Shortfalls Reduction from Optimized Preservation in Ultra-Deepwater; Kaombo Field Real Case Application

Abstract

The FPSO Kaombo Norte came on stream on July 27 2018, offshore Angola. When both its FPSOs will be at plateau, the biggest deep offshore project in Angola will account for 10% of the country's production. Kaombo reserves are spread over an 800-square-kilometer area. The development stands out for its subsea network size with more than 270 kilometers of pipeline on the seabed between 1500-2000m water depth, including subsea production wells more than 25km away from the production facility. During the project phase, measures have been taken in order to standardize the subsea design overall including the thermal requirements. By necessity the insulation design of the subsea component is driven by the most stringent part of the development which is then applied throughout the complete system on Kaombo. This inevitably infers that certain parts of the system operate with a built-in margin regarding thermal performance. With an overall objective to optimize the OPEX the use of this margin on some assets generates added-value in the operational phase by reducing production shortfalls through reducing the number of preservations undertaken during life of field. In order to improve the overall preservation sequence, crude abilities to delay hydrates formation and/or to transport hydrates have been studied on the coldest fields. It was found that studied crudes present interesting properties to delay hydrates formation. These tests have been performed with crude samples in lab conditions in order to assess the temperature and pressure when hydrates start to form. The results indicate that it is possible to extend the waiting period (i.e. time before launching preservation) well inside the hydrate thermodynamic zone and operating "safety" zones have been defined depending of the actual temperature and pressure. An optimized preservation sequence postponing the decision point to restart or preserve was finally implemented thanks to: An accurate knowledge of the full system thermal performance especially including the weak links The study of crude properties for the most penalizing fields vs. hydrates plug risk The methodology implemented is today already field proven and application of the extended waiting period was performed allowing reduction of shortfalls and smooth restart. A significant impact is expected for the full life of the field.