Offshore Northern Sea Case Histories of the Environmentally Friendly Testing Vessel, the "Crystal Sea"

One of the problems that surfaces during offshore well test operations, stimulations, and routine workovers has been the discharges that are made into the air and sea, and in particular, the possible formation of dioxins during the combustion process. Since these operations and tests have normally been performed by mobile drilling rigs that do not have storage capacity, oil and gas sequestered during performance of the procedures are burned off from the rig flarebooms. Another major problem during well testing has been the incapability of the flare to operate at high flow rates. Since the burning process slows down the pace of a test and does not allow the well to be tested under full flow, valuable information about the well cannot be determined. In light of the economic and regulatory changes occurring in today`s oil and gas industry, the justification for development of a cost-effective, environmentally-safe alternative to flaring hydrocarbons was certainly indicated. This paper will discuss the well test vessel, ``Crystal Sea,`` and the initial two jobs on the Statfjord North Satellite Field in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The success of these jobs confirms that the Crystal Sea can provide an alternative to flaring thatmore » reduces the degree of pollutants discharged from oil rigs, and at the same time, can salvage the usable oil. The sale of the salvaged oil, which would normally be lost during the flaring process, often can generate sufficient economic return to pay for the vessel. ``Crystal Sea`` is capable of receiving products at approximately twice the flow rate as is possible with conventional surface test equipment from a rig. This increased flow rate not only improves the accuracy of the technical information obtained from the well test but also provides valuable tools for improved reservoir management.« less