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SPE-173876-MS Novel Drillship and Multi-Purpose Tower Design For Ultra Deepwater Well Cost Reduction
SPE-173876-MS Novel Drillship and Multi-Purpose Tower Design For Ultra Deepwater Well Cost Reduction
SPE-173876-MS Novel Drillship and Multi-Purpose Tower Design For Ultra Deepwater Well Cost Reduction
Novel Drillship and Multi-Purpose Tower Design for Ultra Deepwater Well
Cost Reduction
Dieter Wijning, Ed Adams, and Jan Atle Andresen, Huisman
This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Bergen One Day Seminar held in Bergen, Norway, 22 April 2015.
This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s).
Contents of the paper have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not
necessarily reflect any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its officers, or members. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this
paper without the written consent of the Society of Petroleum Engineers is prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more than
300 words; illustrations may not be copied. The abstract must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of SPE copyright.
Abstract
To meet the ever-increasing needs for improved efficiency, cost control and safety enhancement in
(ultra-)deepwater well construction, a novel drillship design has been developed that has been outfitted
with a unique, versatile and highly automated drilling package. In particular, a new Dual Multi-Purpose
Tower (DMPT) design was developed. It is similar to an earlier design employed on four drill ships
currently in service with a major international oil company (IOC) in that it has no V-door limitation and
features two well centers, enabling concurrent operations. Lessons learned from the four drill ships have
been incorporated in the new vessel design. Careful study of deepwater drilling-the-well-on-paper
(DWOP) information shows that the new DMPT drilling system and vessel design have the capability to
reduce drill times by 20-25% through reduction of flat times, increased tripping speeds by use of true
automation, running 180ft stands of drill pipe, running 22” 180ft casing in open water, running of 150ft
risers, dual rotary hang-off tables and doing as much as possible off critical paths.
The vessel design itself was optimized with both drilling and completion operations in mind, and is
prepared for future technologies, eliminating costly and time consuming upgrades. Design efforts aimed
at reduced maintenance of equipment and reduced downtime led to additional cost savings and the vessel
uses significantly less fuel, thereby reducing consumables and environmental impacts. The vessel can
hold 30000mt variable deck load (VDL), can operate in waters up to 4,000 m, can store and run two 20k
BOPs and is inherently prepared for managed pressure drilling (MPD) and dual gradient drilling (DGD)
operations. A large, unobstructed flat workdeck from fore to aft of the vessel provides over 4,500 m 2 of
safe, open deck space for drilling and completion activities.
The new drilling system, combined with the additional savings in fuel, maintenance downtime, and
increased safety afforded by the optimized vessel design may yield total well delivery savings in excess
of 30%. In this paper, pertinent details are shared about the vessel and drilling system designs, as well as
how these designs facilitate the indicated time and cost savings.
Introduction
Until the worldwide economic crisis in 2008, upstream return on capital employed (ROCE) for oil and
gas operators rose from 10% to 20% as the price of oil rose from $20/bbl (1990’s) to just under $100/bbl
(2008) (See Figure 1). In 2009, however, the oil price continued to rise to well over $100/bbl while
ROCE
2 SPE-173876-MS
fell back to 10%, levels not seen since $20/bbl oil, primarily due to strong increases in the price of well
construction goods and services. Such increasing well delivery costs are now forcing operators to re-
examine how they can materially reduce costs in order to return to acceptable ROCE levels. This issue is
particularly urgent at the time this paper was compiled, given that since its peak at above $110 per bbl in
June 2014 the crude oil price has steadily dropped to below $50 per bbl by early January 2015 (see Figure
2). Even though offshore well construction activity and investment is generally more insulated from such
oil price cycles given the long-term commitments that need to be made to explore for – and develop –
deepwater hydrocarbon resources than for onshore, it makes absolute sense for deepwater operators to
explore all means at their disposal to reduce costs, improved efficiencies and, through the use of state-of-
the-art technology, improve workplace safety at the same time.
Figure 1—Upstream returns and oil price over the years. Source: Energy Markets and Investment Decision, Susan Farrell, Upstream
June 2014
Figure 2—Development of Brent oil price in late 2014 – early 2015, showing a precipitous drop. Source: Nasdaq
Deepwater well delivery costs are primarily impacted by drillship day rates, additional spread costs
(e.g. supply boats, helicopters etc.), service company charges and consumables (casing, mud, cement,
fuel). Although the rates and costs associated with these can be challenged by operators and subjected to
downward pressure when oil and gas prices slump, this offers only a single and limited dimension for
cost reduction. More significant reductions in well delivery costs can be achieved by optimizing drill
times, reducing rig inefficiency and minimizing non-productive time associated with rig downtime. As
we shall argue, such improvements can be achieved with a novel deepwater vessel design that integrates a
highly innovative new drilling package. To investigate ways of reducing well delivery costs, detailed
discussions were held with both operators and contractors. Moreover, a thorough review of the operation
and performance of four existing drill ships currently in deepwater service with a major operator was
held. These ships all employ Dual Multi-Purpose Towers (DMPT). This review in turn led to
development of further drilling system innovations and vessel improvements aimed at increased
efficiencies and reduction or elimination of flat-times.
Figure 3—First generation (left) and second generation (right) drill ships featuring evolving DMPT designs
One of the first generation drill ships received the deepwater IOC’s 2013 Global Floating Rig of the
Year award for its outstanding performance. Further proving the innovative technology of the DMPT, the
second of the first generation rigs was awarded the IOC’s Global Floating Rig of the Year award in 2014.
Valuable experience was further gained from the operation of the second generation drill ships. These
have proven to be efficient and safe vessels, and the DMPT technology has proven to be a platform for
innovation aimed at reducing well delivery costs.
The new, third generation drillship design presented here is the result of a continuous development
process from the early concept of the MPT to the integrated vessel design on the second generation drill
ships. Lessons learned from all earlier ships and significant input from oil companies and drilling
contractors has led to multiple vessel innovations built around an enhanced DMPT drilling system.
The new vessel has dimensions of 208m x 35.4m (682ft x 116ft) and accommodates a payload of
30,000mt. A work deck above the existing main deck and flush with the drill floor provides a very large,
open deck space of 4500m2 available for entire completion spreads and multiple drilling needs. The flush
drill floor and work deck reduces the vertical movement of people and goods, reduces blind spots,
improves visibility and provides a safe and easy access in/out from the well center and construction side
of the DMPT. Almost all machinery is mounted in the protected environment below the work deck and
inside the tower which reduces the maintenance cost and related potential downtime e.g. associated with
inclement weather.
Integral to achieving efficiency improvement and cost reductions, the DMPT has no V-door limitation
for pipe handling and contains the proven technology of dual drawworks which eliminate slip-n-cut
procedures. For the award received by the first generation rig in 2013, the operator highlighted a savings
of 5 ½ days and $6.5 million attributable solely to this “no slip-n-cut” feature.
In addition, the DMPT has passive and active heave compensation systems and a unique “splittable”
block which allows one to change the number of reeved lines on the fly, a feature that can facilitate
increased tripping speeds, open wider weather windows and reduce downtime due to safety incidents
associated with changing reeving.
A unique feature of the DMPT is the ability of the ship’s aft crane to remove the top of the tower for
crossing under bridges such as the Bosporus, as was very recently accomplished by one of the second
generation rigs (see Figure 4). This feature saves weeks and millions of dollars when attempting to
mobilize a drill ship into the Black Sea, under the Suez bridge or through the Panama Canal.
Figure 4 —{Left) Lifting of the tower head section of the DMPT with the vessel’s aft crane; {Right} Passing the bridges of the
Bosporus, gateway to the Black Sea
The updated DMPT introduced a new way of organizing the floor activities by physically separating
the drilling activities and the construction activities (see Figure 5). The physically separated drill floor
and construction floor provides two working environments that do not cause handling conflicts or the
requirement to stop and wait in case of parallel activity such as automated drilling or tripping operations.
Further, the DMPT inherently reduces the numbers of potential dropped objects and the resulting
downtime due to associated safety incidents. It therefore presents an entirely new dimension in improved
work floor safety.
Figure 5—Top view of the DMPT: From left to right: Construction floor, DMPT, Drill floor
The newly enhanced DMPT was redesigned to handle 3.0 million lbs hookload and was extended in
height to enable running 180ft stands of drill pipe or casing and running 180ft stands of 22” casing in
open water.
In addition, the DMPT now includes integral robotic pipe handlers, enabling automation of tripping
and pipe handling functions, which in turn results in increased tripping and casing running speeds. The
tower’s efficiencies have been further augmented by use of unique dual rotary hang-off tables, and
performing as many activities as possible off the critical path.
Figure 6A—Dual derrick, 135ft, total height 92m, well center distance: 12.2m
Figure 6B—DMPT, 180ft stands, total height 81m, well center distance: 17.6m
Drill floor activities are repetitive. A drill crew must perform the same actions over and over again, for
example, making up a drill pipe connection hundreds of times during the execution of a typical well.
There is always a non-zero risk that an incident may happen, even when a crew has worked very safely
and has made up many thousands of connections without any incidents – risks are managed as low as
practically possible (ALARP), but are never zero. Crew fatigue, in particular, plays an important role in
precipitating incidents. By contrast, mechanized robots do not get tired and can do the same actions
precisely, safely and repetitively. Moreover, they allow for humans to remain away from high-risk, high-
exposure areas and thus keep them out of harm’s way.
Mechanization and automation brings with it efficiency advantages as well. The work performed by
the robot has a predictable high quality (when set up properly) and speed, as opposed to work performed
by a human crew. An example is given in Figure 8, showing clear variation in slip to slip connection
time among drill crews and at various times within a crew shift; such variation and associated
inefficiency and time “waste” can be eliminated by adoption of reliable and consistent automation. This
also has a predictable impact on performance, time and associated cost savings. As an example, the total
time savings for round tripping all hole sections for a 30,000ft well in 4,000ft water depths can by as
much as 11 days when the combined use of 180ft stands and fully automated pipe handling is considered,
as shown in Figure 9.
Figure 8 —Variation in slip to slip connection time among human crews and within a crew shift
Figure 9 —Total time for tripping with a traditional 6th generation vessel and the new vessel/DMPT combo
The multi-functional manipulators are outfitted with quick connect heads. Tools can be exchanged
quickly and without human interference. In this manner, the driller can always choose the right tool for
the job and the tools which are not in use can be maintained offline.
Running of 150 ft Risers
The DMPT enables the running of 150ft riser joints due to its inherent design with no V-door limitation.
Additionally, the new vessel has been designed to store and semi-automatically run a maximum length of
150ft (45m) riser joints aimed at significantly reducing riser running times. In total 4000m (13,200ft) of
risers can be stored in the hull, allowing the vessel to operate in extreme deep waters.
For maintenance, the risers will be kept on board the vessel. Two large workshops are provided in the
riser storage hull area for maintaining and inspecting risers. Design is in accordance with applicable DNV
and API codes and the main design parameters are as follows:
● Maximum water depth 4000m
● Mud weight of 16 ppg
● 15,000 psi choke & kill lines
● Maximum weight of BOP stack of 450mt
A unique 150ft marine drilling riser joint design that is capable of overcoming the challenge of deck
handling and being connected in a total string length of 13,200ft has been developed (see Figure 11).
Taking into account that the buoyancy module dry-weight increases with increasing water depths at an
average of 10% per 2,000ft, a combination of 70% 150ft and 30% 75ft riser joints was determined to be
most optimal to meet all assessment criteria during handling and using the riser string. As a result, 150ft
risers will be run to depths of 8,000ft, followed by 75ft risers run from 8000 ft to 12000ft and eventually
a bare riser (no buoyancy) for 12000ft to 13200ft water depths. As an option an additional semi-
permanent flange connection can be delivered, enabling the 150ft joint to be broken into two 75ft joints
for offboard transportation.
A time savings of nearly 50% is expected by semi-automatically running a primary string of 150ft
risers in lieu of 75ft risers for the initial subsea blowout preventer (SSBOP) installation and retrieval
operations. Although efforts are underway to improve the reliability of SSBOPs, the ability to run 150ft
risers can also greatly reduce the time for pulling and running a secondary SSBOP, if necessary, leading
to additional savings in total well delivery costs.
Figure 14 —Savings in days per category based on the 228 day DWOP well
The potential monetary savings are very significant, as illustrated by the table below for the specific
DWOP well example:
Risk Factor Mitigation
There are several important deepwater well construction risk factors that are mitigated using the novel
designs. Although the benefits associated with this risk mitigation are difficult to quantify in a DWOP
exercise and expressed as a “hard” cost savings, they should, nonetheless, be integrally considered in an
overall evaluation process. Some examples include:
Increased Safety and reduced associated downtime, through:
● Reduced dropped objects through the use of the DMPT
● Physical separation of work floors
● No V-door limitation, crane access to drill floor
● No elevations on main workdeck (stairs)
● Personnel elevator inside DMPT
Reduced Maintenance downtime, through:
● Equipment protection inside the DMPT
● Equipment stored below the workdeck on vessel
● Significant equipment redundancy features
○ Two travelling blocks
○ Both side full load capacity
○ Dual drawworks
○ Dual passive heave compensators
○ Twelve multi functional manipulators (with offline maintenance)
○ Dual power slips per well center
○ Dual moonpool skid carts
Figure 15—MPT test tower that will be used for full-scale DMPT acceptance testing
Conclusions
Based on the experience gained from earlier drillship and DMPT operations, the novel DMPT technology
presented here represents a step-change improvement for (cost-) efficiency and safety in
(ultra-)deepwater operations. By using operational feedback and seeking input from operators and
contractors, new innovative solutions have been developed that will improve well construction efficiency
even further and significantly reduce well delivery costs. The need by operators to improve return on
capital employed (ROCE), coupled with the uncertainty of world oil prices, is demanding more efficient
and cost effective solutions.
DWOP exercises have demonstrated that the new vessel design and enhanced DMPT drilling system
can deliver a 20% or more reduction in drilling time and, therefore, costs. It is quite reasonable to expect
that, in addition to this 20% reduction in costs, mitigation of risk factors can account for savings of an
additional 10%, making a case for reducing overall well delivery costs by as much as 30%. Additional
benefits of the new vessel and its drilling systems are improved safety through automation and taking rig
crew out of harm’s way, and, environmental benefits associated with reduced fuel consumption, reduced
emissions to air, etc. which reduce the vessel’s carbon footprint.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Shell Oil Company and Noble Drilling for an excellent collaborative relationship
over the past decade that has brought true innovation to the industry.