Challenges and Solutions of an Ultra-deepwater Dry Tree System for Drilling and Production in the Gulf of Mexico

摘要

This paper discusses the key challenges associated with the design of a Dry Tree Semi (DTS) globalconfiguration with robust performance and easy execution, as well as the integration of the topsidefacilities with hull at quayside. The authors will address the issues associated with a safe wellbay designin order to satisfy all functional requirements of simultaneous drilling and production operations, andcompensation of riser stroke. More importantly, the authors will present technically robust and costeffectivesolutions to overcome these challenges through extensive engineering assessment, computersimulation, and model test verification.The authors focus on improving functional and operational safety of the DTS system while minimizingproject execution risks. Through innovative design, engineering analysis, and model test verification ofthe DTS system, important and valuable results will be presented in this paper, which include overcomingvarious conflicting issues associated with wellbay arrangement and functional performance under simultaneousdrilling and production operations; compensating for the most challenging issue of riser performanceon a DTS utilizing long stroke riser tensioner technology; and deriving a hull-mooring-riser globalconfiguration that not only carries robust performance during operation, but also offers the benefits duringproject execution.