Self-Standing Riser with Artificial Lift System
Inactive Publication Date: 2014-11-20
MILLHEIM KEITH K
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Benefits of technology
The patent describes a system for exploring and producing oil and gas in offshore waters. The system includes a well casing and an adjustable buoyancy chamber, which can adjust the depth of the well and the tension on drilling and production strings during drilling and production operations. The system also includes a lift device to increase the flow of fluids to the production facility. The technical effect of this system is that it allows for greater flexibility and control during offshore oil and gas exploration and production operations.
Problems solved by technology
At first, such efforts were limited to land operations involving simple but effective drilling methods that satisfactorily recovered reserves from large, productive fields.
Initially, deepwater exploration and production efforts consisted of expensive, large scale drilling operations supported by tanker storage and transportation systems, due primarily to the fact that most offshore drilling sites are associated with difficult and hazardous sea conditions, and thus large scale operations provided the most stable and cost-effective manner in which to search for and recover hydrocarbon reserves.
A major drawback to the large-scale paradigm, however, is that explorers and producers have little financial incentive to work smaller reserves, since potential financial recovery is generally offset by the lengthy delay between exploration and production (approximately 3 to 7 years) and the large capital investment required for conventional platforms and related drilling and production equipment.
Moreover, complex regulatory controls and industry-wide risk aversion have led to standardization, leaving operators with few opportunities to significantly alter the prevailing paradigm.
As a result, offshore drilling operations have traditionally been burdened with long delays between investment and profit, excessive cost overruns, and slow, inflexible recovery strategies dictated by the operational environment.
However, since lognormal distributions of recoverable reserves tend to be spread over a large number of small fields, each of which yield less than would normally be required in order to justify the expense of a conventional large-scale operation, these regions have to date been under-explored and under-produced relative to their potential.
Consequently, many potentially productive smaller fields have already been discovered, but remain undeveloped due to economic considerations.
However, the Hopper system cannot be adjusted during completion, testing and production of the well, and is especially ineffective in instances where the well bore starts at a mud line in a vertical position.
The Hopper system also fails to support a variety of different surface loads, and is therefore self-limiting with respect to the flexibility drillers desire during actual operations.
The O'Reilly system, however, is inflexible in that it fails to admit to practice while the well is being completed and tested.
Moreover, the method utterly fails to contemplate functionality during production and workover operations.
The Atlantis ABS system is deficient, however, in several practical respects.
For example, the '322 Magnussen patent specifically limits deployment of the buoyancy chamber to environments where the influence of surface waves is effectively negligible, i.e., at a depth of more than about 500 feet beneath the surface.
Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that deployment at such depths is an expensive and relatively risk-laden solution, given that installation and maintenance can only be carried out by deep sea divers or remotely operated vehicles, and the fact that a relatively extensive transport system must still be installed between the top of the buoyancy chamber and the bottom of an associated recovery vessel in order to initiate production from the well.
The Magnussen system also fails to contemplate multiple anchoring systems, even in instances where problematic drilling environments are likely to be encountered.
Moreover, the system lacks any control means for controlling adjustment of either vertical tension or wellhead depth during production and workover operations, and expressly teaches away from the use of lateral stabilizers that could enable the wellhead to be deployed in shallower waters subject to stronger tidal and wave forces.
Another issue encountered with deepwater wells is that there is difficulty in maintaining a flow of water, gas, and oil from the well hole to a production facility such as an FP50, or young distances to a central processing center.
However, one of the disadvantages of using a subsea injection well with a production tree is the challenge of maintaining a flow of water, gas, and oil from the reservoir to a production facility or a central processing facility.
As the reservoir pressure drops because of depletion, there is not enough pressure to retain the well production, and the flow rate drops until the flow completely ceases.
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[0019]The description that follows includes exemplary systems, methods, and techniques that embody various aspects of the presently inventive subject matter. However, it will be readily understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the described embodiments may be practiced without one or more of these specific details. In other instances, well-known manufacturing equipment, protocols, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order to avoid obfuscation in the description.
[0020]In example embodiments, a self-standing riser assembly (SSR) is disposed in communication with one or more well heads and / or production trees(s). Such SSRs are, by design, self-supporting, and provide all of the necessary risers, casing, buoyancy chambers, and other associated equipment required for exploration and production of oil, gas, and other hydrocarbons. SSRs also provide the requisite safety features to ensure that the produced hydrocarbons do not escape from the system out i...
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A system and method of establishing an offshore exploration and production system is disclosed, in which a well casing is disposed in communication with an adjustable buoyancy chamber and a well hole bored into the floor of a body of water. A lower connecting member joins the well casing and the chamber, and an upper connecting member joins the adjustable buoyancy chamber and a well terminal member. A lift device is disposed in communication with the lower connecting member to increase the flow of fluids throughout the system. The chamber's adjustable buoyancy enables an operator to vary the height or depth of the well terminal member, and to vary the vertical tension imparted to drilling and production strings throughout exploration and production operations.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates generally to oil and gas exploration and production, and in a specific, non-limiting embodiment, to an artificial lift device used in conjunction with a self-standing riser assembly designed for use in various offshore environments.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Innumerable systems and methods have been employed in efforts to find and recover hydrocarbon reserves around the world. At first, such efforts were limited to land operations involving simple but effective drilling methods that satisfactorily recovered reserves from large, productive fields. As the number of known producing fields dwindled, however, it became necessary to search in ever more remote locales, and to move offshore, in the search for new resources. Eventually, sophisticated drilling systems and advanced signal processing techniques enabled oil and gas companies to search virtually anywhere in the world for recoverable hydrocarbons.[0003]Initially, deep...
Claims
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Login to View More IPC IPC(8): E21B43/12E21B43/013
CPCE21B43/013E21B43/121E21B43/122E21B17/012E21B43/128
InventorMILLHEIM, KEITH K.
OwnerMILLHEIM KEITH K