LEARNING, INNOVATING, COLLABORATING:
DELIVERING THE NEXT GENERATION OF WELL INTERVENTION CAPABILITIES
1.0 Abstract
The international oil and gas industry is continuing to develop innovative technologies that enhance
its ability to operate safely in different conditions around the world. In the unlikely event of anincident, the industry must be prepared to respond and minimise the impact to people, local
communities and the environment.
Through the Subsea Well Response Project, nine leading oil and gas companies have worked
together to develop new capping and dispersant equipment that can enhance international subsea
well incident response capabilities. The Subsea Well Response Project is now collaborating with Oil
Spill Response Limited, so that companies across the industry have an opportunity to benefit fromthis new intervention system, which includes four capping stacks and hardware for the subsea
application of dispersant. Oil Spill Response Limited will own, maintain and store the equipment
across four international locations, with the first equipment ready for use from the end January 2013.
The Subsea Well Response Project presents the findings from almost two years of study andcollaboration across the industry. This paper outlines the capabilities of the new equipment and its
contribution to enhancing well incident intervention capability around the world.
2.0 An unprecedented challenge
Recent well control incidents have put the spotlight firmly on the subsea oil and gas industry andexpectations are high for it to be able to respond effectively in the unlikely event of an incident. As
part of its role in securing an energy supply for the future, industry is discovering oil and gas in evermore challenging environments. At the same time, the environmental agenda has risen inprominence for companies, regulators and the general public. Consequently, companies must not
only be able to drill safely in challenging scenarios, they must also demonstrate that they can do soin an environmentally responsible manner.
Developing and deploying internationally-applicable equipment represents a further technical andlogistical challenge. The geological contexts in which oil and gas are found vary greatly in type offluid, reservoir size, water depth and location. Day-to-day changes in weather and ocean conditions(such as wind and wave intensity) can affect the suitability and effectiveness of any offshore incident
response system. The distance between where equipment is stored and where it may be neededmust also be considered in estimating response times.
Faced with these numerous considerations, an effective response would be enhanced with effective
industry cooperation.

3.0 Industry collaboration
3.1 The Subsea Well Response Project (SWRP)

To meet this challenge, nine major oil and gas companies have come together to enhance theindustry’s capacity to respond to subsea well incidents.
The Subsea Well Response Project is a not-for-profit initiative comprising experts from, andresourced by, BG Group, BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Petrobras, Shell, Statoil and Total.
It was launched in May 2011 on the recommendation of the International Association of Oil & Gas
Producers (OGP) as part of a package of measures to enhance well incident prevention, intervention
and response across the industry. Prevention is covered by the OGP’s Wells Expert Committee.
Response is covered by a Joint Industry Project with IPIECA, addressing various surface response
options and issues.
SWRP was set up to focus on well incident intervention and aimed to enhance international
capabilities by:
1) designing a capping toolbox to allow subsea wells to be shut in;2) designing hardware for the subsea injection of dispersant;3) evaluating potential approaches for deployment of equipment;4) assessing the need for, and feasibility of a containment system in the event that a capping
operation cannot immediately control a flowing well.
3.2 Cross-industry collaboration

The nine companies behind SWRP have been working closely with the wider industry to shareexpertise across all aspects of well safety and to secure regulatory support for their activities.
Preventing incidents altogether will always remain the industry’s primary aim. The development ofrobust well designs and operations procedures, proper inspection and maintenance of equipment,
solid safety and management systems, and competence and safety-first behaviours among
personnel is the surest way to prevent well control incidents from occurring. These practices are avital part of everyday activities across the industry and are subject to constant review andimprovement. The OGP’s Wells Expert Committee (WEC) is specifically focused on helping theindustry prevent incidents. SWRP has been working closely with WEC throughout the research andplanning process.
The IPIECA-led Joint industry Project on oil spill response aims to better understand theenvironmental effects of well incidents and response methods. Its team is looking into the merits ofdispersant use and controlled in situ burning, and developing improved oil spill modelling. Again,
SWRP has worked closely with this team in planning its own equipment, including subsea dispersantcapabilities.
Cooperation is not limited to the commercial offshore oil and gas industry. Whilst planning theintervention system, SWRP sought input from industry experts and regulators in order to meet andsurpass current and future regulatory requirements on subsea well incident response capability.
This extensive collaboration has been vital in planning new well intervention equipment. It is also
important to make this equipment available for inclusion in incident response preparations and forthe industry to use in the unlikely event of an incident.

4.0 Subsea well intervention system
SWRP’s technical experts have spent almost two years undertaking collaborative studies into subsea
well incident intervention requirements. This covers a variety of potential incident scenarios andgeographic variations in weather, ocean and oil conditions.
They identified a set of intervention equipment that can enhance the industry’s capabilities torespond to a subsea well incident in a variety of conditions around the world. SWRP is now
collaborating with Oil Spill Response Ltd (OSRL) to develop this system and make it available to theindustry.
The intervention system includes four capping stack toolboxes and two hardware kits for the subsea
application of dispersant at a well head. OSRL owns the systems contracted Trendsetter Engineeringto construct the capping stack toolboxes and Oceaneering to develop the subsea dispersant
hardware kits.
The first equipment is due to be completed by the end of 2012. It will be ready for transportationfrom vendor sites by sea and/or air in the event of a subsea well incident. During 2013, theequipment will be moved to four strategic storage locations – in Norway, Singapore, South Africa
and Brazil – to further enhance international deployment and intervention readiness. Theselocations have been selected for international reach, strong transport links (by sea and/or air), to
reduce logistical challenges and to further enhance international readiness.
Effective incident response can depend upon the timely transportation and deployment ofequipment at the incident site. All components of the intervention system are designed to betransportable via sea or air-freight carriers by minimising size and weight and optimising modularity.
This allows the equipment to be transportable around the globe and delivered to a nominated point
for onward transportation and deployment by the operator responding to an incident.
4.1 Compatible capping system
The four capping stack toolboxes are designed and optimised to operate in a variety of conditions
around the world where wells are being drilled, or might be drilled, with subsea blowout preventers.
As this could involve a variety of different circumstances, SWRP’s equipment is designed to beadaptable and easily reconfigurable to address the majority of scenarios in which incidents mightarise.
The equipment includes four capping stack toolboxes – two 18 3/4” bore capping stacks developed
to handle pressure up to 15kpsi and two 7 1/16” bore capping stacks designed for pressure up to10kpsi. All four stacks are designed from one common core structure giving greater component
compatibility and flexibility to handle a variety of scenarios. They have common pipework, valves,chokes and spools all rated to 15kpsi. The key difference is the use of 7 1⁄16” 10k gate valves for the10k stacks and 18 3/4 ” 15k rams for the 15k stacks.
The capping stacks are designed to allow for inspection by the incident operator’s remotely operated
vehicles (ROVs), which would also be used to aid with installation, hook-up, tie-in, commissioning,
start-up, maintenance, repair, and intervention of the subsea equipment.

The capping stacks include a number of important features:


Designed to handle pressure up to 15kpsi
Designed for subsea wells in water depths up to 3000m
Rated for temperatures up to 150⁰C
Capability to lower and connect the capping stack in a slanting position
Diverter spool is cladded with 4 outlets – reducing corrosion, erosion and providing system
redundancy
Subsea chokes (x4) are subsea retrievable (and re-installable) by ROVs
Subsea accumulators are subsea rechargeable and can be deployed disassembled or fully
assembled, depending on the incident scenario
International certification body Det Norske Veritas (DNV) will assess the capping stacks for aDNV Certificate of Fitness for Service

4.2 Hardware kits and subsea dispersant application
The intervention system includes hardware to support the capping process and apply subsea
dispersant.
The kits include debris clearing equipment with cutting, grappling and dragging tools to gain accessto the blowout preventer where necessary. In the unlikely event that the rig does not close off theBOP, emergency BOP intervention tools can be used by the responding operator. This allows theexisting BOP to be ‘manually’ shut-in, using ROVs assisted by hydraulics hardware on the seabed.
The kits also include dispersant wands and associated manifolds for the subsea application ofdispersant at a wellhead. This creates safer surface working conditions by reducing theconcentration of volatile organic compounds at the surface. Subsea dispersant aids oil dispersion,
which in turn aids the bio-degradation of the oil by naturally-occurring micro-organisms. This canhelp minimise stranded oil on the shoreline.
IPIECA is currently leading plans for a global stockpile and supply chain of subsea dispersant. OSRL
plans to provide global dispersant stockpiles (this will be separate from the intervention systemsubscription).

5.0 Enhancing intervention capabilities across the industry
SWRP has planned a set of subsea well intervention equipment that has the technical capability andversatility for use in the majority of anticipated subsea well incidents around the world.
SWRP’s aim was not only to identify appropriate equipment, but to help enhance the international
offshore oil and gas industry’s intervention response capabilities. That means making this equipment
available, if needed, to oil and gas companies around the world to help control the flow from adeepwater well, in the unlikely event of an incident. SWRP is collaborating with Oil Spill Response
Ltd (OSRL) to realise this objective.
OSRL is the largest international industry-owned co-operative and global provider of oil spill
response and preparedness services. This includes not only rapid response to oil spills in different

parts of the world, but also the provision of training, consultancy and other support services to help
reduce the impact of an oil spill. OSRL’s members account for a significant proportion of global oilproduction.
Companies across the industry now have the opportunity to access the equipment throughmembership of OSRL and a supplementary agreement. This is an important milestone forinternational well incident intervention capabilities but as hydrocarbon exploration and drilling
technologies evolve, the industry will continue to innovate.
The Subsea Well Response Project and its collaboration with Oil Spill Response Ltd is anotherimportant example of the industry working together to enhance intervention capabilities around theworld. While we hope this intervention equipment will never be needed, it is critical for the industry
to be prepared.
6.0 Contact
To find out more or gain access to the intervention system, please contact:subseaservices@oilspillresponse.com or visit the following websites; www.oilspillresponse.com &www.subseawellresponse.com.
Oil Spill Response Ltd(OSRL)
Lower William Street
Southampton
SO14 5QE
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)2380 331551
Fax: +44 (0)2380 331972
Email:
subseaservices@oilspillresponse.com
www.oilspillresponse.com