BP PLC has let contracts to KBR and FMC Technologies in a program it calls Project 20K targeting “next-generation systems and tools to help unlock the next frontier of deepwater oil and gas resources currently beyond the reach of today’s technology.”
The KBR and FMC Technologies contracts, the first awarded in the program, focus on technologies needed for development and production of oil and gas from reservoirs with pressures up to 20,000 psi and temperatures as high as 350º F.
KBR will develop program execution and management plans for the project, including capital cost and schedule estimates, risk assessments, and technical designs.
FMC Technologies will participate in a technology-development agreement in which it will work with BP to design and develop 20,000-psi-rated subsea production equipment, including a subsea production tree and a subsea high-integrity pressure protection system.
Project 20K focuses on technologies for well design and completions; drilling rigs, risers, and blowout preventers; subsea production systems; and well-intervention and containment.
Current equipment has technical pressure and temperature limits of 15,000 psi and 250º F.
