Review of technology for Arctic offshore oil and gas recovery
The technical background briefing report is the first step in the preparation of a plan for engineering research oriented toward Arctic offshore oil and gas recovery. A five-year leasing schedule for the ice-prone waters of the Arctic offshore is presented, which also shows the projected dates of the lease sale for each area. The estimated peak production rates for these areas are given. There is considerable uncertainty for all these production estimates, since no exploratory drilling has yet taken place. A flow chart is presented which relates the special Arctic factors, such as ice and permafrost, to the normal petroleum production sequence. Some highlights from the chart and from the technical review are: (1) in many Arctic offshore locations the movement of sea ice causes major lateral forces on offshore structures, which are much greater than wave forces; (2) spray ice buildup on structures, ships and aircraft will be considerable, and must be prevented or accommodated with special designs; (3) the time available for summer exploratory drilling, and for deployment of permanent production structures, is limited by the return of the pack ice. This time may be extended by ice-breaking vessels in some cases; (4) during production, icebreaking workboats will service the offshore platforms in most areas throughout the year; (5) transportation of petroleum by icebreaking tankers from offshore tanker loading points is a highly probable situation, except in the Alaskan Beaufort; and (6) Arctic pipelines must contend with permafrost, making instrumentation necessary to detect subtle changes of the pipe before rupture occurs.
- Research Organization:
- Alaska Univ., Fairbanks (USA). Geophysical Inst.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC01-80ET14317
- OSTI ID:
- 6571187
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/ET/14317-T2(Vol.1)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Arctic offshore oil and gas technology
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Related Subjects
03 NATURAL GAS
ARCTIC REGIONS
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
CONTINENTAL SHELF
EXPLOITATION
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
DRILLING
ICE
LEASING
NATURAL GAS
OFFSHORE SITES
PERMAFROST
PETROLEUM
PIPELINES
PRODUCTION
RECOVERY
REVIEWS
TRANSPORT
WATER WAVES
WELL COMPLETION
CONTINENTAL MARGIN
DOCUMENT TYPES
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
MINERAL RESOURCES
POLAR REGIONS
RESOURCES
020300* - Petroleum- Drilling & Production
030300 - Natural Gas- Drilling
Production
& Processing