Low-cost production unit "self-installs." Image courtesy Arup Energy.Arup Energy, the offshore engineering unit of Over Arup & Partners, London, has unveiled a low-cost "self-installing" oil production platform concept.
The design comes in five different versions for water depths up to 110 m and comprises a topsides mounted by means of jackable legs on a seabed storage tank structure.
An Arup official told OGJ the concept is based on a design originally called Australian Concrete Elevation (ACE). The ACE name has since been adopted as a brand name, although one version of the concept was described as similar to Arup's design for Australia's Wandoo platform.
The largest of the seabed storage tanks offered is made of concrete and designed to hold up to 1 million bbl of oil. Four other versions would be made of steel. The base structure is intended to be laid on the seabed by conventional means.
The official said the design's simplicity is in the way the topsides would be attached. The topsides unit comprises a barge with jackable legs attached, so it can be towed out over the base and jacked down to secure it.
Arup claims the ACE concept is 20% cheaper than a conventional platform design. Arup is talking to a number of operators about potential installations and is currently working with one with a view to a potential field development in Southeast Asia.
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