Subsea Tieback Forum & ExhibitionDay ThreeFinal DayNew Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center | New Orleans, LAwww.subseatiebackforum.com

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With the closing of the 2015 Subsea Tieback Forum & Exhibition, hosted by Chevron, conference organizers once again saw record-breaking attendance. More than 3,200 registered attendees and exhibiting officials attended the three-day event, networking and gaining new prod-uct and service information on the exhibit floor and listening to informative techni-cal presentations.

The forum’s theme, “Subsea and All That Jazz,” reflected the move of the exhi-bition to New Orleans from the previous year’s host city, San Antonio, Texas.

As in years past, the technical presen-tations were well-attended, with March 4’s opening plenary session continuing its tradition of being a conference high-point. Robin Dupre, domestic conferences editorial director and senior technology editor for event media partner Offshore magazine, opened the session with some welcoming remarks on behalf of the con-ference organizers.

Comments were then offered from the Treasurer & Training Committee Chairman Don Schlater of the Society for Under-water Technology, which held a one-day workshop on the previous day.

Following Schlater’s remarks, the program continued with three speakers representing two operating companies educating attendees on topics within the subsea and deepwater areas. The confer-ence’s opening remarks were delivered by the 2015 Subsea Tieback Forum & Exhibi-tion’s Board Chairman Antonio Critsinelis, of Chevron. Paul Jones, also of Chev-ron, proceeded to deliver the keynote presentation, entitled “Subsea 2025 — a Crystal Ball View of Our Business, Our Technologies and Our Value.” Shell’s John Hollowell closed the opening session with his scene-setting presentation, “Unlock-ing the Next Frontier of Shell Deepwater Opportunities.”

Session 1, entitled “Project Learnings 1,” opened day two’s proceedings on Wednesday. Chaired by Shell’s Da-vid LaCaze, the opening presentation, “Tubular Bells – Managing Change” was delivered by Hess Corp.’s Tor Gavem. BP was the original operator of the so-called “T-Bells” project, drilling the project’s first wells with the ill-fated Deepwater Horizon. Hess Corp. bought the opera-torship and BP eventually bowed out of the project completely by 2011. The project achieved first oil in 2014, a very quick turnaround time from Hess Corp.’s 2011 sanction. Shell’s Bryan Kung gave the second presentation, presenting a talk entitled “Learnings from Shell Glider – Subsea Landscaping Techniques.” He

outlined Shell’s lessons-learned when a riserless drilling campaign resulted in the dumping of more than 1.1 million cu ft of soil and mud on the project’s subsea infrastructure. Susan Dent, of ExxonMobil, presented “Deepwater Gulf of Mexico – Julia Project HIPPS,” the first of two presentations on the Julia project. ExxonMobil is developing a high-integrity pressure protection system to enable production from Julia, likely a high-pressure field. Dent spoke on the HIPPS system’s design stage, finalization, and manufacturing, which is planned to conclude in Q4 2015. This presentation proceeded to win the conference’s distin-guished Best Presentation award.

Following lunch, sponsored by Technip, Session 2: Flowlines, Risers, Umbilicals got underway with a presentation by Talos Energy’s David Hamilton, where he outlined the subsea pigging system custom-built for the Phoenix field. Deep Gulf Energy’s Danny Hough discussed the reeled clad pipe utilized in the Kodiak subsea development. The session ended with a presentation development outside of the GoM. John Felarca, who won the Best Presenter award at 2014’s Subsea Tie-back Forum & Exhibition, discussed the installation of the 76 km (47 mi) offshore pipeline that runs from the field, which is located about 100 km (62 mi) off Western Australia, to shore crossing.

Session three turned to subsea boosting and processing in a session chaired by Chuck Horn of Genesis. Skipper Strong, of Endeavor Management, shared best practices related to subsea decommission-ing before turning it over to ExxonMobil’s Rina Batra. Batra spoke on the learn-ings and challenges overcame during the simultaneous qualification and execution phases of Julia subsea pump.

The last presentation of the subsea boosting session and of Day 2 was given by another representative of ExxonMobil: Jeffrey Barnhill. His delivery of the “MEGI Long-term Subsea Multiphase Pumping Performance,” eventually earned him the conference’s Best Presenter award. MEGI, which stands for Mobil Equatorial Guinea Inc., installed the industry’s first subsea multiphase high-power electrical pumps in the Topacio field off Equatorial Guinea. The boosting system is still operating, 15 years after installation.

Thursday, the concluding day of the conference, saw three sessions. Chaired by Eric Hevle, Ecopetrol, Session 4: Proj-ect Learnings 2 kicked off with Subsea Tieback Forum & Exhibition’s second pre-sentation on the subject of the Macedon field. BHP Billiton’s Scott Leonard dis-cussed the field’s subsea control system, including its architecture, instrumentation, and operability. Critsinelis presented a paper entitled “Big Gas Subsea Systems (The rule of thumb applied to oil develop-ments should not be applied to big gas),” which provided an overview of the trends and challenges addressed in relation to the increase in non-traditional “big gas” subsea developments. Shell’s Eric Chang preceded the coffee break, speaking to enablers for a robust subsea tieback ex-ecution, particularly in relation to Shell’s Europa A8 well.

ExxonMobil Development Co.’s Jon Sonka served as chair for the late morn-ing session, Session five: Asset Integrity. Alexander Georgi discussed the detection, development and implementation of an annulus leak and its repair on subsea tie-back wells via remotely-operated vehicle intervention. “Quantitative Integrity Analy-sis for Optimizing Operational Decisions,” delivered by Mir Emad Mousavi of Aker Solutions, was the second presentation of the session. John Fassero’s overview of the development and initial project implementation of ExxonMobil’s Universal Master Control Station closed the session just before lunch.

Following lunch, just before the day’s last session, delegates received updates on the subsea engineering programs from

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Record-breaking Subsea Tieback Forum & Exhibition bids ‘adieu’ to New Orleans

Wednesday’s opening plenary session drew a sizeable crowd, which heard remarks from repre-sentatives of Offshore magazine, SUT, Chevron, and Shell. Photo by Barchfield Photography.

Advisory Board Chairman Antonio Critsinelis presented Susan Dent and Jeffrey Barnhill the Best Presentation and Best Presenter awards, respectively. Photos by Barchfield Photography.

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November 3 - 5, 2015Moody Gardens Hotel& Convention Center

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Record-breaking...continued from page 1

two universities local to Texas: University of Houston and Texas A&M from Founding Director Matthew A. Franchek and Program Director, Subsea Engi-neering Professor D.C. (Dave) Lucas, respectively.

During this time, delegates were also witness to the popular Harley-David-son giveaway. EMAS AMC was the title sponsor for the “Hog Heaven” drawing, as it was in 2014. Troy Brown, senior director of trees, tie-in, and structures for Aker Solutions, was the lucky winner of the brand new “hog.”

Beginning at 1:40 p.m., Session 6: Brownfield Project Learnings was the last session of the Day 3, and the last of the forum. Murphy’s William Taggart began with an explanation of the challenges and opportunities associated with the Malaysian Kikeh field’s subsea brownfield expansion and the Dalmatian subsea tieback development. John Lyons, of ConocoPhillips, then discussed the engi-neering challenges behind the wet parking subsea trees on Bayu Undan. Shell Oil’s David Moss discussed the safe delivery of subsea tiebacks in the deepwater GoM to mark the last conference session.

Subsea Tieback Forum & Exhibition Chairman Antonio Critsinelis once again took the stage to thank attendees and give closing remarks. On behalf of the conference’s Board, he also gave the Best Presentation award to Susan Dent for her “Deepwater Gulf of Mexico – Julia Project HIPPS” presentation, and the Best Presenter award to Jeffrey Barnhill for his “MEGI Long-term Subsea Multiphase Pumping Performance” presentation. Both Dent and Barnhill are with ExxonMobil.

In 2016, the forum and exhibition will return to the Henry B. Gonzalez Con-vention Center in San Antonio, Texas, from March 22-24.

In ‘Hog Heaven’Aker Solutions’ Troy Brown won the Harley-Davidson giveaway sponsored by EMAS AMC. From left to right: Steve Louis, EMAS AMC vice president of Engineering; Brown; and Mark Peters, vice president and group pub-lisher of Offshore magazine, which presents this PennWell conference. Photo courtesy Barchfield Photography.

Aker Solutions officials describe capabilities of workover riser connection

Aker Solutions officials de-scribed the capabilities of riser-LOCK 7.10 workover riser connector at the Subsea Tieback Forum & Exhibition.

Company officials said that they developed the riserLOCK 7.10 workover riser connector for use on standard and special workover riser joints.

They say that the system provides a step change in safety and riser running efficiency. The riserLOCK 7.10 workover riser connector is used on standard and special riser joints. The connector is based on upset pipe technology.

According to company officials, it eliminates the need for welding and provides optimal fatigue life and recertification performance in both open and in-water applications.

Saab showcases hybrid AUV/ROV technology

Saab officials discussed the latest features and applications of its Seaeye Sabertooth hybrid AUV/ROV technology at the Subsea Tieback Forum & Exhibition.

Company officials explained that the Seaeye Sabertooth is a merger of the Double Eagle SAROV (Saab Autonomous remotely operated vehicles) and Saab Seaeye technologies, resulting in a hovering hybrid AUV/ROV with deepwater capability, long excursion range and 6° of freedom control system.

Seaeye Sabertooth is available in a single hull and a double hull version. This makes it a very powerful but lightweight platform for both inspection and light IRM tasks.

Its small size, tether-free operation and maneuverability gives easy and safe access inside complex structures, making it ideal for autonomous inspection, maintenance and repair of subsea installations and offshore survey work, company officials said.

Seaeye Sabertooth features include:• Operational depth of 1,200 msw (3,000 msw)• Battery power allowing long range operations, with either full

operator control via a thin fiber-optic tether or autonomous operation (with operator control in proximity of targets)

• Full AUV functionality with obstacle avoidance, behavior based control and underwater docking capability

• Redundant fault tolerant control system• Non-invasive self-diagnostics• Advanced autopilots: heading, depth, pitch, roll, stabiliza-

tion, altitude, station keeping, vector transition, obstacle avoidance and sonar target tracking

• Remote internet interface for base and Seaeye technical support

• The system is designed to be at a docking station 24/7 for more than six months without maintenance, eliminating the cost of surface vessels.

Caley, Umbilicals join in subsea, intervention systems

Caley Ocean Systems and Umbilicals International have joined to offer operators and offshore contractors integrated solutions for the deployment of subsea packages and well

intervention systems.Specialist cables and um-

bilicals offered by Umbilicals International will optimize the performance of Caley’s reel drives and winch systems, the companies said.

“Flexibility of mobilization is critical to minimizing the time and cost of intervention,” said Gregor McPherson, sales director, Caley Ocean Systems. “Handling systems need to be compact, often modular, with a small deck footprint and able to be readily mobilized to vessels of opportunity.”

C&C Technologies introduces pipeline inspection AUV

C&C Technologies highlighted several of its services at the at the Subsea Tieback Forum & Exhibition.

The Lafayette, Louisiana-based company introduced the Kongsberg-manufactured C-Surveyor VI, the first complete pipeline inspection AUV to incorporate a laser micro bathym-etry system. It is one of four AUVS C&C offers. With one pass over the pipe’s top or side, the 4,500 m- (14,764 ft-) rated laser micro bathymetry system provides span measurements. The unit has a depth rating of 3,000 m (9,842 ft).

Its Kongsberg EM 2040 multibeam supports seep and leak detection with water column data.

Additionally, company representatives were on-hand to discuss its marine construction division, which has a 24-hour call-out service to respond to issues such as rig positioning services, and scanning sonar operations for lift boats and dive vessels. Using ultra-short baseline techniques, the division supports the positioning of remotely operated vehicles, as well.

In February, C&C Technologies announced that it had been acquired by Oceaneering, with the transaction expected to close in April. With both companies focused on the deepwater area, C&C Technologies representatives at the Subsea Tieback Forum & Exhibition said that the acquisition allowed an expansion of in-house services and integrated offerings for its customers.

Oil States discusses capabilities of its drilling riser system

Oil States Industries discussed the features and applia-cations of its FlexJoint drilling riser system at the Subsea Tieback Forum & Exhibition. Company officials said that they

had introduced the FlexJoint technology to the offshore petroleum industry more than 25 years ago as a flexible, friction-less, maintenance-free alternative to the standard ball joint.

Oil States officials said that their FlexJoint systems are currently used in applications throughout the world under hostile drilling conditions that require:

• A reliable and cost-effective leak proof connection

• A low angular stiffness while under high axial tensions and extreme internal pressures

• A means of reducing the bending stresses in the riser and the reaction forces to the blowout preventer stack

• An omni-directional angular flexing capability • A source to help dampen vibrations and accommodate

shock loadings • The ability to operate in an H2S environment.

FMC highlights capabilities of UHD-III ROV

FMC Technologies discussed the latest features and applica-tions of its Schilling Robotics UHD-III ROV at the Subsea Tieback Forum & Exhibition.

FMC said that the UHD-III is capable of arduous tasks that require significant power to lift, position, and install subsea field equipment. All aspects of field construction can be undertaken with ease, and the advanced automatic piloting modes provide the most precise and stable platform for performing intervention and survey operations.

Officials added that UHD-III meets API 53 standards for BOP intervention with RAM closure in less than 45-seconds.

Other capabilities include: • Hydraulic power to 250-hp; Auxiliary power to 150-hp • Optimizes work performance with automatic power ef-

ficiency management • More space for tools and instruments than comparable ROVs • Increases ROV pilot efficiency through intuitive ROV control

interface, automated navigation, and positioning systems • Customer configurable, modular control system simplifies

tooling integration • Dedicated propulsion and tooling hydraulic circuits that

optimize ROV and tooling performance • 60-minute or less rapid maintenance design.

HIMA highlights HIPPS programmable controller

HIMA showcased its HIPPS HIMatrix F35 012 programmable controller at the Subsea Tieback Forum & Exhibition.

The company this is one of the first safety-related programma-ble controllers suitable for deepwater application (up to SIL 3).

The modular structure can operate in depths up to 4,000 m (13,123 ft) and in temperatures from -20°C (-4°F) to 60°C (140°F). It is shock and vibration resistant, and is offers low power consumption.

Hydrasun products address BOPHydrasun discussed products designed to address blow-out

prevention at the 2015 Subsea Tieback Forum & Exhibition, including the Bypod hose, designed to offer subsea BOP control. The product is reinforced with four or six high-tensile steel wire spirals and offers a flame-proof polyurethane cover.The Bypod also features total assembly encapsulation with the prevention of sea water ingress. It comes in five different sizes, including one that was made special-order due to market demands. It also comes in a variety of several bright colors. Depending on the size, the product can operate from 5,000 psi (345 bar) to 7,000 psi (480 bar).

The company also featured the Firemaster 16D hydrau-lic hose system, which is designed in response to the strict specification required for blow out prevention and well control on topsides applications. It is suitable for working in high-pressure hydraulic applications that require hoses to be fire-rated. Firemaster 16D is certified to API16D control systems for drilling well control equipment. Hydrasun says the product is ideal for hydraulic systems using mineral oils, glycols, and aqueous emulsion oils in fire-safety critical areas, BOP control, and other well control applications.

From the exhibition floor ...

Subsea Tieback Forum and Exhibition 2015 • www.subseatiebackforum.com • Final Day4

geoilandgas.com

Atlas™ Bottom Tendon Connector Make a stronger connectionFor more than 25 years, GE Oil & Gas has supplied reliable turnkey top and

bottom tendon connection solutions for Tension Leg Platforms. Continuing

in the tradition of innovation excellence, GE introduces the Atlas™ bottom

tendon connector (BTC).

The Atlas BTC is designed to meet the latest regulatory specifications and to

satisfy the ever-evolving needs of the offshore industry. Drawing extensively

on customer input and decades of in-field experience, the Atlas BTC features

a revolutionary and robust locking technology qualified up to 12 million lb

tension and 2 million lb compression through a rigorous, DNV.GL-witnessed

qualification program.

The Atlas BTC is forged for the harshest environments and refined for the

most strenuous fatigue applications. It installs easily with a reassuring

breech-style connection that cannot disconnect in any loading condition—

making the Atlas BTC the connector of choice for safety, strength, and

reliability in the industry.

Imagination at work

GenEleRev_SSTBsgd3_150312 1 2/18/15 10:25 AM

Decom North Sea (DNS) is collaborating with Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) and subsea engineering com-pany Jee to develop solu-tions for the recovery of concrete subsea mattresses and subsequent re-use.

The trio will engage with operators and suppli-ers across the oil and gas industry, with DNS and Jee’s engineers conducting an economic and environmental assessment of the con-dition of the mattresses, and identifying the best techniques for their recovery.

Concrete mattresses provide pipelines, cables, and umbilicals with protection from dropped objects, and add weight and stabilization.

Nigel Jenkins, CEO of DNS, said: “This project was implemented in direct

response to our operator member requests. What to do with mattresses as part of an efficient decom-missioning solution is an often discussed ‘thorny’ issue. Leaving them in situ is not ordinarily an option, although we will revisit this.

“Mattresses were not specifically designed

to be removed. Unfortunately, they can degrade underwater over time, leading to a complicated and costly removal process during decommissioning.”

Jee will investigate efficient removal methods that can reduce costs and maxi-mize the benefits to the decommissioning sector (retaining materials within produc-tive use, and in a high value state, for as long as possible).

Trio to examine North Sea concrete mattress removal options

Shell prolongs Subsea 7 UK diving, ROV deal

Technip adds Glenlivet development work to Edradour project offshore Shetlands

Technip has added Glenlivet to its list of projects west of Shetlands offshore UK. Tech-nip will develop Glenlivet and Edradour in parallel.

The Glenlivet scope of work includes fabrication and installation of a 12-in. produc-tion pipeline and a 6-in. MEG pipeline complete with a 2-in. piggy backed service line;

supply and installation of steel tube umbilical, manufactured at Technip Umbilicals facility in Newcastle, UK; supply and installation of flexible tails from Flexi France, the manufacturing plant in Le Trait, France; fabrication and installation of pipeline end manifold, flowline end terminations, flexible tails and rigid well tie-in spools, as well as the installation of CPI templates and mani-folds; rock dumping; and pre-commissioning.

Technip’s operating center in Oslo, Norway, will execute the project in full synergy with the previously awarded Edradour project.

Vessels from the group fleet will perform the installation in the summer seasons of 2016 and 2017. The pipelines will be fabricated at Technip’s Evanton, UK, spool base and installed by the company’s Deep Energy vessel.

Pioneering Spirit to install Johan Sverdrup platform topsides

Statoil has signed a contract with Allseas for installation of three platform topsides on the Johan Sverdrup field. The vessel Pio-neering Spirit, the world’s largest heavy-lift vessel, will install the topsides for the drill-ing, processing, and living quarter platforms.

Allseas plans to transfer the topsides to Pioneering Spirit before they are transported to the Johan Sverdrup field. On the field the vessel will install the topsides on the steel jackets. The heaviest lift will be carried out during installation of the processing platform topsides that weighs around 26,000 tons.

This contract award is subject to the Norwegian parliament’s approval of the plan for development and operation of the Johan Sverdrup field in 2015.

Photo courtesy Technip.

Rendering of the Johan Sverdrup development. Image courtesy Statoil.

Photo of vessel decommissioning courtesy Jee.

Shell Upstream International Europe has awarded Subsea 7 a two-year, $240-million extension for two underwater services contracts.

Both life of field contract extensions, for diving support vessel (DSV) and ROV sup-port vessel (ROVSV) services, take effect in 2016.

Subsea 7 will continue to provide subsea construction, inspection, repair, mainte-nance, and decommissioning services to Shell’s UK offshore fields and facilities.

The DSV contract will be delivered on a 24 hour, year-round basis through to the 3Q 2018. The ROVSV contract will cover a minimum of 100 vessel days per year and continue through to 2Q 2018.

Subsea 7’s North Sea fleet, including the Seven Atlantic for the DSV workscope, will undertake the work. Associated project management and engineering support will be executed from Shell’s and Subsea 7’s offices in Aberdeen.

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GLOBAL PETROLEUM CALENDAR OF EVENTS

PetEveTb_Petro_150210 1 2/10/15 1:06 PM

geoilandgas.com

Atlas™ Bottom Tendon Connector Make a stronger connectionFor more than 25 years, GE Oil & Gas has supplied reliable turnkey top and

bottom tendon connection solutions for Tension Leg Platforms. Continuing

in the tradition of innovation excellence, GE introduces the Atlas™ bottom

tendon connector (BTC).

The Atlas BTC is designed to meet the latest regulatory specifications and to

satisfy the ever-evolving needs of the offshore industry. Drawing extensively

on customer input and decades of in-field experience, the Atlas BTC features

a revolutionary and robust locking technology qualified up to 12 million lb

tension and 2 million lb compression through a rigorous, DNV.GL-witnessed

qualification program.

The Atlas BTC is forged for the harshest environments and refined for the

most strenuous fatigue applications. It installs easily with a reassuring

breech-style connection that cannot disconnect in any loading condition—

making the Atlas BTC the connector of choice for safety, strength, and

reliability in the industry.

Imagination at work

GenEleRev_SSTBsgd3_150312 1 2/18/15 10:25 AM

Subsea Tieback Forum and Exhibition 2015 • www.subseatiebackforum.com • Final Day6

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Woodside signs Subsea 7 for subsea construction

Woodside Energy has contracted Subsea 7 to perform the Persephone work pack 2 fabrication, subsea installa-tion, and diving services project offshore Western Australia.

The Persephone development will comprise two wells tied into a subsea production manifold with production fluids transported to the existing North Rankin Complex (NRC).

Subsea 7 will be responsible for fabrication, transporta-tion, installation and pre-commissioning, and for additional de-construction and pipeline suspension work concerning the Echo Yodel field at the Goodwyn Alpha platform.

The company’s diving construction vessel Seven Eagle will perform all offshore activities (due to start in 4Q 2015), with project management and engineering handled from Perth.

Aker delivers subsea containment assembly

Aker Solutions has delivered the subsea containment system to Marine Well Containment Co. for use on its capping stack.

The subsea containment assembly is designed to contain a well-control incident by connecting and creating a seal to prevent oil leaks. It can also be used in a cap-and-flow plan to direct fluid to vessels on the surface. The technology works under pressures as high as 15,000 psi.

The equipment was delivered to the Marine Well Containment Co. base in Ingleside, Texas. It weighs 170 tons and consists of a stack of adapters and connectors assembled on a steel base.

EMAS AMC christens Lewek Constellation

The Lewek Constellation at its naming ceremony. Photo courtesy BusinessWire.

EMAS AMC, the subsea division of EMAS, has chris-tened and named the Lewek Constellation prior to its departure to the Gulf of Mexico to commence work for Noble Energy. The Lewek Constellation, an ice-classed, multi-lay offshore construction vessel with ultra-deepwa-ter pipelay and heavy-lift capabilities, is the company’s flagship project-enabling asset.

The Lewek Constellation was initially conceptualized in 2009 and its hull was successfully launched in 2012. It measures 178 m (584 ft) by 46 m (150 ft), and is designed to deliver projects in water depths of more than 3,000 m (9,842 ft).

Additionally, EMAS says that the Lewek Constellation is only one of two vessels in the world in its class to achieve the highest environmental and comfort notations, with an ice-classed hull capable of transiting through 0.8 m (2 ft) of ice and a DP-3 system. It also comes equipped with an 800-metric ton (881-ton) Huisman multi-lay system that is able to support both rigid and non-rigid pipelines, a 3,000-metric ton (3,306-ton) Huisman off-shore heavy-lift crane, two Schilling workclass ROVs, and a portable reel system.

The vessel currently has a backlog of projects valued at around $500 million

The Seven Eagle. Photo courtesy Subsea 7.

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MARCH 22-24, 2016 • HENRY B. GONZALEZ CONVENTION CENTER • SAN ANTONIO, TX

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WORLD’S LARGEST SUBSEA EVENT FOR 16 YEARS

SUBSEATIEBACKFORUM.COM

SUBSEA TIEBACKFORUM & EXHIBITION

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Subsea Tieback Forum and Exhibition 2015 • www.subseatiebackforum.com • Final Day8

Subsea power grid acceleratingtransfer of topsides functions to seafloor

Jeremy BeckmanEditor, Europe

Siemens is close to completing an initial test program on the four main components (subsea transformer, subsea medium-voltage (MV) Switchgear, subsea variable speed drive, and subsea power control and communica-tion system) of a proposed subsea power distribution hub. The Subsea Power Grid will be connected on the seafloor to the array of new equipment emerging for subsea production, processing and boosting. This should facilitate expansion of field development into deeper water, longer step-outs, and more demanding production environments.

Design of the grid’s subsea transformer, switchgear and variable-speed drives (VSDs), as well as the commu-nication and control system started in 2010. The subse-quent engineering/test campaign has been conducted mainly at Siemens’ Subsea Technology Center in Trond-heim, Norway, since it was opened in September 2011, in co-operation with Siemens locations in other countries. The 10,000-sq m (107,639-sq ft) facility in Trondheim includes a pressure test laboratory that can simulate ultra-deepwater conditions (up to 460 bar/6,672 psi) in 23 pressure vessels of different sizes. Initial testing of the individual Subsea Power Grid (SPG) component proto-types is nearing completion, and will be followed next year by extended shallow-water trials of the integrated SPG in Trondheim harbor. One of the goals is to ensure that the system can remain in operation on the seafloor for many years, without maintenance.

The development, testing, and qualification program is supported by Chevron, ExxonMobil, Petrobras, and Statoil, all noted for pushing the boundaries of subsea and deepwater production. The technologies they and other operators are looking to transfer to the seabed include gas compression, water injection, multi-phase booster pumps, and subsea separation. According to Sub-sea Technology Center director Jan Erik Lystad, “oil com-panies have been telling us that they need more power to be distributed to multiple subsea consumers in order to reach out further to access more reservoir pockets.”

“Current technology can transmit only limited amounts of power to the seabed, which does not allow connec-tions to multiple equipment items, or ‘consumers,’ in an effective manner,” Lystad explained. “When each subsea consumer has to be connected to topside power distribu-tion equipment via individual subsea cables this requires a lot of topside space and riser capacity. That makes the operation both complex and costly, and it is not a viable solution for long step-outs, for a large number of consumers, or for high-power requirements.”

“By implementing a subsea power hub and grid, op-erators of subsea fields will be able to distribute power more widely,” Lystad noted. “In addition, the subsea power supply and distribution system eliminates a lot of complexity. With the Subsea Power Grid, there is just one high voltage (typically up to 100 kV) cable running from the surface to the seabed to a subsea step-down transformer in the hub, where voltage will be reduced to 36 kV. Then the power is distributed through a medium-voltage switchgear (one switch per consumer) and on to individual variable-speed drives for each pump, compres-sor, and so on.”

In addition to reducing cable volume, the Subsea Pow-er Grid should enable increased use of boosting closer to wells, Lystad claimed. “This will allow new alternative and less complex field development solutions that are economically superior to current platform/tieback con-cepts. It will also open up development of reserves to be developed in remoter regions, i.e. beneath Arctic ice.”

“There are physical limits regarding the length of subsea step-outs that the subsea grid can supply. The industry is talking in terms of step-outs of 200 km (124 mi) or more, but achieving this will depend on the type of equipment that needs to be connected and the total power rating for the distribution.”

Interface potentialSiemens’ Subsea Power Grid is intended to be a

comprehensive power supply and distribution system containing transformers, switchgear and VSDs, and a fully redundant communication/control system, deliver-ing power at customer-specified rates to various subsea “consumers.” Configurations can be tailored according to the project’s scope.

The equipment is being designed with open inter-face tools to ensure compatibility both with associated Siemens devices, such as the subsea hydraulic power unit, and with other suppliers’ equipment. “Our goal is to provide a complete subsea power solution,” said Björn Rasch, Siemens’ head of Subsea Power, while the processing equipment such as booster pumps, gas compression units, and injection kit will be delivered by other established players. Should new types of consum-ers emerge with currently unforeseen power ratings, Siemens will further enhance the variety of configura-tions accordingly.

One in-house item that will be linked to the various modules in the Subsea Power Grid is a 45 kV wet-mateable connector system developed by the company’s UK-based Siemens Subsea connector specialist, formerly known as Tronic. “The wet-mateable connectors connect all the different subsea power components with each other and with the subsea consumers,” Rasch noted.

“The design of the power units in the Subsea Power Grid incorporates new, patented features to improve insulation performance, reduce the risk of leakage, improve pressure compensation and provide ease of engagement/disengagement with ROV tooling.”

Compared with conventional offshore topsides trans-formers, switchgear and VSDs, the design focus for the SPG has been on pressure-compensated technology with 100% natural cooling. This means the modules are fluid-filled and most of the components operate under full pressure. The fluid-filled and pressure-compensated design provides several advantages in terms of enhanced reliability, Siemens claims, including:

• Efficient natural cooling without any moving parts• No differential pressure on penetrations to seawater,

hence a reduced risk of leakage• Very stable and safe environment for all components• Same design applies to all water depths• Enhanced insulation levels.“All the equipment is being qualified according to the

requirements from our JIP partners,” Rasch explained. “We have been running a comprehensive qualification program according to customer expectations and recom-mended practice from DNV. This started by qualifying the technology from a component level before moving on to subassemblies, and concluding with a shallow-water test of the complete Subsea Power Grid. The program also includes endurance testing of all components using tech-niques that apply increased stress on the components to speed up testing to demonstrate a 30-year lifespan.

Test scheduleAll tests on the subsea transformer were completed

successfully in 2012 in the Trondheim pressure labora-tory as well as in Trondheim harbor (shallow-water test), with results confirming that this is a market-ready prod-uct suitable for a wide power range (typically from 1 to 100 MVA) and for operation in water depths of down to 3,000 m (9,842 ft), says Siemens. Features of the trans-former include an enhanced insulation system; a robust enclosure design with optimized natural cooling proper-ties; biodegradable MIDEL 7131 fluid filling; flexible interfaces (dry or wet-mate conditions); and advanced condition monitoring (oil properties, temperature, pres-sure, ground fault, and so on).

The subsea switchgear has a modular design, featur-ing 36-kV, 500-A feeders and vacuum circuit-breakers; an integrated auxiliary supply; main switch in 1-atmosphere system canister; a fluid-filled base module; a pressure-compensated bus bar base section; a industrially proven SI-PROTEC protection system; and zero differential pressure at all penetrations to seawater. The design is cascadable to allow more consumers to be configured, via connections to seabed templates. Finally, the variable-frequency drives (VSDs) are also of a modular and pressure-compensated design said to achieve 100% natural convection cooling via dielectric fluid. Internal temperature variations cause fluid to flow, generating the cooling effect.

The VSD prototype will be completed and qualified next year prior to the fully integrated shallow-water trials. “This is probably the most challenging of the three power units to qualify for operation in 3,000 m water depth,” Rasch added. “It incorporates a scalable, multi-cell topol-ogy, meaning that it comprises many smaller ‘building blocks,’ or power cells. The number of building blocks is determined by the voltage rating of the unit. Redundancy can be built into the design by including more power cells than needed for the specified rating. If a power cell should fail, the advanced cell bypass function would bypass the power cell (i.e. remove it from the VSD power circuit), al-lowing the VSD to run with the remaining cells.”

Rasch noted that there are other advantages in the multi-cell design with respect to harmonics. “A basic property of frequency converters is that they change the voltage in discrete steps. The output voltage consists of contributions from each of the power cells, and with a large number of cells, the total voltage can be changed in many discrete steps. By incorporating many small discrete steps in the output voltage waveform, we can achieve an almost sinu-soidal output voltage with a low harmonic content. Fur-thermore, the number of cells, combined with a uniquely designed input transformer, cancels out most of the critical harmonic feedback to the supply – the result is low har-monics both to the motor and to the supplying grid.”

Following the completion of pressure testing of the various components and subassemblies in the Trondheim lab (around the turn of this year), next year’s planned test and qualification procedure is as follows:

• Module testing in a dry environment in assembly factory in Trondheim

• System integration and functional testing in assem-bly factory

• Shallow-water test and qualification of the switch-gear prototype (currently being assembled in Trondheim, testing/qualification in 2015) and the VSD prototype (assembly and testing/qualification in 2015 in Trondheim)

• Shallow-water test and qualification of the power communications and control system

• Shallow-water test and qualification of the com-pleted subsea power grid, including switchgear, VSD, transformer, and respective connections. •

How the connected items of the Subsea Power Grid might look on the seafloor.(All images courtesy Siemens)

Shallow-water transformer test in Trondheim.

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Industry collaboration works to advance subsea processing technology

Improving safety, reliability, and per-formance in deepwater development are the principle goals of the US Department of Energy Office of Fossil Energy’s (DOE) implementation of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The program, created by an act of Congress and administered by the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA) under the direction of DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), funds research, with additional funding and research by indus-try and academic partners, in technologies key to ensuring a secure energy supply for the United States.

Research in subsea production and pro-cessing has been an important component of the program. Within the deepwater program, a series of projects undertaken jointly by RPSEA and GE have worked to develop subsea processing technol-ogy to lessen the need for deepwater surface production facilities and extended tiebacks.

The program began with development of a process simulation tool designed to model subsea processing systems (SPS) for oil and gas. The intent was to provide an industry standard to evaluate SPSs performance, and to help bridge technol-ogy readiness level (TRL) gaps between operation engineers and facility suppli-ers. The program deliverables included simulation architecture, a functional simulator, procedures and documentation, experimental validation, and experimental facility availability.

The program’s key objectives included:Objective 1. Develop a library of robust

analytical unit models, with standardized interfaces, for compact separation devices operating in a subsea multi-phase flow environment. Standardized unit models allow the buildup of complex systems.

Objective 2. Develop a robust process simulator combining the analytical unit models from Objective 1 to provide for the following major features:

• Prediction of both steady-state and transient performance

• Expandability at the component level to accept more accurate analyti-cal component descriptions as they become available from ongoing research and experience

• User configurability• Interface with existing upstream

industry-standard production simula-tors.

Objective 3. Develop a lab-scale test facility and testing protocols for the vali-dation of both the analytical models and the simulator performance. This objective has importance for both developing unit models and validating the resulting sys-tem models, as well as the processes and methods used therein. This objective was accomplished through the creation and use of a test loop facility. The chosen test case is a horizontal three-phase (saltwa-ter/oil/gas) gravity separator.

Objective 4. Develop a methodology and associated procedures for using the simulator to determine the operational envelope for various process designs. This was achieved through the development of a statistical methodology and toolkit in MATLAB, the technical computing language and interactive environment for algorithm development and data analysis.

Objective 5. Using the lab-scale test facility and protocol, simulator perfor-mance was validated by executing a test plan for evaluation over a wide range of conditions:

• Operating envelopes• Transient stability• Process control logic. Using the simulator to model various

components of SPSs resulted in several re-search and development projects, among

them the design of subsea electrical provi-sion and distribution systems to power subsea processing components.

AC and DC alternativesSubsea electrification is seen as a

key enabler and an integral part of the processing and control for deepwater oil and gas production. Subsea processing systems such as pumping, compression, and separation require the deployment of equipment that may include variable frequency drives (VFDs), electric motors, switchgears, and uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs) in close proximity to the loads on the seabed, connected via dry and wet mate connectors. Their control requires electric actuators and valves for “All-Electric” trees and highly reliable power supplies for communication and control at long step-out distances. For such applications, bulk electrical power needs to be effectively delivered from onshore or offshore platforms where power is generated, to electric loads on the seabed.

The main drivers for the power delivery system are very high reliability and main-tainability. In addition, it is desirable that the system be efficient, low cost, and of high power density. Electric power can be transmitted and distributed over long dis-tances either by alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC).

Conventional HVAC systemThe high-voltage AC (HVAC) power

transmission and distribution (T&D) system is a mature and proven technology for land-based applications and relatively short offshore tiebacks. The system is configured differently when single load or multiple loads need to be supplied.

Single load application. There are cur-rently two AC power transmission options to supply power to a single subsea load. For these two AC power transmission op-tions, multiple topside VFDs and a power umbilical with multiple three-phase sub-marine power cables are required to sup-ply more than one subsea load. Another potential problem is the power transmis-sion with variable frequency, which can increase the risk of electrical resonance and is very challenging to control.

In the first option, a medium-voltage topside VFD is used to generate a vari-able frequency voltage, which is directly connected to a subsea motor through a submarine power cable. This option has been used in several applications such as in the BP King subsea pump project. The VFD generates medium voltage (e.g., 9 kV) and supplies all power required in

the system, including the reactive power required by the submarine cable. The transmission distance is up to 27 km for a subsea pump of 1 MW at 6.6 kV. The VFD rating can be significantly high for longer distance; therefore this option is limited to power ratings up to 3 MW and distances up to approximately 40 km. In the second option, a medium-voltage (e.g., 6.6 kV) variable frequency voltage is generated by the VFD and boosted by a step-up topside transformer for transmission (e.g., 12 to 42 kV depending on the tieback distance) via a subma-rine cable. On the receiving end of the cable, a subsea transformer is used to step down the voltage to supply a subsea motor (e.g., 6.6 kV). This system con-figuration has already been successfully applied to several field developments, such as the Lufeng field in Hong Kong and Tordis Field in the North Sea. How-ever, it is limited to shorter distances (i.e., tens of km depending on starting torque requirement).

Multiple load applications. When mul-tiple independent loads need to be sup-plied at a relatively long step out distance, the cost of power umbilical becomes a limiting factor if topside VFDs are used. One technical option to deliver power to subsea loads was pursued for the Ormen Lange field development, where the tieback distance is about 125 km and power requirement for the subsea loads is approximately 60 MW.

However, due to cable capacitance, in addition to the active power required by the loads, a large amount of reactive power needs to be supplied, leading to large and expensive cables with high current rating and losses. This also leads to more expensive umbilicals with higher costs of installation and retrieval. This issue is especially severe for longer step out distances. For example, to supply ap-proximately 60 MW of active power loads on the seabed with 125 km step out, it is necessary to provide 70 MVAr reactive power and 2 MW power loss under no load conditions, and 50 MVAr reactive power and 4 MW power loss under full load conditions. The transmission distance of the conventional HVAC technology is, therefore, limited to about 90 miles for a given cable, with inductive compensation. The transmission distance of the AC solu-tion can be extended by reducing the AC frequency.

DC alternativeA better way to overcome cable

capacitance and reactive power issues for long distance power T&D is to use

direct current (DC) instead of AC. HVDC is an established technology for onshore applications. The present voltage-source converter based HVDC technology (HVDC PLUS, HVDC Light), achieves high DC voltages by connecting a large number (e.g., up to 300 per converter) of specially designed and packaged power semiconductor switches or large number power modules in series.

However, the acceptance of HVDC sys-tems with respect to efficiency, reliability, and controllability will strongly depend on the availability of HVDC circuit break-ers (CBs), making them one of the key enabling technologies. The difficulties in utilizing HVDC CBs can be attributed to the demanding requirements on the CBs in DC systems, which are quite different due to the absence of natural current zero crossings.

The breakers have to fulfill the basic requirements of creating a current zero crossing to interrupt the current and dissipate the energy stored in the system inductance. Therefore, the converter substations are bulky with limited flex-ibility; they are also complex to transport, marinize, install and retrieve, reducing the system flexibility for future field expansion.

Even if these modern HVDC systems are marinized, assuming scenarios where loads are to be located 10 km from each other, they will require a subsea trans-former which will supply subsea switch-gear and a set of 10 km three-phase subsea cables to connect to each subsea VFD with an input transformer. All these components will, therefore, increase the system complexity, number of subsea components, and distribution losses.

An example of modern HVDC applica-tion is the Troll A offshore platform. It has a tieback distance of about 70 km and a water depth of about 300 m. The receiving end inverter station is a voltage source converter based HVDC with a rating of about 88 MW. The receiving end inverter is not subsea; it is installed on the platform. However, for longer tiebacks and deeper waters where a platform can-not be built, the HVDC converter station, as used in Troll A, becomes challenging to transport, install and retrieve on the seafloor due to its physical dimensions and weight. Moreover, any failure on the receiving end unit will have an impact on the overall field production. The Troll converter station caters to a single load (HV motor) and is not directly scalable for connection to multiple loads; hence it has reduced flexibility for future field expansion. •

Roy LongUS Department of Energy

SPS program overview. (Image courtesy GE)

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February 9-11, 2016 ° Moody Gardens Hotel & Convention Center ° Galveston, Texas USA

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Hosted by:

Topsides, Platforms & Hulls Conference & Exhibition is the offshore industry’s only event dedicated to topsides, platforms and hulls for both deep and shallow water. A comprehensive, two-track technical program presented

concurrently with an exhibition, Topsides, Platforms & Hulls Conference & Exhibition covers the design, engineering, construction, transportation, installation, and modif cation of topside structures, platforms

and hulls. Join hundreds of colleagues and exhibiting companies for this rapidly-growing event!

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