By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Jan. 28 -- Operations have begun on Production Platform B, part of Peng Lai (PL) 19-3 Blocks' Phase 2 project in China's Bohai Bay. ConocoPhillips is operator of PL 19-3, which currently is China's largest offshore oil field. Its partner, China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC), holds 51% interest in Block PL 19-3, and ConocoPhillips holds the remainder.
Platforms D and E are expected to come on line in 2009 to boost development of the oil field off China's northeastern coast.
Fluor Corp. assisted in the successful startup of the platform and provided engineering services, including conceptual engineering, front-end engineering and design, and detailed engineering. The company also provided procurement services for three wellhead platforms and construction support in fabrication yards in Shanghai, Tanggu, and Singapore. Engineering and procurement were performed from Fluor's global execution centers in Houston, Shanghai, and Manila.
The oil field development project is 235 km southeast of Tanggu and began in 1999 with conceptual and feasibility engineering. The first phase of the project involved the basic design package for the early production facility, which consisted of a fixed production platform tied to a newly modified and refurbished FPSO.
The project was executed in two phases. The second phase, carried out simultaneously with the first, included development of what Fluor described as the "world's largest" floating production, storage, and offloading vessel and five additional fixed production platforms tied to a central fixed riser and utility platform.
Workers installed 36 miles of subsea pipeline to interconnect the facilities. Fluor designed the flow lines so early production could be routed to the existing FPSO vessel. After the new FPSO is delivered, the flow lines will be reconnected for permanent installation.
