Albacora Leste Field: Challenges Of An Ultra-Deepwater Development

Jacques Braile Salis Carlos Eduardo Costa Valle Longo Eduardo de Melo Sanches Carlos Cunha D. Henriques Ricardo T.H. Machado Paulo Roberto Filoco PETROBRAS/CENPES Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Abstract
The paper highlights the Albacora Leste Field development, its deepwater production records, and the associated technological key issues. Discovered in March 1986, by the wildcat well 1-RJS-342A, the Albacora Leste Field is located in ultra deep waters, ranging from 800 to 2,000 meters in Campos Basin. The field will be developed with 29 subsea wells, 18 production and 11 injectors. All wells will be horizontal and will have a gravel packing completion. The production unit is an FPSO, DICAS type, moored in 1,240 meters of water depth, equipped with processing facilities for 180,000 bopd. This unit is also designed to tie up to 78 risers. The first oil is planned for October 2004. Technologies such as: a new generation of Injection Christmas Trees for 2000 meters; Flexible Risers ( 10 ) for 1500 meters water depth and ( 4& 6 ) for 2000 meters; Polyester Ropes with MBL of 1400 tons: Free Fall Piles and the electrical submersible pump in a subsea completion are displayed.

Introduction
Albacora Leste field, see Figure 1, was discovered in March 1986 by the wildcat 1-RJS-342A. This 600-km2 field lies 125 kilometers off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, at water depths from 800 to 2,000 meters. The field is comprised primarily of three Miocene aged turbidite sandstones, called the AB10, AB20, and AB30 reservoirs.

B A C IA DE CAM PO S

Figure 1: Albacora Field Location The reservoirs cover an area of approximately 215 km2. The AB10 and AB20 reservoirs are saturated, with welldefined gas caps.

Drilling And Completion

The Albacora Leste Field (ABL) will have 29 wells divided as:

18 producers 11 water injectors

All wells will be horizontal. The wells will be drilled as slender (30 13 3/8 9 5/8 8 open hole). They will have a horizontal section (8 ) with a length of 600 m to 1000 m depending on the well. The horizontal section (8 , 600/800m) will be completed with gravel packing with a 5 premium screen. The producers will be completed with a 6 5/8 tubing string, and the injectors with a 5 . All wells will be equipped with bottom hole sensors for pressure and temperature. The producers will be equipped with the X-mas Petrobras ANM-GLL for 2000 m. Its a vertical type tree, hydraulically actuated with three independent hubs. The injectors will be equipped with a new design of horizontal tree, see Figure2, with a single hub.

Figure 2: New Horizontal Tree for Injection Wells

The First Deepwater Installation Of A Subsea Electrical Submersible Pump

Since 2/June/1998 an ESP operates in Deepwater for the first time: in the subsea well 4-RJS-477A, located n 1109 meters water depth, in the ABL Oilfield see Figure 3. The oil is produced over nearly 8,5 Km to the production plataform, located in the neighbor Albacora Oilfield. The development of ESP components, of a Guidelineliness Horizontal Tree, Power Cables, Subsea Power Transformer, Power Connectors, the integration of all these subsystems (many of the unique in the market), were the objectives of Co-operation Agreements Petrobras has signed with REDA, PIRELLI, TRONIC, CAMERON and SIEMENS.

Figure 3: ESP on Well 4-RJS-477A Schematic Summary of developed equipment: 270 Hp 3436 V motor with GN-5200 126 stages ARZ AS CR Pump - REDA. 12/20 kV 2 AWG Deepwater subsea power cables (tatic and riser) PIRELLI. 11 kV 50 A and 5 kV 100A Subsea Power Connectors -TRONIC. 750 KVA 4500 / 5500 1000 / 4000 V subsea power transformer and long distance power transmission SIEMENS. Deepwater Guidelineless Horizontal Tree equipped with vertical connection system for flowlines and pig crossover - CAMERON. The 4-RJS-477 oil well has produced from 2/June/98 to 31/December/2001, when it was shut off. The ESP has endured over three years and half, under a variety of down-hole conditions, bringing a new concept of deepwater oilfield development to Petrobras.

Development System
The Albacora Leste Field Development comprises 18 subsea production wells producing 180,000 bopd through individual bundles to P-50 located at 1,240 meters water depth. The water njection, totalizing 35,000 cubic meters, will be done trough 11 wells. The P-50 is a former VLCC, see Figure 4, converted to an FPSO. It is equipped with storage and transfer facilities, including cargo pumps and two offloading system.

Figura 4: FPSO DICAS P-50 After the processing and treatment operation the oil is stored and later exported to shore via shuttle tankers, see Figure 5. The compressed gas is exported, through a new 10-inch gas pipeline, connected to a pipeline manifold (PLAEM), and, from there to two existing fixed platform, through a new 20-inch diameter pipeline. On both fixed paltforms, the gas pipeline is connected to the existing gas to shore pipeline network.

Figure 5: Albacora Leste Lay-Out

Technological Highlights
When ABL project started most of the technologies required were not field proven. Despite such limitation the goal of a fast track schedule was achieved. The following technologies were the key issues to this accomplishment. Mooring System: P-50 mooring system is an 18- line, partially compliant spread mooring system, with 10 lines in the bow and 8 lines in the stern. Polyester ropes and steel chain in a semi-taut configuration compose all mooring lines. Stern lines will be more compliant in order to better withstand the environmental loads. The polyester ropes will be rated for 1400 tons of Minimum Breaking Load, and so, this will be the heaviest synthetic mooring system ever designed in the world.

Instead of using Vertically Loaded Anchors (VLAs) that were used in previous projects , the idea in ABL is to use free fall piles, see Figure 6 , also know as torpedo piles, to anchor the lines in the soil. Such piles have already been used in Campos Basin to anchor risers and Mobile Drilling Rigs. In these installations, it was possible to confirm that free fall piles are much easier and quicker to be installed than similar solutions as VLAs and Suction Piles. Real scale prototypes of P-50 piles will be tested in Campos Basin by mid 2002. If everything runs smoothly in these tests, ABL project will be the first in the world to use such piles to moor permanent production units.

Figure 6: Free Fall Pile Flexible Pipes Development: Both the innovative aspect of the flexible pipe technology and the characteristics of its market have led Petrobras to promote new product and alternative manufacturer developments for applications up to 1,500 meters (dynamic flexibles) and 2,000 meters (static ones). The developed products are: 10, 6 and 4-inch flexible riser for 1,500 meters water depth, 6-inch thermal insulated flexible flowline for 2,000 meters water depth, and 4-inch gas-lift/service line for 2,000 meters water depth. A complete set of qualification tests has been carried out, including dynamic test and offshore laying simulation. The main issues focused during the development were collapse resistance, axial compression and thermal insulation.

Acknowledgements
The author wishes to thank Petrobras and Repsol for permission to prepare and submit this summary and to make the associated poster presentation.

Bibliography
1. 2. 3. Garcia, A. L., Bocos, M. D. and Mihaguti, M. K., Roncador Field Development: An Overview, May 2000, Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, Texas Moreira, C. C., Pinto, F. J. And Sanches, E. M., Roncador Field Development: The Challenge of the Subsea Hardware Development, May 2000, Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, Texas. Henriques, C. C. D. And Fachetti, M. B., Roncador Field: Transport and Installation of the Mooring System, May 2000, Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, Texas.