Challenges with Arctic and harsh environment exploration and production

Abstract

As the world energy needs rises combined with declining reserves in producing hydrocarbon field’s new areas for exploration is needed. A study performed by the U.S. Geological Survey in 2008 estimated that 22% of the remaining undiscovered hydrocarbons could be located in the Arctic. This shows that Arctic Exploration and Production could provide energy for an energy-needing world. Exploration and Production (E&P) in the Arctic gives additional challenges than E&P under normal weather, temperature and latitudes. The challenges main challenges that will be faced in the Arctic are cold, ice and ice loads, rapid changing weather conditions and distance from established infrastructure. These challenges and several other needs to be adequately handled before E&P could be performed. As the Arctic is very diverse, different areas have various additional challenges that need to be handled as well.

This master thesis will be focusing on 5 areas in the Arctic in a life cycle view of a development. These 5 areas are Beaufort Sea, Baffin Bay, Greenland Sea, Barents Sea and Kara Sea. All of these areas will be presented with conditions present in the area and suggestions to make E&P possible in the specific area. For Exploration suggestions will be given to which type of drilling vessels seems to fit the areas best to get the largest drilling season and safest drilling operation. for the Production and development various development concepts will be presented for shallow water, deep water and ice inflicted areas. From these concepts suggestions for development in the 5 areas will be given.

Ice and ice loads seems to be the most challenging element in almost all areas of the Arctic. The only area that is not inflicted with pack ice and icebergs is the Central and South West Barents Sea. This gives an area that is easier and more economical to operate in, and seems to be the most interesting area for E&P. Another area with great potential is the Beaufort Sea, where E&P has a long history onshore and close to land. When moving in to great depths in the Beaufort Sea pack ice is present giving the need for ice management vessels to make E&P possible. One of the 5 Arctic areas is so heavily inflicted with pack ice and icebergs that present technology is not adequate for E&P and new technology is needed. This is the Greenland Sea, which is phrone to be a constant stream of pack ice from the Transpolar Drift and icebergs from calving glaciers on Greenland.