Floaters

Floaters are the drilling vessels

that keep floating during the
entire course of drilling and
other operations

DRILLSHIP Drill ships are

suitable for water depths 20m-3000
Anchor Moored type 8, 9 or 10point mooring.
SEMI-SUBMERSIBLES -Floater
type rigs in which the drilling deck
is mounted on columns which are
supported by submerged pontoons
or hulls

Drill Ship

SEMI-SUBMERSIBLES

Anchor

Floaters
Anchor Moored type 8, 9 or 10-point
mooring, Self Propelled. Suitable for
water depth up to 1500m.
Dynamically Positioned type Station
keeping is done by DP system though
anchors are also normally provided

Vessel motions

Motions restricted to horizontal plane are

Surge- Translation fore and aft (X- axis).
Sway- Translation port and star board (Y- axis).
Yaw- Rotation about the Z- axis

.Motions that operate in vertical plane areRoll- Rotation about the X-axis
Pitch- Rotation about the Y-axis.
Heave- Translation up and down (Z-axis)

TURRET MOORING

Dynamic Positioning
The process involving the action of
thrusters which, commanded by a
controller and opposing the
environmental forces maintains a ship
or any other floating vessel in the
vicinity of a reference point and
stabilize its heading.

DP System

Disadvantages of Dynamic
Positioning
Higher Capex
High running cost
Higher noise level

How floater drilling is different.

FLOATER Vessel keeps
floating, is subjected to
various movements like
Roll, Pitch, Heave etc.
30 casing is lowered in
a drilled 36 hole with
seawater with no
returns to the rig.
26 hole is also drilled
(generally) with
seawater with no
returns to the rig.

JACK-UP RIG Once the

vessel is jacked-up it
stands firmly like a
fixed platform.
30 casing is piled in to
the seabed.
26 hole is drilled with
seawater and returns to
rig / with mud returns to
the rig.

How floater drilling is different

Every casing string
Every casing string
lowered in the well is
lowered in the well is
terminated at the
brought up to the
seabed (except liner
surface (except liner
casing)
casing).
.BOP stack (generally 18
bore) is lowered and The BOP stack
installed at the seabed
(generally 13 5/8) has
after 20 casing .It has
to be removed for the
more functions and
installation of each
requires special
section of well head.
handling

How floater drilling is different

.
BOP control system
is much more
complex for remote
operation and
redundancy.
Drill String Motion
Compensator is
required

BOP control system

is same as that is
used on land rigs.

Not required

How floater drilling is different

Subsequent
Dimensionally this
operations right up
stack is much
to abandoning of the
smaller in size and
well are carried
has less no. of
through the stack .
rams, annulars and
k/c line valves.
A string of risers
A single riser pipe is
about 20 bore is
used requiring a
used.
special tensioning
system

Sequence of drilling
vessel moves to the new location
running of anchors & pre-tensioning
OR dynamic positioning
36 hole is drilled & 30 casing is run
and cemented with no returns of
circulating fluid
. A permanent guide frame is secured
with 30 casing head while running
casing to guide the BOP stack

Sequence of drilling
26 hole is drilled with a pin connector
if required with diverter in case of
shallow gas or riser less
20 casing is run with 18 well head
on top with a running tool and drill
pipes and cemented
18 BOP stack is now run and
latched on to the 18 well head.
subsequent operations are all carried
through the BOP stack

Advantages of Dynamic
Positioning
Faster rig positioning
Not affected by water depth nor the
type of seabed
Independence from logistic resources
The performance of Dynamic
Positioning is generally superior to that
of Mooring Systems.
Re entry is fast and easy
Offset is1 to 3 % of water depth

Components of a Dynamic
Positioning System
Position Reference System
Control and monitoring unit
Thrusters

Sub sea Well-heads And Casings

sub sea wellhead supports the BOP
supports the suspended casings
seals off the annulus between the
casing strings

Difference from Jack ups

first and second casing strings are
cemented with returns to the seabed
Casing is run with the last joint madeup on a casing hanger followed by drill
pipes
cementing plugs are located at the
wellhead and released remotely
Casing seals are run and set remotely

Difference from Jack ups

30 casing is run with PGB
If required 40 along with TGB is run in
soft sea bed locations
Since all casings are run up to sea bed
only casing tally must be very closely
checked

Sub sea cementing system

Cementing plugs are fitted in to the
casing hanger joint
Running tool fits into the casing hanger
and attached to the drill pipe
Bottom plug is launched by releasing a
ball from the cementing head at surface
Top plug is launched by releasing a
dart from the cementing head at
surface

Blowout Preventer
a) The main BOP stack &
b) The LMRP (Lower Marine Riser Package).

A typical BOP stack consists of:1) 3 pipe rams,

2) 1 shear-blind ram,
3) 1 annular BOP,
4) Hydraulically operated BOP/Well-head
connector
5) A mandrel on the top of lower annular
BOP.

Blowout Preventer

A typical LMRP consists of:1) One or two annulars,

2) Kill/choke coflexip hoses,
3) One ball/flex joint,
4) One riser adapter on top of ball/flex
joint for connecting to risers,
5) Subsea control pods for BOP
6) A riser connector.

Subsea
BOP

BOP Control System

two basic types of control systems
Hydraulic
Electrohydraulic
Acoustic Control System for
emergency
Two pods are used for redundancy

Telescopic joints
To accommodate higher heave telescopic
joint having a stroke length of around 55 ft
is normally used in deepwater.
Based on riser string weight requirement
riser tensioner requirement are calculated
and provided on the rig for carrying out
deep water drilling.

Major components of the control

system

Hydraulic power unit

Hose bundles
Pods
Remote control panels

Telescopic Joint and Support

Ring

Pod Hose Bundle- Hydraulic

Lines
Main power line at
centre- Min 1 dia
Pilot lines or
5/16 dia reinforced
5/16 more
preferable as
expansion more in
line at high pressure

The Marine Riser System

Riser string
Slip Joint (also known as Telescopic
Joint)
Upper Ball Joint
Lower Ball Joint
Diverter System
Jumper Lines

DRILL STRING MOTION

COMPENSATOR
Crown Block type

Traveling Block type.

Compensator system consists of

Two cylinders & pistons

Two HP hoses
One control hose
Two Isolating valves
Upper Yoke ( connects Travelling block
to cylinders)
Lower Yoke ( connects Hook block to
the pistons )
Compensator locking arrangement
Guide rails in the derrick

Operation of Compensator
The basic principal of operation of a
compensator is to support a desired
constant load or to maintain a constant ten
sion. This is done by pressurizing the oil/air
below the pistons on which hook block is
supported.
The pistons along with the hook block
remain stationary with respect to the seabed
whereas the rig goes up & down

Operation of Compensator
During drilling, the pressure below
pistons is kept so as to support string
load minus WOB
During casing landing, the pressure
corresponds to little less than the
weight of the string between the rig
floor to well head
During BOP landing, the pressure is
according to the weight selected to be
kept on the Blocks

SOME USEFUL POINTS FOR

FLOATER
During operations, especially,
concerning wellhead & BOP, always
account for "tide correction".
Emergency Hang-off Tool should be
kept ready, stacked in the derrick
If compensator is working, clear margin
should be left for kelly top when it
reaches kelly bushing

 Drill pipes should not be kept on slips

for extended periods
BOP should not left hanging with
telescopic joint fully open under load
of BOP for too long
When BOP stack is at surface, always
disconnect LMRP & check for proper
operation of "Riser Connector

DEEP WATER
Station Keeping
Riser and Riser Tensioner
thicker wall riser of 5/8 thickness in place of
earlier
Floats are attached to the riser
Booster line 4.5 x o.5 wall, 3000 psi
Additional mud pump 12 P 160
Additional Hydraulic Supply Line
Auto Fill Up Mechanism
Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV)

Flex Joint
18-3/4 - 10 degree flex joint is normally
used in deepwater which is more stronger
and reliable in place of ball joint used
mostly in shallow water. It is placed just
above LMRP to allow for movement of
risers above due to ship movement.

Booster Line & Pump

As riser OD is more, cutting removal is a problem in
deeper depths. For effective cuttings removal from
riser, one additional steel line called booster line 4.5
X 0.5 wall, 3000 psi working pressure is provided
on risers with provision for inlet just above BOP.
One additional mud pump provided for this purpose.
A booster termination spool also provided just
above BOP in the form of a short riser to facilitate
connectivity of mud booster line with a hydraulic
valve.

Hydraulic supply line of BOP

control
In deepwater, flexible hydraulic supply line
of BOP control is not very reliable, as it is
prone to bursting. To avoid this problem
one more steel line of 3 OD X 0.5 wall is
provided on riser string for supplying
hydraulic fluid for BOP operation.

Riser
Mostly 21 & 18-5/8 OD risers are used in
deepwater. Due to heavier long riser string having
axial rating of the order of 2 million pounds,
thicker wall riser of 5/8 thickness is used in place
of 1/2. Even with 2 million pounds rating string,
weight of riser string is excessive.

Buoyant Riser

 Due to higher currents in deeper water and

increased weight of guideline wires,
guideline system is not effective. Instead
guideline less system is used using
beacons on TGB, PGB & BOP. BOP also
has funnel at the bottom for proper entry
over wellhead. This system is very
effective especially in areas where
frequent riser disconnects are required due
to storm conditions.

Multiplex System (MUX)

Normally, pilot hydraulic signals are sent through
a hose bundle for operating various stack
functions. This system is effective up to 1000m
water depths. Beyond this, advanced systems are
used for better reliability and quicker response.
Multiplex system (MUX) is one such system used
in deepwater in which pilot signals are transmitted
through optical fiber cable. This system reduces
response time for operating BOP considerably as
the signals from the surface travels at the speed
of light. This is of paramount importance in
deepwater operations

ROV-Intervention Model

Deepwater Field Development

FPSO
TLP
SPAR

RECENT TECHNOLOGICAL
DEVELOPMENT
Taut leg mooring & Preset moorings
Dual Density Mud System
Artificial Buoyant Seabed (ATLANTIS)
Technology
Lightweight riser
Dual Derrick Rigs
Slender well technology
Deep Water Drilling With Surface BOP Stack