DeepStar ®
Global deepwater technology program
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DeepStar ®
Global deepwater
technology program
Message from the Director
Together we can go deeper, farther
Greg Kusinski, Ph.D., DeepStar Director and Chevron Adviser to DeepStar
latory agencies. It provides operators with
a venue to share their collaborative space
needs in a prioritized manner and then offers both hard-dollar funding (for external
parties), as well as soft-dollar (internal)
funding for Subject Matter Expert (SME)
review and guidance.
Benefits for contributor members. For
Greg Kusinski, Ph.D, DeepStar Director and
Chevron Adviser to DeepStar
The oil and gas industry has long established a collaborative approach to reduce risks and optimize results, especially
in the area of technology development for
major E&P projects. In 1991, a visionary group of industry operators laid the
foundation for what is DeepStar today, a
highly successful initiative for technical
collaboration to enhance deepwater exploration, drilling and production.
The consensus-driven DeepStar consortium, which Texaco initiated and is
now managed by Chevron, has evolved
steadily during the past two decades.
However, it has never wavered from its
core mission to provide our industry with
an open platform to investigate complex
technical challenges and collaboratively
develop safe, viable solutions.
Operator benefits. DeepStar is unique, in
that we leverage funding from operators to
address their collective needs. The DeepStar model functions under a methodology that emphasizes efficient and effective technical collaboration between our
operator members, the service and supply
community, and academia, as well as regu-
service-and-supply companies, DeepStar
provides the clarity and prioritization of
needs. DeepStar is also a winning proposition for academia, giving universities a platform to present and examine ideas, while
helping prepare their students for industry
careers. By engaging regulatory agencies
early in the technology development process, DeepStar provides an opportunity for
the agencies to better understand the technology advances, their impacts on the permit approval processes and the risk issues,
well before approval is requested.
Through XI phases, our technical
committee members have workied diligently on subsea processing, reservoir appraisal technologies, and other initiatives
to enhance deepwater operations and
economics. Today, we have 30 projects in
the second year of Phase XI development,
with a $7.2-million budget, and expect to
have at least this level of funding for Phase
XII, starting in January 2014.
Technology innovation. The results of
this collaborative effort include new-generation risers and mooring systems, advancements in deepwater flow assurance,
and ultra-deepwater drilling and production units with highly variable deck loads.
DeepStar has been widely recognized as
the pioneer for deepwater and ultra-deepwater flow assurance, including the industry’s most comprehensive evaluation of hydrate inhibition and asphaltene modeling.
DeepStar is also undertaking initiatives
to improve the efficiencies, reliability and
safety of floating drilling and production
systems. DeepStar efforts helped spur the
introduction of polyester mooring to the
deepwater Gulf of Mexico, and our efforts in
furthering floating production systems have
resulted in the adoption of five API standards that the regulatory agencies have, in
turn, utilized and referenced. DeepStar provided reports and studies that API utilized
to develop standards /Recommended Practices, which governmental agencies have
then utilized to promulgate regulations.
The DeepStar Geosciences Technical
Committee is evaluating topics in imaging and permanent monitoring. The
Met-Ocean Technical Committee, meanwhile, is modeling subsea currents unique
to the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, which
will help ensure safe designs, and hold
the potential to save millions of dollars
in drilling and development costs. Phase
XI projects include the development of
an integrated geomechanical model for
predicting shale behavior at 31,000 ft;
guidance documents for development of
interface standards; and regulatory agency consideration in allowing AUV inspections as an alternative to ROVs and divers.
Future is ours to manage. Clearly, our
industry faces enormous challenges as we
move forward—going deeper in the Lower Tertiary Gulf of Mexico, drilling through
salt in deepwater Brazil, and handling the
extreme challenges in remote regions of
the world. As DeepStar’s 22-year history
has illustrated, the intrinsic flexibility of
this innovative collaboration allows for expeditious and issue-specific responses.
On behalf of our past Directors, current and past Management Committee
members, and countless Contributors, we
thank you for taking the time to review this
exceptional deepwater journey. For more
information on how, together, we have accomplished so much, and how you may
participate in Phase XII, please visit the
DeepStar website at www.deepstar.org. D
Sponsored Supplement / April 2013 3
DeepStar ®
Global deepwater
technology program
Addressing a broad spectrum
of deepwater challenges
As more deepwater discoveries are made, there is a growing need for standardization of solutions to
exploration, development and production problems.
The DeepStar deepwater consortium
continues to be the premier joint industry project for development of deepwater
technology. During Phase XI, Technical
committees are overseeing 30 projects,
ranging from deep reservoir core analysis
to seafloor processing to floating systems.
In 2013, these projects are run by several
distinct committees: Geosciences, Reservoir, Flow Assurance, Subsea Facilities,
Floating Facilities, Drilling & Completion,
Metocean and Systems Engineering.
GEOSCIENCE MODELING
Although shale drilling has not yet been
deemed economical in deep water, shale
plays a critical role in successful drilling
of deepwater prospects, because there is
so much of it. One of DeepStar’s Phase XI
projects concerns the development of an
enhanced predictive geomechanical model
that will help reduce drilling cost and operational risk, when drilling and completing
deepwater wells. But geomechanical conditions vary greatly from the shallow, unconsolidated shales just below the mudline
to highly competent shales deeper in the
geological column. Accordingly, the project targets fundamental geomechanical
properties of shales, such as elastic moduli,
in-situ stress and rock strength.
The objective of the research is to develop an improved model for prediction of
earth stress and rock mechanical properties in shale, primarily from seismic data.
Inasmuch as seismic data are typically the
only subsurface information available prior
to drilling the first well in an area, the ability to predict dynamic and static elastic
properties of the rock in advance can be
of immense value to deepwater operating
The DeepStar technology waterfront
extends from geosciences to drilling,
flow assurance, risers and facilities. The
recommendations developed by DeepStar
technical committees are often the basis
of industry standards and regulatory
specifications.
4 DeepStar / Global deepwater technology program
companies. To this end, BP has made available representative sections of core taken
from its Kaskida prospect in the Keathly
Canyon area, U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Core
samples of excellent quality have been provided to a TVD of 31,000 ft.
By correlating shale mineralogy and microstructure, together with elastic properties measured from the core samples with
sonic velocity and seismic properties, it is
expected that a calibrated model can be
constructed. Upon successful completion
of the project, operators will be able to apply seismic data to the model to predict
geomechanical properties of the geocolumns with improved accuracy.
RESERVOIR
Reservoir monitoring is the key to
reservoir management. With the scale of
the investments being made in deepwater
and ultra-deepwater prospects, it is essential that reservoir monitoring practices
and techniques be qualified for the environmental conditions. Extremes of pressure and temperature are routine events
in Lower Wilcox wells, for example, but
monitoring cannot be accomplished with
routine technology or practices. To achieve
maximum economic ultimate recovery
from deepwater plays requires real-time
monitoring across the entire completion
interval while wells are producing. Typical
environmental conditions in Lower Wilcox completions include depths of 27,500
ft subsea, 19,500 psi initial pressure, 230°F
temperature and gross thicknesses of several hundred feet. But these are just averages. Some wells have reached 30,000 ft, with
bottomhole pressures approaching 25,000
psi and temperatures greater than 400°F.
The key parameter is time. Instruments must be able to withstand extreme
temperatures and pressures for prolonged
periods to monitor production. But the
prize is well worth the investment. Inwell surveillance data could improve
production and injection management
and efficiency, resulting in billions of additional recoverable reserves. This project
is intended to qualify current productionmonitoring equipment and techniques,
and identify any gaps in the technology
that require attention.
FLOW ASSURANCE
Long the bane of deepwater producers, flow assurance has attracted six Phase
XI projects. Deepwater flow assurance
issues can be attributed to hydrates, paraffin, scale and asphaltenes. Decidedly
non-exclusive, these conditions can occur
singly, or in combination.
Hydrates. The first project seeks to
remediate hydrate buildup in subsea gas
flowlines. For many years, the traditional
method of hydrate mitigation was the application of anti-freeze, typically monoethylene glycol or MEG. This solution
can be quite costly. More recent solutions
involve line heaters augmented by insulated pipelines that can retain heat for
long distances. However, in deep water,
subsea temperatures at the mudline hover
just above the freezing point of water, an
environment conducive to formation of
hydrates in flowlines laid on the seabed.
Formation of hydrates can be attributed to various thermodynamic conditions of temperature and pressure, coupled with the presence of water. Buildup
of hydrate crystals can be rapid, and has
been known to totally plug the pipeline,
and damage valves or instrumentation.
Hydrates have a strong tendency to agglomerate and adhere to the pipe wall,
thereby, plugging the pipeline. Once
formed, they can be decomposed by
increasing the temperature and/or decreasing the pressure. Even under these
conditions, the solution is a slow process. A hydrate management approach is,
therefore, preferable to a hydrate mitigation approach.
A fairly straightforward technique
could involve avoiding the thermodynamic conditions conducive to hydrate
formation, periodically altering operating conditions, or introducing chemicals
or inhibitors. When operating within a
set of parameters, where hydrates could
Sponsored Supplement / April 2013 5
DeepStar technology managers
eling technique that complements both
existing prediction approaches and mitigation solutions through pigging.
SUBSEA FACILITIES
DeepStar has dedicated two technology managers to perform project management for the
Phase XI projects: Art Schroeder (left) and Jim Chitwood.
materialize, there are still ways to manage their formation. Altering the gas
composition by adding chemicals can
lower the hydrate formation temperature
and/or delay their appearance. Options
include thermodynamic inhibitors and
kinetic inhibitors. The latter represent
a new, evolving technology, requiring
extensive tests and optimization to the
actual system.
Because there are so many variables,
the objective of the project is development of a “Hydrate Remediation Toolkit,”
to be used as a reference by field engineers. It would span the spectrum from
system design to a remedial approach,
where the engineer is faced with hydrate
formation in an existing line. The toolkit
would include the most recent technologies and equipment, as well as the most
effective procedures for hydrate avoidance or remediation.
The second initiative of the Flow Assurance Committee involves a study of
the mechanisms that support hydrate
adherence to pipeline walls, valves and
instruments. The project addresses all
pipelines—those designed for gas transport and those conducting multiphase
fluids. Even in an oil pipeline, under
the right conditions, gas can come out
of solution, water can separate out, and
together, they can lead to hydrate formation. A thorough understanding of hydrates, their formation and subsequent
deposition can equip production engineers with the knowledge they require
6 DeepStar / Global deepwater technology program
to design and operate flowlines free of
hydrate problems.
Third, there is a DeepStar project intended to improve our ability to detect
hydrate formation before line plugging
occurs. This involves developing monitoring techniques and associated technology.
Sensors will be evaluated to determine
those best suited for hydrate detection
and monitoring of build-ups. A comprehensive flow loop at Southwest Research
Inc. will be used to qualify sensors. Field
measurements have been completed, and
the project will proceed to analysis and
evaluation. A key objective is to see if sufficient technology exists to develop an
effective hydrate monitoring system, or if
modifications are required.
Paraffin. Wax buildup can occur at
any time, and create severe flow assurance
problems, particularly in deepwater lines.
However, engineers have determined that
there is a predictable “wax threshold,”
which, if flowline conditions—specifically
temperature—are maintained above it,
will prevent the problem. Fortunately, well
temperatures are usually above the waxing threshold, so problems do not occur
until produced fluid enters seabed flowlines. The prediction of waxing has been
adequate to date, so this project will not
address prediction, but will focus on using
available field data to benchmark various
prediction models with the goal of determining a reliable formula for scheduling
pigging runs to clean out wax buildup. The
goal of the project is to develop a wax mod-
As the industry pursues prospects
in increasingly deeper waters, the most
practical and cost-effective production
techniques require subsea facilities. These
consist of wellheads and production trees,
pipeline end terminations (PLET), production manifolds, boosting stations and
separators. As these proliferate, better,
cheaper and safer methods of monitoring
will be required. Inspection and monitoring via umbilicas and/or ROVs have have
been part of the tool kit. DeepStar is doing
significant work in the AUV arena to add
this new tool to the kit. The overall objective, of course, is to prevent any discharge
of well fluids into the sea by thoroughly
inspecting and monitoring all subsea lines
and equipment to identify integrity issues
before a leak occurs.
Over the years, effective corrosion and
erosion monitoring equipment has been
developed for land lines and equipment.
In the case of buried lines, equipment
must operate without human observation, so measurements must be conclusive. Even so, remediation on land is much
easier than offshore; deep water simply
exacerbates the problem.
Five Phase XI projects are being conducted under the auspices of the Subsea
Facilities Committee. Both external and
internal inspection technologies are under
study. The most common inspection technique has been through the deployment
of “smart pigs” that have self-contained instrumentation to perform 360° inspections
of certain lines. However, not all lines are
suitable for smart pigs, either, because of
small diameters or designs that exceed the
ability of the pig to negotiate the bends.
The idea of developing alternative technologies for inline inspection was spurred
by the potential requirement to inspect all
lines, even those deemed unsuitable for inline inspection. Annual savings between $5
million and $50 million are anticipated.
External inspection. Two projects involve the use of external measurements to
inspect subsea pipelines by scanning them
from outside. The first uses X-ray technology mounted in a sled that is towed along
the line. The X-ray provider has already
been qualified for wet, insulated piping,
and is being evaluated for its ability to inspect pipe-in-pipe systems. An additional
study involves marinizing the equipment
to perform its measurements reliably under
deepwater and ultra-deepwater conditions.
The second external inspection technique involves measuring the electrical impedance of the line, using a low-frequency
magneto-resistive array sensor. Originally
developed to detect internal corrosion of
heavy-wall marine riser systems, the equipment is now being qualified for underwater use on seabed pipelines.
Internal inspection. The traditional
in-line inspection device is the “smart
pig,” which has a long history of success
on land. Modern versions are capable of
measuring internal and external corrosion
in single lines, as well as pipe-in-pipe installations. Usually, scraper, brush and gel
pigs are run to clean the line before the
inspection pig is run.
The first project is to develop a smart
pig capable of detecting micro-cracks in
pipe caused by fatigue. While most seabed lines are not subject to fatigue, steel
catenary risers (SCR) used to conduct
production from the seafloor to floating
production facilities are subject to flexure
and should be inspected periodically to
confirm their integrity. DeepStar is piggybacking on a Chevron initiative to develop
a smaller version of a 10-in.-diameter inspection pig that can detect fatigue cracking in SCRs. According to the company,
once the technique is proven, building different sizes of pigs, smaller and larger, can
be accomplished with minimal work.
The second internal inspection project
involves a thorough assessment of technology gaps in multiphase flowline pigging
operations. Many wells operate with a
single flowline. Significant money could be
saved, if such flowlines could be inspected
effectively using smart pigs. The ability
to inspect lines will save a huge CAPEX
impact. DeepStar has identified a design
scenario that operates using a single, multiphase flowline, and this well will be used to
test routine and contingency inspections.
Next steps include addressing any technology gaps discovered, and developing a
DeepStar recommended practice that ultimately may result in an API recommended
practice, leading to field deployment.
Autonomous underwater vehicles.
For many years, AUVs have been used
to survey routes for subsea pipelines.
This project aims to develop interface
standards, allowing AUV inspections of
the lines subsequent to their installation.
With their greatly extended range and
flexibility, AUVs are believed to be superior to remotely operated vehicles (ROVs)
or deepsea divers. The project will determine the feasibility of using AUVs to
perform inspections, and maintenance
on subsea lines. With approved standards,
suppliers will all be operating under the
same set of regulations.
FLOATING FACILITIES
Five diverse Phase XI projects are underway in the category of floating facilities.
Flexible high-pressure flowlines. The
first of these projects has the objective of
qualifying flexible, high-pressure 4-in.-ID
flowlines, capable of withstanding 20,000
psi at 212°F at water depths to 10,000 ft.
High-pressure lines are required for risers,
service lines, jumpers and flowlines. Currently, they are made of rigid steel, which
limits their flexibility and complicates deployment. By substituting flexible lines for
the rigid ones, engineers have determined
that although the manufacturing costs are
comparable, there is money to be saved in
deployment and installation. A four-step
procedure describes the project:
1. Design the flexible, high-pressure
flowline structure to API RP 17J.
2. Perform small-scale testing and material qualification.
3. Manufacture proof-of-concept samples.
4. Carry out prototype testing, according to API RP 17B.
Deepwater riser parameter assessment. Vortex-induced vibration (VIV)
has long been recognized as potentially
detrimental to drilling and production
risers. Dramatically demonstrated by the
Tacoma Narrows bridge disaster of 1940
over Puget Sound, the harmonic vibration
generated by even moderate current flow
past a circular riser can cause destructive
fatigue, leading to catastrophic failure.
The purpose of this project is to provide
guidance to the existing design process,
identifying the important parameters and
how they should be addressed.
Conventional wisdom of VIV mitigation technology holds that the attachment
of helical strakes to subsea risers has proven successful. However, a more scientific
approach is indicated, so that physical parameters of deepwater riser design can be
related to actual results. By understanding
the exact influence of subsea currents on
different riser designs, it is believed that
more efficient and cost-effective solutions
can be developed.
Fiber-optic riser monitoring. Also
in the category of floating facilities is a
new project to test the feasibility of using
distributed acoustic monitoring (DAC)
by an attached fiber-optic sensor cable to
monitor the riser’s position during realtime VIV. Not only will continuous monitoring of riser position in situ provide
early warning of riser fatigue, but it will
develop a database, a viable model and associated analytical procedures.
Dry tree solutions. Several marginal
fields around the deepwater environment
have only a few wells. It has been proposed that for fields of four to six wells,
a more cost-effective production scheme
would be to use a purpose-built floating
facility equipped with dry trees. The project will evaluate marginal field structure
concepts, focusing on key technical performance parameters, constructability
and cost advantages. Can purpose-built
TLPs and spars constitute low-cost solutions for marginal fields?
Mooring. Polyester ropes have been
accepted as deepwater mooring media for
several years. However, a recommended
practice for design and deployment of
polyester mooring spreads is needed.
Mooring integrity management can have
a significant effect on safety and asset
management. A risk-based inspection
program can be used to reduce costs by
focusing inspections on high-risk installations or components.
DRILLING AND COMPLETION
Two projects address the application
of electrical submersible pumps (ESPs)
in deepwater and ultra-deepwater applications. Recently, large-capacity ESPs have
been deployed in deepwater production.
Although significant reliability improvements have been made over the years,
ESPs have been historically short-lived.
Nevertheless, they have many inherent
benefits that justify their use. Several new
developments have extended the life of
ESPs; specifically, instrumenting them
has enabled operators to monitor production and pump performance parameters
in real time, so catastrophic failures can
be avoided. Pumps have been deployed
in tandem on critical subsea wells. When
the first pump fails, the second takes over,
continuing uninterrupted production
while sending alarms to the field superintendent to organize a workover. Seabed
installations can be designed for quick
replacement, so downtime is minimized.
Sponsored Supplement / April 2013 7
The first project is aimed at fine-tuning
ESP testing programs, using input from
operators and equipment manufacturers.
A more robust, yet practical, testing procedure is being developed, one that would
apply equally to all deepwater suppliers.
The second project addresses the two
main reliability gaps in ESP technology.
First, the project will provide a good understanding of the pressure and temperature environment that the ESPs would be
subjected to and, second, an understanding of the robustness of operating practices
and surveillance techniques to keep equipment operating within its recommended
range, thus avoiding conditions that could
precipitate a catastrophic failure.
METOCEAN
The overall objective of DeepStar
Metocean initiatives is to improve our
ability to forecast and predict the intensity and routing of subsea currents that can
potentially harm drilling and production
activities. Currently, there are two projects running.
TRW forecasting. Periodic Topographic Rossby Waves (TRW) can generate up to 2 knots of current over much of
the water column. Specifically, the study
addresses the Sigsbee Escarpment, which
runs through the Walker Ridge area in
the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, and is home to
several high-potential blocks. TRWs have
caused several drilling delays there. The
potential for TRWs to cause destructive
vibration in risers, TLP tendons, mooring
spreads and other subsea installations demands DeepStar attention.
The project will study the effects of
the Loop Current that enters the Gulf of
Mexico via the Yucatan/Cuba channel
and exits via the Florida/Cuba channel to
feed into the Gulf Stream. Complications
include the periodic appearance of eddy
currents spawned by the Loop Current.
Data have been gathered from subsea current monitors deployed across the channels, as well as surface variables, which
will be correlated with 50 years of existing metocean data and associated models.
Three objectives have been identified:
1. Understand the differences between
datasets regarding deep ocean circulation patterns and intensity, and couple
this information with the latest Sigsbee Escarpment model to produce a
dynamic forecasting ability.
2. Develop probabilistic methods for
forecasting strong, deep currents
8 DeepStar / Global deepwater technology program
along the Sigsbee Escarpment from
sea-surface height observations.
3. Analyze model simulations to identify locations from which additional
observations could be made that
would benefit further studies.
Project Champion, Dr. Cortis Cooper
of Chevron, was awarded the 2011 OTC
Distinguished Achievement Award for
his work on Metocean projects. “Despite
the progress, new metocean challenges
continue to arise,” Dr. Cooper explained.
“The offshore oil industry continues to
move into frontier regions, or it adopts
new facility designs that are sensitive to
Metocean variables that were unimportant for earlier types of facilities. Some
older, unmet challenges remain. In the
Gulf of Mexico, we continue to seek improvements in numerical models of the
Loop Current and better quantification
of the risk of very rare tropical cyclones
(i.e. 1,000–10,000-year return intervals).
Worldwide, we need to better understand
near-bottom currents in deep water and
develop regional estimates of sea level.”
The second metocean project concerns an analysis of the characteristics
of hurricane and non-hurricane marine
winds. The objective is to develop designstandard recommendations for modeling. If a single model could be developed
for the turbulent marine boundary layer,
which would apply to both the North
Sea and the areas where tropical cyclones
(hurricanes) are endemic, it would be
most beneficial, because it could help ensure operational and asset integrity.
SYSTEM ENGINEERING
Three DeepStar Phase XI projects address issues categorized as system engineering.
Low-salinity water injection. A previous study has shown that performing
enhanced oil recovery (EOR) using lowsalinity waters in lieu of seawater increases
the potential for larger oil recovery. Based
upon this result, a DeepStar project has
been initiated to deliver an engineering
concept design for a seabed facility, capable of reducing seawater salinity in situ
and injecting it into appropriate wells to
enhance field production. Using abundant
seawater and performing desalinization
locally is expected to dramatically reduce
costs while improving reservoir productivity. One idea is to test the theory that
total desalinization may not be necessary;
in fact, it may be beneficial to leave certain
seawater ions in the injection water. The
project includes provisions to include all
operation, repair and maintenance considerations. Membrane separation technology is one of the leading methodologies
being studied.
Subsea boosting pumps. Several
projects have determined that siting production facilities in shallow water is costeffective. This may require deployment of
subsea booster pumps to push production
from subsea wellheads to the production
facility. This project will evaluate current
boosting pump technologies to quantify
benefits and identify limits. The qualification and evaluation of subsea boosting
pump systems best for deepwater deployment is the objective.
High-power ESPs. It is believed that
improving ESPs within in-well electrical
systems will significantly improve pump
performance, resulting in reduced intervention and maintenance costs, as well as
improving ultimate economic well recovery. The project has two objectives:
1. Develop generic reliability qualification standards for high-power ESP
in-well electrical systems that will improve their fit-for-purpose designs.
2. Develop testing protocols that will
qualify the reliability improvements.
John Allen, Chairman of the Contributors’ Committee, explained how
DeepStar plans to expand its base. “One
of the significant strengths of DeepStar is
its very active and involved vendor group.
We are looking to grow both operator and
vendor synergy; vendors learn operators’
needs, and operators learn the practicalities, costs and risks of possible solutions.”
Allen continued, “We are also seeking input from the defense and aerospace
industries to affect the reliability and integrity issues they know so well. A good
example is subsea processing. In deep
and ultra-deep water, equipment must
perform faultlessly for very long periods,”
he said. “We will need to lean heavily on
advanced diagnostics and predictive techniques to manage maintenance of these
new highly complex systems.”
The DeepStar deepwater research
and development consortium is dedicated to addressing and solving concerns
and problems deemed to be common to
all companies who purport to develop
prospects in deep and ultra-deep water.
Problems that have environmental implications can affect all players and must be
proactively addressed and resolved. D
DeepStar ®
Global deepwater
technology program
Value-adding rewards
of DeepStar participation
Senior Advisors, who represent oil and gas operators, explain how DeepStar participation has achieved
meaningful and value-adding deepwater solutions
DeepStar membership includes more
than 70 organizations—oil and gas operating companies, service enterprises,
equipment manufacturers, and research
and academic institutions—employing
well over one million people and operating in all of the world’s deepwater and
ultra-deepwater basins. Thus, the DeepStar program is well positioned to ensure
that its research and development activities are focused on the appropriate technical challenges and leveraged to produce
meaningful and value-added results.
With its mission to facilitate a cooperative, global effort to identify development of economically viable methods
to drill, produce and transport hydrocarbons from deep water, DeepStar has
a proven, long-term record for delivering value to its membership. Its current
Phase XI program is focused on global
deepwater development in water depths
to more than 10,000 ft.
DeepStar projects during Phase XI include
the development of a geomechanical model
based on core analysis (left). Innovations
delivered through DeepStar have helped
improve the efficiency and safety of floating
deepwater drilling units (center). An artist’s
conception of a subsea separation system
for an improved oil recovery project in the
Norwegian North Sea. Photos courtesy of
BP, Transocean and Statoil.
MEMBER ENDORSEMENTS
DeepStar has a Management Committee made up of Senior Advisors representing a cross-section of its membership. Several of these advisors offered
their views on DeepStar’s benefits, advantages and successes.
John Vicic of BP says, “Probably the
largest advantage of DeepStar is its ability to leverage large R&D projects, thus
spreading the risk and costs, while taking
advantage of the best brains in the industry.” This leveraging of financial and technical resources to define and rank important deepwater technology needs allows
them to be answered via a well-honed,
stage-gate process. This, therefore, builds
deepwater technical competency that allows members to adopt and deploy deepwater technologies.
Steve Brown of Maersk Oil Houston
adds, “DeepStar’s research decisions are
formulated in a democratic fashion, i.e.,
each of its 11 members get one vote, which
benefits the smaller company members,
and naturally, leads to consensual working
methods.” He adds that, “Larger operators,
such as Chevron, BP, Statoil, etc., often
have different drivers and more significant
research budgets than the smaller company members, but the benefit of DeepStar is
that it is charged with identifying and de-
veloping technologies that are not specific
to an individual company, but rather could
provide advantages to everyone.”
In what has been called the “operator pull,” the organization encourages its
members to develop and propose research
topics. In addition, new members are being
recruited through the efforts of the organization, itself, and its members’ participation. According to Steven Brown, “Chevron manages the DeepStar organization on
behalf of its members. The push for membership growth is thus led by Chevron, but
they are doing so at the consensual agreement of all the members. I would also comment that Chevron is, in my view, doing a
good job of management.”
Word-of-mouth is an indispensable
avenue of communicating DeepStar
benefits. As John Vicic notes, “One way
DeepStar encourages new membership is
through the many presentations made to
various industry associations, both by the
organization’s staff and members.”
This word-of-mouth recruiting method has been in place for most of DeepStar’s life. Luiz Souza of Petrobras says
that his company, “as a DeepStar participant since Phase II almost 20 years ago,
has been involved in many DeepStar
industry presentations, where we emphasize the value of DeepStar as seen by
Sponsored Supplement / April 2013 9
Petrobras, and describe how we manage
our participation inside our company and
show examples of practical utilization of
DeepStar results by Petrobras.“
BENEFITS AND RESULTS
DeepStar’s current members are in
the best position to convey the benefits
and results. Steve Brown says, “A benefit
of DeepStar is that it provides a forum
for technical experts from the member
companies to interact with their peers
and, hence, foster the knowledge-sharing
environment. ”He continues, “A key question both current and potential members
wish to be addressed is whether the research results are being justified by the
investment, and is the research direction
appropriate for their company’s strategic
objectives? The answer has been yes. I’d
also highlight that the consensual and
democratic approach also leads to smaller
companies having equal influence in the
research directions that are established.”
Expanding upon his earlier comments
about drawing attention by making industry presentations, Luiz Souza continues,
“In this way, we show to prospective interested companies the value of DeepStar
in leveraging the subsea technology in a
practical sense. Petrobras was a keynote
presenter at the 2011 OTC DeepStar session, as one example of disseminating the
value of DeepStar for oil companies.”
As a coalition, DeepStar is able to provide the muscle and intelligence not normally available within a single operating
company. Steve Brown states that, “Be-
cause of its specially directed, and often
larger, individual project budgets, DeepStar has been able to increase the amount
of work that can be done, as compared to
anything performed by a single operator.”
John Vicic adds, “Deepwater frontier
research such as flow assurance, subsea
systems, floating structures, etc., is very
high-risk and difficult for a single operator to take on alone. With broader input
from several members, it’s more likely
that the research will proceed to setting
industry standards going forward, i.e., a
critical mass is created early on, which can
unite opinions and goals.”
As Steve Brown points out, “A key element is that DeepStar focuses on subjects
that are, effectively, emerging technologies.
The purpose is to identify and encourage
such technologies to the point where industry, as a whole, is likely to further fund
the development through technology
qualification. This differentiates DeepStar
and leads it to focus further into the future
than some other organizations. It promotes
a sense of ‘blue sky’ thinking that serves to
help the industry as a whole.”
Over the years, some operators left
the consortium and later re-joined,
when their business strategies shifted
more to deepwater. For instance, Statoil
returned to DeepStar in 2006, when the
Norwegian operator increased its deepwater Gulf of Mexico portfolio. Today,
Statoil is one of the Gulf ’s top deepwater
leaseholders. Others, like Brazil’s Petrobras, have remained since the earliest
days. “I’ve been involved with DeepStar
The largest advantage of DeepStar is its
ability to leverage large R&D projects,
thus spreading the risk and costs, while
taking advantage of the best brains in
the industry.” — John Vicic, manager,
Deepwater Facilities, BP.
10 DeepStar / Global deepwater technology program
“In DeepStar, the operators’ interaction
goes beyond country boundaries. We
have a unified objective. We can discuss
ideas openly.” — Luiz Souza, production
engineering & development assets area
manager, Petrobras.
since 1992, when I was still working in
the Petrobras R&D center in Brazil,” said
Luiz Souza. “In DeepStar, the operators’
interaction goes beyond country boundaries. We have a unified objective. We
can discuss ideas openly.”
MANAGEMENT EFFORTS
This year, DeepStar has been selected
as the Invited Organization for the 2013
Offshore Technology Conference in May.
A major part of this privilege is a panel session on May 6. Panelists feature senior-level executives from DeepStar member companies discussing asset-driven technology
needs as well as development, qualification
and delivery challenges. Included are:
• BP – Kevin Kennelly, VP of Technology, Global Projects Organization
• Chevron – Steve Thurston, VP of
Deepwater Exploration and Projects
(DWEP)
• ConocoPhillips – Ram Shenoy, Chief
Technology Officer
• Petrobras – Solange Guedes, Executive Manager of Production Engineering in Exploration and Production
• Total — Alain Goulois, VP Research
and Development, Total Exploration
and Production
• FMC – John Gremp, Chairman and
CEO for FMC Technologies, Inc.
• McKinsey & Company – Occo Roelofsen, Director Global Oil & Gas
Practice
• DeepStar – Greg Kusinski, DeepStar
Director, and Chevron’s Senior Advisor to DeepStar.
“The purpose is to identify and encourage
such technologies, to the point where
industry, as a whole, is likely to further
fund the development through technology
qualification.” — Stephen Brown, lead
facilities engineer, Maersk Oil.
DECISION TIME IS NOW
While the other articles in this special
section discuss DeepStar’s accomplishments to date, plus its progress during
Phase XI, the group is already moving
forward in its Phase XII planning. Both
members and potential members are encouraged to look ahead to January 2014,
when Phase XII starts. Now is the time
for companies to survey their needs and
gather the greatest challenges that could
benefit from collaborative research and
development during the next rollout of
funding.
Participants should begin drafting
CTR (Cost Time Resource, as described
below) proposals and discuss project
ideas with the DeepStar staff, Committee
Chairs and Senior Advisors. When interests are known, Technical Committees
will begin their work to high-grade, stagegate and combine projects with similar
themes. Early preparation will help ensure that a concept gets the attention it
deserves and gets on track for Phase XII
funding consideration.
Following is a brief synopsis of the
2013 scheduling for Phase XII:
• March—DeepStar First-quarter Technical Committee (TC) meetings. Ideas
and CTRs should be under development by operators, service companies
and academics.
• May (6-9)—Offshore Technology
Conference (OTC). DeepStar will
make technical session presentations
(May 6; 9:30 am – 12:00 pm) and will
have an exhibitor booth at S18 in Reliant Center, near the main entrance.
• June—CTRs are presented, discussed
and screened at nine individual Technology Committee meetings.
• June–September—CTRs are detailed,
vetted and consolidated into distinct
projects.
• September—Detailed CTRs are
ranked and prioritized by Technical
Committees.
• October—Technical
Committees
presents CTR proposals for Phase
XII. Management Committee votes
on funds for the portfolio of R&D
projects.
• November-December—Advisors vote
on final Phase XII project portfolio
funding. (During June, all nine committees reviewed submitted CTR proposals.) By Fall, Senior Advisors vote
on final Phase XII portfolio of projects. The level of external spend fund-
DeepStar Management Committee
Senior Advisors
Chevron – Greg Kusinski, DeepStar Director
Anadarko – Flora Yiu, Marine Technology Manager
BP – John Vicic, Manager, Deepwater Facilities Technology
ConocoPhillips – Dan Smallwood, Manager Technology Development, Arctic
& Deepwater
Maersk – Steve Brown, Lead Facilities Engineer
Marathon – Gail Baxter, Subject Matter Expert
Nexen – Keith Henderson, VP, Development & Production
Petrobras – Cesar Lima, Subsea Equipment Engineer; Luiz Souza, Production
Engineering & Development Assets Area Manager (alternate)
Statoil – Arne Lyngholm, Technology Manager
Total – Khalid Mateen, VP of Engineering & Technology; Harve de Narois, Total
(alternate)
Woodside – Eamonn McCabe, VP Oil & Gas Development; Randy Bush, Principal
Facilities Engineer (alternate)
ing for Phase XII is expected to at least
match Phase XI $8 million budget plus
a similar amount of internal budget for
member SME participation.
• January 2014—Approved projects
are bid, negotiated, contracted and
managed.
Also for Phase XII, DeepStar’s mission will include recruiting more participants, operators and contributors to
increase funding and its pool of experts.
While the manufacturing and service
sector members compete, most DeepStar work is considered “non-competitive” between the operators, and thus,
a suitable space for collaboration. This
includes projects critical to support reliable and safe operations, since problems
for one deepwater operator may affect
the entire industry. From this comes an
outstanding opportunity for Subject
Matter Experts (SMEs) to collaborate
and foster the exchange of ideas.
The Management Committee will
be encouraging “bigger impact’ projects
that are conducted in a more collaborative manner, particularly with larger
contributors. To better facilitate this
outcome, there will be some sensible
changes to the standard DeepStar Intellectual Property restrictions based on
overall balance-of-value delivered to the
project.
DeepStar traditionally provides the
collective “Voice of the Customer” to
member service and manufacturing companies, allowing them to provide betterfocused, more reliable services and products at a lower cost. Leveraging on this
role, DeepStar performs as a better choice
vs. spinning-up new or participating in
other ‘one-off ’ JIPs.
DEEPSTAR SUCCESSES
DeepStar has successfully identified
and executed hundreds of R&D projects
over its 11 Phases, which have subsequently enabled member companies to
achieve their business objectives. DeepStar also expects to continue interaction
with regulators to ensure that DeepStardeveloped technologies can be readily accepted for deployment and use. The strategy will continue to be one of presenting a
well-defined operational need and DeepStar’s stage-gate technology development
solution to regulators at an early enough
point, so as to be able to incorporate appropriate action plans to address any
regulatory concern without incurring development delays.
RESOURCES FOR RESULTS
The world’s deepwater and ultradeepwater basins hold tremendous
resource promise to help meet global
energy needs. DeepStar and its 70-plus
member organizations have processes,
procedures, and most importantly, a
thousand-plus SMEs to help ensure that
the most appropriate technologies are
identified, and then pursued and pulled
through to commercialization. DeepStar
successes are numerous and have had
long-term impact, due, in large part, to
the operator leadership and “operator
pull” on project selection. D
Sponsored Supplement / April 2013 11
DeepStar ®
Global deepwater
technology program
DeepStar program evolving
to meet industry challenges
The joint industry program is successful, because it is adapting to changing deepwater technology
requirements of operators, service companies and equipment manufacturers
Ask Dr. Greg Kusinski, DeepStar Director, if the DeepStar project will evolve
into something different in the future,
and he will respond that it absolutely will.
As Dr. Kusinski puts it, the DeepStar alliance, with 70-plus members, succeeds
because it works “to define how things
will happen, but not what will happen.”
That is because DeepStar was designed to
respond to changing industry challenges.
The 11 operator members continually
identify and assess challenges through a
group of Senior Advisors working in concert with subject matter experts from nine
Technical Committees. While all classes
of members may propose projects, the
final funding decisions are made by the
operators. The important challenges are
then translated into actionable items by
the operator members, with one operator
as the Champion, responsible for the successful execution of the project. Service
and supply contributing members, and
academia, join the process, contributing
expertise, technical support and funding.
Dr. Cort Cooper, Chair of the Metocean
Committee, examines meteorological data
from the Gulf of Mexico.
That is the “how things happen” aspect
of DeepStar. The “what will happen” depends on the challenges identified, and
the solutions that result.
Within this framework, DeepStar has
specific goals. These include:
• Improve the profitability, execution,
operability, flexibility and reliability
of existing deepwater production system technology (i.e., enhance existing
technology).
• Develop new technology to enable
production in areas that are currently
unproven with the specific, ultimate
goal of developing technology required for economic production in water depths up to 12,000 ft (i.e., develop
enabling technology).
• Work to ensure the acceptance of
deepwater technology by:
–– Facilitating the development of industry standards and practices, as
appropriate.
–– Fostering communications with
regulatory bodies.
–– Acting in a facilitator role, providing a forum and a process for discussion, guidance, and feedback
12 DeepStar / Global deepwater technology program
with contractors, vendors, operators, regulators and academia regarding deepwater production
system technology capability gaps,
and promoting standardization of
component interfaces.
These goals are accomplished via the
following execution strategies:
• Technology development aligned with
business needs
• Transfer and apply technology to
deepwater assets
• Gain acceptance of deepwater technologies by industry, standards organizations and regulators
• Focus on the front end of the technology development cycle by advancing
critical fundamental knowledge (science), providing proof of concepts and
performing techno-economic engineering audits.
DEEPSTAR TODAY
DeepStar’s history spans more than
22 years, culminating in Phase XI, which
runs through December 2013. Phase XI
builds on the previous phases’ successes,
which include:
• Polyrope development, recommend
practices and standards, and regulatory approval
• FPSO standards and regulatory approval
• Vortex induced vibration (VIV) understanding, prediction, mitigation
and control
• Met-ocean understanding, prediction,
and design practices and standards
• Promulgation of standards and regulations
• Flow assurance management, including modeling, operations and remediation
The DeepStar program now has a
number of ongoing projects addressing
major challenges to the deepwater industry that follow on work in the previous
phases, including geosciences, flow assurance, subsea facilities, floating facilities,
drilling and completions, reservoir, metocean and systems engineering. Results
from these areas of research are, and will
continue to be, focused on the world’s
deepwater and ultra-deepwater basins.
Examples of ongoing DeepStar projects
are illustrative of the problems addressed
by the consortium. Project 10204, Comprehensive Dissociation Model, provides a
good example of DeepStar research initia-
tives. The goal of this project is to conduct
hydrate dissociation experiments in a 3-in.
x 60-ft long pipe using thermodynamic inhibitors (MEG) and nitrogen. A dissociation model to predict dissociation times as
a function of inhibitor flowrate and concentration will be developed. The project
will take 21 months to complete, winding
up in June 2013.
Hydrate plugs will be made on the
University of Tulsa (TU) hydrate flow
loop in the low-spot configuration, where
A geoscience project underway
during DeepStar Phase XI concerns
the development of more predictive
geomechanical model based on evaluation
of a core sample acquired at 31,000-ft TVD
acquired from BP’s Kaskida project in the
Keathley Canyon area of the Gulf of Mexico.
The study will help develop geoscientists
calculate fundamental geomechanical
properties of shale, such as elastic moduli,
in-situ stress and rock strength, that are
needed to plan mud weight and casing
schedules for deepwater well construction
projects. Image courtesy of BP.
The DeepStar
Metocean Committee
is working on
projects to improve
understanding the
powerful ocean
currents generated
by the Loop Current
and Topographic
Rossby Waves
(TRW), resulting
in more accurate
engineering design
tools. Image courtesy
of National Oceanic
and Atmospheric
Administration
(NOAA).
The DeepStar
Floating Facilities
Committee has led
the initial Gulf of
Mexico work for
polyester mooring,
steel catenary risers,
vertically loaded
anchors, vortex
induced vibration,
low-motion vessels,
and model testing
tools. Image courtesy
of SBM Atlantia.
gas is bubbled through the water column
to make the hydrate plug. The permeability of the plugs will be measured, and density scans of the pipe will be taken. These
parameters will be measured during the
dissociation process, as well as the composition of the gas and water phase being
released during dissociation.
The current TU inhibitor model is a
first-generation model. It calculates the
dissociation time for dissociation of a
structure I methane/freshwater hydrate
by nitrogen or MEG at 1,500 psia. Fourier’s law for heat conduction in cylindrical
coordinates is used. The initial model was
limited to a plug of given length and did
not account for axial dissociation. The
model will be improved to chain several
segments together and track the dilution
of the inhibitor along the plug. Flexibility to the program must also be added to
handle gases other than methane, other
hydrate structures, inclusion of saline water, other pressures and other inhibitors.
This will require the connection of the
model to a thermodynamic package to
determine equilibrium data. Validation of
the model with experimental data will be
done at each step.
DEEPSTAR GOING FORWARD
Solicitations for DeepStar Phase XII
will be issued soon. According to Jim
Chitwood (DeepStar Technology Manager), Phase XII will address continuing and
emerging issues, particularly “standardization, reliability and quality, integrity management and system engineering.”
• Standardization. This topic is expected
to focus on subsea equipment and tool
interfaces. Specifically, it should address
the question of why every major capital
project has customized designs.
• Reliability. When addressing reliability, the group hopes to examine methods and processes for improvement of
systems, especially with regard to initial construction.
• Integrity management will deal with
keeping equipment and systems operating safely over the life of the installation,
and will include collection of inspection
data and analyses of its significance.
• System engineering will attempt to
ensure that facilities are planned, constructed and operated in an integrated
manner. D
Sponsored Supplement / April 2013 13
Committee chairs explain technology development
Cort Cooper
Paul Devlin
Walt Bozeman
Gene Narahara
Cort Cooper, Chevron, Chair: Metocean
Walt Bozeman, BP, Co-Chair: Reservoir
“Meteorologic and oceanographic (Metocean) phenomena, such as wind, waves and currents, affect all aspects of a
deepwater facility, from design concept to capital cost, operating cost, and safety. In essence, the overall cost to develop,
operate and maintain an offshore field is strongly dependent
on the local metocean conditions. Hence, a sound investment
requires that the metocean variables of importance in a region
be properly understood and accurately quantified. Nowhere is
this truer than in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, where there is
a variety of powerful storms and currents, some of which are
poorly understood. For the past 15 years, the DeepStar Metocean Committee has spent most of its effort on better understanding the powerful ocean currents generated by the Loop
Current and Topographic Rossby Waves (TRW), and this
work has resulted in much more accurate design tools. The
Metocean Committee has also studied wind data collected
from recent hurricanes and found that existing industry standards for wind profiles can be improved substantially. These
results will almost certainly lead to revisions in API recommended practices.”
A Chevron Fellow, Dr. Cooper is a three-time winner of the
Corporate Leader award from the U.S. Minerals Management
Service (now BOEM). He serves on three National Academy of
Science committees and other government advisory committees.
He is asked frequently to testify before the U.S. Congress on oil and
gas issues. A frequent lecturer at Harvard, Princeton and MIT, Dr.
Cooper has co-authored six books and 48 technical papers.
“The Reservoir Committee is always looking for leveraging projects, utilizing our expertise in the reservoir engineering
field, that can be advanced with public domain data, engage and
interest the member companies; and advance industry deepwater issues. This combination sometimes proves challenging
with the proprietary nature of subsurface data and differences in
the involvement maturity of participating companies, and their
portfolio of deepwater assets. We have found common ground
on numerous projects, including Gulf of Mexico deepwater appraisal, waterflooding and reservoir surveillance. Being able to
describe the reservoir accurately, despite huge advances in seismic imaging, still proves an immense challenge, as does enhancing recoveries from waterflooding and improved oil recovery
(IOR). The committee will continue to look for opportunities
to advance reservoir engineering issues for the established Miocene, the immature Wilcox and, hopefully, new emerging plays
in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.
Paul Devlin, Chevron, Chair: Floating Facilities
“The DeepStar Floating Facilities Committee continues
to build upon a great past and works to address the issues of
offshore field development. This committee has led the initial
Gulf of Mexico work for polyester mooring, steel catenary risers (SCRs), vertically loaded anchors (VLAs), vortex induced
vibration (VIV), low-motion vessels, and model testing tools.
As we look to the future, Integrity Management of floating
systems, and their moorings and risers, is a key issue. In addition, we will continue to evaluate alternative technologies
(such as risers), which may have economic impact.”
14 DeepStar / Global deepwater technology program
Gene Narahara, Chevron: Co-Chair, Reservoir
“The Reservoir Committee has been focused on the appraisal phase of deepwater development. The reason is based
on a look-back study of a deepwater appraisal in the Gulf of
Mexico, which indicated that the ability to forecast production rates and reserves prior to sanction, with only data collected during the appraisal phase, has been very inconsistent
and generally poor. The look-back study included 28 fields
covering most operators in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, indicating that this is an industry-level problem. The Reservoir
Committee has concluded that the inconsistent forecasting
is due to inadequate data collection during appraisal, and has
focused on identifying the key data needed, and better (lower
cost) ways of obtaining these data.
“The Reservoir Committee is beginning an initiative into
reservoir surveillance. In particular, we are investigating the advancement of technology in in-well surveillance data acquisition
and processing, including the vertical profile of the three-phase
production. The success of improved oil recovery is tied to reservoir surveillance, and the step changes in in-well surveillance
will help enable the success of deepwater IOR & EOR projects.”
DeepStar ®
Global deepwater technology program
Phase XI Participants
Phase XI Contributor Members
2H Offshore Inc.
Aker Subsea Inc.
Alan C. McClure Associates
Alcoa Inc.
Altair Engineering Inc.
American Bureau of Shipping
AMOG Consulting Inc.
Baker Petrolite Corporation
Battelle Memorial Institute
Betchtel
Blade Energy Partners
BMT Reliability Consultants, Ltd.
Bornemann Pumps
Cameron
Champion Technologies, Inc.
CSI Technologies, LLC
Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine
Engineering Co., Ltd
DNV
Doris Engineering
EDG, Inc.
Floatec
Fluor Enterprises, Inc.
FMC Technologies
Frank’s International, Inc.
GE Oil & Gas (Vetco Gray Inc.)
Genesis
GL Noble Denton
Granherne, Inc.
GVA Consultants
Halliburton
Harris, Corp
Hytorc of Texas, Inc.
IntecSea
InterMoor Inc.
Knowledge Reservoir
Lighthouse R & D Enterprises
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Magma Global Ltd.
Marintek USA Inc.
MMI Engineering, Inc
Moog Inc.
MSi Kenny
Nalco Energy Services
National Oilwell Varco
Nautilus International, LLC
Oceaneering International, Inc.
Oil State Industries. Inc.
Pipeline Research Council Int’l Inc
Pulse Structural Monitoring, Inc
QinetiQ North America, Inc.
READ ASA
Saipem S.A.
SBM Atlantia, Inc.
Schlumberger Technology Corp.
Scoperta, Inc.
Seabox
Seatrepid International, LLC
Siemens Energy
Silixa
Sonomatic, Inc.
Southwest Research Institute
Stress Engineering
Texas A&M University
Universal Pegasus International
University of Houston
Water Standard Management
Weatherford, Inc.
Wood Group Kenny
For more information on DeepStar, the world’s premier deepwater collaboration and technology development organization, please visit www.DeepStar.org
Sponsored Supplement / April 2013 15
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