Breaking the barrier

Producing oil and gas from deepwater reservoirs with pressures of up to 20,000 psi and temperatures of 350°F at the mudline has for years been the objective of task force groups of the best and brightest engineers within many of the oil majors’ organizations. The establishment of the joint industry program led by FMC shows an industry that is now pragmatically collaborating as a response to increasing costs and a falling oil price.

“HPHT equipment design should be treated carefully as the associated risks are not a simple extrapolation from the current 15k psi, 250ºF operating conditions. The design, and subsequent independent verification for equipment that can withstand these hostile environments is complex and demanding. Rigorous risk management is an integral part of such technological developments,” commented Martha Viteri, who leads DNV GL’s Subsea and Well Systems unit in North America.

DNV GL is involved in several HPHT projects in the US, supporting safe operations and ensuring compliance with BSEE HPHT regulations. “We see an increasing demand for our HPHT competence, and a determination within the industry to work more together to safely push technological boundaries,” she concluded.

DNV GL is involved in a number of joint industry projects to drive subsea standardization through the supply chain, not only in terms of components and equipment but also processes.  Just this year, DNV GL has published three Recommended Practices to streamline subsea documentation, to reduce the lead times for subsea forging and to manage wellhead fatigue analysis.

DNV GL will be presenting technical papers at OTC in Houston on Dynamic Risers for Floating Production Systems  and a Case Study of Asset Integrity and Risk Assessment for Subsea Facilities and Equipment Life Extension. See here for details of times and location.