Deepwater Floating Production Systems in Harsh Environment - a Look at a Field Development Offshore Norway and Need for Technology Qualification Available to Purchase

Deepwater field developments are regarded as standard technology in several areas of the world such as offshore Angola, Brazil and in Gulf of Mexico, but in very harsh environments no deepwater fields are put in production yet. When moving into harsher environment the extreme design loads becomes more challenging, but the increased fatigue loading may be just as important when selecting concept for field development. Especially riser and mooring solutions are vulnerable to the loading conditions in harsh environment. In the present paper key challenges for developing deepwater fields in harsh environment will be addressed. Development solutions that are working very well in more benign environments may not work as required in the deepwater harsh environments offshore Norway and Shetland. Careful reviews must be carried out to assess current technology status and applicability of selected technology in new environment settings. The Aasta Hansteen deepwater field development offshore Norway will be used to illustrate the drivers for the concept selection. Necessary steps to qualify the concept for sanctioning will also be highlighted.