Single-Upright-Column Mooring Platform for Marginal Oilfields
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Solution Overview
Problem
The development of marginal oilfields in shallow sea areas is economically challenging due to high costs and low unit output, with existing wellhead platforms and mooring systems being inefficient and prone to damage in stormy conditions, limiting the economical benefits of oil extraction.
Innovation Solution
A single-upright-column mooring type wellhead production operation platform that integrates oil extraction and mooring functions, featuring a hollow upright column body with a rotating table for mooring and inner well slots, allowing simultaneous operation without interfering with oil extraction, and a rotary conveying system to maintain stable fluid and energy conveyance during storms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separate mooring platform and wellhead platform are used, then the FPSO can be moored stably, but the equipment investment is high and the unit output cost is high for marginal fields
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the wellhead platform and mooring platform into a single integrated structure. The wellhead platform serves dual functions: supporting oil extraction operations and providing mooring capabilities for the FPSO through a rotating table mechanism. This eliminates the need for a separate mooring platform, reducing equipment investment while maintaining mooring stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The wellhead platform is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a production platform for oil extraction and as a mooring platform for FPSO anchoring. The rotating table on the wellhead platform can accommodate mooring lines while allowing the platform to rotate, enabling one structure to fulfill multiple roles and reduce overall system complexity.
2Reliability
If a separate mooring platform is used, then the FPSO can be securely moored, but the submarine pipeline cost increases for marginal fields
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the mooring function into the wellhead platform, the patent eliminates the need for a separate mooring platform and its associated submarine pipelines. The FPSO is moored directly to the wellhead platform via the rotating table, reducing submarine pipeline requirements to only those needed for oil extraction, thereby lowering pipeline costs.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the platform structure is limited for mobility, then the platform can be moved to different oilfields, but the oil storage space is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a nested structure where the rotating table is positioned within the wellhead platform structure. This nested arrangement allows the rotating table to provide mooring functionality without significantly increasing the overall platform footprint, preserving mobility while creating additional internal space for oil storage within the platform's hollow structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotating table mechanism adds a rotational dimension to the platform system, allowing the FPSO to accommodate wave motion and the platform to rotate for optimal positioning. This dimensional addition enables the platform to maintain compactness for mobility while providing sufficient storage capacity through the hollow column structure.
4Productivity
If the wellhead platform and mooring operations are integrated, then the operation efficiency is improved, but the platform structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The wellhead platform is designed with universal functionality to handle both oil extraction operations and mooring operations simultaneously. The rotating table mechanism allows the platform to perform mooring functions while maintaining wellhead operations, improving overall operational efficiency without requiring separate structures for each function.
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed is a single-upright-column mooring type wellhead production operation platform, comprising an upright column body, a positioning and mounting assembly, a rotating table, an oil extraction operation platform and at least one inner well slot, wherein the upright column is of a hollow structure; the positioning and mounting assembly is arranged at a bottom of the upright column body; the rotating table is arranged outside the upright column body, is rotatable around an axis of the upright column body and comprises a mooring connection apparatus; the oil extraction operation platform is arranged on the top of the upright column body and is located above the rotating table, and the oil extraction operation platform is provided with an oil extraction operation assembly; and the inner well slot is arranged in the upright column body and can be connected to the oil extraction operation platform. The platform can adapt to an economic index of extraction of a marginal field. Disclosed are a single-upright-column wellhead production operation platform and a rotary mooring conveying system for oil-producing operation at the same time.