Fmc Technologies, Inc.

Schlumberger Technology Corporation

Eric Randall Smedstad

Michael R Williams

Harold Brian Skeels

Thomas L Hergarden

Andrei M Strikovski

Howard J Hartley

Jimmy D Andrews

John D Dafler, Jr

Richard M Murphy

John A Kerr

Andrea Sbordone

Paul L Riley

Rene Schuurman

Alan J Johnston

Roderick MacKenzie

Axel Destremau

David James Mathis

Yves Le Moign

Egil Åsli

Jøren Breda

Gregor E Deans

Andrei Strikovski

John D Dafler

Eglil ÅSli

A subsea hydrocarbon production system comprises a tubing hanger which is positioned at an upper end of a well bore, a tubing string which extends from the tubing hanger into the well bore and is fluidly connected to the tubing hanger production bore, and a christmas tree which is positioned above the tubing hanger. The christmas tree comprises a production bore which is fluidly connected to the tubing hanger production bore, a production outlet which is connected to the production bore, a first barrier element which is positioned in the production outlet, and a first closure device which is positioned in the production bore above the production outlet. In this manner access from above the christmas tree through the production bore does not require passage through a barrier element.

Horizontal vertical deepwater tree

A method includes disconnecting subsea equipment containing a first fluid from an installation in a subsea environment, wherein the first fluid is a produced fluid that includes produced hydrocarbons. Furthermore, the method also includes raising the disconnected subsea equipment from the subsea environment and controlling a fluid pressure of the first fluid in the subsea equipment with an accumulator device while raising the subsea equipment from the subsea environment, wherein the accumulator device includes first and second adjustable accumulator chambers and a movable pressure boundary separating the first and second adjustable accumulator chambers.

Retrieval of subsea production and processing equipment

Generally, the present disclosure is directed to systems that may be used to facilitate the retrieval and/or replacement of production and/or processing equipment that may be used for subsea oil and gas operations. In one illustrative embodiment, a method is disclosed that includes, among other things, removing at least a portion of trapped production fluid () from subsea equipment () while the subsea equipment () is connected to a subsea equipment installation () in a subsea environment (), and storing at least the removed portion of the trapped production fluid () in a subsea containment structure () that is positioned in the subsea environment (). Additionally, the disclosed method also includes disconnecting the subsea equipment () from the subsea equipment installation () and retrieving the subsea equipment () from the subsea environment ().

Methods for retrieval and replacement of subsea production and processing equipment

Generally, the present disclosure is directed to systems that may be used to facilitate the retrieval and/or replacement of production and/or processing equipment that may be used for subsea oil and gas operations. In one illustrative embodiment, a system is disclosed that includes, among other things, subsea equipment () that is adapted to contain a first fluid while operating in a subsea environment (), and an accumulator device () that is in fluid communication with the subsea equipment (), wherein a pressure boundary of the accumulator device () is adapted to move in response to a pressure change on the subsea equipment () as the subsea equipment () is raised from the subsea environment ().

A technique for subsea intervention operations enables pressure control to be accomplished at the surface while borehole fluid control is exercised at the seabed. A compliant guide extends between a subsea well installation and a surface location, such as a surface intervention vessel. A buffer fluid is deployed within the compliant guide to maintain the borehole fluids proximate the seabed. The buffer fluid also enables pressure control over the buffer fluid and the borehole fluid to be performed from the surface. Additionally, a flexible conveyance can be used to move intervention tools through the compliant guide.

Pressure control with compliant guide

A subsea communications module includes an interface to communicate with a surface facility over a communications link using a packet-based protocol. The communications link can be implemented with a fiber optic line, wire-based line, and/or other types of communications lines.

Subsea communications system

The present invention discloses a subsea power system for use in capturing 'free' or 'waste' energy (e.g., thermal, geothermal, pressurized subsurface gases or liquids, wind, wave, solar, or other free, waste, or low cost energy sources) to convert and/or store to power a subsea service or device during times when the free or waste energy supply is not as abundant, is not available, or demands require greater output than is provided at steady state. The subsea power system may include: (1) one or more energy-capturing devices&#x2014;such as a turbine and/or thermoelectric generator&#x2014;for harvesting free or waste energy, (2) a fuel cell, electrolyzer, and oxygen and hydrogen storage vessels for harvesting energy from the surrounding seawater, and (3) a power converter for receiving energy from the various sources and converting the energy into a useful form consumable by subsea devices.

Subsea power supply

Growing community of inventors

League City, TX, United States of America

Eric Randall Smedstad