Deepwater development The ultimate frontier - Total.com

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DeePWaTer DeVeloPmenT
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Two examples of geosteering using
Sismage on the Jasmim (1) and
Dalia (2) fields of Block 17, angola.
//. exPertise
hiGh-PerfOrMaNCe GeOsteeriNG
With sisMaGe
Continuously enhanced since 1984 and deployed in all Total e&P
subsidiaries, Sismage is an “in-house” interpretation tool that is
unequaled worldwide. initially focused on geophysical and geological
interpretation, its scope of application has been considerably expanded
and now covers the whole interpretation chain, from the design of
seismic acquisition surveys to reservoir modeling. The latest extension
is Well Design, a common platform for geophysicists, geologists and
drillers that adds geosteering functionality to Sismage as well. With
geosteering, which “superimposes” seismic data and the geological
layers drilled, in real time, Well Design helps to optimize well
trajectories. for the Jasmim field in angola’s Block 17, this technique
was used in 2004 to drill horizontal drains 600 to 1,000 meters long
in reservoir layers no more than 5 to 10 meters thick, buried at a depth
of 2,700 meters.
in addition to offering advantages in terms of speed, geosteering on
Jasmim also translated into savings in terms of investment cost and
preparation time.
fLOW assuraNCe: a MuLti-disCiPLiNary aPPrOaCh
Given the low temperatures and great depths involved in deepwater
production, ensuring the integrity of subsea flowlines as well as efficient
delivery to the surface also poses complex challenges. Total’s flow
assurance program addresses the full scope of these challenges, with
multi-disciplinary teams working on aspects such as the sizing of
flowlines and risers, fluid flow analysis, and assessment of heat loss.
With the aim of preventing hydrate formation that can cause plugging
in case of scheduled or unexpected production standstills, the Group
has also launched a study program aimed at designing innovative risers
that will keep the fluids warm when flow stops.
another means of preventing hydrate formation is to inject an inhibitor:
for Canyon express in the Gulf of mexico, methanol was used for
that purpose.
safety: a CONstaNt PriOrity
Deepwater development sets truly formidable tests for the oil industry:
isolated in the deep seas, far away from shore, the projects demand
logistics of the highest order, and human resources on par with the
scale of the installations. for Total, with fPSo-based projects, that
means building a huge “floater” to house all the units and installations
for production, processing, storage and offloading, plus the living
quarters. To guarantee optimal safety conditions, the design plan must
take an array of factors into account, from the development scheme
(subsea production systems or “dry” wellheads, risers) to the offloading
and export option (loading buoy, onshore pipeline), as well as key