Offshore Platforms 33.3 Future Trends and Developments in Offshore Platforms 751
Part D | 33.3
such that it will always operate reliably. Generally, independent subsea wells are used for fixed or floating
platforms for recovering reserves located beyond the
reach of the horizontal drill-strings. Large multi-well
subsea systems have also been installed with remote
operating vehicle (ROV) intervention. In some of these
subsea system operations they are tied to some existing deep-water or shallow-water platforms. A notable
tieback (to a fixed platform located at a depth of 113 m)
is the Mensa subsea development connected by flow
lines of 101 km length, at a water depth of 1645 m
in the Gulf of Mexico. Recently, much longer and
deeper water-depth ( 1830 m) subsea systems have
been developed with tiebacks to onshore systems in
Brazil [33.18].
Submarine pipelines, which are laid on the seabed
or buried inside a trench on the seabed, are used to carry
produced oil and gas from the ocean depths to onshore
systems. Figure 33.7 [33.17] shows one of the best and
optimally used interconnections of pipelines around
the North Sea offshore developments, transporting oil
and gas to countries around its shores, viz., Ireland,
Scotland, UK, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium,
Holland, France, Germany, and the Czech Republic.
The pipeline design and construction took into account
the existing seabed ecology to preserve its biodiversity
along its route to the shore [33.19, 20], international
boundaries, geo-hazards, and the environmental loadings that will be exerted on the system. The pipeline
diameters generally vary from 76 mm (for gas lines)
to 1800 mm (for high capacity flow), and the wall
thicknesses vary between 1075 mm. The pipelines are
protected against corrosion with epoxy or bituminous
coatings and are often weighted down with concrete lining. The maximum internal pressure for design is taken
as 10 MPa.
33.3 Future Trends and Developments in Offshore Platforms
Global energy consumption is forecast to expand 1.8
times by 2035 compared to that of 2010, and during
the same period consumption of crude oil is expected to
increase just over 30%, mainly in developing countries.
Consumption of natural gas is forecast to rise greatly,
by 50% or more in 2035, as compared with 2010. The
depletion of existing fields will call for the discovery
of new offshore drilling sites to maintain secure oil and
gas supplies.
To give a context in terms of possible offshore development around USA, Fig. 33.8 [33.21] gives the
undiscovered technically recoverable oil and gas re87% of federal offshore
acreage is off limits
to development
Beaufort Sea
8.2 Bbl
27.6 Tcf
Chukchi Sea
15.4 Bbl
76.8 Tcf
Cock inlet
1.0 Bbl
1.2 Tcf
Western Gulf
12.4 Bbl
69.5 Tcf
Central Gulf
30.9 Bbl
133.9 Tcf
Eastern Gulf
5.1 Bbl
16.1 Tcf
Mid-Atlantic
South Atlantic
Gulf of Mexico OCS
48.4 Bbl
Off limits
Presidential
moratorium
Under consideration
for seismic survey
Open
Atlantic OCS
4.7 Bbl
37.5 Tcf
Pacific OCS
10.2 Bbl
16.1 Tcf
Alaska OCS
26.6 Bbl
131.5 Tcf
Fig. 33.8 Offshore technically undiscovered
recoverable oil and gas
resources around USA in
federal acreage (Bbl and Tcf)
(after [33.21])
sources available offshore. Hence, there is still a lot
of scope for innovative structural developments to
take place when the above-mentioned federal offshore acreages become available for development. Figure 33.8 gives the scope for possible offshore development for oil and gas resources around the federal
offshore acreage in USA; the area shown consists of
89.9 billion barrels of oil and 404.6 trillion cubic feet
of gas. Offshore industries are predicting a large investment (by a factor of three to four times current levels)
on offshore structures and related facilities during the
coming years [33.22]. It is believed that the Arctic re-
Part D | 33.3
such that it will always operate reliably. Generally, independent subsea wells are used for fixed or floating
platforms for recovering reserves located beyond the
reach of the horizontal drill-strings. Large multi-well
subsea systems have also been installed with remote
operating vehicle (ROV) intervention. In some of these
subsea system operations they are tied to some existing deep-water or shallow-water platforms. A notable
tieback (to a fixed platform located at a depth of 113 m)
is the Mensa subsea development connected by flow
lines of 101 km length, at a water depth of 1645 m
in the Gulf of Mexico. Recently, much longer and
deeper water-depth ( 1830 m) subsea systems have
been developed with tiebacks to onshore systems in
Brazil [33.18].
Submarine pipelines, which are laid on the seabed
or buried inside a trench on the seabed, are used to carry
produced oil and gas from the ocean depths to onshore
systems. Figure 33.7 [33.17] shows one of the best and
optimally used interconnections of pipelines around
the North Sea offshore developments, transporting oil
and gas to countries around its shores, viz., Ireland,
Scotland, UK, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium,
Holland, France, Germany, and the Czech Republic.
The pipeline design and construction took into account
the existing seabed ecology to preserve its biodiversity
along its route to the shore [33.19, 20], international
boundaries, geo-hazards, and the environmental loadings that will be exerted on the system. The pipeline
diameters generally vary from 76 mm (for gas lines)
to 1800 mm (for high capacity flow), and the wall
thicknesses vary between 1075 mm. The pipelines are
protected against corrosion with epoxy or bituminous
coatings and are often weighted down with concrete lining. The maximum internal pressure for design is taken
as 10 MPa.
33.3 Future Trends and Developments in Offshore Platforms
Global energy consumption is forecast to expand 1.8
times by 2035 compared to that of 2010, and during
the same period consumption of crude oil is expected to
increase just over 30%, mainly in developing countries.
Consumption of natural gas is forecast to rise greatly,
by 50% or more in 2035, as compared with 2010. The
depletion of existing fields will call for the discovery
of new offshore drilling sites to maintain secure oil and
gas supplies.
To give a context in terms of possible offshore development around USA, Fig. 33.8 [33.21] gives the
undiscovered technically recoverable oil and gas re87% of federal offshore
acreage is off limits
to development
Beaufort Sea
8.2 Bbl
27.6 Tcf
Chukchi Sea
15.4 Bbl
76.8 Tcf
Cock inlet
1.0 Bbl
1.2 Tcf
Western Gulf
12.4 Bbl
69.5 Tcf
Central Gulf
30.9 Bbl
133.9 Tcf
Eastern Gulf
5.1 Bbl
16.1 Tcf
Mid-Atlantic
South Atlantic
Gulf of Mexico OCS
48.4 Bbl
Off limits
Presidential
moratorium
Under consideration
for seismic survey
Open
Atlantic OCS
4.7 Bbl
37.5 Tcf
Pacific OCS
10.2 Bbl
16.1 Tcf
Alaska OCS
26.6 Bbl
131.5 Tcf
Fig. 33.8 Offshore technically undiscovered
recoverable oil and gas
resources around USA in
federal acreage (Bbl and Tcf)
(after [33.21])
sources available offshore. Hence, there is still a lot
of scope for innovative structural developments to
take place when the above-mentioned federal offshore acreages become available for development. Figure 33.8 gives the scope for possible offshore development for oil and gas resources around the federal
offshore acreage in USA; the area shown consists of
89.9 billion barrels of oil and 404.6 trillion cubic feet
of gas. Offshore industries are predicting a large investment (by a factor of three to four times current levels)
on offshore structures and related facilities during the
coming years [33.22]. It is believed that the Arctic re-