Hello -
I’d like to learn a bit more about the offshore production process. Most of the tutorials on rigzone.com relate to drilling and not so much on production. I’ve read about jackups, semisubs, drillships, spars, FPSO, but I’m getting a little lost in terms of [U]the big picture[/U]. In general, once a well is live, what happens next, with emphasis on logistics?
Suppose a jackup was used to drill a well in the North Sea. Once it’s live, how will the extraction be done? Can the same jackup be used or must it be replaced with a spar (assume this is not a subsea system)? Where is the oil stored? And how is it transported out? Via shuttle tankers or pipelines?
Are OSVs (in particular, PSV and AHTS) used during both the exploration and production phases? Are they also used in DW & UDW projects? Are the requirements different? Do they need to be larger for an UDW project in Brazil/GOM vs. a conventional project in the North Sea?
I’ve read that subsea systems are gaining favor because they can keep a well live for an additional 15-20 yrs due to reinjection of waste & gas. If the processing is done on the seabed and not onboard an FPSO, do subsea systems also require regular support via OSVs? Is the oil transported via an FPSO/tanker or via subsea pipelines?
I know the questions are kind of all over the place but I haven’t come across too much info on the processes that come after drilling. I guess drilling is the sexiest phase.
Thank you