ne
Content
HP/HT TECHNOLOGY: Unmanned Jade development, pipeline tackling HP/HT con... Page 1 of 5
Stay Connected
Subscribe: Magazine l Newsletters
Home Regional Reports Drilling & Completion Field Development Subsea Geosciences Pipelines Production Rigs/Vessels Deepwater Business Briefs
Home > HP/HT TECHNOLOGY: Unmanned Jade development, pipeline tackling HP/HT conditions
FLOATING PRODUCTION: Inspection, evaluation methods help FPSOs, FSOs avoid drydocking | Previous Article |
Next Article | UNDER-BALANCED DRILLING: Under-balanced drilling to limits brings old field back to life
Offshore
Digital Magazine
HP/HT TECHNOLOGY: Unmanned Jade
development, pipeline tackling HP/HT
conditions
Look Inside
05/01/2001
Nick Terdre
Contributing Editor
Production on Phillips
Petroleum's Jade Field in
the UK North Sea will begin
in October. The project, the
first satellite development to
make use of the Judy
infrastructure, has presented
a series of challenges,
mainly connected to the
field's high-pressure/hightemperature (HP/HT)
reservoir.
View of Jade platform from the east.
Click here to enlarge image
Jade is being developed
with a minimum facilities,
normally unattended,
wellhead platform, to be
installed in May. Starting in
June, the wells will be drilled
by a jackup rig cantilevered
over the platform.
Production, initially from one
well, will be transported
through a 17.3-km
multiphase pipeline to Judy,
from which Jade will be
remotely controlled and
where processing will take
place.
Peak production of some 200,000 MMcf/d of gas and 15,000 b/d of condensate will be reached in 2005 and sustained for
about three years. However, there is exploration potential in the area, and there are spare well slots on the platform for
exploiting any commercial finds.
Current Issue
Offshore Drilling Photo of the Day
Click to view Photo Slideshow
Oil & Gas Jobs
Commercial Advisor
BP
Country: China
only Travel required NegotiableIs this a part time
position? NoAbout BP Headquartered in London, BP
is one of the world's leading international and
companies....
Corporate Strategic Research: Optimization
Such further developments could also help to prolong Jade's producing life, which otherwise is put at 15 years. According
to Phillips, the field contains estimated reserves of 380 bcf of gas and 30 million bbl of condensate.
Moving to production
Modeling
exxon mobil
Country: United States
The
licensees
- Phillips
(32.5%),
Agip
(7%), BG
(35%),
OMV
(5.57%),
and
Texaco
(19.93%)
- have
wasted
little time
in
bringing
Jade on
stream.
The field
was
(specifically for differential equations) is highly
desirable. Knowledge of optimization models in the
and industry is a plus. The candidate is expected to
have strong
communication
Search
More Job
Listings >> skills with an ability to
http://www.offshore-mag.com/articles/print/volume-61/issue-5/news/hp-ht-technolog...
11/19/2014
HP/HT TECHNOLOGY: Unmanned Jade development, pipeline tackling HP/HT con... Page 2 of 5
Jade jacket: the twisted base is welded to the vertical tower section at Kværner's Methil yard.
Click here to enlarge image
discovered in March 1996 by exploration well 30/2c-3, which was suspended untested, and appraised the following year by
30/2c-4, also suspended after testing an aggregate 91 MMcf/d gas and 9,700 b/d of condensate. In anticipation of a
positive result, the well was drilled through a nine-slot space frame which will also be used for development drilling.
The project took longer than expected to come up for official sanction as the Jade partners differ from those on Judy. Even
though the Judy partners - Phillips, Agip, and BG - are all also Jade licensees, the involvement of two licenses meant that
it took 18 months to negotiate commercial arrangements for using the Judy facilities. Government go-ahead was given in
January 2000.
In late March 2001, the project was proceeding on schedule and within budget, despite a hitch in equipment supply
causing a two-week delay in jacket delivery.
Jade has the necessary qualifications for membership in the HP/HT club - the reservoir is located in the Joanne formation
of the Pre-Cretaceous at a depth of more than 14,000 ft. The bottomhole pressure exceeds 12,000 psi and temperature is
195° C. Experience in developing and producing from HP/HT reservoirs is limited in the UK. Four other fields preceded
Jade into development - Erskine, Elgin, Franklin, and Shearwater - but so far, only Erskine has production experience.
Elgin is now onstream.
Technical advances
That experience was directly available to the
project as Texaco, the Erskine operator, is also
part of the Jade group. One of the Erskine
offshore installation managers was seconded
to the design team for the front-end
engineering design phase. But Jade also
reflects technological advances made since
Erskine was developed. All the topside piping is
fully pressure-rated, which was not feasible
when Erskine was being designed. Jade
provides regular accommodation facilities
rather than the temporary refuge installed on
Erskine.
http://www.offshore-mag.com/articles/print/volume-61/issue-5/news/hp-ht-technolog...
11/19/2014
HP/HT TECHNOLOGY: Unmanned Jade development, pipeline tackling HP/HT con... Page 3 of 5
After the engineering, procurement, and
construction phase got underway, Phillips
increased the wellhead shut-in pressure from
10,000 psi to 11,000 psi. The move was not
lightly undertaken, according to project
manager Charlie Shepherd. It meant all topside
piping, valves, and chemical injection
equipment had to be upgraded, but it provided
a greater margin of assurance that the facilities
could cope with the reservoir challenges with
something to spare.
Thermal expansion is one of the big headaches
posed by high temperature reservoirs. After
topside construction began, in light of
experience from Shearwater, some of the
pipework in the wellhead was moved to allow
more room for thermal expansion of the well
tubulars.
The multiphase export pipeline proved to be a
source of headaches, or more bluntly, a
"nightmare." Phillips had settled on a pipe-inpipe concept, allied with chemical injection, to
ensure flow assurance. It intended to use a
snake-lay installation method to allow for the
linear expansion of the pipeline, once filled with
hot well fluids. Over 17 km, the line could
expand by up to 16 meters. Just 14 days after
Phillips signed the pipelay contract with EMC, a
rupture was reported on the Erskine pipe-inWellhead hydraulic pipework on the Jade topsides, which were fabricated pipe export line.
at Heerema Hartlepool.
Expansion challenge
Click here to enlarge image
In the wake of this failure, a very rigorous
review of the Jade pipeline requirements was carried out, Shepherd says. However, the snake-lay concept Phillips
intended to use was different from that employed on Erskine. In particular, a different method of making the field joints,
using half-shells rather than over-lapping sleeves, was chosen. But Phillips' concept was untested, and with the extra care
that was being taken following the Erskine pipeline failure, the company found itself in a race against time to get the
concept qualified.
Eventually, the race was lost, and the company had to turn to a tried and tested method to preserve the schedule. But the
potential benefits of the snake-lay concept are significant, and the company would consider it for future projects, Shepherd
says.
Instead of snake-lay, the pipeline will be laid straight, but with eight expansion loops installed at about 1-km intervals along
its length. Each loop will replace a 28-meter length of pipeline with a stepout of 40 meters. While the main pipeline sections
will be buried, the loops will be free to expand. Each side of each loop can expand about 1.6 meters. The bends and
curves have been made easy so an intelligent pig can run through the pipeline.
A further problem arose late in the day when the brittleness of the bulkheads - large steel forgings installed either side of
bends in the riser and initial pipeline section up to the subsea emergency shutdown valve (ESV) to stop movement
between the inner and outer pipe - proved to be out of spec. The bulkheads were supplied by Welding Units, whose
products are regularly used by Phillips, and which had acquired the forgings from an Italian supplier.
As the original supplier could not provide replacements in time, they have now been supplied by Newcastle-based Formet.
The cost of the hitch is not large, but a two-week delay in jacket delivery has been incurred, and installation of the riser on
the jacket will only take place once the jacket has been loaded onto the transport barge.
Fabrication
The jacket was fabricated at Kværner's Methil yard under a £9.1 million design, procure, and construct) contract. Although
Phillips originally specified a conventional square base, it accepted Kværner's proposal to use a twisted base. In this
configuration, the base square is aligned at a 45-degree angle to the vertical tower section.
The design, which was used for the wellhead platforms in the Erskine, Shearwater, Elgin, and Franklin HP/HT
developments, provides a larger footprint, which reduces pile loads and allows easier access for the drilling rig. The jackup
can approach within three meters of the wellbay vertical face, without any interference from the pile on this side, which is
located below the mid-point of the platform side and away from the spud-cans on either side. The twisted-base design is a
patented Kværner concept, though this is the first time the company itself has built such a structure.
The jacket is 99.6 meters high and measures 28 meters by 28 meters at the top, and 39.6 meters by 39.6 meters at the
base. It has a lift weight of 2,600 tons and will be held in place by just four piles, each of which is 63.5 meters long and 2.4
meters in diameter and weighs 250 tons. Tubulars, including piles, were fabricated by Sif in Holland and EEW in Germany.
The jacket was fabricated at Kværner's Methil yard under a £9.1 million design, procure, and construct) contract. Although
Phillips originally specified a conventional square base, it accepted Kværner's proposal to use a twisted base. In this
configuration, the base square is aligned at a 45-degree angle to the vertical tower section.
Despite the extra costs involved in implementing design changes, savings in other areas have helped keep the overall cost
to the budgeted level. The topsides, constructed by Heerema Hartle-pool, have a lift weight of 2,000 tons and a gross
operating weight of 4,700 tons.
Subsea valving
The wellbay has 12 slots, of which five are currently designated for Jade. On arriving at the topsides, the wellstream
passes through a choke downstream of each tree, a high-integrity pressure protection system (HIPPS) consisting of two
valves in series, past a multiphase meter, through an isolation valve, and thence to the manifold where the various streams
are brought together. The single stream then passes through a couple of manually operated isolation valves, through the
topsides ESV, and into the riser.
The section from the topsides ESV, through the riser, and along the initial 200 meters of pipeline to the subsea ESV has a
design pressure of 415 bar, while the main section of the pipeline is rated to 150 bar. This will ensure that in the event of
an excessive increase in pressure and failure of the HIPPS system, any rupture of the pipeline will take place at some
distance from the platform, thus minimizing the risk to human life and the topside facilities.
The solution, adopted by Phillips, was not a requirement set by the Health & Safety Executive, Shepherd said. A subsea
isolation valve is also installed at the Judy end of the pipeline.
Chemical injection, including methanol, will be used to inhibit wax and scale formation and corrosion of the pipe walls. The
main section of the pipeline uses carbon steel, but the riser and initial 200-meter section of the pipeline are internally clad
to provide protection against cooling of the fluids or failure of the inhibitors to mix evenly in the fluids. The topsides piping is
made from duplex and other high-performance steels.
http://www.offshore-mag.com/articles/print/volume-61/issue-5/news/hp-ht-technolog...
11/19/2014
HP/HT TECHNOLOGY: Unmanned Jade development, pipeline tackling HP/HT con... Page 4 of 5
Special modules
The platform has no flare system. In the case
of over-pressure, gas will be cold vented. A
blast wall separates the wellhead area from the
utilities area, and the accommodation unit also
has a blast/fire wall. As there is regular
accommodation, both a fire-pump and lifeboat
have been installed.
Accommodation for 12 persons is provided,
although for emergency purposes, up to 20 can
sleep overnight if needed. Maintenance visits
are planned at 60-day intervals to replenish fuel
and other consumables. Well intervention is
also expected to be needed. For wireline
operations, the 36-ton pedestal crane will be
used. Brown & Root was awarded a five-year
maintenance services agreement.
Although the Jade platform will be controlled
from Judy, initial startup will be carried out from
the platform's own control room, where a dual
control system supplied by ABB is installed.
Should the platform need to be shut down, a
restart will also have to be carried out from on
board. However, if the platform is shut down
because of a shutdown of functions on Judy, it
will be possible to restart Jade operations from
Judy.
Jade has the necessary qualifications for membership in the HP/HT club the reservoir is located in the Joanne formation of the Pre-Cretaceous at a
One of Judy's two separator trains will be
depth of more than 14,000 ft. The bottomhole pressure exceeds 12,000 psi
dedicated to handling the Jade well fluids, and
and temperature is 195° C. Experience in developing and producing from
fiscal monitoring will be carried out on this
HP/HT reservoirs is limited in the UK.
platform. Judy will shut down in the second half
Click here to enlarge image
of May for the tie-in work.
Safety performance on the project has been very good so far, according to Shepherd. At the Heerema Hartlepool yard,
where some 350,000-400,000 work-hours have been performed, there have been no lost-time accidents, and only two at
Methil, where a total of some 200,000 hours has been worked.
The platform will be installed in the second half of May by Saipem's S7000 crane-barge. Two docking piles have been
installed on one of the existing wells to guide the jacket into place. Heerema is responsible for offshore hookup.
The pipeline installation will take place from early April to early June. The main section of the line will be installed by EMC
using the Castoro 6 pipelay barge. Dummy spools will be laid where the expansion loops are to go.
The loops will then be installed by Halliburton Subsea - each will be in two parts, which will be flanged together at the top.
Of the pipeline cost of £32.5 million, EMC's contract is worth £20 million, £7 million over the sum originally agreed due to
the changed scope of work.
Drilling will be carried out by Santa Fe Drilling's Galaxy 1 jackup, a rig Phillips has used on various occasions in the Judy
area and which earlier this year was drilling an exploration well through the Judy platform. The rig's first task will be to
extend and recomplete the 30/2c-4 appraisal as a producer. Startup will be based on this well. A further three producers
will then be drilled in a program that is expected to last until August 2002. The discovery well, 30/2c-3, which missed the
crest of the reservoir, will be used for drill cuttings injection.
Each well is expected to have a productivity of up to 75 MMcf/d, but will normally be required to deliver 50-60 MMcf/d. If
one of the wells does not come in as planned, the drilling contract has an option for a fifth producer.
More Offshore Issue Articles
Offshore Articles Archives
FLOATING PRODUCTION: Inspection, evaluation methods help FPSOs, FSOs avoid drydocking | Previous Article |
Next Article | UNDER-BALANCED DRILLING: Under-balanced drilling to limits brings old field back to life
Related Articles
Deepwater Operations 2014: ENGlobal showcases Universal Master Control Station for the subsea market
Nov 7, 2014 ENGlobal Corp. has showcased its Universal Master Control Station (UMCS) for subsea controls and
integration on the exhibition floor of the Deepwater Operations Conference & Exhibition held at ...
Deepwater Operations 2014: Proserv introduces new pipeline coating removal tools
Nov 7, 2014 Proserv introduced its new range of Pipeline Cleaning Coating Removal (PCR) tools on the exhibition
floor of the Deepwater Operations Conference & Exhibition held at the Moody Gardens Conventio...
Jack-Up Barge places accommodation order with Asian Offshore Services
Nov 6, 2014Jack-Up Barge has placed an order with Asian Offshore Services for additional Zone 2 blast-rated
temporary living quarters.
Technip secures framework agreement from Petronas
Nov 6, 2014 Technip has secured a five-year framework agreement with Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd for engineering,
procurement, construction and installation (EPCI), or supply-only of flexible pipes for PCSB’s pr...
Allseas selects SpeedCast for satellite services
Nov 6, 2014 Allseas Group SA has awarded SpeedCast International Ltd. a satellite service contract that covers
Allseas’ flagship vessel, the Pieter Schelte, the world’s biggest ship, which took to the seas for...
Trending News
Fosun completes Roc Oil acquisition
Nov 18, 2014Fosun International Ltd.’s wholly owned subsidiary, Transcendent Resources Ltd., has closed the
acquisition of Roc Oil Co. Ltd. (ROC), acquiring 92.6% of ROC’s outstanding share capital.
http://www.offshore-mag.com/articles/print/volume-61/issue-5/news/hp-ht-technolog...
11/19/2014
HP/HT TECHNOLOGY: Unmanned Jade development, pipeline tackling HP/HT con... Page 5 of 5
Wison selects AVEVA Marine to support offshore projects
Nov 18, 2014Wison Offshore & Marine has selected AVEVA Marine software for the engineering, design, and
construction of Wison’s offshore FSRU projects.
AOSL uses Saab Seaeye Falcon ROV in iceberg warning research
Nov 18, 2014Rigs at risk from drifting icebergs can expect an early warning following research by the Memorial
University of Newfoundland in Canada. The Autonomous Ocean Systems Laboratory at the university is doing a long
-term study into modeling the behavior of icebergs, which includes acquiring real-world data that can increase the
accuracy of predicting the rate and direction of their drift.
KDM Marine completes seabed excavation project in North Sea
Nov 18, 2014Subsea excavation specialist KDM Marine International has completed a project to assist in preparing
the seabed for a jackup placement in the North Sea.
Offshore Photo of the Day November
Offshore Topics
Regional Reports
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Drilling & Completion
Field Development
Subsea
Geosciences
Pipelines
Production
Rigs/Vessels
Deepwater
Business Briefs
Africa
Asia
Australia & New Zealand
Canada
Latin America
Middle East
North Sea & Europe
Russia
US & Gulf of Mexico
General
1455 W. Loop South, STE. 400
Houston, Texas 77027 | (713)
621-9720
Copyright © 2014: PennWell
Corporation All Rights Reserved
Topic Centers
PennWell
Home
Events
Regional Reports
Pipelines
Pennwell
About Us
OTC
Drilling & Completion
Production
View All Pennwell Websites
Advertise
RSS
Field Development
Rigs/Vessels
View All Pennwell Events
Contact Us
Company News
Subsea
Deepwater
Sitemap
Subscribe
Special Reports
Geosciences
Business Briefs
Webmaster
Terms
Resources
Privacy Policy
http://www.offshore-mag.com/articles/print/volume-61/issue-5/news/hp-ht-technolog...
11/19/2014
Stay Connected
Subscribe: Magazine l Newsletters
Home Regional Reports Drilling & Completion Field Development Subsea Geosciences Pipelines Production Rigs/Vessels Deepwater Business Briefs
Home > HP/HT TECHNOLOGY: Unmanned Jade development, pipeline tackling HP/HT conditions
FLOATING PRODUCTION: Inspection, evaluation methods help FPSOs, FSOs avoid drydocking | Previous Article |
Next Article | UNDER-BALANCED DRILLING: Under-balanced drilling to limits brings old field back to life
Offshore
Digital Magazine
HP/HT TECHNOLOGY: Unmanned Jade
development, pipeline tackling HP/HT
conditions
Look Inside
05/01/2001
Nick Terdre
Contributing Editor
Production on Phillips
Petroleum's Jade Field in
the UK North Sea will begin
in October. The project, the
first satellite development to
make use of the Judy
infrastructure, has presented
a series of challenges,
mainly connected to the
field's high-pressure/hightemperature (HP/HT)
reservoir.
View of Jade platform from the east.
Click here to enlarge image
Jade is being developed
with a minimum facilities,
normally unattended,
wellhead platform, to be
installed in May. Starting in
June, the wells will be drilled
by a jackup rig cantilevered
over the platform.
Production, initially from one
well, will be transported
through a 17.3-km
multiphase pipeline to Judy,
from which Jade will be
remotely controlled and
where processing will take
place.
Peak production of some 200,000 MMcf/d of gas and 15,000 b/d of condensate will be reached in 2005 and sustained for
about three years. However, there is exploration potential in the area, and there are spare well slots on the platform for
exploiting any commercial finds.
Current Issue
Offshore Drilling Photo of the Day
Click to view Photo Slideshow
Oil & Gas Jobs
Commercial Advisor
BP
Country: China
only Travel required NegotiableIs this a part time
position? NoAbout BP Headquartered in London, BP
is one of the world's leading international and
companies....
Corporate Strategic Research: Optimization
Such further developments could also help to prolong Jade's producing life, which otherwise is put at 15 years. According
to Phillips, the field contains estimated reserves of 380 bcf of gas and 30 million bbl of condensate.
Moving to production
Modeling
exxon mobil
Country: United States
The
licensees
- Phillips
(32.5%),
Agip
(7%), BG
(35%),
OMV
(5.57%),
and
Texaco
(19.93%)
- have
wasted
little time
in
bringing
Jade on
stream.
The field
was
(specifically for differential equations) is highly
desirable. Knowledge of optimization models in the
and industry is a plus. The candidate is expected to
have strong
communication
Search
More Job
Listings >> skills with an ability to
http://www.offshore-mag.com/articles/print/volume-61/issue-5/news/hp-ht-technolog...
11/19/2014
HP/HT TECHNOLOGY: Unmanned Jade development, pipeline tackling HP/HT con... Page 2 of 5
Jade jacket: the twisted base is welded to the vertical tower section at Kværner's Methil yard.
Click here to enlarge image
discovered in March 1996 by exploration well 30/2c-3, which was suspended untested, and appraised the following year by
30/2c-4, also suspended after testing an aggregate 91 MMcf/d gas and 9,700 b/d of condensate. In anticipation of a
positive result, the well was drilled through a nine-slot space frame which will also be used for development drilling.
The project took longer than expected to come up for official sanction as the Jade partners differ from those on Judy. Even
though the Judy partners - Phillips, Agip, and BG - are all also Jade licensees, the involvement of two licenses meant that
it took 18 months to negotiate commercial arrangements for using the Judy facilities. Government go-ahead was given in
January 2000.
In late March 2001, the project was proceeding on schedule and within budget, despite a hitch in equipment supply
causing a two-week delay in jacket delivery.
Jade has the necessary qualifications for membership in the HP/HT club - the reservoir is located in the Joanne formation
of the Pre-Cretaceous at a depth of more than 14,000 ft. The bottomhole pressure exceeds 12,000 psi and temperature is
195° C. Experience in developing and producing from HP/HT reservoirs is limited in the UK. Four other fields preceded
Jade into development - Erskine, Elgin, Franklin, and Shearwater - but so far, only Erskine has production experience.
Elgin is now onstream.
Technical advances
That experience was directly available to the
project as Texaco, the Erskine operator, is also
part of the Jade group. One of the Erskine
offshore installation managers was seconded
to the design team for the front-end
engineering design phase. But Jade also
reflects technological advances made since
Erskine was developed. All the topside piping is
fully pressure-rated, which was not feasible
when Erskine was being designed. Jade
provides regular accommodation facilities
rather than the temporary refuge installed on
Erskine.
http://www.offshore-mag.com/articles/print/volume-61/issue-5/news/hp-ht-technolog...
11/19/2014
HP/HT TECHNOLOGY: Unmanned Jade development, pipeline tackling HP/HT con... Page 3 of 5
After the engineering, procurement, and
construction phase got underway, Phillips
increased the wellhead shut-in pressure from
10,000 psi to 11,000 psi. The move was not
lightly undertaken, according to project
manager Charlie Shepherd. It meant all topside
piping, valves, and chemical injection
equipment had to be upgraded, but it provided
a greater margin of assurance that the facilities
could cope with the reservoir challenges with
something to spare.
Thermal expansion is one of the big headaches
posed by high temperature reservoirs. After
topside construction began, in light of
experience from Shearwater, some of the
pipework in the wellhead was moved to allow
more room for thermal expansion of the well
tubulars.
The multiphase export pipeline proved to be a
source of headaches, or more bluntly, a
"nightmare." Phillips had settled on a pipe-inpipe concept, allied with chemical injection, to
ensure flow assurance. It intended to use a
snake-lay installation method to allow for the
linear expansion of the pipeline, once filled with
hot well fluids. Over 17 km, the line could
expand by up to 16 meters. Just 14 days after
Phillips signed the pipelay contract with EMC, a
rupture was reported on the Erskine pipe-inWellhead hydraulic pipework on the Jade topsides, which were fabricated pipe export line.
at Heerema Hartlepool.
Expansion challenge
Click here to enlarge image
In the wake of this failure, a very rigorous
review of the Jade pipeline requirements was carried out, Shepherd says. However, the snake-lay concept Phillips
intended to use was different from that employed on Erskine. In particular, a different method of making the field joints,
using half-shells rather than over-lapping sleeves, was chosen. But Phillips' concept was untested, and with the extra care
that was being taken following the Erskine pipeline failure, the company found itself in a race against time to get the
concept qualified.
Eventually, the race was lost, and the company had to turn to a tried and tested method to preserve the schedule. But the
potential benefits of the snake-lay concept are significant, and the company would consider it for future projects, Shepherd
says.
Instead of snake-lay, the pipeline will be laid straight, but with eight expansion loops installed at about 1-km intervals along
its length. Each loop will replace a 28-meter length of pipeline with a stepout of 40 meters. While the main pipeline sections
will be buried, the loops will be free to expand. Each side of each loop can expand about 1.6 meters. The bends and
curves have been made easy so an intelligent pig can run through the pipeline.
A further problem arose late in the day when the brittleness of the bulkheads - large steel forgings installed either side of
bends in the riser and initial pipeline section up to the subsea emergency shutdown valve (ESV) to stop movement
between the inner and outer pipe - proved to be out of spec. The bulkheads were supplied by Welding Units, whose
products are regularly used by Phillips, and which had acquired the forgings from an Italian supplier.
As the original supplier could not provide replacements in time, they have now been supplied by Newcastle-based Formet.
The cost of the hitch is not large, but a two-week delay in jacket delivery has been incurred, and installation of the riser on
the jacket will only take place once the jacket has been loaded onto the transport barge.
Fabrication
The jacket was fabricated at Kværner's Methil yard under a £9.1 million design, procure, and construct) contract. Although
Phillips originally specified a conventional square base, it accepted Kværner's proposal to use a twisted base. In this
configuration, the base square is aligned at a 45-degree angle to the vertical tower section.
The design, which was used for the wellhead platforms in the Erskine, Shearwater, Elgin, and Franklin HP/HT
developments, provides a larger footprint, which reduces pile loads and allows easier access for the drilling rig. The jackup
can approach within three meters of the wellbay vertical face, without any interference from the pile on this side, which is
located below the mid-point of the platform side and away from the spud-cans on either side. The twisted-base design is a
patented Kværner concept, though this is the first time the company itself has built such a structure.
The jacket is 99.6 meters high and measures 28 meters by 28 meters at the top, and 39.6 meters by 39.6 meters at the
base. It has a lift weight of 2,600 tons and will be held in place by just four piles, each of which is 63.5 meters long and 2.4
meters in diameter and weighs 250 tons. Tubulars, including piles, were fabricated by Sif in Holland and EEW in Germany.
The jacket was fabricated at Kværner's Methil yard under a £9.1 million design, procure, and construct) contract. Although
Phillips originally specified a conventional square base, it accepted Kværner's proposal to use a twisted base. In this
configuration, the base square is aligned at a 45-degree angle to the vertical tower section.
Despite the extra costs involved in implementing design changes, savings in other areas have helped keep the overall cost
to the budgeted level. The topsides, constructed by Heerema Hartle-pool, have a lift weight of 2,000 tons and a gross
operating weight of 4,700 tons.
Subsea valving
The wellbay has 12 slots, of which five are currently designated for Jade. On arriving at the topsides, the wellstream
passes through a choke downstream of each tree, a high-integrity pressure protection system (HIPPS) consisting of two
valves in series, past a multiphase meter, through an isolation valve, and thence to the manifold where the various streams
are brought together. The single stream then passes through a couple of manually operated isolation valves, through the
topsides ESV, and into the riser.
The section from the topsides ESV, through the riser, and along the initial 200 meters of pipeline to the subsea ESV has a
design pressure of 415 bar, while the main section of the pipeline is rated to 150 bar. This will ensure that in the event of
an excessive increase in pressure and failure of the HIPPS system, any rupture of the pipeline will take place at some
distance from the platform, thus minimizing the risk to human life and the topside facilities.
The solution, adopted by Phillips, was not a requirement set by the Health & Safety Executive, Shepherd said. A subsea
isolation valve is also installed at the Judy end of the pipeline.
Chemical injection, including methanol, will be used to inhibit wax and scale formation and corrosion of the pipe walls. The
main section of the pipeline uses carbon steel, but the riser and initial 200-meter section of the pipeline are internally clad
to provide protection against cooling of the fluids or failure of the inhibitors to mix evenly in the fluids. The topsides piping is
made from duplex and other high-performance steels.
http://www.offshore-mag.com/articles/print/volume-61/issue-5/news/hp-ht-technolog...
11/19/2014
HP/HT TECHNOLOGY: Unmanned Jade development, pipeline tackling HP/HT con... Page 4 of 5
Special modules
The platform has no flare system. In the case
of over-pressure, gas will be cold vented. A
blast wall separates the wellhead area from the
utilities area, and the accommodation unit also
has a blast/fire wall. As there is regular
accommodation, both a fire-pump and lifeboat
have been installed.
Accommodation for 12 persons is provided,
although for emergency purposes, up to 20 can
sleep overnight if needed. Maintenance visits
are planned at 60-day intervals to replenish fuel
and other consumables. Well intervention is
also expected to be needed. For wireline
operations, the 36-ton pedestal crane will be
used. Brown & Root was awarded a five-year
maintenance services agreement.
Although the Jade platform will be controlled
from Judy, initial startup will be carried out from
the platform's own control room, where a dual
control system supplied by ABB is installed.
Should the platform need to be shut down, a
restart will also have to be carried out from on
board. However, if the platform is shut down
because of a shutdown of functions on Judy, it
will be possible to restart Jade operations from
Judy.
Jade has the necessary qualifications for membership in the HP/HT club the reservoir is located in the Joanne formation of the Pre-Cretaceous at a
One of Judy's two separator trains will be
depth of more than 14,000 ft. The bottomhole pressure exceeds 12,000 psi
dedicated to handling the Jade well fluids, and
and temperature is 195° C. Experience in developing and producing from
fiscal monitoring will be carried out on this
HP/HT reservoirs is limited in the UK.
platform. Judy will shut down in the second half
Click here to enlarge image
of May for the tie-in work.
Safety performance on the project has been very good so far, according to Shepherd. At the Heerema Hartlepool yard,
where some 350,000-400,000 work-hours have been performed, there have been no lost-time accidents, and only two at
Methil, where a total of some 200,000 hours has been worked.
The platform will be installed in the second half of May by Saipem's S7000 crane-barge. Two docking piles have been
installed on one of the existing wells to guide the jacket into place. Heerema is responsible for offshore hookup.
The pipeline installation will take place from early April to early June. The main section of the line will be installed by EMC
using the Castoro 6 pipelay barge. Dummy spools will be laid where the expansion loops are to go.
The loops will then be installed by Halliburton Subsea - each will be in two parts, which will be flanged together at the top.
Of the pipeline cost of £32.5 million, EMC's contract is worth £20 million, £7 million over the sum originally agreed due to
the changed scope of work.
Drilling will be carried out by Santa Fe Drilling's Galaxy 1 jackup, a rig Phillips has used on various occasions in the Judy
area and which earlier this year was drilling an exploration well through the Judy platform. The rig's first task will be to
extend and recomplete the 30/2c-4 appraisal as a producer. Startup will be based on this well. A further three producers
will then be drilled in a program that is expected to last until August 2002. The discovery well, 30/2c-3, which missed the
crest of the reservoir, will be used for drill cuttings injection.
Each well is expected to have a productivity of up to 75 MMcf/d, but will normally be required to deliver 50-60 MMcf/d. If
one of the wells does not come in as planned, the drilling contract has an option for a fifth producer.
More Offshore Issue Articles
Offshore Articles Archives
FLOATING PRODUCTION: Inspection, evaluation methods help FPSOs, FSOs avoid drydocking | Previous Article |
Next Article | UNDER-BALANCED DRILLING: Under-balanced drilling to limits brings old field back to life
Related Articles
Deepwater Operations 2014: ENGlobal showcases Universal Master Control Station for the subsea market
Nov 7, 2014 ENGlobal Corp. has showcased its Universal Master Control Station (UMCS) for subsea controls and
integration on the exhibition floor of the Deepwater Operations Conference & Exhibition held at ...
Deepwater Operations 2014: Proserv introduces new pipeline coating removal tools
Nov 7, 2014 Proserv introduced its new range of Pipeline Cleaning Coating Removal (PCR) tools on the exhibition
floor of the Deepwater Operations Conference & Exhibition held at the Moody Gardens Conventio...
Jack-Up Barge places accommodation order with Asian Offshore Services
Nov 6, 2014Jack-Up Barge has placed an order with Asian Offshore Services for additional Zone 2 blast-rated
temporary living quarters.
Technip secures framework agreement from Petronas
Nov 6, 2014 Technip has secured a five-year framework agreement with Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd for engineering,
procurement, construction and installation (EPCI), or supply-only of flexible pipes for PCSB’s pr...
Allseas selects SpeedCast for satellite services
Nov 6, 2014 Allseas Group SA has awarded SpeedCast International Ltd. a satellite service contract that covers
Allseas’ flagship vessel, the Pieter Schelte, the world’s biggest ship, which took to the seas for...
Trending News
Fosun completes Roc Oil acquisition
Nov 18, 2014Fosun International Ltd.’s wholly owned subsidiary, Transcendent Resources Ltd., has closed the
acquisition of Roc Oil Co. Ltd. (ROC), acquiring 92.6% of ROC’s outstanding share capital.
http://www.offshore-mag.com/articles/print/volume-61/issue-5/news/hp-ht-technolog...
11/19/2014
HP/HT TECHNOLOGY: Unmanned Jade development, pipeline tackling HP/HT con... Page 5 of 5
Wison selects AVEVA Marine to support offshore projects
Nov 18, 2014Wison Offshore & Marine has selected AVEVA Marine software for the engineering, design, and
construction of Wison’s offshore FSRU projects.
AOSL uses Saab Seaeye Falcon ROV in iceberg warning research
Nov 18, 2014Rigs at risk from drifting icebergs can expect an early warning following research by the Memorial
University of Newfoundland in Canada. The Autonomous Ocean Systems Laboratory at the university is doing a long
-term study into modeling the behavior of icebergs, which includes acquiring real-world data that can increase the
accuracy of predicting the rate and direction of their drift.
KDM Marine completes seabed excavation project in North Sea
Nov 18, 2014Subsea excavation specialist KDM Marine International has completed a project to assist in preparing
the seabed for a jackup placement in the North Sea.
Offshore Photo of the Day November
Offshore Topics
Regional Reports
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Drilling & Completion
Field Development
Subsea
Geosciences
Pipelines
Production
Rigs/Vessels
Deepwater
Business Briefs
Africa
Asia
Australia & New Zealand
Canada
Latin America
Middle East
North Sea & Europe
Russia
US & Gulf of Mexico
General
1455 W. Loop South, STE. 400
Houston, Texas 77027 | (713)
621-9720
Copyright © 2014: PennWell
Corporation All Rights Reserved
Topic Centers
PennWell
Home
Events
Regional Reports
Pipelines
Pennwell
About Us
OTC
Drilling & Completion
Production
View All Pennwell Websites
Advertise
RSS
Field Development
Rigs/Vessels
View All Pennwell Events
Contact Us
Company News
Subsea
Deepwater
Sitemap
Subscribe
Special Reports
Geosciences
Business Briefs
Webmaster
Terms
Resources
Privacy Policy
http://www.offshore-mag.com/articles/print/volume-61/issue-5/news/hp-ht-technolog...
11/19/2014
