bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Girassol Export Lines
Authors: Tricard Paul , Hattet Denis , Leijnse Rorik , Seng Dominique 
Published: October 2008

Abstract
This paper will describe the development of a new pipeline concept for the export of oil from a large capacity FPSO to an offloading buoy. The installation of the two ‘w’ configuration rigid steel pipelines, carried out successfully by the Saibos ConstruÃ§oes Maritimas Lda's new deepwater installation vessel Saibos FDS was particularly adapted for deep and very deep-water field developments like Girassol in 1,400 meters.
Details of the concept will be covered with a major focus on the innovative installation method.

INSTALLATION of GIRASSOL EXPORT LINES:
In early November 2001, the Saibos FDS (Field Development Ship) successfully installed the two 16in rigid export lines that link the Girassol FPSO with its loading buoy.
This installation was a first for several reasons. It was the initial installation of rigid pipelines by the newbuild state-ofthe-art installation vessel as well as being the first time that a midwater steel catenary riser (SCR) type export line solution has been used in an offshore oil field development.
The challenging water depth of the Girassol field (1,400m) combined with the relatively close proximity of the loading buoy - roughly 1,800m - mitigated against a conventional installation of carbon steel export lines on the seabed. An alternative solution should have favoured the use of flexible pipe, but cost was a factor. After much analysis, Alto Mar Girassol (AMG) proposed this innovative rigid pipeline solution which was found both technically feasible and more cost effective.
The initial concept suggested to TotalFinaElf E&P Angola by the AMG joint venture, in which Bouygues Offshore (BOS) was responsible for the installation of the two export lines, was a conventional subsurface tow and connection to the FPSO of the two strings. This installation method was later abandoned when it became apparent that installation by j-lay resulted in a significant improvement in the fatigue life of the export lines.
The use of this installation method was an option as Saibos, the joint venture between Bouygues Offshore and Saipem, was building a new dynamically positioned (DP) vessel which has among its features a j-lay tower adjustable between 45° and 96°.
This paper will summarize the challenge of this installation together with the main characteristics of the export lines and the features of the new vessel.

EXPORT LINES PRINCIPLE:
The two 16in export lines are configurated like a subsurface "w" between the bow of the FPSO and the loading buoy located under 2km to the northeast (Figure 1). The lines are supported at the FPSO via two receptacles, located on the port and starboard sides, in which flex-joints were pre-installed on the lines and through which the lines were pulled in.
The starboard line is the "upper" one with the branches of the "w" located in a water depth of 440-530m and has an overall curvilinear length of approximately 2,400m. The port side or "lower" line, is suspended in a water depth 630-740m with an overall curvilinear length 2,750m.
Girassol: Design Analysis and Installation of the Suction Anchors
Authors: Dendani H. , Colliat J-L. 
Published: October 2008

Abstract
Suction anchor piles are the main foundation and anchoring system for the Girassol development in 1,400m water depth, including the FPSO, the offloading export buoy, the riser towers and the subsea manifolds.
This paper summarizes the main assumptions in the geotechnical design analysis, together with key features of installation behavior. Based on installation results, a revised method for the penetration analysis is proposed. The Girassol experience will be relevant for future applications of suction anchors at other deepwater locations in West Africa.

Introduction
For the permanent mooring of production floaters in waters over 1,000m, taut leg moorings are used, i.e. at an angle ranging between 35° and 45°at mudline, with steel wire cables or fibre ropes and with anchors having a vertical loading capability. In the soft clays generally found at deepwater sites, suction anchors and vertically loaded plate anchors (VLA) have become the two preferred options.
A significant number of applications for the suction anchor have been found due to the following advantages [1]:fixed location on seabed, which is important in congested subsea field developments;simple installation procedure with no need for proof-load testing; andreliable design methods for ultimate capacity calculation, providing a larger confidence in their long term pull-out capacity.
The Girassol field, the deepest offshore development off West Africa to date, is located in about 1400m of water in Block 17 operated by TotalFinaElf EP offshore Angola. The Girassol FPSO is connected to 40 subsea wells by means of three-riser towers and pipeline bundles [2]. In relation to the suction anchors, the installation operations took place between March and August 2001 and were carried out by Alto Mar Girassol (AMG) and Mar Profundo Girassol (MPG)), two consortia of Stolt Offshore and Bouygues Offshore Serviices, and SBM, from the crane barge Seaway Polaris and the vessel Seaway Eagle.

Girassol Seabed and Soil Conditions
From high-resolution 3-D seismic and shallow geophysical data, the Girassol seabed appears as sloping gently to the southwest, with a gradient of about 1:50 (1.2°). The soil investigation campaign carried out at the Girassol field comprised:four borings taken down to 30m with alternative push sampling and cone penetrometer testing (CPTU), with one boring at the site of each group of four FPSO anchors;three 30m deep borings, with combined sampling and CPTU testing, covering the subsea well locations over an area of about 8km by 7km;one 100m deep central boring for designing the penetration depth of the well conductors;two 30m deep continuous CPTU profiles, performed at a riser tower and FPSO anchor location; anda number of 5m deep CPTU profiles, aiming at improving the knowledge of seabed conditions for the pipelines and manifold foundations.
The soil conditions, consistent and uniform over the whole Girassol field, are composed of soft organic clay of high plasticity.
Expandable Technology: The first ten years
Authors: Metcalfe Paul 
Published: October 2008

Abstract
Expandable technology is capturing the imagination of the oil & gas industry because of its ability to significantly reduce well costs whilst improving well functionality and performance. This paper will describe the fundamentals of pipe expansion, the differing types of expandable tubes and the evolution of the Technology from the first laboratory trials, through the early field tests and into commerciality. Barriers to entry of new technologies are discussed, together with the importance of Operator involvement. Milestone product developments are described and are supported by field trial information. Both expandable drilling liners, expandable sand screens, expandable casing cladding systems and expandable liner hangers are discussed. The final section of this paper will look forward with a reasoned view on the potential state of the technology within the next 5 years.

Introduction-
The development of technology within the oil & gas business has simple drivers and is related almost directly to the maturity of the oil & gas business itself.
As the world's reserves portfolio ages, the effort required to find, develop and produce our reserves is increasing. This would result in increasing costs and without new technology, the costs of producing would make hydrocarbon products uneconomic. Cost reduction is therefore the major driving force behind technology development. Expandable technology is seen as a means of reducing the overall cost of a well and its support infrastructure. The application of the technology within the first ten years has been aimed mainly at those wellbore construction techniques that have remained unchanged for decades.
Telescoping casing designs have existed since the very first wells and reservoir completion practices have remained stagnant, dominated by gravel packing. The basic design of liner hangers, packers and through tubing straddles has not changed either; expandable technology will, and already has revolutionized techniques in these areas.
Whilst the "reforming" of pipe has been commonplace within in the industry for decades, notable activities including the swedging out of collapsed casing and the setting of thin walled casing patches, these do not classify as expandables under the term used today; The increase in circumference of a cylindrical pipe downhole, achieved through a wall thinning process and resulting in a cold working of the material through plastic deformation, was championed in the early 1990's by Shell International research staff. Shell's vision for the technology was also driven by the desire to reduce costs-by reducing the quantities of consumables used to construct the well. They reasoned that reducing the telescopic nature of a conventional casing design would allow a much smaller surface casing to be used and each subsequent casing could be reduced in diameter. Tangible savings are reduced drill cuttings, reduced mud volumes (& waste), with reduced steel, cement and chemical consumption.
Hang Tuah: Self-Installing, Relocatable Compression Platform
Authors: Tuturea D.P. , Jackson G. 
Published: October 2008

Abstract
The West Natuna Sea gas development called for the delivery of 325MMscfd of natural gas from Indonesia to Singapore via a 500km subsea pipeline. To deliver Pertamina - Conoco Indonesia Inc. Ltd.'s part of the contracted gas volumes required production and compression of associated gas from Belida and non-associated gas from new reservoirs over a wide area. As reserves become depleted and new fields are brought on stream, the compression facilities are to be relocatable.
This paper describes the evaluation process that led to the selection of a new-build self-installing steel gravity platform. This is believed to be the first major production platform to be designed from the outset for ease of re-location.
The development of the suction gravity base design, the jacking system employed and the offshore installation of the platform are described.

Background
The South Natuna Sea Block B Production Sharing Contract (PSC) is located in the West Natuna Sea area approximately 1000km North of Jakarta and 360km North East of Singapore. Block B exploration started in 1968, and while the initial focus was on finding oil, in the course of exploring for oil, several gas fields in the range of 70 to 300 BCF were discovered.
Efforts began in 1985 to commercialize this gas and, after extensive studies, it was concluded that the most attractive way to recover the value of these gas reserves was to adopt a phased development approach. The commerciality of this approach was made possible by Pertamina, Indonesia's national oil and gas company with its three West Natuna Sea production sharing contractors joining forces to market gas from Block A and Kakap Block together with Block B. Discussions began in earnest in early 1997 culminating in the April 1999 execution of a Gas Sales Agreement with Singapore.
The first step in meeting the gas sales commitments was the construction of the gas export trunkline from the West Natuna Sea to Jurong Island in Singapore, known as the West Natuna Transportation System (WNTS). The pipelaying for WNTS started in January 2000, and the system was successfully commissioned in January 2001.
For the Conoco operated Block B another important step was the design, construction and installation of a Movable Offshore Gas Production Unit (MOgPU), to provide flexibility in the development of scattered pockets of dry gas located over a 1600kmÂ2 area in water depths ranging from 70 to 100m.

What is a MOgPU?
The MOgPU acronym is simply an extension to the common industry designation "MOPU" meaning Movable Offshore Production Unit. The lower case "g" was added to recognize the specific application of the West Natuna MOPU as a gas processing unit, not to create a new class of production units. The Hang Tuah MOgPU provides all the benefits of a bottom-founded structure with the ability to be relocated to other areas of the Natuna Sea any time during its 25-year design life.
The Global Warming Issue: Current Status
Authors: Westbrook Gerald T. 
Published: October 2008

Abstract
President Bush has once again, and rightfully so, rejected the Kyoto Treaty. In contrast, the international community has indicated a strong desire for this type of diplomacy to continue. For example they voted 179/180 vote at Bonn for a modified but dramatically weakened accord. The results of this July 2001 Bonn meeting surely are hard to hold up as a victory. However the supporters of this treaty will do exactly that. The media support for those who are at least willing to do "something" has been and will continue to be very strong. President Bush is under major pressure to do "something", including pressure from some in the oil industry and some in the Senate.
The global warming debate is still very much alive, albeit pushed off center stage for the present. The other industrial nations seem willing to support, indefinitely, diplomacy dominated by process over substance. The ultimate resolution of this fight is of major import to the energy industries. Some of the forces involved in this debate also advocate zero drilling in the ANWR, zero drilling off or even near Florida and indeed the ultimate phase out of oil.
This paper is the fourth report by this author to the OTC on this issue. See OTC #8689, OTC #10773 and OTC #12115. This latest report will provide an update and overview on the status of the debate.

Introduction
As this report is being prepared, the war against terrorists is still underway, albeit with substantial success already achieved. There are signs today that the Administration is starting to address some domestic issues, such as the economy and education. It was their intention to address global warming late in 2001, and to come up with their alternative plan to the Kyoto Treaty. That did not happen, and it is unclear where this fits on their priority list. I suspect it will remain relatively low for awhile, but it will not go away. The proponents of the Kyoto Treaty have too much time and effort invested for them to walk away from this issue. If one assumes that global terrorism can be put into a manageable box, then the warming issue will reemerge, as cantankerous as ever.
It has been two years since I last reported to the OTC on this subject. In the prior papers most of the inputs covered the status of the global warming sciences. In this paper we will look at the science again, or more precisely, reports about this science, then look at the status of the global warming treaty. Finally we will look at U S. policy efforts in lieu of the Kyoto Protocol.

Situation Review

Status of the Global Warming Sciences.
We asked at the start of the 2000 OTC paper if the science is done? As before we believe that nothing could be further from the truth. Even having met and passed into the Third Millennium the science on this issue is still far from done.
Canada's Wave Climate and Field Measurement Program
Authors: Baird W.F. , Wu H.J. , Holland G.L. , Wilson J.R. 
Published: October 2008

ABSTRACT
The Department of Public Works of Canada initiated in 1968 a joint project with the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources to obtain, mainly by field measurement, information on the wind generated wave climate on the major coastlines and lakes of Canada.
The first major year of field measurement was begun in 1970 using Datawell "Waverider" accelerometer buoys and pressure sensors developed by the National Research Council of Canada.
The recording units for both sensors have been operated for twenty minutes every three hours; the accelerometer buoys were moored inapproximately 25 fathoms and the pressure sensors located in approximately 30 feet of water. During 1970 accelerometer buoys have been installed and operated on the Pacific coast of Vancouver Island and on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia; the pressure sensors were installed and operated on the south coast of Newfoundland. The greatest success was obtained from the accelerometer buoys, however, difficulties were encountered with the mooring system.
It is intended that this wave climate study will continue for the next three years, and possibly longer, recording data off the major coastlines and lakes of Canada.
Data obtained during the first year of measurement are presented in summarized form in this paper. It is intended that all the data recorded during the project will be presented in this form.

INTRODUCTION
Canada has a coastline of considerable length and a correspondingly large continental shelf area. Many of its national resources are closely related to the coastal and marine environment. A requirement exists within Canada, and similarly within other maritime countries, for environmental data from the surrounding oceans and internal seas. Wave information forms an integral part of the required data and possibly covers the widest spectrum of requirements. Synoptic information for fishing fleets and ship routing, design wave predictions for coastal protection and harbours, statistical data for oil drilling operations and wave climate forecasts for ferry services form only part of the overall need. It is difficult to imagine any oceanic undertaking that does not require wave data in some aspect of its program.
Realizing the need for an observation and analysis program to support the growing expenditure on marine projects the Canadian government approved a proposal initiated by the Department of Public Works undertaking the measurement of the wave climate of Canadian coastal and inshore waters. The following report is an account of the first full year of this program together with the presentation of resultsfrom one of the East Coast locations.

HISTORY
In 1968 the Department of Public Works initiated a proposal to conduct a wave climate survey of Canadian coastal and inshore waters.
FPSO Offloading Concepts, their Nautical Feasibility and Safety Assessment
Authors: van Doorn J.T.M. , ten Hove D. 
Published: October 2008

Introduction
For the development of offshore deepwater oil or gas re-sources more often F(P)SOs, Floating (Production) Storage Offloading units are applied. For the export of oil (or gas) from the FPSO tankers are used. In the design of a FPSO various options are available for offloading: tandem from a turret moored or spread moored FPSO, tandem from a Single-Point-mooring (SPM) or side by side from a turret moored FPSO. The technical design, but also the nautical operations are highly affected by the choice of the offloading system. Aspects that are affected are:Weather downtime, which effects the overall economic performance of the FPSO;Safety of day-to-day operations, which requires clear procedures, trained personnel and the right type of equipment;Controllability and response in case of emergencies;The overall safety of the operations, the probability of a collision and the related collision energy.
All these aspects play a role from day one of the design of an offloading facility until the facility becomes operational. In this paper we will show how various tools, together with experience and common sense can help to take decisions and to prepare people for the offloading job ahead.
The paper can be divided in the following main sections:Nautical considerations in the design of an offloading facilityFast-time manoeuvring simulations: operational limits and procedures;QRA, Quantitative Risk Assessment;Real time simulations and training;Conclusions.

Nautical considerations in the development of an offloading facility
Nautical aspects play a role throughout the development of the F(P)SO. Three phases can be distinguished in this development:Phase 1: Pre-design: selection of concept, selection of location;Phase 2: Design;Phase 3: Implementation and operation.
The tools/methods available for the evaluation of the nautical aspects are:Static computations;Fast-time simulations of normal operations;Fast-time simulations of emergency situations;Quantitative Risk Assessment;Real time simulations.
The applicability of the various tools in the various development phases is shown in Figure 1, below
Figure 1 Tool or methodology to be applied during various development phases (available in full paper)
In this first phase: (Pre-design: selection of concept, se-lection of location), the design will focus on the selection of the offloading facility and the selection of the site. Aspects that play a role are, amongst many others, the environmental conditions, type and size of the offloading tanker and the assistance of tugs.
Reliable statistics regarding the local climate: e.g.: wind, current and waves are essential to make a reliable evaluation of the various options. In this first phase the methodology for the evaluation of the various concepts is kept simple to be able to make a fast comparison. Experience in combination with static computations or fast-time simulations are the most likely tools to be used.
Getting Smart With Competence
Authors: Bexon Mark , McAteer Peter 
Published: October 2008

Abstract
Deploying competent personnel is arguably the most significant factor in managing risk and improving efficiency in safety critical operations. It is generally recognized that the combination of an ageing workforce [the average age of a UK North Sea worker is 47] and a widespread and progressive decline in new entrants into engineering is creating a serious skills shortage in the Upstream Oil & Gas industry.
There is an industry-wide consensus that to avoid a collision between these critical influences we must accelerate personnel development and make best use of the skills and expertise in place, One of the major initiatives being taken is to drive better skills management through applying objective quantification to measuring competency and in deploying IT to understand where skills are required and where they reside in an organization. This paper outlines the basics of such a system and the "Knowledge Management" benefits flowing directly from effective IT functionality when applied to Competency Assurance
As an industry we have been producing competent people for years. However, now we need to do it faster, better, in a dynamic environment and to be able to demonstrate that we have done it, should we be called upon to do so. This new approach has been developed originally with BP, then Mobil and more recently Shell and Kerr McGee. All these Operators, in this period, assisted in the development of the system and have contributed to its success

Background
The oil business has worked with different measures of competence for some years now. In the early days recruitment ranged from graduate intake to whoever could be hired in the bar for an operation that was to commence the following day.
Piper Alpha was a watershed that clearly demonstrated that how we managed our business was just not good enough and we have progressed to a status where all companies believe ‘zero tolerance of loss’ is the only acceptable standard to operate by. Society's attitude to incidents and injury has shifted to one of intolerance, increasing the pressures on companies to have effective safety management systems incorporating safe places of work, a competent work force and a commitment to sustainable development. The progressive encroachment of legislation into our working practices, some aimed directly at bringing to account the most senior officers of a company for HS&E failures is evidence of the importance that Society places on how we execute these responsibilities
Regulations were introduced that required oil related companies to assure themselves that their work force was competent in safety critical areas. The UK legislative premise of self-regulation post Piper Alpha has become the model adopted by a number of International statutory bodies.
Further pressures have been put onto the oil industry by the inability to attract young people into engineering " particularly oil related engineering " perceived as a ‘twilight’ industry..