Offshore Operational challenges

Wind speeds, Wave heights, currents, Station Keeping

Sea water corrosion
Strict Environmental regulations
Under water construction & maintenance
Limitations of weight, space, personnel
Helicopter and Ferry, crew management
High costs, Emergency Management
Riser, Subsea BOP stack, Wave motion compensation

Offshore operations in Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, South East Asia have
been traditionally used for testing newer technologies before they become
standard in the rest of the world 1
Offshore Technology
Started in 1950 as offshore barges
First Deepwater* drillship in 1956 (in early days deep-
water meant 800 ft of water)
First Semi submersible in 1964
Today Deep water is 1500+ft of water
Ultradeep is 7000+ ft of water
Today the deepest Deepwater is Raya-1, offshore
Uruguay in a water depth of 3,400 meters (11,156 feet).
Drilled by the Maersk Venturer drillship for a consortium
involving Total SA and ExxonMobil.
Dhirubhai Ambani KG1 from Transocean set record at
3017m (9898 ft) water depth in 2011 2
 So where will this end?
Having the technology to go to ultra-deep water does not mean
one can go to any water depth to explore. In most parts of the
world, 12,000 ft of water is touching the edge of the continental
shelf, beyond which no sedimentary rocks can be expected.
The global prospects are very unique to Geological settings and
perhaps a lot is yet to be known. The regions more explored
have been the shallow US gulf of Mexico, North Sea, Persian
Gulf, and Australasia; The least explored are West Africa,
Mexico, China, Caspian, and Russia/Arctic
Competing technologies like Shale Gas and unconventionals
Environmental concerns and move to Renewables
3
Deepwater challenges
Metrological Waves data
(http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20170510-terrifying-20m-tall-rogue-waves-are-actually-real )

Station Keeping
Well design
Rig Top side
Reservoir are low pressure, high viscosity
Flow assurance

4
External forces that act to
overturn floating vessel
Wind
Waves
Current
Mooring tension
Crane loads
Thruster reaction
Riser tension
The wind load is typically the largest of these
external forces, and is the only force
explicitly calculated by the vessel designer Stability is the ability
5

for the purpose of analyzing vessel stability. to resist these forces

Technology advances
Seismic Data acquisition and processing
(Wide Azimuth Seismic)
Floating Platforms like TLP and FPSO
Sub Sea facilities and processing
Multi phase Flow assurance

6
Lesson 1

DYNAMICS OF OFFSHORE
STRUCTURES
7
 What causes the Dynamics
What drives ocean currents?
Gravity
Gravity includes tidal forces
resulting from the interaction
of water mass with the moon
and the sun, and rotation of
the Earth
Energy Flux from sun
The radiation flux from the
sun results in wind stress, A complex process of interaction between the
heating and cooling of the two driving forces results in variable and
ocean surface, and sometimes unpredictable pattern of ocean
evaporation and precipitation currents and resulting weather
of water.
Dr. Prasad Bhaskaran IIT-KGP 8
 Major Surface ocean
currents

Cold Warm

The movement of the ocean currents accounts for 25% of

global heat transport, while winds comprise the remaining 75%
9
Seawater Temperature

Sea surface winter temperature (Levitus and Boyer 1994) 10

Temperature change with
Depth

Note the sharp rate of change at shallower depths compared to deeper depths11
Winds
Interaction between Earths oceans
and atmosphere gives winds
Tropical Trade winds
from Tropics to Equator
Converge at equator, rise, rain
Temperate Westerlies
from Tropics to circles
Diverge at Tropics
Global weather conditions are just
indicative, local weather conditions
could be different based on local
temperature, pressure, water vapor,
12
mass flow
 Effect of winds offshore
Wind speeds are generally measured at a height of 10m
(32.8) above sea level. Winds speeds are higher as
height increases, due to friction offered by surface
Wind speed is measured in Knots (1 Knot = 1.15 mph =
1.85 kmph)
Forces created by winds are generally the largest loads,
compared to waves and currents
DNV formula for wind force
Fw = C * Vz2 * Sin 1 * A
16
C is shape coefficient (0.5 2.0)
V10= Vz measured at 10m height
13