3D MODELING
West Sak Drill Site 1J
Heavy Oil Project
VECO Alaska
gies, and extensive technical cooperation
between ConocoPhillips and BP have contributed to recent advancements in producing and developing heavy oil.
A heavy oil engineering contract was awarded to VECO by ConocoPhillips for the West
Sak development program, the largest-ever
heavy oil development program in Alaska.
The program will increase West Sak production from an average of 10,000 barrels per
day to approximately 45,000.
By standardizing on drill site design and the
ability to reuse design data, VECO has
reduced engineering, procurement, and construction costs, getting to the first oil quicker.
Having access to 3D models during the
review cycles has helped VECO answer questions ahead of time and improve the quality
of the review it gives. In addition, the Bentley
3D tools reduce and preclude interferences.
3D not only makes the review process much
quicker, it also improves and reduces manual
data entry errors. ;
The $500 million program includes two
drill sites and will generate more than 850
jobs in Alaska during the peak construction
phase in 2005.
Located in the Arctic on Alaska’s North Slope,
West Sak is a large, shallow heavy oil accumulation that overlies much of the Kuparuk
field, which is operated by ConocoPhillips.
Advanced drilling technologies such as multilateral wells, enhanced oil recovery technolo-
3D MODELING
Victoria Platform
Development
WorleyParsons Services Pty Ltd
To exploit marginal oil field reserves, a cost-effective wellhead facility was developed by
WorleyParsons. Both the substructure and
deck were fabricated in Kwinana and transported to Dampier for shipment to the offshore site for installation.
The design and fabrication schedule was
linked to the exploration-drilling program,
which meant minimum time for design. The
design team worked solidly for 10 weeks to
achieve AFC issue of all documentation. The
fast-track nature of the project meant that
drawings were progressively issued to the
fabricator, who completed fabrication and
delivered the jacket and topsides to Dampier.
The platform sits in about 6 meters of water
and uses a three-legged jacket to support the
topsides. Three conductors were
pre-installed using a subsea template. The jacket was then lowered
over these conductors using guides
at the top of jacket and at mudline.
Three new conductors were then
drilled through the jacket legs and
grouted in place. The topside was
installed onto corbels projecting
off the jacket legs.
The production will contribute
16,000 barrels of oil per day to the
Western Australia economy, which
amounts to roughly $40 million in revenue.
Bentley software used in the project included Bentley Piping,
Bentley Cable Tray, and Bentley
HVAC. ;