Master Mag Templet - Frank's International, Inc.

Kizomba A is the first of two dry-tree, Tension
Leg Platforms (TLP) located in Block 15
off the coast of Angola, West Africa. Construction
for Kizomba A began in 2001 and the
project went on-stream at the end of 2004. The
second TLP, Kizomba B, is scheduled for operation
in early 2006. Each platform is designed for drilling
and completing 36 wells in water depths to 5,400
feet. The wells are connected to a dry-tree system
on the TLP and are exported via offloading risers
to a floating production, storage, and off-loading
vessel, which can accommodate shuttle tankers.
Teamwork Essential to Kizomba Success
“Early project involvement and cooperation is key
to a world-class project such as Kizomba A,” says
John Beckett, Frank’s International’s Technical
Services Manager. “Since 1988 we have contributed
to more than 50 major deepwater projects
worldwide. No project is exactly alike, so along
with ExxonMobil Development Company and
the other carefully chosen Kizomba vendors,
we worked to develop new and better ways of
doing things.”
Frank’s Casing Crew and Frank’s International
provided not only management support to
ExxonMobil’s integrated team but also dedicated
technical and project management personnel
specifically for this project. Kumar Mallenahalli
and Russ Harris were the technical and project
management points of contact respectively with
regards to riser fabrication. John Beckett and
Scott Sherrod addressed technical and related
issues with respect to riser installation and com-
Kizomba
New Levels of Deepwater
Performance for a Unique
Development Off Angola
Submitted by Kumar Mallenahalli, Business Unit Manager, Deepwater Riser
Fabrication; John Beckett, FI Technical Services Manager; and Scott
Sherrod, FCC Field Technical Support, Deepwater Projects
pletion. Mallenahalli and Sherrod have TLP
experience dating back to 1992 when both worked
on the first Shell TLP (Auger) in the GOM.
“From an installation standpoint, Scott monitored
the project from inception and concept development
in Houston through supervising initial equipment
setup and actual riser and completion tubular
installations on Kizomba A,” says Beckett.
Extending the State-of-the-Art
Riser Installation
“One of the key innovations was devising a solution
for handling multiple string sizes while running
the lower completions, and also for handling
drill pipe stands during riser running without
having to swap out equipment. The result was
our Drill Pipe Load Transfer Adapter (DPLTA),”
says Beckett.
This adaptor duplicates the profile and load
capacity of the Load Trans Sleeve (LTS) and thus
eliminates the need to change out the main elevator
or landing table when switching over to drill
pipe. A simple change in the pipe retrieval point
Sweet Music for a Landmark Project
The name Kizomba comes from an Angolan music genre with
roots in the Semba, Rumba, and Quilapanga. The dance is
uniquely Angolan with slower rhythms and the influence of
the romantic Tango in its steps. Kizomba is extremely popular
in Angola and is gaining a considerable worldwide following
as well.
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