New concepts are the key to tomorrow's offshore fields
This paper evaluates efforts to improve deepwater drilling technology. It reveals that technology now exists for drilling in 6,500 ft of water, though only a half-dozen vessels are capable of such efforts. On the drawing board are several unique rig designs with greater deck capacity and enhanced motion characteristics that could make drilling in 6,500 to 8,000 ft a realistic endeavor. Standard steel-jacket platforms are not as economical as alternative designs in deeper waters. Exxon is installing a guyed tower in 1,000 ft of water in the Gulf of Mexico. Other fixed structures include the tripod tower platform (TTP), the Mandrill 400, the deep G3, and the Base and Independent Deck(BID) platform. The paper concludes that although the industry is in a state of uncertainty, many of these new offshore concepts will be implemented in the coming decade.
- OSTI ID:
- 6118097
- Journal Information:
- Pet. Eng. Int.; (United States), Vol. 54:12
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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