Structured Project-Management Approach Accelerates Marginal Field Development

_ This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 221800, “Effective Apani Marginal Field Development Strategy: A Review of Facility Design and Combined Construction Methodologies to Drilling-Location Preparation,” by Kenneth C. Nwagbo, Matrix Energy Exploration and Production. The paper has not been peer reviewed. _ The complete paper reviews the lean-construction-management processes adopted in Nigeria’s Apani field, describing the oil and gas execution phase and examining the field’s asset-development plan. The findings of this paper are expected to provide an understanding of how new oil and gas assets (including predrilled and plugged wellheads) should be effectively recovered and developed. Apani Marginal-Field Development Phase The Apani field is onshore in the Niger Delta sedimentary basin in the southern part of OML53. The Apani-01 well was subsequently plugged and abandoned in 2006. The Apani marginal-field asset-development plan, culminating in drillsite-location preparation, adopted an unconventional approach during the project-execution phase because of challenges inherent in recovering predrilled and plugged wellheads 10 m below ground level. The engineering and project team established that it was important to determine optimal engineering conditions for design and construction, a process that took into consideration rig-equipment footprint, cumulative load analysis of rig sub- and superstructure, auxiliary equipment unit-by-unit load calculations, vibration analysis, stress analysis, general arrangement layout, and materials selection. The first Apani drillsite-location preparation, in Rivers State, was implemented on a fast-track schedule and achieved first oil production within 4 months of project sanction. The authors’ engineering and project team ensured that the project followed a methodology equivalent to project-management body-of-knowledge (PMBOK) recommended practices. One of the main project challenges during the drillsite-location preparation phase was the short amount of time available to acquire critical supplies and equipment. During vendor evaluation, the presence and participation of executive management and a project manager provided the direction needed for accelerated and successful completion of planning. During drillsite-location preparation, project-integration management was adopted—activities or processes required to identify, define, unify, and coordinate the spectrum of necessary processes and project-management activities by considering all knowledge areas of the PMBOK (management of scope, time, cost, quality, risk, procurement, human resources, communication, and stakeholders). This methodology aimed at improving the decision-making process by increasing deliverables quality and assisting management of the level of uncertainty and complexity inherent in developing this asset; most critical was the construction of a hybrid cellar slab (a suspended reinforced concrete bridge) for the Hilong 29 rig substructure and superstructure (Fig. 1). Apani Marginal-Field Drillsite-Location Preparation Before the commencement of field development, a project-management team (PMT) was established, consisting of a project manager, project engineer, and engineers specializing in various disciplines including civil; structural; piping; mechanical; turbomachinery and rotating equipment; electrical; instruments; corporate services; health, safety, and environment (HSE); security; and community liaison.