Material selection of subsea storage tanks for arctic sea conditions

Abstract

The Arctic region contains a plethora of recoverable hydrocarbon wealth in the form of oil and gas. The main challenges faced in the Arctic region is the issue of multi-phase flow in the current field operation coupled with the decline of the reservoir. In the early stages of field life, the reservoir pressure is sufficient to allow the natural flow from reservoir formation to surface without additional supporting compression. Unfortunately, the pressure naturally declines throughout the entire life cycle of the field. To achieve a better production profile in the arctic region the idea is to implement a Subsea processing concept employing a Subsea Storage Tank (SST). In this paper the collision analysis will be performed under specified environmental condition in order to provide more realistic simulation of structural behaviour. The determination of the maximum loads to which the SST can survive is analysed and a study of the possible protection systems will be carried out. The incorporation of SST in the subsea system will enhance the production rate by 50% and decrease the oil spill accidents considerably.