Analysis of Buoyancy Module Auxiliary Installation Technology Based on Numerical Simulation

To reduce the requirement for lifting capacity and decrease the hoist cable force during the descending and laying process of a subsea production system(SPS), a buoyancy module auxiliary installation technology was proposed by loading buoyancy modules on the SPS to reduce the lifting weight. Two models are established, namely, the SPS lowering-down model and the buoyancy module floating-up model. The main study results are the following: 1) When the buoyancy module enters the water under wave condition, the amplitude of tension fluctuation is twice that when SPS enters water; 2) Under current condition, the displacement of SPS becomes three times larger because of the existence of the buoyancy module; 3) After being released, the velocity of the buoyancy module increases to a large speed rapidly and then reaches a balancing speed gradually. The buoyancy module floats up at a balancing speed and rushes out from the water at a pop-up distance; 4) In deep water, the floating-up velocity of the buoyancy module is related to its mass density and shape, and it is not related to water depth; 5) A drag parachute can reduce floating-up velocity and pop-up distance effectively. Good agreement was found between the simulation and experiment results.

Prediction of the Mooring Force of a 2-D Floating Oil Storage Tank

A Constrained Interpolation Profile(CIP)-based model is developed to predict the mooring force of a two- dimensional floating oil storage tank under wave conditions, which is validated against to a newly performed experiment. In the experiment, a box-shaped floating oil storage apparatus is used. Computations are performed by an improved CIP-based Cartesian grid model, in which the THINC/SW scheme(THINC: tangent of hyperbola for interface capturing; SW: Slope Weighting), is used for interface capturing. A multiphase flow solver is adopted to treat the water-air-body interactions. The Immersed Boundary Method(IBM) is implemented to treat the body surface. Main attention is paid to the sum force of mooring line and velocity field around the body. It is found that the sum force of the mooring line increases with increasing wave amplitude. The body suffers from water wave impact and large body motions occur near the free surface. The vortex occurs near the sharp edge, i.e., the sharp bottom corners of the floating oil storage tank and the vortex shedding can be captured by the present numerical model. The present model could be further improved by including turbulence model which is currently under development. Comparison between the computational mooring forces and the measured mooring forces is presented with a reasonable agreement. The developed numerical model can predict the mooring line forces very well.

Logging-while-drilling formation dip interpretation based on long short-term memory

Azimuth gamma logging while drilling(LWD)is one of the important technologies of geosteering but the information of real-time data transmission is limited and the interpretation is difficult.This study proposes a method of applying artificial intelligence in the LWD data interpretation to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of real-time data processing.By examining formation response characteristics of azimuth gamma ray(GR)curve,the preliminary formation change position is detected based on wavelet transform modulus maxima(WTMM)method,then the dynamic threshold is determined,and a set of contour points describing the formation boundary is obtained.The classification recognition model based on the long short-term memory(LSTM)is designed to judge the true or false of stratum information described by the contour point set to enhance the accuracy of formation identification.Finally,relative dip angle is calculated by nonlinear least square method.Interpretation of azimuth gamma data and application of real-time data processing while drilling show that the method proposed can effectively and accurately determine the formation changes,improve the accuracy of formation dip interpretation,and meet the needs of real-time LWD geosteering.

Probabilistic Methods for Reliability Assessment of Floating Structures Based on Extreme Wave Simulation

With the increasing application of floating platforms in deep waters and harsh environments,a proper assessment of the reliability of floating structures is important to ensure that these structures can operate safely during their design lives.This study outlines a practical methodology for reliability analysis of a semi-submersible platform based estimating the probability distribution of the extreme response in rough sea conditions(survival conditions).The Constrained NewWave(CNW)theory combined with Monte Carlo simulations was first applied to simulate the random wave surface elevation process in the time domain.A Gumbel distribution was the best fitting to describe the dynamically sensitive extreme response statistics under extreme waves(drift and mooring tension).The derived probability distribution of the extreme response was subsequently used in estimation of the associated limit state func-tion,and a reliability analysis of the floating structure was conducted using the Monte Carlo method.A semi-submersible platform in a water depth of 1500 m subjected to extreme wave loads was used to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed methodology.The probability of failure of the semi-submersible when considering mooring lines tension is greater than considering drift.

Attenuation of microwave transmission in a diameter-variable drill string bore

With the drill string hole being regarded as an ultra-long irregular lossy cylindrical waveguide, the optimal frequency point for microwave transmission was calculated according to the electromagnetic wave coupling theory, the attenuation law and efficient transmission distance of microwave channel were obtained and the microwave mode in the waveguide was analyzed. Furthermore, the channel model and signal attenuation model were established by the microwave transmission equivalent circuit method. The power attenuation coefficient per unit of length was proposed to simplify the analysis on effective transmission distance for the ultra-long drill string. The optimal frequency points of 139.7 mm(5.5 in) and 127 mm(5 in) API drill pipes are 2.04 GHz and 2.61 GHz, respectively, and there are several inner diameter varying sections and break points in the drill string hole along the axial direction. The microwave transmission suffers a lot of reflections. The channel impedance change is a key factor affecting the transmission quality. The lab and field tests reveal that the attenuation model established in this paper is accurate, and it is applicable to the design of microwave transmission measurement while drilling system.

Progress in Global Gas Hydrate Development and Production as a New Energy Resource

Natural gas hydrates have been hailed as a new and promising unconventional alternative energy,especially as fossil fuels approach depletion,energy consumption soars,and fossil fuel prices rise,owing to their extensive distribution,abundance,and high fuel efficiency.Gas hydrate reservoirs are similar to a storage cupboard in the global carbon cycle,containing most of the world's methane and accounting for a third of Earth's mobile organic carbon.We investigated gas hydrate stability zone burial depths from the viewpoint of conditions associated with stable existence of gas hydrates,such as temperature,pressure,and heat flow,based on related data collected by the global drilling programs.Hydrate-related areas are estimated using various biological,geochemical and geophysical tools.Based on a series of previous investigations,we cover the history and status of gas hydrate exploration in the USA,Japan,South Korea,India,Germany,the polar areas,and China.Then,we review the current techniques for hydrate exploration in a global scale.Additionally,we briefly review existing techniques for recovering methane from gas hydrates,including thermal stimulation,depressurization,chemical injection,and CH4-CO2 exchange,as well as corresponding global field trials in Russia,Japan,United States,Canada and China.In particular,unlike diagenetic gas hydrates in coarse sandy sediments in Japan and gravel sediments in the United States and Canada,most gas hydrates in the northem South China Sea are non-diagenetic and exist in fine-grained sediments with a vein-like morphology.Therefore,especially in terms of the offshore production test in gas hydrate reservoirs in the Shenhu area in the north slope of the South China Sea,Chinese scientists have proposed two unprecedented techniques that have been verified during the field trials:solid fluidization and formation fluid extraction.Herein,we introduce the two production techniques,as well as the so-called"fbur-in-one"environmental monitoring system employed during the Shenhu production test.Methane is not currently commercially produced from gas hydrates anywhere in the world;therefore,the objective of field trials is to prove whether existing techniques could be applied as feasible and economic production methods for gas hydrates in deep-water sediments and permafrost zones.Before achieving commercial methane recovery from gas hydrates,it should be necessary to measure the geologic properties of gas hydrate reservoirs to optimize and improve existing production techniques.Herein,we propose horizontal wells,multilateral wells,and cluster wells improved by the vertical and in dividual wells applied during existing field trials.It is noteworthy that relatively pure gas hydrates occur in seafloor mounds,within near-surface sediments,and in gas migration conduits.Their extensive distribution,high saturation,and easy access mean that these types of gas hydrate may attract considerable attention from academia and industry in the future.Herein,we also review the occurrence and development of concentrated shallow hydrate accumulations and briefly introduce exploration and production techniques.In the closing section,we discuss future research needs,key issues,and major challenges related to gas hydrate exploration and production.We believe this review article provides insight on past,present,and future gas hydrate exploration and production to provide guidelines and stimulate new work into the field of gas hydrates.