An Overview of the Global Health, Safety, and Environmental Program for Advanced Well-Construction Systems and the Transition from R&D to Operationally Fit for Purpose
Authors: Coats E. Alan , Preston David , Figenschou Anne Nilsen 
Published: December 2007

This case-history paper presents details for a health, safety, and environmental (HSE) program, jointly developed by a service company and an oil company as part of an advanced, software-controlled, composite coiled-tubing, offshore drilling system. This drilling system can enable oil companies to economically harvest known hydrocarbon zones that were previously bypassed and to find and exploit new reserves.

From the feasibility study forward, the latest HSE standards were incorporated into all phases of the project. The resulting Global HSE Program allowed access to the knowledge and experience of professionals from all parts of both organizations. This paper provides a detailed description of the national, cultural, engineering, and logistical challenges overcome during the development of the HSE Program.

The paper also illustrates how teams from design, manufacturing, operations, maintenance, technical safety, HSE, quality verification, and management were unified for delivering a safe product. Included is an overview of the specific requirements necessary to fully define the unit for deployment in the Norwegian sector.

The Historic Background

HSE processes are often viewed as tasks that must be performed to satisfy customers and legislators. Despite the best intentions of the senior members of the corporate body, the non-HSE personnel who work within the projects sometimes consider HSE processes constraining. However, times are changing, and many HSE professionals are starting to appreciate the benefits of a well-conceived and constructive HSE program.

For many projects, a formal, rigid hazard identification/risk management process is essential because the first time that equipment is fully assembled and functional is in an operational environment with hydrocarbon contact. A similar hazard identification and risk management program was implemented in the advanced well-construction system (AWCS) project. The difference was that this project had the benefits of full testing of individual components, evaluation of the test program in a test well, and a complete function test of assembled components before offshore deployment. The designers, maintenance personnel, and equipment operators could exchange ideas and see the equipment perform in a controlled, risk-free environment. As a result, modifications were agreed upon and made within the early HSE program stages, optimizing equipment safety.1

An Introduction to AWCS

In 1997, a service company and an oil company began jointly evaluating technologies that could be used to develop a revolutionary coiled tubing (CT) well-intervention system. This system, which will be deployed initially in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, sets a new standard for drilling, whether conventional drilling rigs or CT drilling units are used. The system is centered around a new advanced composite coiled tubing (ACCT) with embedded wires that enable the geological steering of complex, extended-reach wellpaths that were not previously achievable. The system includes three major subsystems, digitally controlled and automated surface equipment, 2 7/8-in. ACCT with embedded wires, and the drilling and intervention bottomhole assembly (BHA).

The hostile environment of the North Sea presents a number of offshore drilling challenges. The Norwegian government and the Norwegian oil company emphasize safety, and their statutory HSE requirements for offshore wells are among the most stringent in the oil and gas industry.