Master in Petroleum Engineering 2008-09

Subsea completion riser analysis. Scope, methods and applications of subsea completion landing string.
Author: Michele Piemontese
www.eni.it

San Donato Milanese 20-21-22 October 2009

Master in Petroleum Engineering 2008-09

Subsea completion riser analysis. Scope, methods and applications of subsea completion landing string.
Author Ing. Michele Piemontese Company Tutors Ing. Stefano Di Vincenzo Ing. Gabriele Gandini University Tutor Division Dept.

Exploration & Production

COMP

Prof. Ing. Francesca Verga

San Donato Milanese 20-21-22 October 2009

Project Scope
Scopes of work.
1. Understanding of global riser analysis main steps, with particular focus on loads classification and evaluation.

2. Definition of inputs to be provided by COMPANY to initialise global riser analysis.

3. Definition of most useful outputs to be supplied by analyst.

4. Rewiew of disposable landing string state of art and definition of fundamental guidelines for landing string choice.

Moored RIG vs. Dynamic Positioning

Dynamic Positioning
Advantages:

Disadvantages:
Higher operational costs, due to fuel consumption, specialized staff and maintenance To honour tight operational limits in shallow waters
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Faculty to operate in ultra-deep water

Saving of mooring time Faculty to direct vessels prow toward wind

Operational Modes
Drilling Riser
System used with floating drilling vessel for guiding the drill string and circulating fluids between the drilling vessel and the subsea BOP.

Completion/Workover Riser
Temporary riser that is designed to be run:
1) inside a drilling riser and through subsea BOP and X-tree for well completion, production tubing installation 2) in open sea for subsea horizontal X-tree installation and workover operations Tubing Hanger Mode

Tree Mode

Global Riser Analysis

Evaluation of loads acting during tubing hanger mode, interaction between drilling riser and C/WO riser must be considered.

Overall Subsea Assembly

Upper Landing String Assembly
Surface test tree Lubricator valve

Drilling riser C/WO riser

Lower Landing String Assembly

Riser Control Module Slick Joint

BOP stack
Bag BOP Shear BOP Ram BOPs

Retainer Valve

Shear Sub
Helical Latch Connector Subsea Test Tree

Upper Landing String Assembly

1. Provides flow control during tubing hanger installation.

Surface Test Tree

2. Permits killing fluids pumping. 3. Gives access for wireline operations.

Lubricator Valve
Surface operated hydraulic valve, situated one or two joints below upper flex joint. It is a fail in position valve.
It is used: 1. As a reference depth point during the introduction of wireline/coiled tubing tools. 2. As a mean of isolating surface equipement from production flow. 3. For string sections pressure testing.

Riser Control Module

Riser Control Module
Objectives: 1. To control up to 24 distinct subsea functions. Each function is commanded from surface, hydraulically or with an ibrid electro-hydraulic system. 2. Subsea data acquisition, entirely separated from functional control. Data acquisition system contains 32 pressure and temperature transmitters and 12 flowmeters.

SubSea Control System

Direct Hydraulic System
Hydraulic Power Unit Well Head Control Panel Umbilical Actuator

Electro-Hydraulic System
Master Control Station

Riser Control Module

Actuator

Hydraulic Power Unit

Umbilical/ Pressure signal

Subsea Accumulator

SubSea Control System

Direct Hydraulic
Advantages Low cost High reliability due to all critical components on the surface Easy maintenance access Disadvantages Very slow Limitation in depth (1.5km, 5000ft) due to slow response Large number of hoses (one per function)

Vs

Electro hydraulic
Advantages Operates over greater depths with a faster response Valve postition feedback and monitoring

Disadvantages Higher cost due to more complex umbilicals Subsea electrical components More complex valves in Riser Control Module

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Lower Landing String Assembly

SLICK JOINT

SHEAR SUB

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Lower Landing String Assembly

Slick Joint
Situated between Riser Control Module and Retainer Valve 1. Provides a smooth external surface allowing the closure of Bag BOP. 2. Conveys control fluid and electrical signal to and from the tools below via conduits in the slick joint wall.

Shear Sub
Situated between Retainer Valve and SubSea Test Tree (SSTT) 1. Provides hydraulic control pressure lines via external hydraulic conduits.
2. It is sheared by BOP shear ram if necessary.

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Lower Landing String Assembly

RETAINER VALVE

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Lower Landing String Assembly

Retainer Valve
Situated between Slick Joint and Shear Sub.

It is a surface controlled fail safe close ball valve assembly, with an

external slick portion, so Bag BOP may seal around it.

Functions:
1. To isolate and retain the contents of the string from the disconnect point upward in case of disconnection. 2. To decrease the response time of SSTT by removing the need to depressurise the landing string before disconnection (and preventing string recoil during disconnection).

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Lower Landing String Assembly

HELICAL LATCH and SUBSEA TEST TREE

SLICK JOINT

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Lower Landing String Assembly

Helical Latch Connector
Main subsea connection and disconnection point for the SubSea Test Tree. Allows emergency disconnection in case of a floating DP vessels rapid drift off.

Subsea Test Tree

Assembly of two valves and a slick joint. It is possible to have two ball valves or a ball and a flapper valve.

Functions:
1. Provides primary barrier to contain well pressure via dual indipendent fail safe closed valves, capable of cutting coiled tubing or wireline 2. Permits Ram BOPs closure on slick joint surface, that prevents release of SSTT in the event of an unintentional unlock of the tubing hanger running tool 3. Allows control of Tubing Hanger Running Tool
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Landing String Analysis

Definition of load classes (according to EN ISO 13628)
Functional loads. Static loads arising from the physical existence and
intended use of the C/WO riser system, with reference to differential pressure (generated from the difference between internal and external pressures), axial tension and bending moment.

Environmental loads. Dynamic loads caused directly or indirectly by the

ocean environment on the C/WO riser system. It can be assumed that they are generated from sea waves, sea current profile and vessels motions induced from waves and current.

Accidental loads. Loads related to abnormal operations or technical failure,

more generally related to events with a probability smaller than 10^-2 and larger than 10^-4.

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Functional Loads: Axial Tension

Surface test tree and Tension frame Axial tension on C/WO riser

Drilling riser tensioner system

Axial tension on drilling riser

STATIC AXIAL TENSION

Drilling Riser A minimum tension setting is normally required to avoid global buckling of the riser. The tension setting should normally be sufficiently high so that the effective tension is positive in all parts of the riser even if a tensioner should fail.

C/WO Riser

Tubing hanger mode

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Functional Loads: Bending Moment

Static Vessel Offset

Upper Flex Joint and

Current Velocity

Lower Flex Joint

Angles

STATIC BENDING MOMENT

on C/WO Riser

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Sea State and Environmental Loads

It is possible to identify two different wave types: Sea waves, locally generated from wind. Small wave height, short wavelength and short period. Ex: Hsig=2 3(m); Tass=48(s) Swell waves, generated from wind in a different area. Big wave height, long wavelength and period. Ex: Hsig=35(m); Tass=1318(s) Sea and swell waves are combined into a single representative wave. Combined Hmax=Coefficient x Swell Hsig

Tass

2 H max g s

DESIGN SEA STATE

Oscillatory flow acting on submerged bodies, causing hydrodynamic loading.

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Environmental Loads Evaluation

Environmental loads
Hydrodynamic loading is computed through Morison semi-empirical equation, applicable in the general case of moving body in oscillatory flow, with reference to: 1)Drilling and C/WO risers, determining the forces acting directly on joints. 2) Vessel, determining dynamic vessel offset to be applied as a boundary condition to top end of C/WO riser.
z

Heave Yaw

Surge Roll
x

DYNAMIC LOADING
to be summed to

STATIC LOADING
y Sway

Pitch

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Inputs: Functional Loads

Operational parameters
Drilling riser data: tensioner system, telescopic joint, slick and buoyant riser joints, pup joints, flex/ball joints, LMRP, BOP stack, subsea tree and wellhead. C/WO riser data: riser joints, lubricator valve, riser control module, purpose made slick joint and shear sub, retainer valve, subsea test tree and tubing hanger running tool

Internal and external fluid densities

Wellhead inclination and lateral soil stiffness

Reservoir parameters
Reservoir pressure and temperature Reservoir fluid properties Foreseen flow rates

Determination of Functional Loads

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Inputs: Environmental Loads

Environmental Data about Sea State
Significant wave height Hsig and range of associated periods. These data must be supplied for sea waves and for swell waves. Extreme current data, as a function of velocity vs. depth.

RIG type
Moored RIG Dynamic positioning

Determination of Environmental Loads

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Outputs from Landing String Analysis

Tubing Hanger Mode
Landing string model is solved through a FEM, that takes into account interactions between C/WO riser and external drilling riser. It is possible to have different outputs, according to the considered operating mode.

Connected mode
Maximum Wave Height vs. Offset
Maximum Wave Height

Pressurised (4kpsi) or depressurised landing string bore. Limiting factors: Flex joint angles

Maximum allowable stress of landing string components according to von Mises criterion

Vessel Offset

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Outputs from Landing String Analysis

Running, Retrieving, Landing
Flex joint angle is the functional limiting factor. Analysis is performed assessing loads generated at critical stages during running of the string.
UFJ-LFJ Max.Angle

UFJ or LFJ Maximum Angle vs. Time Period

Wave Time Period

Riser Hang-Off
Significant Wave Height vs. Current Velocity Vessel offset is not a governing parameter
Current Velocity Hsig

Operating envelope is function of:

Slip Joint at maximum up stroke

Slip Joint allowed to stroke

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Outputs from Landing String Analysis

Maximum allowable tension pull
Applied Top Tension vs. Offset

Initial conditions:
DP or mooring failure, vessel drift-off situation. Emergency disconnect failure. Tension pull is imposed, offset is increased until a component reaches breaking point.

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Landing String: State of Art

EXPRO
Wr. Pressure 6000psi ELSA-DH Direct Hydraulic (DH) control Water Depth up to 5000ft

Wr. Pressure 10000psi ELSA-HD

DH or Electro Hydraulic (EH)

WD up to 10000ft

Wr. Pressure 15000psi ELSA-HP Electro Hydraulic WD up to 10000ft

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Landing String: State of Art

SCHLUMBERGER

Wr. Pressure 10000psi SenTree 7 DH or EH control

5000ft DH 10000ft EH Senturian 15000ft EH Commander

Wr. Pressure 15000psi

SenTree HP DH or EH control

5000ft DH 10000ft EH Senturian 15000ft EH Commander

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Decisions Tree for Landing String Choice

Water Depth Working pressure Up to 6000psi Up to 10000psi Up to 15000psi ELSA-DH SenTree7 SenTreeHP ELSA-HD Up to 10000psi

Up to 5000ft

Up to 10000ft

Working pressure Up to 15000psi

SenTree7

ELSA-HP
SenTreeHP

Up to 10000psi Up to 15000ft Working pressure Up to 15000psi

SenTree7 SenTreeHP

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Conclusions
Review of landing string and global riser analysis has been carried out. Following points have been emphasized:

1. Location and functioning about overall assembly components.

2. Classification and evaluation of loads acting on drilling riser and C/WO riser.

3. Definition of inputs to be provided by COMPANY to initialize global riser analysis.

4. Definition of most useful outputs to be provided by analyst to COMPANY.

5. Fundamental guidelines definition for landing string choice.

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Acknowledgements

I would thank Eni E&P Division Management for

permission to present this work and related results and COMP colleagues for the technical support and needed assistance.

San Donato Milanese

20-21-22 October 2009

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