MWCC Overview, Well Containment Operations & SIMOPS
Spill Control Association of America – Annual Meeting March 20, 2014
Carmine Dulisse
About Our Company Leading deepwater well containment system and
technology provider for U.S. Gulf of Mexico
Expertise in subsea containment and incident response training
Independent company, not for the purpose of making a profit
10 members, representing 70% of the deepwater wells drilled in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico
Each member has an equal share and an equal vote
Investment of over $1 billion into system
System available to all operators in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico as a member or as a non-member (per well basis)
147 permits citing MWCC’s containment system approved by BSEE
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Source Control Response Workflow
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Site Survey & Initial
Assessment
Debris Removal
Subsea Dispersant Application
Capping
Capture & Collection
Decontamination & Demobilization
SIMOPS
Relief Well
Time
Standard Source Control Response Workflow
There are multiple response functions that are critical to a successful source control effort.
Subsea Dispersant Application
Capping
Capture & Collection
Site Survey & Debris Removal
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Site Survey & Initial Assessment
A surface (aerial/vessel) and subsea (ROV) site survey will prompt the subsequent steps in the workflow by indicating:
‒ Existence of debris
‒ Potential discharge source(s)
‒ Status of surface and subsea infrastructure
‒ General magnitude of the release
Debris Removal
If debris is known or detected, debris removal becomes the critical path activity to ensure a safe working environment and access to the site for intervention
The scope of debris removal operations is unpredictable and will impact the response timeline
Capping operations will require a clean connection to the wellhead, BOP, or LMRP
Well Containment Operations
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Subsea Dispersant Application
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Subsea Dispersant Injection System (SDIS)
30-in. and 40-in. Hook Wands
Fan and 50-in. Hook Wand Subsea dispersant is a key initial response tool for mitigating hydrocarbons in the water and may be necessary to enable a safe working environment by minimizing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on the surface
MWCC provides an initial supply of approximately 200k gallons of COREXIT 9500.
Well Containment Operations
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Capping
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Capping operations involve the installation of a capping stack onto the wellhead and closure of the ram and choke valves to shut in the well and stop the discharge of hydrocarbons.
Key Resources:‒ Deployment vessel(s) – for the capping stack and support
equipment
‒ Crane for load-out onto deployment vessel
‒ Additional connector if interface necessary
Key plans & procedures:‒ Pre-mobilization and testing plans
‒ Equipment load-out and sea fastening plans
‒ Well straightening procedure (if necessary)
‒ Installation procedures (adapted to the current situation)
‒ Well shut-in procedure and contingency plans
• Wellbore Containment Screening Tool
Well Containment Operations
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Hydrate Inhibition
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Methanol storage tanks
Chemical injection pumps & manifolds
Umbilical & reel
Hydraulic Power Unit (HPU) Launch & recovery
system
Hot stab patch panel
Flying lead deployment frame
17D hot stab assemblies
Not Used
To BOP Gooseneck
To CDP Manifold
Air tugger
Umbilical Distribution Box
Short (dynamic) chemical flying leads
Long (static) chemical flying leads
Flying lead distribution box
Methane hydrates form from natural gas exposure to very cold deep water temperatures
Hydrate Inhibition Systems inject methanol or glycol solutions into the containment system equipment to prevent potential hydrate formation and blockage
Well Containment Operations
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Well Containment Operations
Cap & Flow
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Cap & Flow operations involve the installation of additional subsea equipment such as subsea umbilicals, flowlines, risers, and manifolds to enable a well to be flowed to a surface capture vessel
The surface capture vessel will process the oil/gas/water stream for safe storage and transport
SIMOPS
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What is SIMOPS? SIMOPS is the management of Simultaneous Operations to ensure safe execution
of response activities to avoid a potential clash which could bring about an undesired event
A proper SIMOPS management program involves an exchange of information to enable efficient use of resources to accomplish multifaceted missions safely
During a response, USCG will require a comprehensive SIMOPS plan that includes deployment and operation of well containment equipment
MWCC has created a SIMOPS Guideline and associated drawings for deployment and operation of its equipment in order to provide its members with a framework for SIMOPS management
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Role of SIMOPS in the ResponseThe SIMOPS control group is responsible for coordinating the safe execution of operational plans within the designated control area(s) in the field.
Effective SIMOPS coordination requires that:
SIMOPS requirements are integrated into Command Post tactical planning
SIMOPS procedures are established and maintained for all resources in the field
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Planning Execution
Command Post Field
Coordination
SIMOPS Control
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Continuously Ready to Respond