Deepwater Well Engineering

©LEA Ltd (2002)

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 What Is Deepwater?

Waterdepths of 400m to 1000m

(1300 ft to 3200 ft)

are considered deepwater

Waterdepths deeper than 1000m (3200ft)

are considered ultra deepwater

©LEA Ltd (2002)

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 Deepwater Well Planning
Well Objectives

EXPLORATION / APPRAISAL WELLS

Safety
Minimum Cost
Optimized data gathering
DEVELOPMENT WELLS
Safety
Reliability (minimum intervention)
Maximized production
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 Ability to Influence Well Costs

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 Deepwater Progress

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 Design Objectives

Feasibility
Can the well be drilled
Best Solution
Optimum design
Casing Design
Low fracture gradients
Equipment and Services
Rig, ROV
Final Spud Preparations
Seabed Survey

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 Planning Considerations
Environmental Factors
Drilling Rig
Pressures and Temperatures
Trajectory Design
Casing Design
Cement Design
Drilling Fluids
Completions

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 Environmental Factors

Waterdepth
Waves (Height and Period)
Wind (Speed and Direction)
Current (Speed and Direction)
Seabed Condition
Mooring
Wellhead stability
Slope

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 Pressures and Temperatures

Formation Pressure
Most Deepwater wells normally pressured

Fracture Pressure
Lower Gradients due to deepwater

Temperature
Lower Seabed temperatures

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 Formation Pressures
L e a k O ff D a ta fr o m W e st o f S h e tla n d O ffse t w e lls
0

1 ,0 0 0
A
Normal Overburden 1 psi/ft
2 ,0 0 0
B
Seawater gradient 0.465 psi/ft
C
3 ,0 0 0

4 ,0 0 0 D

5 ,0 0 0

6 ,0 0 0
Depth TVDSS (ft)

7 ,0 0 0

8 ,0 0 0

9 ,0 0 0

1 0 ,0 0 0

1 1 ,0 0 0

1 2 ,0 0 0

1 3 ,0 0 0

1 4 ,0 0 0

1 5 ,0 0 0
5 6
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10 E M W (p p g )
 Well Trajectories

Exploration / Appraisal Wells

Vertical
Development Wells
Extended Reach
Horizontal - Multilateral
Issues
Kick off below conductor for ERD
Hole stability

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 Casing Design
Current Designs
30 x 36" Conductor
20" Surface Casing
13-3/8" Intermediate Casing
9-5/8" Production Casing
7" liner
Issues
Drill more riser less
Reduced casing scheme

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 Casing Design
2 0 6 /1 -2 2 0 6 /2 -1 A 2 1 4 /2 7 -1 2 1 4 /2 7 -2

W a te r D e p th 2 0 4 4 ft W a te r D e p th 2 0 0 4 ft W a te r D e p th 2 1 3 7 ft
2000
30" @ 2359 FT 30" @ 2250 FT W a te r D e p th 2 6 0 9 ft
30" 2629 FT
42" @ 2726 FT
30" @ 3102 FT

4000 20" @ 4002 FT

20" @ 4481 FT
20" @ 4631 FT

20" @ 5094 FT

6000

1 3 3 /8 " @ 6 9 3 0 F T

1 3 3 /8 " @ 7 9 2 1 F T 1 3 3 /8 " @ 7 6 7 5 F T

8000
1 3 3 /8 " @ 8 7 0 1 F T

TO P 7" @ 9962 FT

10000
9 5 /8 " @ 1 0 4 6 6 F T

9 5 /8 " @ 1 1 9 1 0 F T
12000

14000
7" @ 14269 FT 7" @ 14265 FT 9 5 /8 " @ 1 4 6 2 0 F T

TD 14520 FT
©LEA Ltd (2002)
13 TD 14866 TD 14744 FT
TD 16479 FT
 Casing Design
Conductor Design
A deepwater conductor carries the subsea BOP as well as all
the bending moments from the riser.
Conductor design specialists

Surface Casing
In well and fixed on rig. Full force of current against this
casing.
20" connectors (Bending) Issues
Who has had 20" connector failures

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 Fluids

Drilling Fluids
Weight driven by stability

Cement
Losses due to frac gradients
Use of X-lite cement

Issues
Disconnect with riser full of mud

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 Completions
Minimum Well Intervention
Smart Completions ( SCRAMS)
Coiled tubing access
Riggless Well intervention
Workover of Multilaterals

Issues
Use of SSSV's in deepwater

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 Design Mistakes
Spot the Drilling Engineers Mistake
0

30" 30 " 30 "

2 ,0 0 0 30 " 3 0" 30 "
30 " 3 0"
20" 3 0" 4 2"
20 " 2 0" 20 " 20 " 30 "

4 ,0 0 0 2 0" 20 "
2 0"
20 "
1 3 3 /8 " 2 0"
1 3 3 /8 "
6 ,0 0 0
1 3 3/8 "
1 3 3/8" 1 3 3 /8 " 1 3 3/8" 1 3 3 /8 "
13 3 /8 "
8 ,0 0 0
1 3 3 /8 "
1 3 3/8"

1 0 ,0 0 0
Depth ft
(RKB)

9 5 /8 "
9 5 /8 "
9 5/8 "
1 2 ,0 0 0

1 4 ,0 0 0
9 5 /8 " 7" 7" 9 5 /8 "

1 6 ,0 0 0

1 8 ,0 0 0

2 0 ,0 0 0
W e ll 1 W e ll 2 W e ll 3 W e ll 4 W e ll 5 W ell 6 W e ll 7 W ell 8 W ell 9 W ell 1 0
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 Deepwater Structures

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 Deepwater Structures

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 Rig Types

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 Fixed Platform

Fixed Platform (FP) consists of a jacket (a tall vertical section made

of tubular steel members supported by piles driven into the seabed)
with a deck placed on top, providing space for crew quarters, a
drilling rig, and production facilities. The fixed platform is
economically feasible for installation in water depths up to 1,500 feet.

©LEA Ltd (2002)

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 Compliant Tower

Compliant Tower (CT) consists of a narrow, flexible tower and a

piled foundation that can support a conventional deck for drilling
and production operations. Unlike the fixed platform, the compliant
tower withstands large lateral forces by sustaining significant lateral
deflections, and is usually used in water depths between 1,000 and
2,000 feet.

©LEA Ltd (2002)

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 Tension Leg Platform

Tension Leg Platform (TLP) consists of a floating structure held in

place by vertical, tensioned tendons connected to the sea floor by pile-
secured templates. Tensioned tendons provide for the use of a TLP in
a broad water depth range with limited vertical motion. The larger
TLP's have been successfully deployed in water depths approaching
4,000 feet.

©LEA Ltd (2002)

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 Mini-Tension Leg Platform

Mini-Tension Leg Platform (Mini-TLP) is a floating mini-tension leg

platform of relatively low cost developed for production of smaller
deepwater reserves which would be uneconomic to produce using
more conventional deepwater production systems. It can also be used
as a utility, satellite, or early production platform for larger
deepwater discoveries. The world's first Mini-TLP was installed in
the Gulf of Mexico in 1998

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 SPAR Platform

SPAR Platform (SPAR) consists of a large diameter single vertical

cylinder supporting a deck. It has a typical fixed platform topside
(surface deck with drilling and production equipment), three types of
risers (production, drilling, and export), and a hull which is moored
using a taut caternary system of six to twenty lines anchored into the
seafloor. SPAR's are presently used in water depths up to 3,000 feet,
although existing technology can extend its use to water depths as
great as 7,500 feet.

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 Floating Production System

Floating Production System (FPS) consists of a semi-submersible unit

which is equipped with drilling and production equipment. It is
anchored in place with wire rope and chain, or can be dynamically
positioned using rotating thrusters. Production from subsea wells is
transported to the surface deck through production risers designed to
accommodate platform motion. The FPS can be used in a range of
water depths from 600 to 7,500 feet.

©LEA Ltd (2002)

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 Subsea System
Subsea System (SS) ranges from single subsea wells producing to a
nearby platform, FPS, or TLP to multiple wells producing through
a manifold and pipeline system to a distant production facility.
These systems are presently used in water depths greater than 5,000
feet.

Floating Production, Storage & Offloading System (FPSO) consists

of a large tanker type vessel moored to the seafloor. An FPSO is
designed to process and stow production from nearby subsea wells
and to periodically offload the stored oil to a smaller shuttle tanker.
The shuttle tanker then transports the oil to an onshore facility for
further processing. An FPSO may be suited for marginally
economic fields located in remote deepwater areas where a pipeline
infrastructure does not exist.
©LEA Ltd (2002)
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 Deepwater Hubs

Some of the most successful operations in the Gulf today are the
growing number of deepwater hubs, fixed platforms near the
deepwater margin and giant Tension Leg Platforms (TLPs), which
house facilities for processing and transporting not just their own
prodigious production, but also oil and gas from producers
throughout the region. Shell owns a number of these deepwater hubs.
The two largest are Bullwinkle and Mars TLP.

The idea of hubs isn’t new. In both the Gulf and the North Sea, it has
been fairly common for production from shallow subsea wells to be
piped back to conventional fixed shallow water platforms where it is
processed and sent to oil and gas terminals on shore.

©LEA Ltd (2002)

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 Land Rigs

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 Land Rigs

Remote Location Rig

3000 HP
Capable of drilling to 25000 ft
With 5” Drill pipe

Camp for 100 men

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 Land Rigs

Small Rig

750 HP
Capable of drilling to 5000 ft
With 4” Drill pipe

No Camp
Easily transportable

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 Platform Rigs

Shell Brent “C” Platform

Concrete gravity base platform
Supported on 3 concrete piles

The two aft piles contain 22 wells each

Single Drilling Rig

44 Production and Injection wells

Production process facilities to separate

Water, oil & gas

Export pumps for oil & gas export

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32 Living quarters for 150 men and women
 Jack Up Rig

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 Jack Up Rig

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 Jack Up Rig

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 Jack Up Rig

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 Semi-Submersible

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 Semi-Submersible

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 Semi-Submersible

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 Drill Ship

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 Drill Ship

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 Drill Ship

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 Barges

Principal dimensions
Length 86.56 m (284 feet)
Width 18.29 m (60 feet)
Draft 4.95 m (16.25 feet)
Hull depth 8.61 m (28.25 feet)

Operating parameter
Water depth 10 m to 122 m (35 feet to 400
feet)
Drilling depth 6,096 m (20,000 feet)
Transit speed 5 - 6 knots with tug boat
Survival criteria 70 knots wind
Drilling capacity 40 knots wind

Miscellaneous
Accommodation 120 man.
Helideck Designed for Sikorsky
S-61N helicopters.
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 How Many Rigs ?

GLOBAL FLEET
Jack ups 389
Semi subs 173
Drill ships 40
Barges 23
Submersibles 9

Land Rigs +/- 5000

Based on world oil Dec 2001 rig listing

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 Subsea Well Planning

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 Controlling the Pressures

Subsea BOP stack

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 Controlling the Pressures

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 Subsea Wellhead

Wellhead is on the sea bottom

The production is connected to the

Christmas tree and oil is
transported by pipe line to a
nearby platform or floating
system for process

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 It can go Wrong

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 It can go Wrong

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 It can go Wrong

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 Gulf Of Mexico
The deepwater portion of Gulf of Mexico has shown a remarkable
increase in oil and gas exploration, development and production. In
part this is due to the development of new technologies reducing
operational costs and risks, as well as the finding of reservoirs with
high production wells.

In 1996 MMS issued a report describing deepwater activities. There

are about 90 announced Gulf deepwater prospects--the Gulf
operators have been setting and surpassing records in water depth
and length using new and improved proven technology.

For purposes here, deepwater is defined as 1,000 feet of water or

greater.
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 Subsea Development
Shell's subsea development named "Mensa" in Mississippi Canyon,
Block 731 set two world records in July 1997--a world water depth
record for production at 5,300 feet and a world record of 68 miles for
tieback distance to its host platform in West Delta Block 143. The"Ram-
Powell" Tension Leg Platform (TLP), installed in May 1997 and holder
of the previous Gulf water depth production record, is a
Shell/Amoco/Exxon joint venture in 3,214 feet of water.
Ram-Powell surpassed the 2,940-foot permanent drilling and production
platform depth record set by Shell/BP on its "Mars" tension leg
platform. In March 1999 Shell (and partners Exxon, BP, and Conoco)
began production from another TLP for the "Ursa" project on
Mississippi Canyon Block 809 in 3,916 feet of water. It also sends its
subsea well production back to the HUB platform at West Delta 143.
©LEA Ltd (2002)
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 Deepwater Drilling

Chevron U.S.A. set a then new world record water depth for drilling
an exploratory well in August 1998 on Atwater Valley Block 118 in
7,718 feet of water. The block is located about 175 miles southeast of
New Orleans. This eclipsed the previous record drilled in April 1996
in Alaminos Canyon Block 600 in 7,620 feet of water in the BAHA
prospect, a joint venture owned by Shell, Amoco, Mobil, and Texaco.

©LEA Ltd (2002)

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