Picture source: http://www.offshore-technology.com/
The continuous existence of man is dependent on his ability
to secure a sustainable source of energy for himself. Currently the world is
dependent on petroleum for the majority of its energy supply. More and more of
this hydrocarbon supply are coming from unconventional sources. Examples of
these are: oil shale, oil sands, ultra-deepwater explorations, etc. This
article would highlight sourcing for the commodity on of the most remote areas
of the world, Deepwater. Deepwater, refers to environments with water depths of
4,000ft to 7,000fts. To compare, the tallest building in Nigeria is the NECOM
house, and this building is 520ft tall. This environments are tough, and
without proper engineering even the best man and machine would fail. Nigeria
has a couple of deepwater fields notably;
1.
Agbami Field: Run by Chevron at depths of 4,900ft
below the blue sea.
2.
Bonga Field: Run by Shell at depths of 3,300ft
below the blue sea.
3.
ERHA Field: Run by Exxon Mobile at depths of 4,00ft
below the blue sea.
Extracting Oil and Gas from this environments require the
most advance technologies available. Some of these technologies have been transferred
to Space Research. Examples are the “Mars Drill” program by NASA which has the
participation of Baker Hughes Inc. of Houston, a company with a rich oil field
history [Source: http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2004/sep/HQ_04318_mars_drill.html]. Schlumberger, the largest Oil Field Servicing
company also assisted NASA in the development of “Near Earth Asteroid
Rendezvous Shoemaker mission” [Source: www.slb.com].
There are many more examples where the
advance technologies used in the Oil Field has been used to benefit other
aspects of science.
They type of well drilled can be classified into different
types:
1.
Appraisal Wells: Drilled often shallow before an
OML (Oil Mining License) is secured. The requirement for this drilling phase is
the “OPL” Oil prospecting License”
2.
Exploratory Wells: Drilled deep enough to
confirm the availability, quantity and viability of an oil reservoir.
3.
Development Wells: These wells are drilled into
the reservoir to source for hydrocarbon which would be extracted for sale
(Producer wells). We also have Injector wells, which are classified under
development wells also. They are nonetheless drilled into the formation to
inject substances such as gas, water, etc. This injected substances increases
the pressure of the reservoir which depletes over time.
Equipment’s required in deep offshore drilling:
1.
Rigs: This are facilities used to drill holes
into the earth. Examples are Drill ships, Semi-Submersibles
2.
ROV: Remotely operated vehicles are robots used
to function/install equipment’s thousands of feet below the mean seal level.
The Agbami field for example is approximately 5,000ft below mean sea level.
Simple pressure/hydrostatic calculation would show that no human can survive at
that depth due to the extreme pressure and temperatures.
Other notable equipment’s to study: Deepwater Completion
Equipment, Directional Drilling, Subsea Tree Systems, FPSO, FSO, etc.
