Eldon Ball • Houston
This month’s issue leads with a new look at the status of the subsea equipment sector.
In recent years, the subsea production equipment sector has developed in tandem with the offshore oil and gas business, and in particular with deepwater production. As the upstream business moves ever farther from shore, the need for high performance wet trees, controls, manifolds, and related equipment grows.
Tree counts alone fail to capture the full range of activities in the segment and now leading manufacturers are disclosing more information about their fast-growing subsea business. FMC Technologies has led the way, commissioning Douglas-Westwood to prepare the first-ever assessment of manufacturers’ market shares in dollar terms. See the results presented bySteven R. Kopits and Ian Jones in an exclusive report for Offshore beginning on page 88.
India deepwater shows the way
Production of natural gas from the deepwater Krishna-Godavari (K-G) basin offshore eastern India is expected to give the country’s upstream activity a boost after years of tepid operations.
With about 75% of its hydrocarbon energy supplies coming from imports and in the face of a growing economy, the 50% run-up in gas output from K-G is sure to be welcomed. An economic look ahead prepared for the government predicts growth reaching for double figures this year. Along with that will come higher energy demand.
The same 2009-2010 study counted 15 new oil and gas discoveries and anticipates growth after five years of flat production of around 34 million metric tons (37.5 tons) of crude and 32 bcm (1.1 tcf) of natural gas. Any increase in natural gas production will come mostly from deepwater K-G. See the full report byGene Kliewer, Technology Editor, Subsea & Seismic, beginning on page 42.
Energy demand growth drives India E&P
Continuing our look at India offshore activity this month,Catarina Podevyn, Dr. Roger Knight, and Wei Liu of Infield Systems look at the effects of a growing economy in India on offshore exploration and production activity.
As one of the two emerging giant economies in modern day Asia, India is placing the fulfillment of its dream of “greater wealth for all” on continuing economic expansion fueled by cheap energy. However, the lukewarm response of international companies to the country’s offshore prospects, evidenced by Petrobras’ recent stated intension of leaving its stake in block KG-DWN-98/2 where significant finds have already been made, means that, effectively, only India’s own domestic company Reliance Industries currently is producing deepwater hydrocarbons off the nation’s coasts, a situation that is expected to continue throughout the short to medium term. Their full report begins onpage 36.
New methods pinpoint drilling windows
The push to drill in harsh, deepwater environments makes the need for an optimum riser stack-up that can maximize operability envelopes critical. This requires detailed analysis of all the stages of riser operation.
There is a requirement for more refined methods and finite element models to verify the operability of drilling riser systems in extreme conditions. Ultra deepwater and a harsh environment place higher demands on both the vessel and the drilling equipment. These higher demands result in the calculation of reduced operability envelopes for the various operations (e.g. running, hang-off, drilling, connected non-drilling, etc.). In this analysis,Dara Williams of MCS Kenny discusses the incorporation of an onboard riser management system (RMS) to allow real-time measurement of flex-joint angles and vessel response to constantly update vessel operability curves and watch circles to reduce vessel downtime. See the full article beginning on page 60.
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