Projects, Facilities and Construction

The April issue of Oil and Gas Facilities features in-depth articles about decommissioning activities in the Gulf of Mexico and how a systems-wide engineering approach to facilities design helps in the planning for initial startup. View the Table of Contents to see the regular columns and peer-reviewed papers. Subscribers can view the entire issue. Learn more about Oil and Gas Facilities or view the entire first issue.

John Hudson, SPE, Senior Production Engineer, Shell

As an industry, we clearly have moved beyond the heady first years of the digital transformation, where the anticipation from many was that within a few years we would have a consolidated software solution spanning the scope of E&P workflows. While the stories told by such a panel naturally focused more on success cases (particularly for large greenfield applications), what emerges is evidence of large-scale benefits when a company invests in repeating successful patterns at its scale of operation—this is found to be true for both operators and service companies. The clearest examples of such success were on the fundamental aspects of data quality, exception-based surveillance, standardization of human workflows, and large-scale applications of focused software solutions, often having required an investment cycle of at least 5 years. Focusing on the scaling of fundamental aspects to broad application provided significant return while managing risk, with the result of sustaining those programs that delivered benefits. If the human workflow failed to rely on any new technology deployment, any gains found in the first year or two following the deployment were not sustained. So, a simple, "fast follower" approach is unlikely to be successful, unless the follower can adapt the leader's success to their own culture and processes well.

George Hobbs, SPE, Director, Strategic Chemistry Pty. Ltd.

In 2010, natural-gas reserves were approximately equivalent to 75% of the oil reserves (including oil sands). Unconventional gas sources continue to make up an increasingly important part of the natural-gas supply, particularly shale gas and coal- bed methane (CBM), which contribute approximately 40% to US natural-gas reserves.

Ian G. Ball, SPE, Technology Director, Intecsea (UK)

Last year, we reviewed some of the more-prominent examples of how the industry continues to respond to the need for safe and cost-effective production facilities in ever-more-challenging environments. We also highlighted the increasingly important role that constructive collaboration can play in facilitating the desired outcomes for all parties.

This year, we illustrate how this same theme of constructive collaboration has been applied effectively at the other end of an offshore facility's life span, in the major decommissioning program for the Frigg field. Most of us are very familiar with the term offshore hookup, but soon we may become equally familiar with what offshore "hookdown" really involves.

Stephen Rassenfoss, JPT/JPT Online Staff Writer

Subsea completions tied back to platforms have allowed marginal fields to be put into production, but maintaining that production long enough to reach the industry average for recoveries is an unsolved problem. A small group of companies are working to change that.

John Sheehan, JPT Contributing Editor

BP is ramping up its West of Shetland operations with the UK government approval to push ahead with the second phase of its giant Clair field development, Clair Ridge. Plans to redevelop the Schiehallion and Loyal fields with a new floating production, storage, and offloading vessel (FPSO) are also gathering pace.

Hisham Saadawi, SPE, Vice President (Engineering), Abu Dhabi Company, Onshore Oil Operations (ADCO)

Every year, SPE organizes more than 30 conferences worldwide. Critical issues of current interest to the oil industry are reflected in the SPE papers presented at these conferences. When selecting papers for this feature, I was not surprised that many papers deal with topics related to safety in facilities design and to asset integrity.

132403-PA - Estimation of Potential Precipitation From an Equilibrated Calcium Carbonate Aqueous Phase Using Simple Predictive Tool
Alireza Bahadori, Southern Cross University

145501-PA - A New Proprietary Hybrid-Solvent Process for Improved Mercaptan Removal
Renaud Cadours, Virenkumar Shah, and Claire Weiss, Total SA

140741-PA - Development of Simple-To-Use Predictive Tool for Rapid Prediction of n-Alkanes Surface Tension
Alireza Bahadori, Southern Cross University

144581-PA - Real-Time Simulation of the Dispersion of Accidental Emission Release of Hazardous Substance on Industrial Site Using 3D Modeling
Jean-Marie Libre, Total E&P; Amita Tripathi, Malo Le Guellec, and Thibault Mailliard, Fluidyn-Transoft; Stéphanie Guérin, Total E&P; Claude Souprayen, Fluidyn-Transoft; and Aldo Castellari, Total E&P

150039-PA - Successful Laboratory Testing of Practical Methods of Hydraulic-Control-System Failure Diagnosis Using Valve Signatures
Hailing An, SPE, and Baha Tanju, Chevron

130307-PA - Scale-Inhibitor Application in Northern Alberta: A Case History of an Ultrahigh-Temperature Scale-Inhibition Solution in Fire-Tube Heater Treaters
Jonathan J. Wylde, Clariant Oil Services UK Ltd., Jeff McMahon, Clariant Corp., and Steve Mayner, Clariant (Canada) Inc.

143704-PA - Field Application of Chelatants in the Handling of ASP-Flooding Produced Fluid
Cheng Jiecheng, PetroChina Daqing Oilfield Limited Company; and Wu Di, Liu Wenjie, Meng Xiangchun, Sun Fuxiang, Zhao Fengling, Zhao Qiushi, and Jiang Neng, PetroChina Daqing Oilfield Engineering Company, Limited

136312-PA - Environmental Impacts of NORM Disposal--With Emphasis on Discharges to Sea
Jens Rosendal Valeur, Ramboll Oil & Gas

134140-PA - Water Hammer in Offloading Systems: Contribution of Detailed Modeling to Design and Safety
B. Pierre, SPE, and J.S. Gudmundsson, SPE, Norwegian University of Science and Technology

142863-PA - Commissioning and Operational History of Nkossa II LPG FSO
David McLean, SPE, Maersk FPSOs; and Conor Stott, Stephen Foster, and Emmanuelle Hesse, Maersk FPSOs

139593-PA - Leveraging a Common Infrastructure To Support Qatar's Rapid LNG Expansion
Ahmed Al-Amoodi, Qatar Petroleum; Keith C. Felton, Qatargas Operating Company Limited; Kamal Kasim, RasGas Company Limited; Khaled Kouki, Qatargas Operating Company; and Mike Whitehead, RasGas Company Limited.