The Deepwater Subsea Tieback Option for Future Oil and Gas Production in Australia

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Abstract The role of subsea tiebacks in the economic recovery of oil and gas world-wide is growing. Almost half of all proposed offshore field developments from 1998 to 2002 are expected to be unprocessed subsea tie-backs to surface production systems. With exploration and development venturing into deeper waters, the subsea tieback is proving itself to be a valuable option for the exploitation of these new oil and gas fields. The design and subsequent operation of subsea tiebacks provides engineers with many challenges. One of the most important considerations is flow assurance. Some difficulties frequently encountered in subsea tieback systems resulting in flow assurance problems include hydrate and wax formation. This paper investigates the design of subsea tiebacks to provide optimum flow assurance, and discusses common strategies used to minimise hydrate and wax formation. The Gulf of Mexico (GOM) is one of the three main theatres of deepwater oil and gas activity, where the number of developments exceeding 305m (1000ft) has grown significantly over the last decade. Recent deepwater GOM field developments are used to identify trends in subsea tieback developments. Finally, the potential role of subsea tiebacks in future deepwater oil and gas developments in Australia is discussed. The exploration for oil and gas offshore Australia is moving into deep waters. Subsea tiebacks will play an instrumental role in the future development of these resource rich areas, where there is a lack of production infrastructure.