Turret-less floating production ship
First Claim
1. An apparatus for conducting floating oil and gas production operations offshore comprising:
- a turret-less vessel equipped with multiple risers arranged so that the vessel may rotate up to at least 90 degrees in either direction around the risers without damage to the risers;
the risers extending between the vessel and subsurface equipment; and
at least one flex joint for each riser being included to absorb the bending moment on the riser during rotation of the vessel.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The invention consists of a floating production vessel operating on the surface of the sea with two or more risers connected between equipment or wells on the sea floor and the vessel or its equipment at the surface. The risers are rigid, jointed pipe with rugged field proven drill-pipe type connections. The arrangement, spacing, and support of the risers at the vessel and on the sea floor is such that the vessel, riser supports, and upper ends of the risers may be rotated from a neutral heading up to about 90 degrees in either direction without the use of a swivel or turret at the surface or sub-sea, and without damage to the risers or reducing the spacing between the risers unacceptably.
41 Citations
33 Claims
-
1. An apparatus for conducting floating oil and gas production operations offshore comprising:
-
a turret-less vessel equipped with multiple risers arranged so that the vessel may rotate up to at least 90 degrees in either direction around the risers without damage to the risers;
the risers extending between the vessel and subsurface equipment; and
at least one flex joint for each riser being included to absorb the bending moment on the riser during rotation of the vessel. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
a drilling-type derrick mounted upon the vessel; and
means for moving the derrick over each riser.
-
-
8. An apparatus for conducting floating oil and gas production operations offshore comprising:
-
a vessel equipped with a moonpool and at least two risers arranged in an array without a turret within the moonpool so that the vessel may rotate up to at least 90 degrees in either direction around the riser array without damage to the risers; and
means for maintaining the risers in tension. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
means for mooring the vessel, said means comprising conventional moorings which originate around the moon pool.
-
-
14. The apparatus as in claim 8, further comprising:
means for mooring the vessel, said means comprising conventional moorings which originate from the bow and stern.
-
15. The apparatus as in claim 8, further comprising:
means for dynamically positioning the vessel, said means comprising thrusters.
-
16. A method for producing oil and gas fields offshore comprising the steps of:
-
employing a floating vessel;
connecting multiple, ridge risers between the vessel and subsurface equipment for production, injection, or re-injection wherein the risers are disconnectable from subsea wells with both risers and wells being quickly secured prior to such disconnection; and
weathervaning the floating riser without the use of a turret, by causing the rigid risers to bend without damage and without reducing the spacing between the risers unacceptably. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
-
-
22. A system for the production of hydrocarbon fluids from a subsea formation without the use of a turret comprising:
-
at least one well head located at the floor of the sea, said well head having a riser connection;
a vessel located at the surface of the sea; and
at least two production risers extending between the well head riser connector and the vessel, the risers being disposed in an array so that the vessel may rotate up to at least 90 degrees in either direction around the riser array without damage to the risers and being interconnected at the vessel and at the well head in a manner to accommodate bending moments impose on the risers by rotation of the vessel. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
means for mooring the vessel.
-
-
24. The system of claim 22, further including means for tensioning the risers.
-
25. A system for transporting petroleum products from deep water formations, including subsurface equipment and a floating vessel at the sea'"'"'s surface;
- the improvement comprising;
at least a plurality of risers, at least one of which is a relatively rigid riser connected between the subsurface equipment and the vessel;
means for suitably and appropriately spacing the plurality of risers, so that the floating vessel may weathervane and cause the risers to bend relative to each other without damage to the risers or without reducing the spacing between the risers unacceptably; and
the system being free of any turret for the risers. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
- the improvement comprising;
Specification