Technologies for Arctic Offshore Exploration & Development

Abstract

Abstract Exploration and development of hydrocarbon reserves in the Arctic seas are challenged by a harsh environment including presence of ice and icebergs, permafrost, low temperatures, and extended periods of darkness. Remoteness and ecological considerations make activities in the Arctic even more difficult. Advanced technologies, non-traditional technical solutions and flawless execution are required to make any major project in the Arctic a success. Understanding the difficulties associated with implementing an offshore project in the Arctic comes with experience. In ExxonMobil's case, this results from 40 years of Arctic field operations and associated research. This paper discusses the Arctic technologies developed to support ExxonMobil exploration and development activities in the Arctic seas. ExxonMobil's Arctic offshore activity started in 1966 with the installation of the ice-resistant Granite Point offshore platform, which is still producing oil in Cook Inlet, Alaska. Since then ExxonMobil has constructed and drilled from artificial islands in shallow arctic waters, drilled in iceberg prone regions off Greenland, Canada and Norway, designed and installed the first iceberg-resistant gravity-based platform on the Grand Banks, installed an ice-resistant production platform and the first in-ice SPM offshore loading facility offshore Sakhalin Island, and continued to develop methodology to provide rational design criteria for ice-resistant production platforms. Development of design criteria and the selection of the most reliable and cost-effective technical solutions for arctic offshore projects required data from numerous field expeditions, model tests programs, field measurements, and observations from existing offshore structures. These studies were carried out under the supervision of ExxonMobil research staff. Arctic marine transportation systems are also an important element for many offshore and near-shore projects in remote areas where the construction of export pipelines is prohibitively expensive. The "Manhattan" tanker trials in 1969–70 in the US and Canadian Arctic and the 2002 "Primorye" trials in the Tatar Strait have helped ExxonMobil develop safe and reliable technologies for hydrocarbon transportation in ice-infested waters.