The Wells Team - Lessons With A Deepwater Project
Authors: Johnston Richard A. , Looney Bernard , Meader Tony 
Published: October 2008

Troika has been a resounding success. However, this result has been anything but easy. There were many challenges, some extremely difficult and costly. Given the chance to do the Troika wells again, how would we do it better? This paper will focus on the answers to this question, with particular emphasis on organization, resourcing and assurance programs. First oil was delivered just 39 months after discovery, more than four months ahead of sanction. The first well has broken all previous production records in the GoM, and is now producing in excess of 30 mbopd. Safety has not fared as well, with two LTAs in the first three months of operation. The goal, as always with BP, was and is no harm to people or the environment. The front end of any project is critical to successful delivery. This is magnified with fast track, complex deepwater projects such as Troika. While the focus of this paper will be on lessons learned in the front end engineering and design (FEED), tangible examples from the installation to date will be used to illustrate these lessons. 'The project is half way through the installation process, currently completing the third of five wells. For the purpose of this document, FEED will be defined as any project activity prior to the installation phase. The wells program will be complete by the end of 1998. A follow up article, part 2, will address the installation lessons learned for the Troika project.

Introduction

Troika, a subsea development, is located in Green Canyon 200 offshore Gulf of Mexico. Water depth is 2672 ft and the location is some 15 miles south of the Shell Bullwinkle platform. The project is operated by BP Exploration with BP, Marathon and Shell being equal partners. The development concept is a cluster of subsea wells connected to a central production manifold, with two insulated 10" flowlines connecting to Bullwinkle. BP sanctioned the project based on a first oil commitment of April 1st 1998. The IPT (Integrated Project Team) and Wells teams immediately took ownership of a 'stretch' first oil target of November 1st 1997. The reservoir is unique, certainly in GoM terms. Average daily production/well is estimated at 20 to 30 mbopd, with maximum reserves per wellbore projected to be 40 mmboe.

The development encompasses many different challenges which are relevant to deepwater projects around the world:HSE challengesRig selection in a tight marketShipyard upgradeRig startupFast track team buildingSerial number I technologyDeep water operationsIntegration with facilitiesDelivery of breakthrough goals

Organization and Resourcing

What we did:

Structure.

The Troika project wells team applied the traditional organizational model used in many major projects operated by a large oil company a flat structure consisting of a team leader, a drilling engineer, and a completion engineer. This structure combined with clear goals proved to be successful in the areas of communications and learning. Communication within the team was excellent, this being one of the few advantages of a tightly resourced group. The team was acutely aware of the impact decisions would have on the other disciplines because of the lack of several lines of supervision.