Subsea Technology and Equipments Oil& Gas Subsea | Subsea Technology and Equipments [ww-shorteode-divider] ‘The exploration and production of oil and gas reservoirs in a variety of water depth has become a challenge tothe offshore industry, ‘Since these subsea developments are moving further offshore and into deeper waters, the technical challenges of such pro- jects are continuously increasing, For deep water developments a wide range of subsea layouts and production systems, greatly differing in complexit are utilized, ‘The latest subsea technologies have been proven and formed into an engineering system(the subsea production system) ‘which is associated withthe overall process and all the equipment involved in drilling, field development and field operation, All segments of a subsea production system ~ From: Subsea engineering handbook ~ ELSEVIER 2010 A subsea production system consists of a subsea completed well, subsea Christmas trees and wellhead systems, subsea tie-in to flow line system, jumpers, umbilical and riser system and subsea equipment to operate the well. ‘The single or clustered well can be connected through the flow line toa fixed platform, FPSO (Floating Production, Storage and Offloading) or onshore facilites. oetenoaearalzonmnetntrcepeantesipmerte pire gle sere Wado state ole manish) msAlternatively, an existing subsea production system can be connected to a newly operated production well by means of a subsea tie-back (popular in the development of new oil and gas reserves) Due tothe high pressures, potentially large temperature gradients and the harsh environment in deep-water, the subsea systems and equipment are subjected to complex and critical load cases ‘Therefore in all offshore pipeline systems the transportation of fluids including the flow of ol, gas, water and mixtures should be analyzed to optimize performance and minimize the operational risks. In subsea field development, the following issues should be considered: = Deepwater or shallow -water development = Dry tree oF wet tree * Stand alone or tie-back development ‘= Hydraulic and chemical units = Subsea processing + Artificial fit methods = Facility configurations (.e., template, well cluster, satellite wells, manifolds) SUBSEA PRODUCTION SYSTEM OPERATION TThe typical operation of subsea production system can be summarized as follows: * Oil, gas and water flow from wellbore to subsea tree, thence to jumper, manif Id and flowline, before finally reaching a riser that pipes it to surface for processing, = Pressurized reservoir fuid samples collected in an open hole wellbore may be analyzed at surface to characterize the physical properties of the fluids oetenoaearalzonmnetntrcepeantesipmerte pire gle sere Wado state ole manish) ans‘An electrical submersible pump in a completed well propels reservoir fluids thousands of feet up to the wellhead and beyond Subsea trees positioned at top of each completed well contain pressure control valves and chemical injection ports and a flow line jumper carties produced fluids from each subsea tree to the manifold, which commingles production from the wells before sending through a flow line toa platform, A subsea booster pump, located downstream of the manifold, pumps produced fluids along the length of the flow line and up the riser to the platform's production deck ‘Umbilical lines from the platform run back to a subsea umbilial termination assembly before branching offto each ‘wellhead and then to the manifold The umbilicals supply electric and hydraulic power for wellhead or manifold control functions, and chemicals to suppress the formation of scale and hydrates in the production stream ‘The umbilical lines also carry bidirectional communications and control instructions between the platform, wellhead and downhole devices Schematic ofa typical subsea layout - From: Schlumberger Oilfield Review — 2006 SUBSEA ARCHITECTURE ‘The goal of subsea field development is to safely maximize economic gain using the most reliable, safe, and cost-effective solution available at the time. Offshore architecture encompasses the hardware, systems, and equipment used to drill for, produce, and transport oil and natural gas from offshore locations. This includes surface facilities, subsea equipment, and pipelines, as well as the tools and systems used to operate and ‘maintain them, oetenoaearalzonmnetntrcepeantesipmerte pire gle sere Wado state ole manish) ansSubsea production systems architectures are generally arranged as shown in the figure below, but others are considered, based on several and different issue to be considered, Subsea production system architecture ~ Typical subsea production system with wet tree (Source: Subsea engineering handbook — ELSEVIER 2010) Some subsea production systems are used to extend existing platforms. example, the geometry and depth of a reservoir may bbe such that a section cannot be reached easily from the platform using conventional directional drilling techniques or horizontal wells Based on the location of the tee installation, a subsea system can be categorized as a dry tree production system ora wet ‘tee production system and the water depth can also impact subsea field development. For the shallower water depths, limitations on subsca development can result from the height of the subsea structures Even though wet well systems ate still relatively expensive, their attraction in reducing overall capital expenditures has already been made clear, Subsea tie-backs are becoming popular in the development of new oil and gas reserves. ‘With tie backs architecture, existing infrastructure and platforms as well as pipelines are utilized with new subsea prospect ‘being tied into old platforms ‘These developments are often characterized by utilizing conventional and cost effective solutions and may therefore not be regarded as technology drivers, and due to known production regime, these developments may be developed efficiently and ‘with little effort spend on tailored design ‘The Norwegian Continental Platform (NCS) isa region where subsea development have been adopted and represents an area of pioneering subsca technology application. oetenoaearalzonmnetntrcepeantesipmerte pire gle sere Wado state ole manish) wsAtypical NCS subsea field developments are based on the subsea equipment being located in template structures, ‘The template is the foundation that carries the weight and loads of the structure, and supports the wellhead and drilling activities, manifold and control system as well asthe protection structure. ‘The protection structure covers the template, manifold and the tees to protect the equipment from third party damages as eg. dropped objects, anchors or trawl equipment. In other parts of the world where there is nota requirement thatthe equipment is overtrawlable the typical solution isto distribute the modules (tees, manifolds, et.) with each having its own foundation on the seabed. ‘This will often be described as clustered manifold solution, where a number of wells with XT's are located as standalone units, producing through a jumper spool to a comingling manifold. ‘The control system is also a central unit (Subsea Distribution Unit - SDU) and distributes control signals, electrical and hydraulic power to manifold and Subsea Control Modules (SCM) as well as distribution of injection chemicals. In ultra-deep water where the seabed tends to be softer, the SDU will be located onto the foundation that carries the manifold. ‘The subsea production system consists of the following components: = Subsea drilling systems 1+ Subsea Christmas trees and wellhead systems * Subsea manifolds and jumper systems = Umbilical and riser systems = Tie—in and flowline systems = Control systems and instrumentation = Subsea installation and vessels oetenoaearalzonmnetntrcepeantesipmerte pire gle sere Wado state ole manish) sas“The figure below illustrates the major components of a subsea production system. Subsea production system building blocks ~ From FMC Technologies SUBSEA DRILLING AND WELL SYSTEMS ‘The subsea drilling and production business is dependent upon a varity of vessels to support exploration drilling, development, production and workover of wells in shallow and deepwater. "New and innovative operational methods are continuously being envisioned and developed to support these efforts, The figure below displays four typical methods in which subsea well systems may be tied back in order to accommodate production For the a workover or completion, a semi submersible rig is typically used and for intervention, it is normal to use diving vessels or smaller service rigs Left :Offehore rigs and structure and subsea production systems Right: Subsea Drilling System can be provided in different wellheud systems, for example FMC Technologies provides: Standard, Rigid Lock, and Large Bore as shown in the figure below, each of the system has different characteristics and ‘finds diverse application SUBSEA WELLHEADS AND XMAS TREES Subsea wellhead isa pressure-containing component at the surface ofan oil well that provides the interface for drilling, completion, and testing ofall Subsea operation phases. Itean be located on the offshore platform or onshore, in which ease it is called a surface wellhead or it ean also be settled down on the mudline, in which case itis called a subsea wellhead or mudline wellhead. oetenoaearalzonmnetntrcepeantesipmerte pire gle sere Wado state ole manish) onsSubsea wells can be classified as either satellite wells or clustered wells, Satellite wells are individual and share a minimsam number of facilities with other wells, ‘The primary advantage of satellite wells is the flexibility of individual well location, installation, control, and service - each so that is production and treatment ean be optimized, ‘well is handled separately When several subsea wellheads are located on a central subsea structure, the system is referred to asa clustered system. ‘This arrangement provides the possibility of sharing common functions among several wells, such as manifold service or injection lines and common control equipment, which then require fewer flowlines and umbilical (reducing. costs). Disadvantages of clustered systems are that drilling or workover operations on one well ofthe cluster may interrupt production from others and special simultaneous drilling and production procedures need to be implemented, ‘The subsea production tee is an arrangement of valves, pipes, fittings, and connections placed on top of a wellbore. ‘The valves can be operated by electrical or hydraulic signals or manually by a diver or ROY. Left: Subsea Wellhead System — From: Onesubsea (Cameron & Schlumberger company) Right: Schematic of the subsea tree which provides the interface between the wellheads and the infield flowlines —from Offshore Technology SUBSEA MANIFOLDS ‘= A production manifold isa subsea structure containing valves and pipework designed to commingle and direct, produced fluids from multiple wells into one or more flowlines. += Itis designed to combine, distribute, contro, and often monitor fluid flow, oetenoaearalzonmnetntrcepeantesipmerte pire gle sere Wado state ole manish) HsSubsea manifolds are installed on the seabed within an array of wells to gather production orto inject water or gas into wells ‘Subsea manifolds have been used in the development of oil and gas fields to simplify the subsea system, minimize the use of subsea pipelines and risers, and optimize the flow of fluid in the system. 1 The numerous types of manifolds range from a simple pipeline end manifold (PLEM/PLET) to large structures such as a subsea process system. ‘= The manifold may be anchored tothe seabed with piles or skirts that penetrate the mudline, + Size is dictated by the number of the wells and throughput, as well as how the subsea wells are integrated into the system, Production Manifold (Source: Onesubsea— Cameron & Schlumberger company) PIPELINE ENDS AND IN-LINE STRUCTURES Pipeline end terminations (PLET)’ pipeline end manifold (PLEM), and in-line structure (ILS) are subsea structures designed to attach the pipeline end and then lowered to the seabed in the desired orientation, The PLET PLEM is located at the end of a subsea pipeline, while the inline structure is located in the middle of the pipeline =a rigid or flexible jumper is utilized to tie-in the PLETILS to the other subsea structures e.g. tree, manifold, or other PLET/PLEM, JUMPERS: In subsea oil/ gas production sy between two subsea components (for example, a tree and a manifold, a manifold and another manifold, ot a manifold and an export sled), ems, a subsea jumper i a short pipe connector that is used to transport production fluid oetenoaearalzonmnetntrcepeantesipmerte pire gle sere Wado state ole manish) ens‘it may also connect other subsea structures such as PLEM/PLETS and riser bases and ir can be used to inject water into a ‘The oft distance between the components (trees, lowlines, and manifolds) dictates the jumper length and characteristics. Flexible jumper systems provide versatility, unlike rigid jumper systems, which limit space and handling capability. Jumper are used to connect manifold systems to wells, sleds 10 wells and/or manifolds to sleds They can be chosen in rigid and flexible configurations in sizes from 4 to 18 inches diameter and lengths exceeding 150 feet (50 meters) Tie-in connections are either vertical or horizontal, based on system selection. (Source: FMC Technologies) UMBILICAL SYSTEMS ‘An umbilical is a bundled arrangement of tubing, piping, and/or electrical conductors in an armored sheath that is installed from the host facility to the subsea production system equipment. ‘An umbilical is used to transmit the control fluid and/or electrical current necessary to control the functions of the subsea production and safety equipment (ire, valves, manifold, et.) Dedicated tubes in an umbilical are used to monitor pressures and inject fluids (chemicals such as methanol) from the host facility to critical areas within the subsea production equipment, Electrical conductors transmit power to operate subsea electronic devices. ‘Umbilical dimensions typically range up to 10 in. (25.4 em) in diameter. ‘The umbilical will include multiple tubings normally ranging in size up to 2 in, (5.08 em). oetenoaearalzonmnetntrcepeantesipmerte pire gle sere Wado state ole manish) ens‘The length of an umbilical is defined by the spacing of the subsea components and the distance these components are located from the host facility. PRODUCTION RISERS ‘The production riser isthe portion of the flowline that resides between the host facility and the seabed adjacent to a host facility Riser dimensions range from 3 to 12 in (76.2 to 304.8 mm). in diameter. Riser length is defined by the water depth and riser configuration, which can be vertical or a variety of wave forms, Risers can be flexible or rigid and contained within the area of a fixed platform or floating facility, run in the water column. SUBSEA FLOWLINES Subsea flowlines are the subsea pipelines used to connect a subsea wellhead with a manifold or the surface facility ‘The fiowlines may be made of flexible pipe or rigid pipe and they may transport petrochemicals, lit gas, injection water, and chemicals, Flowlines may be single pipe, or multiple lines bundled inside a cartier pipe. Both single and bundled lines may need to be insulated to avoid problems associated with the cooling of the produced fluid as it travels along the seabed, ‘The possible higher pressure condition results in the technical challenge of providing a higher material grade of pipe for high- pressure, high-temperature (HP/HT) flowline projects, which will cause sour service ifthe product includes H2S and saltwater oetenoaearalzonmnetntrcepeantesipmerte pire gle sere Wado state ole manish) vosHigher temperature operating condition will cause the challenges of corrosion, down-rated yield strength, and insulation coating. Schematic of field development showing deployment of lowlines Fram: Reinersten SUBSEA CONTROL SYSTEM AND INSTRUMENTATION ‘The subsea control system is a vital element in the subsea production system and throughout the life ofthe field is vital that this performs reliably All subsea equipment located on the sea floor in both shallow and deep water need to be operated remotely Hydraulic and electrical functions need to controlled and monitored from the host facility control station, The control station (master control station or MCS) for the production control system can be located on a platform or on floating facility such as an FPSO. Selecting the correet type of control system is critical to ensuring safe, efficient and long term reliability of the system Critical components of the system can be retrieved to surface for maintenance and replacement as required and the graphic ‘below shows the major components of the subsea control system. Subsea control system building block - From FMC Technologies Ina subsea system control system, typically hydraulic and electrical controls umbilicals will be connected between subsea components using relatively short lengths of umbilical For this requirement Hydraulic and Electric Jumper Umbilieals are used, oetenoaearalzonmnetntrcepeantesipmerte pire gle sere Wado state ole manish) ss“These can be located on subsea distribution modules located on the seabed positioned close to the subsea components e.. Christmas tree or manifold, An ROV would then connect the umbilicals. ‘Traditional de clopments have instruments for pressure and temperature monitoring of the produced fluids located on the tree, ‘The integrity of the production tubing is evaluated by monitoring the pressure between the production tubing and produetion casing through sensors located in the XT, For the production path, instruments are normally located down-stream the production master valve. ‘The condition ofthe electrical supply through the umbilical is monitored from the topside Electrical Power Unit ‘Today the subsea trees and manifolds are getting more instruments and ate also often equipped with a multiphase meter ‘which is geting more popular as they have become more accurate and reliable in operation. TThe multiphase meters have been installed for better production optimization and to some extent for production allocation when different Operators are producing through same infrastructure to the processing unit With the introduction of subsea processing facilities, there will also be an increased need for electric power to operate electric motors and separator systems and their control systems. Also Direct Electric Heating (DEH) of pipeline is becoming more popular which requires large amounts of power, For signal transmission the industry is moving from communication using copper wite to fibre optic cables due to the ‘massive inerease in transmission capacity and speed. SUBSEA INSTALLATION AND VESSELS oetenoaearalzonmnetntrcepeantesipmerte pire gle sere Wado state ole manish) sans‘The development of subsea production systems requites specialized subsea equipment. ‘The deployment of such equipment requires specialized and expensive vessels, which need to be equipped with diving ‘equipment for relatively shallow equipment work, and robotic equipment for deeper water depths. Subsea installation refers to the installation of subsea equipment and structures in an offshore enviromnent forthe subsea production system Instal sion in un offshore environment is a dangerous activity, and heavy lifting is avoided as much as possible. This is achieved fully by subsea equipment and structures that are transmitted tothe installation site by installation vessels. Subsea installation ean be divided into two parts: 1. installation of subsea equipment 2. installation of subsea pipelines and subsea risers Installation of subsea equipment such as trees and templates can be done by a conventional floating drilling rig, whereas subsea pipelines and subsea risers are installed by an installation barge using S-lay, J0-lay, or rel la. Special vessels can run the trees and rigless installation and subsea equipment to be installed is eategorized based on weigl shapes (volume versus line type), dimensions, and water depth (deep versus shallow), Snapshots of subsea installation and vessels FLOW ASSURANCE ‘The buildup of wax, seale and hydrate deposits in wells, subsea flowlines, wellheads, risers and surface equipment is a special problem for subsea production where temperatures are quite low and the pressurized fluids are an un-processed ‘wellstream, oetenoaearalzonmnetntrcepeantesipmerte pire gle sere Wado state ole manish) saisFlow assurance is the new term referred to the study of the complex phenomena involved with steam of produced fluids in order o guarantee the maximum flow. ‘These fluids are comprised of a combination of gas, crude/condensate and water together with organic and inorganic solid: Hydrate, Seale, Wax / Paraffin, Sand, Asphaltenes For an effective subsea production, itis necessary to identify the potential for and quantify the magnitude of all of these solid depositions in the production system, ‘Changing pressures, temperatures and production flow profiles over the field life also complicates the posed difficulties. It is also necessary to control and predict potential problems during transient flow regime , which means that the system should be able to shutdown and restart in a controlled manner, ‘There are many considerations that go into designing an effective flow assurance program fora field and these include considering the requirements forall parts ofthe system for the entire production life. ‘Some of the considerations for an effective low assurance program are listed below: = Produetion profile optimization = Chemical inhibitors (injection & storage) += Produced fluids properties versus pressure and temperature = Host facility (pigging, fluid storage, tubing & flowline ID's & handling, intervention capability) + Insulation (tubing, wellhead, ete.) = Capital and operating costs for different flow assurance solutions ‘The petroleum industry are developing distributed sensors and other devices that can warn the operators of impending flow blockages, oetenoaearalzonmnetntrcepeantesipmerte pire gle sere Wado state ole manish) wsSubsea Processing From:STATOIL, 2011 In the context of Flow Assurance in subsea production system Flow Assurance System (FAS) ~ an advanced real time and simulation support system delivered by FMC Technologies with SPT Group and Prediktor as sub-suppliers — include online ‘monitoring of potential flow assurance issues ‘Thermal insulation and protective coating can be applied to components subjected to deepwater immersion. ‘Subsea Thermal Insulation with materials of superior thermal properties helps delay the onset of hydrate formation and wax deposition or DEH (Direct electric heating) is also an alternative mature and growing technology which can keep fluid temperatures above the hydrate formation temperature and above the wax appearance temperature oetenoaearalzonmnetntrcepeantesipmerte pire gle sere Wado state ole manish) ws