BJ
PPS completes major pipeline pre-commissioning operation for Shell
Exploration & Production in Gulf of Mexico
Posted: 02 May 2004
Na Kika pipeline transports gas and oil in Gulf of Mexico
BJ Process and Pipeline Services (BJ PPS) has completed a major
contract to provide specialised pipeline services for Shell Exploration
& Production Company’s offshore Gulf of Mexico business
unit.
BJ PPS was awarded a contract by Shell in 2002 to supply a range
of pre-commissioning services for the Na Kika pipeline system, one
of the most complex pipeline projects that BJ has undertaken in
the Gulf of Mexico.
Deepest Flowline Extends to Water Depths of 7,600 Feet
The Na Kika pipeline network gathers oil and gas from Mississippi
Canyon 474 and the surrounding area. The oil is exported to an existing
platform in MP69 and the gas to MP 260. Existing pipelines then
transport the oil and gas to shore.
The system is extensive, involving a complicated network of both
gas and oil export pipelines and flowlines. These include a) a 24”
x 74.8- mile-long gas export pipeline, including a 7-mile-long 20”
section at the host in MC 474, b) an 18” x 74.6- mile-long
oil export pipeline, c) a 10”x16” x 27- mile-long north
oil flowline, d) an 8”x12” x 25.7- mile-long south oil
flowline, and e) an 8” x 31.25 mile south gas flowline. Of
particular note is the Coulomb gas flowline, which is 8” x
26 miles in length, and extends to water depths of 7,600 feet, making
it the world’s deepest gas flowline.
Schedule Milestones
BJ PPS provided hydrotesting, flushing, dewatering, drying, leak
testing, glycol swabbing, vacuum drying and nitrogen purging services.
Operations commenced in October 2002, and first gas was achieved
on November 25th 2003, with the final phase completed in March 2004.
Gas export pipeline dewatering and drying was accomplished much
sooner than expected and took this task off critical path.
Houston-based BJ PPS personnel carried out all related services
for Shell from the Na Kika Platform, located in water depths of
6,300 feet. All aspects of this intricate pre-commissioning programme
were carried out by BJ PPS without extensive use of subcontractors.
“The Na Kika project was challenging for a number of reasons,
including the water depths in which we were working and the limited
space on the Na Kika Platform,” said John Adams, general manager
of BJ PPS. “In order to cope with the very small equipment
laydown area, a great deal of detailed engineering and planning
was required to ensure that we would be able to fit all the necessary
equipment on the platform. If you consider that at one point, we
had 38 engineers and technicians working offshore on three platforms,
it wasn’t easy. Given that the operation was carried out smoothly,
with first gas achieved ahead of schedule, it is an outstanding
achievement,” he added.
During recent years, BJ PPS has carried out a number of pipeline
pre-commissioning projects for Shell in the Gulf of Mexico, including
the Macaroni, Auger, Ursa and Manatee pipeline systems.
BJ Services Company (BJS-NYSE, CBOE) is a leading provider of pressure
pumping and related oilfield services to the petroleum industry.
The company operates in every major oil and gas producing region.
For more information see www.bjservices.co.uk
Posted by Richard Price,
Editor Pipeline Magazine
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