ABSTRACT

The deep-water operating environment imposes many new requirements on offshore drilling and production systems. As water depth increases, the typical bottom-founded platform structures must give way to more complex compliant structures and subsea production systems. Designs and installation techniques for support equipment, including deep-water pipelines, flowlines, and production risers, must also be advanced. Industry is faced with the challenge of advancing current day offshore production technology and hardware in a manner that not only meets these new deep-water requirements, but also does so in a safe and cost-effective manner. In addition, the skill levels of operators and technicians must be developed in accordance with the complexity and greater reliability needs of these high technology systems.

This paper addresses the requirements associated with deep-water production and describes the production system alternatives that are being pursued by industry for deep-water applications. Examples, such as Exxon's MC 280 (Lena) Guyed Tower installation, will be interwoven into the discussion to help demonstrate the current technological status of each system. Projected water depth limitations for each alternative will also be discussed.