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An Integrated Towed Flowline Bundle Production System for
Subsea Developments
A.S. den Boer and E.J. Rooduyn, Rockwater Offshore Contractors, and W.A. Barber,
Brown & Root Vickers Ltd.
This paper was presented at the 22nd Annual OTC in Houston, Texas, May 7-10, 1990.
This paper was selected for presentation by the OTC Program Committee following review of Information contained In an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper,
as presented, have not been reviewed by the Offshore Technology Conference and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect
any position of the Offshore Technology Conference or Its officers. Permission to copy Is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words. Illustrations may not be copied. The
abstract should contain conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper is presented.
The concept of the INTEGRATED TOWED FLOWLINE A subsea satellite development typically involves
BUNDLE PRODUCTION SYSTEM (ITFPS) is based on a cluster of wells or a template structure and
onshore construction and testing of a complete the connecting flowlines and control lines to the
subsea system that consists of flowlines and parent facility. This paper introduces the
control lines, as well as facilities for concept of the INTEGRATED TOWED FLOWLINE BUNDLE
manifolding and, if so appropriate, for drilling PRODUCTION SYSTEM. This system combines all
and processing. The installation of such a required flow and control lines within a bundled
system can be done by a pull or towing technique. configuration, together with integrated
facilities for manifolding and processing. It is
The ITFPS is a concept designed for the based on onshore construction and testing of a
development of subsea fields such as: satellites total system that can be installed offshore by
to existing offshore production facilities; a using a towing technique, thereby minimising
floating production development whereby the ITFPS underwater activity during construction and
can include the riserbase on one end, as well as operation.
the production manifold on the other end; or for
a 'near shore' subsea development that can be Installation of submarine pipelines by towing
remotely operated from an onshore base. techniques are now an established and accepted
method of installation. Pipelines can be
installed by bottom tow (with or without added
INTRODUCTION buoyancy), off bottom tow, near surface or
surface tow, or towed at a controlled depth (see
Subsea production dates from the mid sixties, Figure 1 ) . The CONTROLLED DEPTH TOW METHOD
when simple subsea trees were Installed in (CDTM) is particularly suitable for the
shallow water depths, and possibly operated by transportation of onshore fabricated and tested
divers. Ever since the subsea rrrultlwell integrated systems (ITFPS). This relatively new
manifolding and floating production technologies technique for bundle transportation is outlined
have been developed to provide total subsea in the following section.
concepts that now operate satisfactorily,
however, generally in diver accessible depths. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF CDTM
The present research and development efforts of
the oil majors aim for total remote production The principle of the Controlled Depth Tow Method
systems for developments in water depths beyond (CDTM) involves the transportation of a
diver access by the mid 1990's. Major objectives pre-fabricated and fully tested flowline bundle
in the design of such complex remote systems are suspended between two tugs (see Figure 2 ) . To
to achieve the highest possible system maintain control during the tow, the bundle has
reliability and to develop efficient procedures been designed and constructed within specific
for installation, commissioning, operation and tolerances with respect to its submerged weight.
85
2 AN INTEGRATED TOWED FLOWLINE BUNDLE PRODUCTION SYSTEM FOR SUBSEA DEVELOPMENTS OTC 643C
In order to achieve sufficient buoyancy for the have demonstrated the feasibility of towing a
bundle, the flowlines, control lines etc are bundle with larger structures than the size of a
placed within a carrier pipe (see Figure 3 ) . "conventional" towhead and resulted in the
Chains are attached to provide additional weight following alternatives.
in order to obtain a system which has a limited
submerged weight. At rest the bundle floats at
several metres above the seabed. ITFPS CONCEPTS
During tow the drag on the chains creates a "lift The INTEGRATED TOWED FLOWLINE BUNDLE PRODUCTION
force", and so reduces the bundle submerged SYSTEM can accept hydrocarbon production from a
weight and thus the bundle deflections. By number of subsea wells and transport same to a
controlling the towing speed in combination with production facility (see Figure 4 ) .
the tension maintained by the trailing tug at the
rear, the bundle configuration and its To illustrate the flexibility in design of the
deflections are kept under control during ITFPS and its adaptability to meet specific field
transport to location. development requirements, several concepts are
described below (also see Figure 5 ) .
Prior to the tow, a detailed analysis of the
bundle behaviour is made. The relation between 1) FLOWLINE BUNDLE TO SINGLE OR CLUSTER OF
essential parameters such as pull force, tow WELLS
speed, tension and bundle deflection are
calculated, and presented in "towing The CDTM application involves bundles to
characteristics" graphs. The essential connect a fixed production platform to a
parameters are continuously monitored during the single satellite well. The bundle
tow, and adjusted if necessary to maintain the comprises two (TFL) flowlines and a number
desired bundle configuration, well clear of the of hydraulic lines.
seabed and safely under the sea surface wave
actions. The tow takes place along a presurveyed Similarly the bundle configuration can be
route, obstacle-free and with dedicated safe designed to envelop all flowlineB to
"parking areas". When the tow approaches its connect a multi-well template (or a cluster
final location the towspeed is reduced and the of wells) to the production facility. In
bundle is lowered to the seabed within a this case all flowline connections are
pre-selected landing area. situated within the bundle towhead
structure.
At a distance of some metres above the seabed,
the bundle can now easily be manoeuvred into its 2) FLOWLINE BUNDLE WITH LATERAL ENTRIES
final position. Any configuration can be
achieved by UBing temporary anchor blocks to If the reservoir development requires
secure the bundle position. By flooding of the 'spaced-out' tree locations, a series of
carrier pipe annulus the bundle settles to a lateral entries can be provided along the
stable position on the seabed. Tie-ins can be length of the bundle. Each such lateral
made using either direct pull-in type connectors entry will require a small manifold and
or spool pieces of either flexible or rigid pipe. control interface that can be retrofitted
to the side of the bundle. This manifold
Both the bundle installation and the connection will provide entry to an individual or to a
of towheads to gathering and production manifolds bulk flowline and chemical injection as
have been performed diverless in the past, using required. The control interface will
direct pull-in and deflect-to-connect-pull-in connect with the control/data acquisition
type methods. umbillcals.
The first commercial application of CDTM was in The bundle towhead structure is designed tc
1980 in the North Sea on the CONOCO "MURCHISON" accommodate a manifold, to which the subsea
field. Those first bundles were 12 inch in trees can be tied in. Similar to a
diameter, up to 2,000 metres long and 250 tons in separate template manifold this can
mass. Since then CDTM has been further developed provide, for example, dedicated or
and bundles installed are now up to 4,400 metres comingled flowlines systems, full pigging
long. In 1990 the 'largest ever' bundles, loops, pig launch/receipt facilities etc,
diameter 38 inches and 2,700 tons mass, will be and controls and monitoring systems.
installed in the North Sea SHELL "OSPREY" field,
and this will be the first application of If the flowline bundle routing can be
integrated manifolding facilities. Table 1 lists worked out such to also pass an
all completed CDTM projects. intermediate cluster of wells (between
production facility and towhead/manifold),
A natural step in further development of the these can also be tied into the system by
bundle concept is to allow for integration of any using a manifold structure integrated in
component of the subsea system. Recent studies the bundle at such intermediate location.
86
OTC 6430 DEN BOER, ROODUYN & BARBER
Detailed static and dynamic engineering towed out with the bundle.
analyses show that the characteristics of
the bundle are not influenced TYPICAL CASE: BUNDLE TOWHEAD WITH INTEGRATED
significantly (during CDTM tow and MANIFOLD
installation) by the integration of a
manifold on each end. The results show A typical example of a towhead with integrated
that manifolds with a dry weight of up to manifold is presented to highlight the principles
300 ton in combination with a bundle of the system. A four bay production/WI manifold
length of 5km and a bundle diameter up to has been considered since this could handle
40" can be transported and installed in production of 15,000 - 20,000 BOPD and
the field using existing CDTM techniques. associated water injection. This is typical of a
number of marginal fields being considered for
4) ITFPS PULLED INTO PRE-INSTALLED DRILLING development.
TEMPLATE
It has been assumed that the depth of water would
For a major subsea development involving facilitate diver assisted operations for
a cluster of wells, a purposely designed installation and maintenance.
pre-drilling template may be preferred.
This unit is kept deliberately simple and Should a different development scenario be
serves as a receiving module into which a required, such as a diverless system, a
bundle towhead manifold assembly is configuration could be developed to satisfy the
docked. A rapid connection of the requirements. Figure 6 shows typical layouts of
pre-drilled wells can be then the main equipment which governs the overall
accomplished with minimum diver size.
intervention. Again, all required
manifolding functions can be integrated
in the pull-in towhead. 1) FLOWLINE BUNDLE CONFIGURATION
3) MANIFOLD PIPEWORK AND EQUIPMENT Control pods for the manifold have been
included into the towhead structure. The
The manifold layout has been developed using control pod(s) stab in to a dedicated base
standard equipment with a proven track record mounted on the structure. Pod installatior.
meeting API 5000 psi max WP requirements. and removal is facilitated by a guidance
This offers flexibility of design without system utilising guide wires.
sacrificing reliability and the utilisation
of standard components also minimses lead The hydraulic valve actuators would be
times. controlled by an electro-hydraulic
multiplex system or by means of a direct
The design of the manifold is based upon the supply depending upon line size and
requirement to Incorporate all the equipment response time requirements. Data
in the,;-Bmallest practicable space whilst transmission from the manifold would be vie
affording adequate diver and ROV accesB for communication lines within the control
local override operations and maintenance. umbilical, using the multiplex system if
The arrangement of valves and actuators is available.
such as to provide horizontal access for ROV
intervention. The manifold provides In order to minimise the connections
protection against damage from dropped between the wellheads and the manifold the
objects by means of hinged covers which can well control pods are mounted within the
be folded back to provide vertical access for xmas tree guide frames.
divers.
6) INSTALLATION
The manifold includes arrangements for
commingling, testing and pigging. The bundle, integrated towhead and manifold
are fabricated, connected, hydrotested,
Injection points are provided in the manifold function tested and pre-commissioned on
or at individual wells for bulk chemicals and shore to the maximum extent prior to
Inhibitors as required. launch/tow-out. This ensures that the
control system-is working correctly and
The manifold connections enable a production that adjustments can be made prior to
tree, together with associated jumper spools installation.
and pipework, to be flushed prior to
disconnection. The bundle and manifold are launched and
towed to the offshore site by conventional
The manifold layout shown is for four wells, bundle installation methodB. The manifold
but additional wells could be accommodated by is like a large towhead, and provided it is
increasing the length to provide additional designed for towage, does not affect the
bays as required. This is a relatively low towing operation. The manifold is thus
cost addition as the well slots involve only installed with the bundle, obviating the
simple steel fabrication. requirements for heavy craneage or tie-in
spools to the bundle.
OTC 6430 DEN BOER, ROODUYN & BARBER 5
89
6 AN INTEGRATED TOWED FLOWLINE BUNDLE PRODUCTION SYSTEM FOR SUBSEA DEVELOPMENTS OTC 643
T>-=i manifoVl structure can be designed to savings:
provide permanent in situ protection and - the onshore fabrication of a total
it can be used to support any additional integrated system gives a considerable
protection structures required to cost saving.
protect the jumpers to satellite wells - manifolds and, in the case of a floater
or future xmas trees. development also the riserbase, do not
require separate installation.
* The concept allows for maximum - cables/umbilicals do not require
flexibility in the development, both in separate installation.
place and in time, thus minimising - trenching of flowlines/control lines is
capital expenditure. not required.
- reduced scope of tie-in work.
Engineering analysis shows that integration - reduced scope for installation of
of manifolds up to 300 Te dryweight is protective covers.
feasible.
* TESTING and COMMISSIONING - up to 50%
savings:
3) The Transportation and Installation Method - the offshore scope for testing can be
considerably reduced as the fully
The controlled depth tow method provides a integrated ITFPS is tested onshore.
number of advantages in comparison to other
tow methods or pipeline installation For the typical case as described in Section 5
techniques. the total costs of a subsea satellite
development, however excluding drilling, subsea
* Bundle and manifolds are towed clear of trees and excluding the provision and
the seabed, thus allowing a free passage installation of risers, would, at today's (early
above existing subsea pipelines, and 1990) price levels, amount to approximately U.S.
well below the surface thus minimising dollars 14 million for a conventional
wave influence. installation approach, whereas application of an
ITFPS will give some 10-15 percent savings on
* Due to its flexibility the bundle can be overall costs. For developments involving more
installed in any desired configuration, than just one system, and for developments with
thereby minimising field occupance. more complex specifications, the total CAPEX
savings may prove to be 20 percent or more.
* Installation vessels do not require
anchoring, thus allowing deepwater In the case where the ITFPS is designed to take
applications. into account potential future extensions
(additional wells), considerable savings on the
* Diverless installation has been done in costs of such later developments can be achieved.
the past, these techniques can be
readily extended to deepwater (> 1000m). From an operational point of view the reduced
number of subsea components, i.e. fewer tie-ins,
* Low stress levels in the flowlines may give OPEX savings up to 5-10 percent.
during launch, tow and installation.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ECONOMICAL ADVANTAGES
Authors herewith thank all colleagues of
If compared with conventional installation, i.e. Rockwater, Brown & Root Vickers, Kestrel Subsea
separate lay of lines and placement of manifolds Systems Ltd and staff of Smit Engineering b.v.
and a riserbase, the total system approach based who have been involved in the development of
on a pull or tow installation can result in ITFPS concept for their contribution to this
development cost savings. paper.
* DESIGN - costs will be about equal. 1) T.C. Vergouw and A.J. Odone : "The
Integrated Manifold/Flowline Bundle : A
* PROCUREMENT - up to 10% savings: cost effective solution for marginal field
- the carrier pipe and accessories will be development", paper presented at Subsea
extra. 1989 Conference, London.
- cables/umbilical armouring can be
simplified. 2) E.J. Rooduyn and H. Boonstra: "Design
- the number of tie-in spools/connections Aspects of the Controlled Depth Tow Method
will be reduced. for Pipeline Bundles", paper presented at
Deep Oil Technology Conference, Sorrento,
* FABRICATION and INSTALLATION - up to 25% 1985.
go
OTC 6430 DEN BOER, ROODUYN & BARBER 7
" Costello, F.A. Brink and D. Henery 4) E.J. Rooduyn : "Submarine Flowlines :
"Insulated Pipelines between the UMC and Transportation of Pre-fabricated Pipelines
Cormorant 'A.' Platform in the Northern with the Controlled Depth Tow Method",
North Sea", paper 4611 presented at paper presented at Offshore Petroleum
Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, Technology Conference, Birmingham, 1984 and
1983. at Subsea 1985 Conference, London, 1985.
91
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OFF-BOTTOM TOW.
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93
BUNDLE W11TH LATERAL ENTRIES
TO
PLATFORM
OR FPF
INTEGRATED MANIFOLDING
CONTROL PODS