TOPICS OF INTEREST
FACILITIES PLANNING AND MAINTENANCE
Aqualis Offshore Secures Deal for Total's Egina FPSO
The company will manage the position-keeping for the deepwater project offshore Nigeria, which is scheduled to start production later this year.
Trafigura Submits Permit for First US Deepwater Oil Port
If approved by the US Department of Transportation, the port facility would allow VLCCs and other tankers to directly load cargo, potentially removing a major hurdle for US crude oil exports.
Gas Flowing From Ichthys LNG Project
The long-awaited Ichthys LNG Project off Western Australia has finally started gas production. LNG liquefaction is expected in a few weeks.
Bureau Veritas Issues FSU, FSRU Conversion Guidelines
With interest in FSRUs and FSUs picking up, the conversion of LNG carriers offers a fast route to operational availability.
Congestion Relief: Enterprise To Develop Offshore Texas Crude Oil Export Terminal
The offshore export terminal, capable of accommodating very large crude carriers, could provide access to international markets in Asia and Europe—and higher prices—for Permian, Cushing, and Eagle Ford crude oil.
Development Plan for Rovuma LNG Phase 1 Submitted to Mozambique Government
Mozambique Rovuma Venture submitted the development plan for the first phase of the project, which will produce, liquefy, and market natural gas from the Mamba fields located in the Area 4 block offshore Mozambique. An FID is scheduled next year, with production expected to begin in 2024.
AUVs Surface as Next-Gen Data Gathering Platforms
As operators look for cost-efficient ways to address the challenges in facility maintenance and deepwater exploration, autonomous underwater vehicles are being developed for complex data gathering and advanced tasks.
Alaska LNG Project Seeks Investors
The Alaska Gasline Development Corp., a state-owned corporation, is preparing an equity offering for this summer for its $43-billion LNG project. BP agreed to sell natural gas from Prudhoe Bay for export to Asia-Pacific.
Shell Awards Contracts to GATE Energy, Subsea 7 for Vito
GATE will provide facility commissioning and Subsea 7 will provide a pair of infield production flowlines and the umbilical system for Shell’s recently sanctioned deepwater GOM development.
New Regulations To Fast-Track Brazil FPSO Deployment, Boost Presalt Oil Production
New local content regulations could speed up the pace of presalt oil production by more than 21 billion bbl by the mid-2020s. Karoon and Parnaíba Gás Natural are the first companies to apply to change their contract terms. Petrobras, Shell, BP, ExxonMobil, Petrogal, and Anadarko are also interested.
Cheniere Seeks Permit To Feed Gas To Corpus Christi LNG Train
Cheniere Energy requested issuance of the feedstock permit from FERC by 29 June. The FID for Train 3, estimated at approximately $3 billion, was announced last month. Bechtel got the green light to proceed with EPC work, subcontracting with BHGE for the gas turbines to drive compressors.
Siemens and Bentley Systems Collaborate on Process Industries Academy Initiative
The goal is to support the development and sharing of best-practice approaches for project delivery and asset operations using cloud services and digital workflows in engineering and operations.
Baker Hughes Opens Center for Inspection Technologies
BHGE opened its largest Customer Solutions Center globally for its inspection technologies business.
The Benefits of Flying Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles at Scale for Asset Managers
Ground sensors on assets over a broad area have limited returns on investment if the asset life cycle is less than 10 years, and obsolescence of the technology if it exceeds 10 years. Complementing sensors with aerial remote sensing at scale may help to mitigate these issues.
A Model for Evaluating Inlet Systems to Gas/Liquid Separators
Learn about the guidelines for early stages of projects and a method for evaluating the effect of inlet piping and devices on gas/liquid separator performance and useful tools to evaluate the adequacy of a proposed design. [Note: Updated on 22 May, the article contains a number of corrections.]
Kreuz Subsea Mobilizes New-Built Vessel, Enters Into JV in Brunei
Kreuz Subsea mobilized the Kreuz Challenger, a diving support vessel, as part of its 7-year contract with Brunei Shell Petroleum Company. The contract runs until 2022 and includes inspection, repair, and maintenance services to be carried out on offshore oil and gas structures.
Video: Early-Stage AUVs Set To Launch in North Sea Facilities Inspection Trials
Advanced AUVs with early-stage technologies for live streaming, ultrasonic testing, and 3D laser scanning are set to enter inspection trials on North Sea facilities. The aim is to reduce facilities inspection costs by 50%.
Canadian Firm Agrees to Acquire BiFab Yards
An agreement with DF Barnes is expected to provide financial security for the Scottish fabrication company, which had been on the verge of closure.
Toward the Economical Use of Corrosion-Resistant Alloys for Water Injection Tubing
With the huge amount of water injection in the industry, the need is paramount for a more scientific approach to materials selection for tubing, especially CRAs. Software-based predictors similar to those developed for CO2 corrosion would improve the economical choice of CRAs.
Pioneer Shuts In West Panhandle Field Following Compression Station Fire
Pioneer shut in 8,000 BOE/D production in its West Panhandle field in Texas on 6 March due to a compression station fire. No injuries occurred. Planning to use idle compressors, production is expected to restart later this month or in early April.
McDermott, BHGE Appointed for Joint FEED Studies on Tortue/Ahmeyim Field
The two companies will collaborate to define the technology and equipment scope for an initial four-well development phase for BP’s major West African offshore gas project.
Delayed Project Sanctions in 2017 More Than Double the 2015–16 Count
Delayed final investment decisions during the final quarter of 2017 led to more than double the combined count in 2015 and 2016.
Additive Manufacturing Makes Waves in Industry
Gas turbine blades and large-scale printing machines highlight new advancements in additive manufacturing that are likely to affect the supply chain in the not-so-distant future.
Siemens, GE Partner With Open-Source Innovation Community
Siemens and GE are among the companies discovering the power of an open-source innovation community to offer solutions for significant oil and gas industry challenges, such as improved corrosion monitoring.
SNC-Lavalin Wins Award for Fast-Tracking of Cardon IV Facilities Project
SNC-Lavalin was recognized by the Rice Global Engineering & Construction Forum’s Award of Excellence for the fast-track installation of a 150 MMcf/D natural gas processing plant for production from the offshore Venezuela Perla field.
GATE Energy Joins Ranks of Contract Awardees for Noble’s Leviathan Project
GATE Energy is the most recent contract awardee for Noble Energy’s Leviathan project offshore Israel. It will provide the commissioning of the production platform for the megaproject.
The Journey to an Autonomous Marine Ecosystem
With only about 3% of data from industrial assets used for decision making or meaningful purpose, vessel, rig, and fleet owners are looking at ways to connect existing networks and assets to achieve optimized operational performance.
Reliance Awards McDermott Contract for KG-D6 Subsea Development
McDermott announced a letter of award for a contract from Reliance Industries for the deepwater KG-D6 subsea field development in the Krishna Godavari Basin.
Getting Ahead of the Curve—Front-End Loading HSE in Major Projects
A proactive approach with EPC contract bidders to front-end load HSE strategies will pay dividends. This paper discusses the HSE management strategy for the Lake Charles Liquefied Natural Gas project.
Statoil Christens NY Offshore Wind Project
Statoil selected the name “Empire Wind” for its offshore wind site located off the southern coast of Long Island, New York. The company also recently stepped into solar power in Brazil.
SUEZ Breaks Ground on Upstream, Downstream Research Facility
After finalizing the acquisition of GE Water and Process Technologies in September, the French resource management company, SUEZ Water Technologies and Solutions, will move to a new laboratory that facilitates increased work on digital applications for upstream and downstream.
New IOGP Standard Aims To Improve Fabrication Site Safety
A recently published standard addresses the need for a comprehensive set of common requirements for operators and contracting companies at fabrication yards.
Decommissioning To Become Big Business
Whether you are involved in the design and construction of new facilities or the decommissioning of existing facilities, having a solid understanding of decom makes a lot of sense. Are you ready as all around the world offshore facilities have reached, or are reaching, the end of their design life?
Automated Data Management Helps Take the Pain Out of Analytics
Public clouds are one of the emerging technologies that are minimizing the cost of processing the big data of the oil and gas industry. Among the hurdles to the wide-scale adoption of the cloud are security and access cost.
Texas and Gulf of Mexico Production Continues Comeback After Harvey
Onshore and offshore production in Texas and the Gulf of Mexico continues to recover to pre-Hurricane Harvey levels as inspections and assessments of damages are done. Operators have not reported major damages resulting in extended shut-ins.
Drones Utilized to Assess Facility Damage After Harvey
As companies begin examining facilities in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, commercial drones have become a valuable asset in reaching flooded areas too dangerous for people to reach.
BSEE Update 9/1: Offshore Oil and Gas Production Up 10% in Gulf of Mexico
Oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico have each gone up 10% since yesterday as Harvey continues to weaken and move northeast toward the Ohio Valley. Widespread flooding is expected to continue in Texas and toward the Louisiana border through the weekend.
TechnipFMC Awarded EPCI Contract for Husky’s West White Rose Project
Husky Energy awarded the EPCI contract for its $1.6-billion expansion project, West White Rose, to TechnipFMC. It includes the supply and installation of subsea equipment.
M2 Subsea, Harvey Gulf Marine Form GOM Service Alliance
M2 Subsea, a provider of ROV services, formed an alliance with vessel operator Harvey Gulf Marine International to provide subsea ROV services in the Gulf of Mexico.
DNV GL Carries Out First Offshore Drone Survey
The classification society's first offshore drone survey was conducted on a semisubmersible used to support Statoil's drilling operations in the North Sea.
Drones and Facility Security: Things to Look Out For
Operators need to take steps to protect their facilities from drone security breaches by outsiders. The costs an attacker incurs in developing tools to break into and control infrastructure is low compared to the costs an operator incurs in defending against those tools.
Concept for Ice-Resistant Offshore Terminal for Arctic LNG Export
Cost and delivery of long-distance natural gas pipelines to a distant liquefaction facility at a warm-water port has become excessive, and environmental restraints have been increasing. An alternative is an offshore ice-resistant LNG port accommodating a new class of LNG transport vessels.
Design Tools for Arctic Subsea Pipelines
As the design methodologies evolve for arctic pipelines, strudel scour, permafrost thaw settlement, and ice gouging need to be factored in with environmental and geotechnical data, limit states, and trenching and backfilling activities.
Arctic Pipeline Route Selection
To reduce the risks to arctic pipelines from natural or geologic hazards, a more sophisticated approach to routing compared to traditional methods based on only the shortest length of pipe or connectivity to existing infrastructure is needed.
Taking on the Arctic With New Concepts
New approaches to arctic activities include a concept for an offshore ice-resistant LNG export terminal, the design of subsea pipelines, and the optimal routing for the pipelines to mitigate the unique risks in arctic regions such as ice-gouging and permafrost thaw.
Human Error: The Big Hurdle to Safer Facilities
Why is designing with human error in mind so critical? Consider that nearly 80% of all offshore facility accidents are caused by human errors, and 64% of these accidents happen during operations.
OTC: New Ideas Floated for UAVs, Beyond Inspections
AUVs aren’t limited to inspections and pipeline surveys. Deployment of a flotilla of AUVs to work on a project, and the communication among them, may someday lead to a subsea Internet of Things.
Four Generations of Fire- and Blast-Resistant Walls on Offshore Installations
Four types of fire- and blast-resistant walls for offshore installations are assessed, including internal vs. external fire and blast walls.
Passive-Fire-Protection Optimization in Offshore Topside Structures
Applying sufficient passive fire protection (PFP) on topside structural-steel members is critical. Simplified and conservative approaches are available to estimate the extent and amount of PFP necessary.
Three-Sided Passive Fire Protection on Steel-Beam Decks for Offshore Installations
This study presents an overview of the structural response and failure mechanism of three-sided protected beams and proposes design solutions.
SPE Kicks Off New Technical Section for Unmanned Systems
SPE’s newly launched technical section will provide a central hub for questions, answers, discussion, collaboration, and networking around unmanned systems for the oil and gas industry.
Artificial Intelligence Poised To Change Industry Operations
A consultant examines the ways in which artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions may have a significant impact on industry operations.
Unmanned Vehicles and Robotics Gain Momentum
Developments in the emerging technologies of unmanned vehicles are leading to new land, sea, and air applications in the oil and gas industry.
Hi-Tech Drones Take Flight for Inspections
A closer look at recent unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) regulations and sensor technologies shows the areas in which they could have a major impact on oil and gas projects in the future.
How Do Process and Occupational Safety Differ?
The SPE technical director of Production and Facilities discusses the role process and occupational safety play in oil and gas operations.
Why Our Way To Develop Projects Fails To Minimize Capex—Part 2
In the first part of this series, the author explained why the current way of performing FEED does not allow minimization of costs by optimizing the design. In this article, he describes how the current contractual setup of the EPC also fails to minimize the costs of equipment/materials and works.
Why Our Way To Develop Projects Fails To Minimize Capex—Part 1
In this first of a two-part series, the author describes why the use of lump sum contracts for FEED services contract followed by an EPC contract does not fulfil the requirements to lower oil and gas facilities capex.
World Offshore MMO Market: A Steady Return to Growth
Since the recent oil price downturn, the offshore MMO market has witnessed a significant decline in global expenditure. The most severe decline in total regional expenditure is anticipated to occur in North America, with modifications expenditure forecast to drop by 56% between 2014 and 2016.
Bridging the Divide Between Facilities and Subsurface Engineers
SPE Production and Facilities Technical Director Hisham Saadawi shares the discussion from the annual ATCE PFC dinner panel on the topic “Integration Between Facilities and Subsurface Engineers: Crucial in an Era of Low Price Oil.”
AUVs Gain Momentum in Oil and Gas Operations
AUVs have evolved from an emerging technology with niche uses to a viable solution and an established part of operations in various marine sectors. Douglas-Westwood’s AUV Market Forecast considers the prospective demand for AUVs in the commercial, military and research sectors over the next 5 years.
ATCE: Addressing Human Factors Can Make Megaprojects Work
Studies show that almost 65% of megaprojects fail to meet the performance goals established when the financial go-ahead was given. Operators can avoid costly pitfalls if they focus on addressing the human-related problems.
Application of Plume-Cooling Technology To Solve a GTG Impingement Problem: A Case Study
The compact nature of offshore platforms makes the management of the exhaust from engines a concern from a health and safety standpoint. In this paper, the authors present a typical plume-impingement problem aboard an offshore platform and discuss the application of plume-cooling technology.
DNV GL Opens Hazard Awareness Training Center
DNV’s new training center will run full-scale experiments for a joint industry project aimed at investigating cost-efficient explosion load descriptions for process areas.
Underground Bacteria Generates H2S and Trips Control Panels
When panels in an instrument equipment shelter kept tripping and the occasional smell of H2S led to an investigation of the rationale. Although a rare occurrence, this paper presents a strategy for prevention through careful site selection.
A Deeper Look At Modularization In Facilities Construction
As operators look to reduce the time and cost for projects, adopting a modular approach to facility design. While this approach may provide some benefits, it may not be the most efficient path.
Mature Oilfield Facilities Enhancement: Use of Two-Screw Multiphase Pumps To Stimulate Increased Well Production
In maturing oil wells, oil production is often restricted as reservoir pressure depletes. Two case studies highlight the application of two-screw multiphase pump systems in to extend well life.
Designing Efficient Facilities in Challenging Locations
Three case studies discuss the challenges of defining efficient facilities in difficult locations.
Process-Design Considerations for a Compressor Dry-Gas Seal-System Interface
Failure of a dry-gas seal in the compressor can result in plant outage and considerable revenue loss to the operating company. This paper discusses design considerations to minimize risk of failure.
World Offshore MMO: From Slow to Grow
Low prices will constrain maintenance and modifications in the coming year. However, maintenance can only be delayed so long, leading to a long-term outlook of growth in the market for maintenance, modifications, and operations.
Solving Deepwater Challenges in a Low Price Environment
Construction costs, contractor involvement, flow assurance, and the integration of new technologies created to improve production are some of the deepwater challenges exacerbated by the current low price environment.
Monitoring, Maintenance Of Mooring Systems Help To Extend Design Life of Production Facilities
As many platforms begin to produce beyond their design life, maintenance of mooring systems becomes more critical. With redundancies in place, operators may be unaware of initial failures, which can have major consequences if another failure occurs.
Standardization vs. Innovation vs. Optimization: Buying or Building Your Dream Car
Given the inherent differences in projects, the author discusses how can standardization be used to avoid creating each one from scratch, and what the benefits of standardizing might be for the industry.
Upstream Offshore-Facility Weight-Growth Study
To help the industry understand offshore-facility weight predictability, IPA recently conducted a comprehensive study that sheds new light on facility weight performance and identifies the root causes of weight growth, providing guidelines for improving predictability.
Operator Involvement is Key to Facility Operability
Facility operability is a matter of safety and efficiency. Though most facilities are built and operated successfully, problems sometimes arise during the design phase that can lead to costly incidents.
Spar Innovations: Thinking Inside the Box Reaps Savings
For Anadarko, the secret of the “design one, build many” approach to offshore production facilities is to control its enthusiasm for change. The company’s experience with eight operated spars shows the benefits gained with this approach.
LLOG’S Delta House Who Dat Writ Large
LLOG Exploration’s Delta House floating production system (FPS) looms large over Kiewit Offshore Services’ fabrication yard in Ingleside, Texas.
A Vendor’s View on Cost Control in Megaprojects
The factors contributing to out-of-control costs and delayed deliveries of projects are many. They range from unrealistic early cost and time estimates and human factors to the effects of geopolitical events.
Optimization of Integrated Template Structures for Arctic Subsea-Production Systems
This paper analyzes the various selection methods of integrated template structures (ITSs) for use in the Arctic environment. Operation and installation of subsea modules in the Barents Sea are also analyzed in this paper.
Design of Onshore Production Systems for Unconventional Resources
The application of lessons learned in projects is generally a trusted approach to tackling design challenges. However, the design of onshore production systems for unconventional resources does not allow for straightforward crossover from onshore or offshore conventional to unconventional systems.
Engineering for Decommissioning During Project Design Reduces Costs
Decommissioning costs are often made higher by decisions made during the initial engineering and construction stages of an offshore oil or gas field. Designing with a critical eye can go a long way toward reducing the decommissioning costs, which occur decades later.
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