Turning FPU’s into Hubs: Opportunities and Constraints

摘要

Offshore project capital costs have increased by an astronomical 400% forcing IOC’s, NOC’s andrnindependent players to re-evaluate the feasibility and the profitability of some major developments. Arndecade long boom is now confronting unpredicted reality, altering the offshore development landscapernand resulting in fewer opportunities and major consolidations in owners and contractors. Some owners arernnow shifting focus to brownfield and marginal field tie-backs to eliminate costs and risks associated withrnnew installations. This paper explores one of those opportunities, namely turning Floating ProductionrnUnits (FPU’s – Semi, TLP, SPAR) into hubs, where various field owner/operators share productionrnthrough the same FPU. Typically, hub developments are contracted under Production Handling Agreementsrn(PHA). The PHA provides for price tariffs on produced oil, water and gas and is collected as thernfield owner/operator produces. Tariffs are paid for actual production which reduces reservoir productionrnrisk for large capex investments. Hub developments offer the field owner/operator the following value:rn1. Lower developmental CAPEX investmentrn2. Reduced operating costsrn3. Accelerated development schedulern4. Risks and liabilities for decommissioning and poor well performance are reduced or eliminated.rnAspects of selecting the appropriate FPU are considered while presenting the suitability and limitationrnof each type for appropriate production sharing models. The paper will present a recent case study for arnSemi-submersible designed with reserve topside, hull and mooring system capacity to meet tie-backrnrequirements. The Semi- submersible is located in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, at 6060 feet water depth,rnand approximately 145 miles southeast of New Orleans. The Thunder Hawk Semi-sub came online in Julyrn2009. The unit has maximum oil production of 60,000bopd, and gas processing of 70mmscfd. Oil and gasrnis exported from Thunder Hawk via Steel Catenary Risers (SCR’s) that connect into the export system.rnThe recent tie-back to Thunder Hawk consists of three (3) wet insulated 8" SCRs, 8,500 psi. Three newrnwells are tied to the facility with capacity to produce up to 20,000 bopd each. The paper will focus on therntechnical and commercial constraints and opportunities employed to implement the tie-back, namely:rnengineering design, regulatory requirements, and production sharing philosophy.