Frank Hartley, Houston
Shell plans deepwater seabed production boosting systems
Shell and Baker Hughes Centrilift plan to install two major deepwater seabed production boosting systems for subsea projects - one in the Gulf of Mexico and one offshore Brazil. This marks the first project using electrical submersible pumping (ESP) systems in seabed vertical booster stations in the GoM.
The Shell Perdido Regional Development project in the Gulf includes five enhanced run-life ESP vertical booster stations. Each installation will include a liquid/gas separator to maximize ESP performance.
The vertical booster stations will handle production from three subsea satellite fields (Great White, Silvertip, and Tobago) tied back to the Perdido spar host facility. This will be the deepest spar production facility in the world, moored in approximately 2,438 m (8,000 ft) of water. The booster stations will be directly beneath the spar and will be tied to the platform via top tensioned risers. First production is anticipated around the turn of the decade.
The first phase of the Shell Brazil BC-10 deepwater project offshore Brazil includes six enhanced run-life ESP vertical booster stations 8 km (5 mi) from the host FPSO. Centrilift will supply the ESP equipment as well as perform engineering design, qualification, and testing services. Four of the systems include liquid/gas separators; two do not include separators, but employ specially designed Centrilift multi-phase fluid pumps.
The BC-10 project encompasses the Ostra, Abalone, and Argonauta fields. The BC-10 block is in the Campos basin in 1,600 to 1,905 m (5,250 to 6,250 ft) of water, 121 km (75 mi) southeast of Vitoria. First oil is scheduled around the turn of the decade.
ESP booster systems offer several advantages, including deployment from vessels, redundant system designs to maximize run time, and use of existing infrastructure to house the systems in certain configurations.
ExxonMobil installing subsea multi-phase meters
ExxonMobil plans to install 19 Vetco Gray-supplied Roxar subsea multi-phase meters in the Mondo and Saxi/Batuque fields, part of the Kizomba C development. The project is operated by ExxonMobil subsidiary Esso Exploration Angola (block 15) Ltd.
ExxonMobil will install 19 Roxar subsea multi-phase meters on the Kizomba C development offshore Angola.
In June 2006, Roxar signed a letter of intent for the installation in the Mondo field which has since been extended to include the Saxi/Batuque fields.
Through the continuous measurement of the amount of oil, condensate, gas, and water at the wellheads on the seabed, ExxonMobil can determine the optimal production capacity of each well to avoid overproducing the well, increase flow assurance from the fields, and optimize the production process. The meter provides continuous on-line monitoring of flow rates with its electronics and flow computing modules contained in a subsea retrievable canister.
By measuring multi-phase flows in real-time and obtaining new information for the diagnosis and optimization of a well’s performance (the timing of well flow changes, for example), ExxonMobil can conduct quicker, more efficient well tests, take greater control over its production systems, and ensure maximum reservoir performance. Each well has a jumper mounted meter with retrievable canisters containing electronics, central processing unit, and power. By eliminating flanges, the need for dedicated test lines and full body replacement, should electronics fail, the meter simplifies manifold and subsea structure design and minimizes the risk of leakage and environmental pollution. The meter weighs 680 kg (1,500 lb).
The Mondo field is 370 km (230 mi) west of Luanda, Angola, in 740 m (2,428 ft) of water, and represents Phase 1 of the deepwater Kizomba C project. Together with the Saxi and Batuque fields, combined resources are estimated at 615 MMbbl of oil. Two FPSOs will be required to develop the fields with initial production set for early 2008 and peak production estimated at 200,000 b/d of oil. The estimated cost for the Kizomba C development is $3.5 billion.
Kizomba is part of block 15 and is the largest deepwater development offshore West Africa. To date, over 4 Bboe have been discovered on the block and, following the 2005 start-up of Kizomba B, combined daily production capacity is more than 550 Mb/d of oil. Daily production capacity for the block is projected to exceed 750 Mb/d by 2008.
AWE developing Tui field offshore New Zealand
Australian Worldwide Exploration (AWE) continues its drilling program for the Tui Area Development by running the surface casing and cementing on the Pateke-3H, Tui 2H, and Tui-3H production wells.
The Pateke-3H well was cased and temporarily suspended after successfully running and cementing surface casing at a depth of 1,500 m (4,921 ft). Following subsea tree installation, the rig was released on Dec. 22, 2006.
The Tui-2H well started drilling on Dec. 23, 2006, and the surface section of the well was drilled to 1,502 m (4,928 ft) MD, where surface casing was run and cemented. The well was temporarily suspended on Dec. 28, and the rig was released to the Tui-3H location.
Tui-3H has been drilled to 1,500 m (4,921 ft) MD and preparations are being made to install the subsea tree. Following completion of these activities at Tui-3H, the well will be suspended temporarily and the rig will be relocated to the adjacent Tui-2H well for installation of the subsea tree, followed by drilling of the deeper section of the well, including the horizontal reservoir section.
The Tui Area Development is within PMP 38158, in the Taranaki basin, 50 km (31 mi) offshore New Zealand. First oil is expected by June 30, 2007. When fully commissioned, a production rate peaking at 50,000 b/d of oil is anticipated.
