Shallow/intermediate water multipurpose floating platform for arctic environments

• US 7,628,224 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2007
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kellogg Brown & Root LLC (KBR Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Kellogg Brown & Root LLC (KBR Incorporated)
• Inventors: D'Souza, Richard, Krehbiel, Drew Linden
• Primary Examiner(s): Beach; Thomas A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Buck; Matthew R
• Application Number:
  US11/742,128
• Publication Number:
  US 20080267716A1
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• Field of Search: 175/5, 166352-354, 166/358, 166/359, 166366-369, 166/355, 4052242-2244, 114/264, 114/144.B, 114/151
• US Class Current: 175/5
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 35/44 Floating buildings, stores, drilling platforms, or workshops, e.g. carrying water-oil separating devices construction methods for floating offshore platforms B63B75/00

Abstract

A method and apparatus for conducting simultaneous drilling and production are provided. The apparatus can include a ship shape floating vessel, wherein the ship shape floating vessel includes at least two drilling derricks, at least two drilling modules, and at least one production module, all situated on the upper surface of the ship shape floating vessel. The drilling modules are adapted for conducting drilling operations; the production module is adapted for conducting production operations. The apparatus can include at least two marine risers, wherein each marine riser depends from a drilling or production module toward a hydrocarbon bearing zone or sea floor and is adapted for conducting drilling and/or production operations; at least one production turret located on the lower surface of the ship shape floating vessel; and at least one production riser, wherein the production riser depends from the production turret, extends toward the sea floor, and is adapted for conducting production operations.

Claims

1. A floating unit for conducting simultaneous drilling and production, comprising:

a vessel having a bow end and a stern end, wherein the vessel includes at least two drilling derricks, at least two drilling modules, and at least one production module, all disposed on an upper surface thereof, such that the floating unit can simultaneously drill through use of the at least two drilling derricks and the at least two drilling modules, complete at least two wells while producing from a third well, and store the produced hydrocarbons, and wherein the bow end includes a hull which is strengthened for breaking ice;

at least two marine risers, wherein each marine riser depends from any one or more of the drilling or production modules and extends toward a water bottom;

a hydrocarbon production storage facility;

at least one production turret located on a lower surface of the vessel; and

at least one production riser depending from the production turret, toward a hydrocarbon bearing zone.

2. The floating unit of claim 1, wherein the production turret is equipped with a fluid swivel.

3. The floating unit of claim 1, wherein any one or more of the marine and production risers are for well drilling, well completion, well workover, hydrocarbon fluid handling, or subsea manipulation of apparatus for drilling.

4. The floating unit of claim 1, wherein any one or more of the marine and production risers are for production or other hydrocarbon fluid handling and subsea manipulation of apparatus useful in hydrocarbon production.

5. The floating unit of claim 1, wherein the production modules are sized and arranged to be interchangeable with drilling modules when drilling operations have been completed.

6. The floating unit of claim 1, wherein the floating vessel has a structural frame to accommodate the removable installation of the drilling modules and the production modules.

7. The floating unit of claim 1, wherein the floating vessel has a structural frame defining a plurality of bays into which the drilling and production modules are selectively inserted.

8. The floating unit of claim 1, further comprising at least two thrusters, wherein at least one thruster is disposed at the bow end and at least one thruster is disposed at the stern end of the floating vessel.

9. The floating unit of claim 1, further comprising offloading facilities for offloading produced hydrocarbons from a subsea well.

10. A floating unit for use in extended operations as a drilling, production, storage and offloading platform, comprising:

a ship shape floating vessel having a stern end and a bow end, wherein the bow end includes a hull which is strengthened for breaking ice;

two drilling derricks, two drilling modules, and a production module all situated on the upper surface of the ship shape floating vessel such that the floating unit can simultaneously drill through use of the at least two drilling derricks and the at least two drilling modules, complete at least two wells while producing from a third well, and store the produced hydrocarbons, wherein the drilling modules are for conducting drilling operations, wherein the production module is for conducting production operations;

two marine risers each depending from a single drilling or production module and extending from a single drilling derrick, wherein the marine risers are for conducting drilling and production operations;

a first thruster located at the stern end and a second thruster located at the bow end of the ship shape floating vessel;

a main thruster located at the stern end of the ship shape floating vessel;

a production turret, including a production riser, located on the bottom surface of the ship shape floating vessel;

a vent stack and a crane each located on the upper surface of the ship shape floating vessel; and

a hydrocarbon production storage facility located within the ship shape floating vessel.

11. The floating unit of claim 10, wherein the production turret comprises a fluid swivel.

12. The floating unit of claim 10, wherein the production turret is detachable.

13. The floating unit of claim 10, wherein the ship shape floating vessel has a structural frame defining a plurality of bays into which the drilling and production modules are selectively inserted.

14. The floating unit of claim 10, wherein the ship shape floating vessel has a structural frame to accommodate the removable installation of the drilling modules and the production module.

15. The floating unit of claim 10, wherein the production module is sized and arranged to be interchangeable with the drilling modules.

16. The floating unit of claim 10, wherein the drilling operations include well drilling, well completion, well workover, hydrocarbon fluid handling, or subsea manipulation of apparatus useful in drilling including trees, manifolds, wellheads, and jumpers.

17. The floating unit of claim 10, wherein the production operations include production or other hydrocarbon fluid handling and subsea manipulation of apparatus useful in hydrocarbon production.

18. The floating unit of claim 10, further comprising offloading facilities for offloading produced hydrocarbons from a subsea well.