Integrated Subsea Well Unit with Suction Caisson Foundation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional subsea well construction systems lack flexibility and efficiency due to sequential installation procedures, requiring multiple independent steps and being less adaptable for shallow or deep wells, with components often needing to be assembled and connected subsea, which can be cumbersome and over-dimensioned.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for constructing subsea wells using a unit with a flow control assembly that can be assembled onshore, featuring a suction caisson for foundation, allowing for integrated drilling and casing installation through a large bore, reducing the need for sequential installation and enabling simpler, cost-efficient operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional sequential installation procedures are used for subsea well construction, then each component can be installed individually with standard equipment, but the overall installation process becomes cumbersome, time-consuming, and requires heavy vessels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple installation operations (drilling, casing installation, cementing, wellhead assembly) into a single integrated unit that is installed as one package. This merging of operations eliminates the need for sequential installation steps and reduces the complexity of coordinating multiple independent installation procedures, directly addressing the technical contradiction between installation efficiency and procedure complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The wellhead assembly, flow control components, and other equipment are pre-assembled and pre-positioned on the integrated unit before deployment to the subsea location. This preliminary assembly eliminates the need for complex subsea assembly operations and allows the unit to be installed in a single operation, thereby improving productivity while reducing installation procedure complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple independent components are installed sequentially in conventional subsea systems, then each component can be optimized for its specific function, but the overall system becomes over-dimensioned and requires heavy support vessels
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated unit serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as the wellhead assembly, flow control system, drilling platform, and production facility. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate heavy components for each function, reducing the overall weight and dimension of the installation equipment while maintaining adaptability for both shallow and deep well constructions through configurable design options.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional subsea systems use separate wellhead housings and flow control assemblies, then each component can be maintained independently, but the system requires frequent subsea connections and interventions
Solution Approach 1:
The wellhead assembly and flow control components are merged into a single integrated unit with pre-established internal connections. This eliminates the need for repeated subsea connections between separate wellhead housings and flow control assemblies, reducing the time lost to connection operations while maintaining ease of manufacture through modular internal design that allows independent component fabrication and assembly onshore before final integration.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution allows for a more flexible and efficient subsea well construction process, enabling simultaneous operation and construction phases, reducing the need for external connections and allowing for the use of lighter vessels, thus lowering costs and improving installation efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
part of the unit to be received in a subsurface of the seabed to anchor the unit in place
Data Source
AI summary
A method is for constructing a subsea well and an associated unit. The method may include: providing a unit having at least one component of a flow control assembly, the flow control assembly to be operable for controlling a flow of injection or production fluid during operation of the well after the well has been constructed; lowering the unit through sea toward a seabed; receiving part of the unit in a subsurface of the seabed to anchor the unit in place, part of the unit projecting above the seabed, whereby the component of the flow control assembly is positioned in the projecting part; and performing at least one well construction operation through a bore in the unit.