Year In Infrastructure 2005

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.