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There are 10 steps to the process: Project Management, Engineering and Planning; Permitting and Regulatory Compliance; Platform Preparation; Well Plugging and Abandonment; Conductor Removal; Mobilization and Demobilization of Derrick Barges; Platform Removal; Pipeline and Power Cable Decommissioning; Materials Disposal; and Site Clearance. Each step is discussed below.
Project Management
Project management, engineering and planning for decommissioning an offshore rig usually starts three years before the well runs dry. The process involves:
Due to the limited number of derrick barges, many operators contract these vessels two to three years in advance. In addition, much of the decommissioning process requires contractors who specialize in a specific part of the process. Most operators will contract out project management, cutting, civil engineering, and diving services.
Platform Preparation
To prepare a platform for decommissioning, tanks, processing equipment and piping must be flushed and cleaned and residual hydrocarbons have to be disposed of; platform equipment has to be removed, which includes cutting pipe and cables between deck modules, separating the modules, installing padeyes to lift the modules; and reinforcing the structure. Underwater, workers prepare the jacket facilities for removal, which includes removing marine growth.
Plugging and abandonment is one of the major costs of a decommissioning project and can be broken into two phases. The planning phase of well plugging includes:
data collection preliminary inspection selection of abandonment methods submittal of an application for BOEMRE approval
In the GOM, the rig-less method, which was developed in the 1980s, is primarily used for plugging and abandonment jobs. The rig-less method uses a load spreader on top of a conductor, which provides a base to launch tools, equipment and plugs downhole. Well abandonment involves:
well entry preparations use of a slick line unit filling the well with fluid removal of downhole equipment cleaning out the wellbore plugging open-hole and perforated intervals(s) at the bottom of the well plugging casing stubs plugging of annular space placement of a surface plug placement of fluid between plugs
Conductor Removal
According to BOEMRE, all platform components including conductor casings must be removed to at least 15 ft below the ocean floor or to a depth approved by the Regional Supervisor based upon the type of structure or ocean-bottom conditions. To remove conductor casing, operators can chose one of three procedures: 1. Severing, which requires the use of explosive, mechanical or abrasive cutting 2. Pulling/sectioning, which uses the casing jacks to raise the conductors that are unscrewed or cut into 40 ft-long segments. 3. Offloading, which utilizes a rental crane to lay down each conductor casing segment in a platform staging area, offloading sections to a boat, and offloading at a port. The conductors are then transported to an onshore disposal site.
First, the topsides are taken apart and lifted onto the derrick barge. Topsides can be removed all in one piece, in groups of modules, reverse order of installation, or in small pieces. If removing topsides in one piece, the derrick barge must have sufficient lifting capacity. This option is best used for small platforms. Also keep in mind the size and the crane capacity at the offloading site. If the offloading site can't accommodate the platform in one piece, then a different removal option is required. Removing combined modules requires fewer lifts, thus is a time-saving option. However, the modules must be in the right position and have a combined weight under the crane and derrick barge capacity. Dismantling the topsides in reverse order in which they were installed, whether installed as modules or as individual structural components, is another removal option and the most common. Topside can also be cut into small pieces and removed with platform cranes, temporary deck mounted cranes, or other small (less expensive) cranes. However, this method takes the most time to complete the job, so any cost savings incurred using a smaller derrick barge will likely be offset by the dayrate. Removing the jacket is the second step in the demolition process and the most costly. First, divers using explosives, mechanical means, torches or abrasive technology make the bottom cuts on the piles 15 ft below the mudline. Then the jacket is removed either in small pieces or as a single lift. A single lift is possible only for small structures in less than 200 ft of water. Heavy lifting equipment is required for the jacket removal as well, but a derrick barge is not necessary. Less expensive support equipment can do the job.