Creating Safe Environments for Cost Effective Brownfield Development
The average age of drilling rigs across the world is 25 years old and mature fields account for over 70% of the total oilfield resources in production today. With increasingly aging assets and inhospitable operating environments, it is becoming more important than ever to enhance asset integrity and extend the lifespan of maturing infrastructure.
The last month has seen Brent crude continue to fall and analysts are divided as to when prices will recover. As the industry continues to look at ways of maximising production whilst minimising costs, the challenge of brownfield development is topical.
The lack of new projects is leading major operators to adapt to the changing economic landscape and adopt brownfield development strategies. This current climate, as a result of the oil price, is driving operators to focus on reducing cost, whilst the issues of safety, reliability, integrity, and the environment, also require careful consideration.
Brownfield developments come with unique challenges characterised by a complex set of interdependencies between aging and new technologies. These fields also exhibit more environmental and safety challenges, and differing cost implications to Greenfield development.
Brownfield hook-up, completions and tie-ins, which involve hot works such as welding, grinding and heat treatments, along with general maintenance, refurbishment and repair work being undertaken alongside the adjacent ‘live’ plant. This means that there is a high risk associated with any potential ignitian source within an environment designated to be hazardous.
General hot work such as small repairs involving welding and grinding, right through to major plant and pipe-work refurbishment, can all be carried out safely with careful planning and use of an ATEX certified pressurised SAFEHOUSE habitat and Safehouse technician. This will not only reduce the potential for ‘run away’ costs, but prevent forced shutdowns, and vitally keep the workforce safe.
Our ATEX Certified pressurised habitats are engineered to allow these brownfiled work scopes to be carried out safely whilst the plant is still live, thus providing flexibility and options to plan and execute small repairs through to major plant and pipe-work refurbishments cost effectively by avoiding the need to work within a planned or emergent shutdown.
The combination of pressurised habitats, gas sensors, automatic shut off systems and the on-going presence of a habitat technician (who is responsible for continually managing the integrity of the overall habitat system), ensures personnel are aware of the safety mechanism in place and provided with peace of mind; thus safeguarding against productivity losses, and safety or environmental release concerns.
Using our proven ability and expertise in the upfront planning stages of maintenance works can save hundreds of thousands in the budget. Consulting with our project engineers and our habitat installation technicians, jointly surveying and taking advice on necessary build designs and the required capabilities can both save time and increase productivity. Our project engineers can help reduce shutdown days and eliminate the need to engineer out hot work.
For example, designing in the preference to mobilise a single, larger habitat rather than lose time demobilising and re-mobilising to relocate one small habitat a number of times in order to accommodate hot-work in multiple locations not only saves money, but time too.
To find out how we can help maximise the productivity and profitability of your brownfield project, contact our global HQ on T: +44 (0) 1382 814 122
