Deep-water technology

Deep water is a harsh environment. Thousands of technologies are needed to tackle the challenges of freezing temperatures, high pressure and storm conditions. Production systems are vast and remotely-operated vehicles replace divers. Reservoirs are often scattered and pressure can be low, making it even harder to push oil to the production platform.

Technology firsts

Going deeper to produce oil and gas requires new platform designs. At Shell we set a world record in 2004 when we designed, built and installed, for example, the Na Kika platform in more than 2,300 metres (7,600 feet) off the coast of New Orleans, the USA. The platform develops six fields at the same time linked up via underwater pipes to unlock deposits too costly to tap individually.

We developed new chemicals based on fish protein that we inject into the underwater pipes to stop oil from congealing and ice-like gas hydrates forming in the extreme cold.

Shell’s newest deep-water projects, such as the Parque das conchas (BC-10) off the coast of Brazil, are pushing boundaries in deep-water technology to adapt to the environment. Low pressure in the reservoirs at both fields makes it difficult to bring oil and gas to the surface. We have overcome this by separating out the gas on the seabed to let it rise and then boosting the oil to the surface with large electrical pumps.

At Perdido we also use a system that links up several wells to a common production facility. This is more economic than the cost of building individual platforms. Here the floating platform, known as a spar, is designed to produce, drill, operate and maintain many more wells than traditional models.

You might also be interested in our major deep-water projects: