Abstract
Remote start-up facility is initiated and implemented at some of Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd (PCSB) offshore installation as one of the initiative to reduce production deferment and optimize resources.
Conventionally, operation's personnel are required to visit the remote platform to perform the local/manual start-up activity whenever the platform has shutdown due to process or other abnormality. The process upset may be originated from the platform itself or due to cascading effect from receiving platform after it has shutdown.
During bad weather, the traveling time by boat to the remote platform is difficult and normally takes longer traveling time. There are also cases where the start-up activity needs to wait on weather when the traveling by boat is not possible due to rough sea.
The delay due to traveling time and further delay during bad weather cause the delay in restarting-up the platform. This start-up delay results in production deferment.
The implementation of the remote start-up facility will enable the operation's personnel to remotely start-up the drilling platform. It is then no longer required to travel to the platform for local/manual start-up activity.
Based on the study conducted, the restart-up delay due to traveling time contributes significantly to the production deferment. Therefore, if the start-up activity can be done from remote i.e. from mother platform or FPSO, then the production deferment can be reduced significantly.
By having remote start-up facility, the total downtime and thus production deferment could be minimized not only during bad weather condition but also during normal weather condition as the travel to the platform is no longer required. This production deferment would accumulate from year to year if not being addressed.
This facility has been implemented on MASA platforms where existing control and safety shutdown systems were modified together with additional instrumentations installed. Only minor modification at relatively marginal cost was required but yet capable of generating relatively significant reduction in deferment.
At MASA platforms, the remote start-up facility is initiated from the FPSO by opening the respective surface safety valves (SSV), Shutdown Valves (SDV) and Choke Valves (CV).
