Page 53: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Nov/Dec 2014)

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production from that depth. As a piece

SubseaEyebrow of a multi-billion dollar investment, it is imperative to utilize proven technology.

“Everything on the system is a utiliza- tion of existing technology to handle the higher pressure,” says Anthony Spinler, product manager for GE Oil & Gas. “We brought in technologies from other parts of GE and advanced the ones we already have to meet the higher pressure, and to make the risk level of the new system as industry players, low as possible. The best way to man-

Maersk Drilling was age technology is to not invent too many selected to help things.” develop the Project

The primary advances are with the 20K drilling unit. In pressure maintaining components. As a the scope of a drilling safety and control mechanism, the BOP contractor package, must be able to shear the pipe and cas-

GE SeaONYX software.

there is a match in ing strings completely. This means the terms of technology, provide the driller with valuable hydraulic cylinders must provide enough people, and safety and information using its predictive force to the rams to operate properly, yet management systems, analytics; turning “dark data” into still not damage the BOP. The additional says Frederik Smidth, actionable information. SeaLytics wellbore pressure at 20,000psi applies chief technical offcer can extract, from the raw data, additional force these cylinders must at Maersk Drilling. information to track equipment overcome before they can cut pipe or cas-

When targeting ing. Thus the working conditions neces- performance, identify areas of areas of the Paleogene play in of the sitated an upgrade to the body, bonnet, operational decline, and plan for

GOM, reservoirs can be expected that cre- and hydraulic cylinders on the prototype. equipment maintenance, this result ate pressures of 20,000psi and tempera- These components are made bigger to in less NPT, greater operational eff- ciency, and improved reliability. tures up to 350°F at the seabed where the handle more pressure, and that keeps the subsea production trees are located. With risk down in the industry, Spinler says. “Every manufacturer is thinking

GE 20,000psi BOP prototype

However, the task of producing from a current technology limited to a working ‘how do I reduce these unplanned stack deepwater well is not accomplished by pressures of 15,000psi, development of RamTel Plus sensors, the BOP control pulls, these unplanned problems,’ this simply making things bigger. Being so far the 20,000psi system is sensible, “This is system will be managed by GE’s SeaONYX is GE’s answer to that,” says Cameron removed from the well head, engineers had a natural evolution of offshore technol- surface control system. This electronic Wallace, communications leader for GE to come up with a model that allows opera- ogy and a logical next step for industry,” control system will send commands down Oil & Gas’ drilling systems group.

tions to be more effcient in order to make says Mick Leary, BP wells director for to the BOP hydraulic control system to Inclusion of both the SeaONYX and producing deepwater felds economic. One

Project 20K. actuate the driller’s commands. SeaLytics systems allows the control sys- method of improving effciency is in inno-

A vital piece of equipment, whose SeaONYX is based upon GE’s the Mark tem to adapt as the project progresses and vating the BOP control systems.

development has seen recent success, is VIe hardware and software architecture, becomes more complex. The architecture

One ineffciency can be equipment leveraging hardware that was developed for the blowout preventer (BOP). At the 2014 forms an expandable platform so that as other GE applications into the BOP control breakdown. When equipment breaks on a

Offshore Technology Conference, GE Oil more knowledge is gained, more prognos- rig, operation must be shut down, and the & Gas debuted its prototype deepwater space, says Bob Judge, director of product tics or advisory capabilities can be added broken equipment must be removed and 20,000psi-rated BOP. management for GE Oil & Gas. Using Mark through SeaLytics or if the industry or replaced, resulting in non-productive time

With multiple companies develop- VIe architecture benefts the customer by regulators decide there is a need to auto- (NPT) which costs the company money. ing designs for 20,000psi-rated BOPs, using a standardized set of control hard- mate some function, those options are

In deepwater subsea wells, NPT is com- a number of considerations had to be ware and software, as well as offering a already built in, Judge says. pounded simply by the logistics of the large lifecycle support network, Judge adds. made. In the end, GE was selected based With the introduction of GE’s

SeaONYX has many capabilities, such as operation; what may take an a few hours on their familiarity with BP and Maersk 20,000psi BOP prototype, and the inclu- real-time control of complex systems, how- to replace on a normal rig can take days in

Drilling’s requirements for safety features sion of the SeaONYX and SeaLytics ever, its primary role for the BOP control subsea well, all the while costing the com- and control systems, commercial aspects, systems, BP is one step closer to being system is to turn functions on and off and pany money as well as making no progress. delivery and availability of additional capable of producing from 20,000psi provide a historian database. Only about

To mitigate NPT, the BOPs are designed to stacks, and total cost of ownership, reservoirs. Reiterating BP’s commit- incorporate RamTel Plus sensors. Located 2% of the capability of the controllers

Smidth says. As a result, GE received an ment to progressing the development inside the operator shaft, the sensor sends in the SeaONYX package is used, which order for four of the new BOPs and two of a 20,000psi capable system, BP will information regarding the ram position

Judge says is perfect for the application.

new risers to be delivered by 2018. collaborate with Anadarko in a joint and exact pressure readings in the cylin-

GE is taking advantage of the robustness of

The development of the 20,000psi development agreement for Anadarko’s der, allowing engineers to manage drilling the package to hedge for future needs. In prototype brings together technology Project 20A; Project 20A similarly aims operations and make real-time decisions on combination with the SeaONYX system, from multiple industries for use offshore. to develop subsea facility designs. These the health of the BOP operator.

GE will utilize newly introduced SeaLytics

These technologies enable the BOP projects may hasten the realization of a

BOP Advisor software. By pairing the to handle the additional 5000psi and To capitalize on the increasing amounts 20,000psi system and satiation of future systems, SeaLytics can use the historian to increased temperature associated with of data coming from sources like the global energy demand.

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