Remote Field Control and Support Strategy - Umbilicals versus Control Buoys
P.E. Christiansen, Simon McKay, K. Mullen, L. R. Upston · Proceedings of SPE Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition · 2004
Remote Field Control and Support Strategy - Umbilicals versus Control Buoys P.E. Christiansen; P.E. Christiansen INTEC Engineering Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar S.A. McKay; S.A. McKay INTEC Engineering Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar K. Mullen; K. Mullen INTEC Engineering Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar L.R. Upston L.R. Upston INTEC Engineering Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Paper presented at the SPE Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition, Perth, Australia, October 2004. Paper Number: SPE-88546-MS https://doi.org/10.2118/88546-MS Published: October 18 2004 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Get Permissions Search Site Citation Christiansen, P.E., McKay, S.A., Mullen, K., and L.R. Upston. "Remote Field Control and Support Strategy - Umbilicals versus Control Buoys." Paper presented at the SPE Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition, Perth, Australia, October 2004. doi: https://doi.org/10.2118/88546-MS Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex Search nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All ContentAll ProceedingsSociety of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)SPE Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition Search Advanced Search AbstractThis paper addresses the latest developments in remote field control strategy and focuses on long distance umbilical control versus the use of a control buoy located over the field. The paper provides an insight into both the technology and also the commercial key drivers for the selection of control strategy.The historical development of umbilicals and control buoys is summarised. The relevant technologies are described, covering aspects such as buoy design, telecommunication options, onboard power, fluid storage and injection capabilities, operational issues including access and maintenance, and opportunities for workover activities. The discussion is supported by case examples drawn from a number of fields around Australia.IntroductionIn the Asia Pacific region there are many known remote oil and gas fields in environmentally hostile areas or at deep-water locations. Such fields can typically only be made economical to develop if low cost subsea solutions can be implemented. At such remote locations where there is no existing platform infrastructure, the support of subsea facilities by umbilical can be difficult and expensive to implement. An alternative such as a control buoy for monitoring, control and injection may provide a better solution.Umbilical SolutionsDevelopment of Umbilical TechnologySince Xmas Trees first went underwater in 1961, the industry has been struggling with reliable and cost effective ways of operating them. There is a requirement for controlling valves on the Xmas Tree and downhole, and also for monitoring key parameters (such as annulus pressure).The early subsea completions involved single wells in shallow water at short step-out distances, and direct hydraulic control of the tree valves from the surface facility was straightforward, using one hose per valve. Pressure in the well annulus could also be measured at the surface via another hose. The first umbilicals were little more than bundled hydraulic hoses with a "cheap and cheerful" philosophy. Reliability was not a concern as repair and replacement were easily carried out.As the industry matured, longer step-outs made direct hydraulic control less attractive. Umbilical cost increased with length, and the response time of the valves became longer. This was cause for concern, because it took longer to shut in a Xmas Tree in an emergency, and the stroking time of the valve became so long that significant wear could occur.Multiple completions resulted in the umbilicals growing significantly in size, because one hose was needed for each valve on each of the Xmas Trees. Also, when the subsea Xmas Trees were manifolded together, the chokes had to be relocated from the platforms to subsea. This presented problems because the opening/closing time for stepping chokes became excessively long, and resulted in an unacceptable delay when opening up Trees for production. Keywords: inhibitor, subsea system, materials and corrosion, platform, pipeline corrosion, control buoy, satellite, cable, installation, operator Subjects: Pipelines, Flowlines and Risers, Offshore Facilities and Subsea Systems, Materials and corrosion, Mooring systems, Controls and umbilicals This content is only available via PDF. 2004. Society of Petroleum Engineers You can access this article if you purchase or spend a download.