1, 2005.
Statoil has experience with a similar complex development with the Åsgard field, which is the first field in the world with such high pressure and temperature to be developed with a subsea solution.
