Drilling and producing deep water subsea wells

• US 6,968,902 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2003
• Issued: 11/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vetco Gray Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: Vetco Gray Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Inventors: Michaelsen, Jarle, Fenton, Stephen P., Sollie, Lars-Petter, Dezen, Francisco, Langford, Gawain, Soelvik, Nils Arne
• Primary Examiner(s): Will, Thomas B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Beach, Thomas A
• Application Number:
  US10/706,163
• Publication Number:
  US 20040140124A1
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: 166/358, 166/366, 166/360, 166/348, 166/380, 166/382, 175/7
• US Class Current: 166/358
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 17/00 Separation of liquids, not provided for elsewhere, e.g. by thermal diffusion devices for separating or removing fatty or oily substances or similar floating material from water, waste water, or sewage C02F1/40; cleaning or keeping clear the surface of open water from oil or like materials E02B15/04; arrangements for separating lubricants from refrigerants F25B43/02
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 17/0208 by sedimentation
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 17/0211 with baffles
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 17/0214 with removal of one of the phases
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 17/0217 by centrifugal force
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 17/045 with coalescers
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 17/06 Separation of liquids from each other by electricity
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 17/12 Auxiliary equipment particularly adapted for use with liquid-separating apparatus, e.g. control circuits
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/40 Devices for separating or removing fatty or oily substances or similar floating material cleaning or keeping clear the surface of open water from oil or like materials E02B15/04; devices in sewers for separating liquid or solid substances from sewage E03F5/14, e.g. for use in drains leading to the sewer E03F5/16
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/48 with magnetic or electric fields C02F1/46 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2101/32 Hydrocarbons, e.g. oil
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2103/06 Contaminated groundwater or leachate
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2103/10 from quarries or from mining activities
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/038 Connectors used on well heads, e.g. for connecting blow-out preventer and riser
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/017 Production satellite stations, i.e. underwater installations comprising a plurality of satellite well heads connected to a central station
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/36 Underwater separating arrangements E21B43/38 takes precedence

Abstract

Subsea wells are drilled and completed with an offshore floating platform in a manner that allows simultaneous work on more than one well. A first well is drilled and cased. Then a tubing hanger is run through a drilling riser and landed in the wellhead housing. Then, with the same floating platform, the drilling riser is disconnected and moved to a second well. While performing operations on the second well, the operator lowers a production tree from the floating platform on a lift line, and connects it to the first wellhead housing. An ROV assisted subsea plug removal tool is used for plug removal and setting operations. Seabed separation is configured upstream of a production choke valve.

Claims

1. A method of drilling and completing a plurality of subsea wells, comprising:

(a) with a well drilling derrick assembly on a floating platform, connecting a drilling riser to a first wellhead housing, drilling and casing a first well, then running a string of tubing and landing a tubing hanger in the first wellhead housing;

(b) with the well drilling derrick assembly on the floating platform, disconnecting the drilling riser from the first wellhead housing, connecting the drilling riser to a second wellhead housing, and performing operations on a second well; and

(c) while performing at least part of the operations on the second well in step (b), connecting to a production tree lift line from a lift line winch that is on the same floating platform and spaced away from the well drilling derrick assembly, and lowering the production tree on the lift line to the first wellhead housing and connecting the tree to the first wellhead housing.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

during step (a) the well drilling derrick assembly of the platform is located over the first wellhead housing; and

(b) the platform is moved from the position in step (a) after the drilling riser is

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein step (a) further comprises perforating the first well and setting a plug within the tubing hanger.

4. A method of drilling and completing a plurality of subsea wells, comprising:

(a) with a floating platform, connecting a drilling riser to a first wellhead housing, drilling and casing a first well, then running a string of tubing and landing a tubing hanger in the first wellhead housing;

(b) with the floating platform, disconnecting the drilling riser from the first wellhead housing, connecting the drilling riser to a second wellhead housing, and performing operations on a second well;

(c) while performing at least part of step (b), lowering a production tree on a lift line from the same floating platform and connecting the tree to the first wellhead housing;

wherein step (a) further comprises perforating the first well and setting a plug within the tubing hanger;

wherein the method further comprises after step (c);

lowering a plug removal tool on the lift line and landing the plug removal tool on the tree;

removing the plug with the plug removal tool;

then

disconnecting the plug removal tool from the tree and retrieving the plug removal tool on the lift line.

5. A method of drilling and completing a plurality of subsea wells, comprising:

step (a) with a floating platform, connecting a drilling riser to a first wellhead housing, drilling and casing a first well, then running a string of tubing and landing a tubing hanger in the first wellhead housing;

(b) with the floating platform, disconnecting the drilling riser from the first wellhead housing, connecting the drilling riser to a second wellhead housing, and performing operations on a second well;

(c) while performing at least part of step (b), lowering a production tree on a lift line from the same floating platform and connecting the tree to the first wellhead housing;

wherein;

step (a) further comprises providing the tubing hanger with a tubing annulus valve and closing the tubing annulus valve prior to disconnecting the drilling riser from the first wellhead housing; and

step (c) further comprises selectively opening the tubing annulus valve after the tree lands on the first wellhead housing.

6. A method of drilling and completing a plurality of subsea wells, comprising:

(a) with a floating platform, connecting a drilling riser to a first wellhead housing, drilling and casing a first well, then running a string of tubing and land a tubing hanger in the first wellhead housing;

(b) with the floating platform, disconnecting the drilling riser from the first wellhead housing, connecting the drilling riser to a second wellhead housing, and performing operations on a second well;

step (c) while performing a least part of step (b), lowering a production tree on a lift line from the same floating platform and connecting the tree to the first wellhead housing;

wherein;

step (a) further comprises providing the tubing hanger with a tubing annulus valve that closes due to a spring bias prior to disconnecting the drilling riser from the first wellhead housing; and

step (c) further comprises providing the tree with a hydraulically powered actuator, and opening the tubing annulus valve with the actuator after the tree lands on the first wellhead housing.

7. A method of drilling and completing a plurality of subsea wells, comprising:

(a) with a floating platform, connecting a drilling riser to a first wellhead housing, drilling and casing a first well, then running a string of tubing and landing a tubing hanger in the first wellhead housing;

(b) with the floating platform, disconnecting the drilling riser from the first wellhead housing, connecting the drilling riser to a second wellhead housing, and performing operations on a second well;

(c) while performing at least part of step (b), lower a production tree on a lift line from the same floating platform and connecting the tree to the first wellhead housing;

wherein step (a) further comprises;

providing the tubing hanger with an orientation member and rotating the tubing hanger to a desired orientation; and

step (c) further comprises;

providing the tree with an orientation member and engaging the orientation member of the tree with the orientation member of the tubing hanger to rotate the tree in a desired final orientation.

8. A method of drilling and completing a plurality of subsea wells, comprising:

(a) with a floating platform, connecting a drilling riser to a first wellhead housing, drilling and casing a first well, then running a string of tubing and landing a tubing hanger in the first wellhead housing;

(b) with the floating platform, disconnecting the drilling riser from the first wellhead housing, connecting the drilling riser to a second wellhead housing, and performing operations on a second well;

(c) while performing at least part of step (b), lowering a production tree on a lift line from the same floating platform and connecting the tree to the first wellhead housing;

(d) providing the tree with a flowline connector and rotating the tree to a desired orientation, while it is landing on the first wellhead housing; and

(e) connecting a flowline jumper to the flowline connector and to additiona subsea equipment.

9. A method of drilling and completing a plurality of subsea wells, comprising:

(a) with a floating platform, connecting a drilling riser to a first wellhead housing, drilling and casing a first well, then running a string of tubing and land a tubing hanger in the first wellhead housing;

(b) with the floating platform, disconnecting the drilling riser from the first wellhead housing, connecting the drilling riser to a second wellhead housing, and performing operations on a second well;

(c) while performing at least part of step (b), lowering a production tree on a lift line from the same floating platform and connecting the tree to the first wellhead housing;

(d) providing the tree with a flowline connector; and

(e) connecting a flowline jumper to the flowline connector and to additional subsea equipment, the flowline jumper having an arcuate portion that is sufficiently buoyant to float in a vertical plane after installation.

10. A method of drilling and completing a plurality of subsea wells, comprising:

(a) with a floating platform, connecting a drilling riser to a first wellhead housing, drilling and casing a first well, then running a string of tubing and land a tubing hanger in the first wellhead housing;

(b) with the floating platform, disconnecting the drilling riser from the first wellhead housing, connecting the drilling riser to a second wellhead housing, and performing operations on a second well;

(c) while performing at least part of step (b), lowering a production tree on a lift line from the same floating platform and connecting the tree to the first wellhead housing;

(d) connecting a subsea fluid separator to a subsea manifold having flowlines leading to a surface processing facility;

(e) connecting a flowline jumper from the tree to the subsea fluid separator;

(f) connecting a choke between the separator and the subsea manifold; and

(g) flowing well fluid from the tree to the separator, separating heavier and lighter components of the well fluid in the separator, and reducing pressure of the flowing well fluid product as the well fluid flows through the choke to the manifold for transport to the surface facility.