A floating production system is one of the options that could be employed for development of the Clair oil discovery in Block 206 west of Scotland's Shetland Islands.
BP Exploration Operating Co. Ltd. said it intends to decide whether Clair, in a frontier area, is viable for development and what kind of development method might be used by the end of 1993.
Victoria Oilfield Development Ltd., London, leads a group of companies chosen by BP to undertake a study of floating production system for Clair.
"The decision to study a floating option was based on the lack of infrastructure west of Shetland," said Michael Barraclough, Victoria managing director.
"We are studying a pilot development, which in the short term would be used to assess the size of the field. For this type of temporary solution, a floater is best."
Barraclough said tankers and converted semisubmersibles will be considered, but a tanker is likely to be the preferred recommendation on economic grounds.
A BP spokesman said the Victoria study is one of a series it commissioned but did not detail other options except to say that subsea and platform developments are in the running.
The Victoria study group involves subsea engineer J.P. Kenny, London; engineering contractor Foster Wheeler Petroleum Development Ltd., London; and drilling contractor Diamond M-Odeco Inc.
Two appraisal wells were drilled in Clair during 1992. The most successful, drilled by BP in August, flowed 7,300 b/d limited by equipment. Esso U.K. plc followed that with a well that flowed a maximum 2,545 b/d (OGJ, Nov. 9, p.32).
Results from the wells confirmed the Clair field partners' opinion that the reservoir is complex. BP acquired 3-D seismic data over the structure during the year. This is being interpreted, with results due spring.
Clair license holders are BP, Esso, Ammoco (U.K.) Ltd., Chevron U.K Ltd., Conoco (U.K) Ltd., Elf Petroleum U.K. plc, and Enterprise Oil plc.
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