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Deep Thinking in Deep Water
In 2001, with construction underway on its massive deepwater Mars tension leg platform, Shell concluded major design adjustments were needed. The operator had just learned of advances in well completion technology that would boost production beyond the facility's original design capacity. Typically, changing plans during construction is a logistical nightmare. But because the Mars team was made up of experts from across all disciplines involved in project planning and execution, Shell was able to implement all necessary changes in the construction yard before the giant floating platform sailed off.
The article "A Plan for Success in Deepwater" in the Spring 2009 issue of Oilfield Review (Farag et al., 2009) describes the value of deepwater project planning. These plans begin with reservoir characterization and are based on an understanding that all steps in field development-from seismic processing to facility design—are interconnected. Proper planning also grants operators flexibility so that as their drilling, completion, and production operations proceed they are not left with less-than-optimal alternatives.
A case history from the Gulf of Mexico demonstrates how proper seismic data processing saved one operator the cost of drilling a dry hole and became the basis for further field development. Another describes the use of integrated asset modeling to optimize the field's production equipment.
Read the full article at the Oilfield Review Web site. Clients are invited to register as premium content users to access this and other archived issues in Oilfield Review.
Reference
Chawathe A, Ozdogan U, Sullivan Glaser K, Jalali Y and Riding M: "A Plan for Success in Deep Water," Oilfield Review 21, no. 2 (Spring 2009): 26-35.
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