Deep Panuke newsletter - Encana

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D E E P P A N U K E P R O J E C T N E W S L E T T E R PHOTO: DAVE NICHOLS, PRISMA PRODUCTIONS Rowena Smith Group Lead, Deep Panuke You’ve got questions. Deep Panuke experts can answer. Q. Why is flow assurance analysis important at Deep Panuke? A. Flow assurance analysis helps ensure the continuous production of natural gas at Deep Panuke (Fig. 1). Flow assurance analysis covers all aspects of the production system and includes topics such as mechanical integrity, examining the properties of fluids in the system, pressure and temperature analysis and slugging. Engineers working in flow assurance develop plans and strategies to address these topics. In the case of pressure and temperature challenges, there is a risk of hydrates forming. A hydrate forms from a combination of water and natural gas fluids when there is the right combination of pressure and temperature. A hydrate—similar to slush which can become an ice ball—can plug a flowline (Fig. 2). A hydrate can form at temperatures much higher than the 0 degrees Celsius at which ice forms. The seabed at Deep Panuke, averaging from 0 to 16 degrees Celsius, is the ideal “cooling” environment for the gas in the flowlines. To prevent the formation of hydrates at Deep Panuke, methanol is injected into the flowlines during startups and shutdowns. In these transition periods, hydrates are more likely to form because the natural gas is cooler than it is during steady state production operations. To prevent hydrates from forming in the flowlines during steady state, the flowlines are insulated to retain heat (Fig. 3). A challenge related to fluid property analysis is the risk of forming scale. Scale can result in a build up of material that could plug flowlines, pipe, and other equipment. At Deep Panuke, material deposition on the inside of a flowline is a flow assurance concern and scale formation is prevented by injecting a scale inhibitor. Methanol and scale inhibitors are added through the umbilicals that run alongside each flowline (Fig. 4). Each umbilical includes hollow lines designed for this purpose. The umbilicals also include the hydraulic control lines to remotely operate each production well from the platform. Slugging occurs when a large volume of liquid such as water is transported to the production platform via a flowline. When there is enough accumulation of liquid in the flowline, a “slug” is pushed through by the natural gas behind it. The two separators—the inlet and test separator—have been designed to accommodate the maximum expected slug volumes at Deep Panuke. Have a question? Contact us at dpinfo@encana.com How will natural gas be produced at Deep Panuke? At the Deep Panuke field in Nova Scotia’s offshore, four production wells will produce natural gas from the reservoir located about 3 ½ kilometres below the seabed (Fig. 5). The gas will be 80 to 105 degrees Celsius (depending on the flow rate) when it comes to surface for transportation in one of four flowlines (one for each well) to the platform. At the platform, the raw gas is treated to remove condensate, water, hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide. In all, there are 15 kilometres of flowlines at Deep Panuke for transporting the raw gas from the wellheads to the platform. An injection line that is 1.7 kilometres long will take the hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide removed from the gas stream to an injection well for disposal about 2 ½ kilometres below the seabed. Market-ready gas will leave the platform, and be transported to shore in a subsea pipeline measuring 22 inches in diameter. Deep Panuke has a design capacity of 300 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscf/day) of natural gas, enough to power more than half a million homes on a daily basis. To help keep the natural gas flowing continuously from each production well, and through treatment to the subsea pipeline, key flow assurance strategies are in place—like those that are described in this section of the newsletter. WELL MONITORING LINES WELL CHEMICAL INJECTION LINES HYDRAULIC CONTROL LINES SUBSEA POWER AND COMMUNICATION LINES Fig. 1 The Deep Panuke platform, or Production Field Centre, 250 km southeast of Halifax, NS. Fig. 3 A layer of insulation approximately one inch thick is bonded to each pipe section. Fig. 4 A coiled umbilical (circled) for Deep Panuke on Subsea 7’s Acergy Discovery awaiting field installation. Inset: Cross section of an umbilical. PHOTOS AND ILLUSTRATIONS: ENCANA Fig. 2 Sections of pipe that became flowlines at Deep Panuke being prepared for shipment offshore from Sheet Harbour, NS. Inset: Once welded together, the pipe sections formed a continuous flowline. Here a Deep Panuke flowline is being installed by Subsea 7’s Acergy Falcon. Fig. 5 An illustration of the Deep Panuke field showing the platform and structures at the seabed such as the wells, flowlines and pipeline to landfall. S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 2
D E E P P A N U K E P R O J E C T N E W S L E T T E R Research and development Tracking the tides Deep Panuke project Encana people PHOTO: ENCANA PHOTO: PROVINCE OF NOVA SCOTIA Cape Split on the Bay of Fundy, NS. The Bay of Fundy is home to the world’s highest tides. Developing tidal energy in the powerful waters of Nova Scotia’s Bay of Fundy requires innovative thinking, creative partnerships and cutting edge research and development. As part of our commitment to Nova Scotia, where Encana is the owner and operator of the Deep Panuke offshore natural gas project, we are pleased to partner with the Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE) to support a research monitoring platform for tidal energy in the province. Encana is directing $3 million in funding to the platform by converting a zero interest loan from our Environmental Innovation Fund to a grant. The new platform will contribute to better understanding of the tides in the Bay of Fundy, which has Education and training Talking about Techsploration Earlier this year Christina Clarke (r), an Encana loss control engineer and a Techsploration program mentor, took six students from Prince Arthur Junior High School in Dartmouth, NS— a school she herself attended—on a tour of the offshore supply base that supports the Deep Panuke project in Nova Scotia. Hailey Thomas (l) was one of the students. “Techsploration is a great way to expose young women to careers they might not have considered otherwise,” says Christina. “It wasn’t until after my first year of university that I even considered engineering, and I think that’s simply because I didn’t know enough about it. My hope is that making students aware of different options will help them with career decisions later on.” It’s no secret women are vastly under-represented in careers in the sciences, trades and technology— backgrounds that are key to work in the offshore oil and gas industry. But Techsploration is looking to change that. Encana has long supported Techsploration, a program in Nova been earmarked as a testing site for electricity generating underwater turbines. Bay of Fundy tides are the highest in the world. The underwater platform will be the world’s first deployed in extreme, high flow conditions like those in the Bay of Fundy. Good resource information translates into good turbine design—the platform will collect continuous data on the tides and surrounding environment and relay that information to the nearby tidal observation facility on the outskirts of Parrsboro, NS. Other partners in the exciting research include the Government of Canada, Ocean Networks Canada and the turbine developers who are working to harness the power of the tides. To learn more, visit FORCE at www.fundyforce.ca. Scotia that encourages female students in Grades 9 through 12 to explore careers in sciences, trades and technology. The Techsploration program showcases potential careers, and stresses the importance of high school math as a strong foundation for work in many technical fields. Encana’s Bruce Pulsifer, Lead Materials Engineer If you want to know what Deep Panuke is made of, talk to Bruce Pulsifer. He is the project’s lead materials engineer. In Bruce’s job, he assesses the materials used in all aspects of Deep Panuke—from perfs to processing to point-of-sale. One example of Bruce’s work was helping to determine what the project’s flowlines needed to be made from. There are four production flowlines at Deep Panuke, each transporting natural gas from a well to the offshore platform for treatment. Because the natural gas at Deep Panuke is under pressure and sour (meaning that it contains hydrogen sulphide), extra care was needed to prevent cracking and corrosion by selecting the right materials to build the flowlines. The solution: flowlines made with Incoloy 825 cladding, a corrosion resistant alloy. Bruce hails from Middle Musquodoboit, NS where he lived briefly on a dairy farm before moving to Dartmouth. He is a graduate of the engineering school at Dalhousie University, receiving his Bachelor and Master degrees in metallurgical engineering—the study of metals and alloys and how they can be used reliably and economically in industrial applications. As an Accredited Materials Selection Specialist with the National Association of Corrosion Engineers, Bruce combines extensive experience with his unique training in applying the principles of materials selection. Following graduation from engineering school, Bruce worked in the oil and gas industry onshore in Western Canada for about a decade. He has worked in the offshore oil and gas industry for more than 20 years, with experience on projects in Indonesia and the Persian Gulf. In 2006, he jumped at the chance to work on the Deep Panuke project. “A great group of diverse professionals has been assembled for the Deep Panuke team,” says Bruce. “I’m pleased to contribute to the team.” For those considering a career in the offshore oil and gas industry, Bruce offers the following advice: “On an offshore project like Deep Panuke, contributing and learning are the most gratifying aspects. And any day when you can learn something new, then that’s a good day!” Engineering at Encana is a natural fit for the Pulsifer family. Bruce’s son works as an engineer at the Encana head office in Calgary, Alberta. Bruce and family are planning another rendezvous “down south” later this year. Having spent more than a dozen winters in sunny climates, it’s a tradition that’s easy to warm up to! Bruce Pulsifer at the Deep Panuke pipeyard, Sheet Harbour, NS. These sections of pipe became flowlines at Deep Panuke that will transport natural gas from the wells to the production platform. support for Techsploration has included financial contributions, volunteer mentoring and in-kind donations. In 2009 Encana stepped up support for Techsploration by funding the development of the Women in Action web video series. These testimonial videos feature women in careers typically underrepresented by women, from power engineering to pipefitting. Encana engineer and former Techsploration mentor Cindy MacDonnell is one of the 28 women currently profiled in the series. But there is more on the way. Expanded funding from Encana will see nine new videos added—three per year for the next three years. The new videos focus on offshore-related careers. To start, videos of a tugboat captain, an offshore surveyor and a helicopter mechanic will be added to the series in 2012. The videos have received more than 38,000 hits from around the world, and are being picked up in classrooms across Canada. The Nova Scotia Department of Labour and Advanced Education has asked to include the videos in their occupational profiles on the careers.novascotia.ca website. The videos can be viewed via Techsploration’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/techsploration or the Techsploration website at www.techsploration.ca. PHOTOS: DAVE NICHOLS, PRISMA PRODUCTIONS S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 2
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Deep Panuke newsletter - Encana

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