Production Technology

Getting the hydrocarbons from the platform offshore to where it was to be processed onshore required pipelines. Brown & Root laid pipelines in Galveston Bay as well as the first oil pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico to connect the early Creole (now Exxon) platform to shore. The first "offshore" pipeline (10 inch, concrete coated) 10 miles long, in the Gulf of Mexico for gathering gas from the Cameron field, was constructed by Brown & Root 1954. Frank Motley built the first ramp to allow the pipeline to angle more gently from the lay barge to the ocean floor. This was further developed to the "stinger" used in today's pipeline operations. Carl Langner advanced technology with the articulated stinger for the S-Lay technique used in deepwater. Sammy Collins (Submarine Pipelines Ltd.) was responsible for the development of controlled flotation pipe laying technology--pulling the pipeline out from shore supported by pontoon barges. Gurtler Hebert developed the fixed reel pipe laying barge in 1961. Dr. Yoram Goren was responsible for the development of the reel ship in 1975 and the Choctaw, the first semi-submersible pipelay barge.

Recognizing the pioneering efforts of the following people and companies who contributed to the development of this technology:

Sammy V. Collins, Yoram Goren, Gurtler Hebert, Carl G. Langner, Frank Motley Brown & Root, Creole (ExxonMobil), Santa Fe International (GlobalSantaFe), Shell

The beginning of the offshore oil industry was marked by three piled structures set off the coast of Louisiana in 1947 (out of site of land--about 10 miles offshore). The leases were owned by Kerr-McGee/Phillips/Stanolind, Superior, and Exxon. Prior work offshore involved wooden piles and structures which were generally connected to shore by trestles. The builders of early platforms anticipated that offshore construction work would be both dangerous and slow. Consequently, much thought was given to the possibility of doing some prefabrication onshore, to make the offshore effort easier. One such idea was that of M. B. Willey, Chief Engineer of J. Ray McDermott Co. Willey pioneered the concept of building a steel tubular space frame on land, transporting it to the offshore site, and setting it in position with a crane. The legs of the space frame extended from the sea bottom to above the water's surface. Steel piling could then be driven through the hollow legs to "pin" the structure to the bottom. The bracing that tied the legs together helped to transmit the wave loading to the seabed. The jacket, as this space frame template came to be known, also served as a steel cage protecting the wells. As the industry evolved, the piled jacket became the standard support structure for the offshore industry. Many thousands of such jackets have been fabricated and installed in all parts of the world. As the industry advanced, jackets were designed and built for ever deeper water. Today there are a number of jackets in water depths over 1000 ft.

Recognizing the pioneering efforts of the following people and companies who contributed to the development of this technology:

Francis P. "Pat" Dunn, Arthur L. Guy, Ferdinand R. Hauber, Griff C. Lee, Ralph Thomas "J. Ray" McDermott, Frank Motley, Jay B. Weidler, M. B. Willey

Brown & Root, Exxon (ExxonMobil), J. Ray McDermott Co., Kerr-McGee, Phillips Petroleum, Shell, Stanolind (BP), Superior (ExxonMobil)

Getting the hydrocarbons from the platform offshore to where it was to be processed onshore required pipelines. Brown & Root laid pipelines in Galveston Bay as well as the first oil pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico to connect the early Creole (now ExxonMobil) platform to shore. The first "offshore" pipeline (10-inch, concrete coated) 10 miles long, in the Gulf of Mexico for gathering gas from the Cameron field, was constructed by Brown & Root in 1954. Frank Motley built the first ramp to allow the pipeline operations. Carl Langner advanced technology with the articulated stinger for the S-Lay technique used in deep water. Sammy Collins (Submarine Pipelines, Ltd.) was responsible for the development of controlled flotation pipelaying technology--pulling the pipeline out from shore supported by pontoon barges. Gurtler Hebert developed the fixed reel pipelaying barge in 1961. Dr. Yoram Goren was responsible for the development of the reel ship in 1975, and the Choctaw, the first semi-submersible pipelay barge.

Recognizing the pioneering efforts of the following people and companies who contributed to the development of this technology:

Bennie Lynn Frennesson, R. A. Turrentine, "Ox" Hinman and Willie Schoolcraft

Since the installation of the Ekofisk Tank by Phillips Petroleum and Partners in 1973 there have been over thirty concrete fixed and floating structures installed in the world. These structures are constructed ashore, in dry docks and fjords, requiring a period of two to four years to build and are then towed to site and installed in a nearly complete basis. Concrete offshore structures are the largest structures ever moved by man and their cost can exceed 1.5 billion US dollars. Water depths for the fixed structures have reached 300 meters and floating structures are limited only by the anchoring system utilized. Engineers and constructors of multiple nationalities have contributed to this outstanding technology and because of the magnitude and diverse nature of these structures, in many instances they should be honored individually.

At this time the OEC wishes to honor the first concrete structure built for a hostile offshore environment for the development of hydrocarbons, the Ekofisk Storage Tank and Flow Station, and the companies responsible for it, Phillips Petroleum Company, and Doris Engineering; and the individuals who made it happen.

Recognizing the following individuals and companies that contributed to the development of this technology:

Claude M. Bender, Ben C. Gerwick, Jr., Henri Marion, Jean Martin, Leonard Meade, Dominique Michel, J.L. Parat, F. Sedillot, C.G. Doris Engineering and ConocoPhillips.

The first installation of an oil industry subsea pipeline by unspooling a long, continuous length of pipe wound on a reel took place on September 1, 1962, in the Gulf of Mexico. The 12-mile line was installed for Standard Oil Co. of Texas by New Orleans-based Aquatic Contractors & Engineers, Inc. a subsidiary of Gurtler Hebert Contractors, using its U-303 lay barge. The continuous pipe was made by welding joints together onshore. Ancestor of the Aquatic system was a reel-type barge developed by the British military with British oil company assistance during World War II. Part of what was called Operation PLUTO (Pipe-Line Under The Ocean), it was used to lay six 3-in. steel lines across the English Channel from the U.K. to France in 1944, immediately following the D-Day invasion, to provide a continuous supply of gasoline to Allied armies. The California Co.’s (CALCO) support was instrumental in Aquatic improvements that made spooled pipe viable for crude oil and gas transport. At the time, CALCO and Standard of Texas were both subsidiaries of Standard Oil Co. of California, now ChevronTexaco. Aquatic proved 1-1/2 to 6-in. diameter line pipe with polyethylene coating could withstand bending during spooling without loss of pressure integrity. Innovations over PLUTO equipment included a 40-ft. diameter hydraulic motor- powered reel; a hold-back brake (tensioning device) for spooling pipe; a level winding unit to guide pipe; hangers to support pipe on the downrap of the reel; and straightening rollers to relieve pipe deformation during unspooling. A major advantage of spooled pipe was being able to pull a riser through a J-tube. From 1962 to 1975, the U-303 installed over seven million ft. of pipe in water depths to 350 ft. Subsequently, Aquatic became a division of Fluor Ocean Services, which in turn built the Fluor RB-2, a larger reel barge capable of laying lines to 12-in. diameter. Later, Fluor was merged with Santa Fe Engineering Services, now GlobalSantaFe Corp., which then constructed the first large reel pipe lay ship. 

Recognizing the pioneering efforts of the following individuals and companies that contributed to the development of this technology:

Bob Cross, Fritz Culver, Pat Tesson, Aquatic Contractors & Engineers, Inc. (now GlobalSantaFe), and the California Company (now ChevronTexaco).

Seafarers have recognized the inherent floating stability of spars. From ancient technology, new ideas are often derived. So it was that hollow steel spar-shaped tanks were proposed for use as floating storage and offloading terminals. The first such spar was installed at Shell’s Brent Field in the UK North Sea in 1976. What should be remembered about the Brent Spar was its astounding success as a floating marine facility in one of the harshest sea environments in the world.

Now the technology is now routinely used, with 15 installations worldwide in water depths to 5,610 ft (1,710 m). Since the original Brent Spar, which was a classic cylindrical tank design, significant improvements have been made. First was the Truss Spar, which substituted an open truss structure for the bottom half of the vessel to add stability. Eleven of these were in service by 2005. The newest design is the Cell Spar, whose unique design is achieved by welding hundreds of cylindrical tanks end-to-end. The first Cell Spar was installed in 2004 in the Gulf of Mexico in 5,300 ft (1,616 m) of water by Kerr McGee. Engineers see no maximum depth limit for spar technology.

Recognizing the pioneering efforts of the following individuals and companies who contributed to spar technology:

Eddie Goldman, Ed Horton, Frank West, Deep Oil Technology Company (now separately owned by McDermott International and Technip Offshore Inc.) Royal Dutch Shell (Holland) Shell.   

The first use of TLPs represents a very significant step in the advancement of floating platforms for the offshore petroleum industry. The basic concept for a TLP-type floating platform was being discussed in the early 1970s, driven by the perceived needs for such technology to produce the expected deep water developments. In 1973 Deep Oil Technology (DOT) formed a Joint Interest Project (JIP) funded by 12 companies. The JIP was basically the testing of a one-third (1/3) scale model TLP offshore California and being successfully completed in 1975. 

While most JIP participants did not show a great interest, Conoco, under the direction of L. B. “Buck” Curtis and N.D. “Scotty” Birrell recognized the potential for the technology and continued studies within Conoco. This eventually led to the decision by Conoco to form an engineering group in the UK to design and install a TLP in the North Sea in Conoco’s Hutton Field. While the Hutton Field was in 485 feet of water, conventional type sea floor based structures could have been used. However, Conoco recognized the need for floating platforms for eventual deepwater production. The decision was made to develop the Hutton Field by developing the first major TLP. It was successfully installed in 1984, approximately 14 years after first becoming interested in the concept. The Hutton TLP proved to be very successful and subsequently several other major TLPs have been installed in the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, a very significant enabling technology.

Recognizing the pioneering efforts of the following individuals and companies who contributed to this technology:

Norman D. “Scotty” Birrell, L. B. “Buck” Curtis, Thomas O. Marr, John A. “Jack” Mercier, David Vories, Brown & Root/Vickers Offshore (Halliburton) and Conoco (ConocoPhillips)

The ancestor of flexible pipe now widely installed in offshore oil and gas operations was a flexible drillstem developed by Institut Francis du Patrol (IFP) beginning in the 1950s for use with downhole electrodrills and turbodrills, the then predominant means of drilling in Russian oil fields. IFP is a scientific research and industrial development, training, and information services center active in the fields of oil and gas. Funded by the French government, IFP’s mission is to develop technology that can be licensed to French companies. 

Following an intensive R&D program with Russian participation, IFP produced its own Flexodrilling process. However, cost and mechanical stress challenges proved insurmountable and focus was redirected to offshore flexible pipe applications. 

The first patent application titled “Undersea Transport of Fluids by Flexible Pipe” was filed in 1961. Early flexible pipe (a combination of steel reinforcements and thermoplastic sheath for tightness) was optimized for mechanical and physico-chemical stresses (temperature, pressure, crude type) in placement and producing operations. In the early 1970s, new dimensioning tools and a sealing sheath of polyamide l1 were incorporated. In 1972, this led IFP to found the Coflexip company to commercialize the technology, with a focus on developing flexible pipe for pipeline use in the petroleum industry. 

Coflexip’s first commercial installation was in 1973 in Elf’s Emeraude Field, offshore the Congo. Flexible pipeline applications continued to increase and the technology was broadened for use as risers for floating production, storage and offshore loading systems (FPSOS). Flexible pipe also has facilitated development of fields in remote areas because it can be shipped and installed from spools, thus minimizing the need for large lay vessels.

Subsequent acquisition of several companies to broaden and complement its technology base, including a merger with Stena Offshore, enabled Coflexip to become both a supplier and installer of flexible pipe. Then, in 2002, the company was purchased by Technip. 

Flexible pipe has progressed from small, low pressure pipe to pipe with inside diameters up to 19 inches and pressure ratings of up to 15,000 psi. Today flexible pipes are routinely used in global offshore oil and gas operations in water depths up to 2500 meters (8,000+ ft). 

Since the installation of the Ekofisk Tank by Phillips Petroleum & Partners in 1973 there have been more than 30 concrete fixed and floating structures installed around the world. Among these were the record-setting Condeeps: Gullfaks C, the heaviest object ever moved by man; the majestic Troll A, sitting on the seabed in 994 ft (303 m) of water; and the elegant Draugen. These giants were constructed using a unique process called continuous slip-forming, a process that is still in use today. The technique involves movable steel forms that are slowly slipped upwards on the structure as the concrete is setting, so pouring can be conducted continuously until the structure is completed. After they are built, usually in bays or fjords, the structures are towed out to sea and ballasted onto location, their massive concrete columns used for storage of oil and water. 

Construction can take as much as 2 to 4 years can cost more than US $1.5 Billion. While hundreds of engineers and builders of multiple nationalities have contributed to the design and construction of these giant structures, the OEC wishes to honor the early pioneers who, through their vision and determination, proved that concrete gravity-base structures could withstand the tests of time, waves and weather to become a practical solution for offshore production facilities.

Recognizing the pioneering efforts of the following individuals and companies who contributed to the development of this technology: 

Claude M. Bender, Ben C. Gerwick, Jr., Henri Marion, Jean Martin, Leonard Meade, Dominique Michel, Hubert J.L. Parat, François Sedillot, C.G. Doris Engineering, Dr. techn Olav Olsen, and ConocoPhillips.

Coiled Tubing technology from the first patent memorandum (1959) and feasibility determination through its development into accepted workover, drilling and flow line/pipeline technology has had a major impact on drilling, completion and production both onshore and offshore. Coiled tubing first used offshore in the mid 1960s had pipe quality problems accentuated by repeated bending of the tube and connections; however, through perseverance these issues were solved and the concept has developed into a dependable and economic concept.

Coiled Tubing technology provides a means for well re-entry that makes difficult horizontal and deepwater wells feasible and cost effective. Via the continuous tube it provides a safe and economical means to successfully do completions and workovers under surface well pressure. It has increased produceable reserves and prolonged the life of thousands of wells via its versatility in fishing, sand removal, recompletion, well diagnosis, and just about every well rework required. It is ideal for horizontal and multilateral workovers, redrills, completions, side tracking and other operations in the realm of prolonging well life and adding reserves. Under certain circumstances it has recently proven an effective drilling tool.



Coiled Tubing technology development over the last 50 years has become one of the most versatile tools for well and reserve management, including completions, workovers, drilling and flow line/pipeline operations.

Recognizing the pioneering efforts of the following individuals and companies that contributed to the development of this technology:

Joe R. Brown, Cicero C. Brown, Charles B. Corley, Jr., William B. (Bill) Hansen Harry Pistole, Jim L. Rike , Albert L. (Al) Vitter, Jr. Brown Oil Tools (now Baker Hughes), Chevron, Humble Oil & Refining Co. (now ExxonMobil)

Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) systems are shipshape vessels stationed in offshore producing oil and gas fields that receive production from wells that is processed, stored and eventually offloaded to a transport media. The key advantage of this concept is that vessels can be mobilized with relatively little lead time to remote areas that have minimal infrastructure. The first FPSO, with a storage capacity of 350,000 bbls, was installed by SIPM (Shell Oil) and Single Buoy Moorings, Inc. (SBM) in 1977 in the Castellon field, offshore Spain, using a single point mooring system in 384 ft. water. Shortly thereafter, Petrobras installed a similar FPSO in 400 ft. of water offshore Brazil. After 1985, FPSO numbers, capabilities and sizes increased rapidly. Today, more than 186 FPSOs are in operation with varied capabilities, such as storage capacities up to 2+ million bbls of crude; complex wellstream processing trains handling up to 400,000 bpd; production from as many as 100 wellstreams; LNG processing equipment; a large variety of stationkeeping systems (single point, turrets, yokes, spread moored and dynamic position); weather vane systems consisting of bow turrets or spar connect/disconnect systems; water depth ratings up to 10,000 ft; and the ability to operate in severe environments worldwide. The FPSO concept continues to grow with wide industry acceptance as a viable economic alternative for quickly establishing production in both remote and developed areas.

Recognizing the pioneering efforts of the following individuals and organizations that contributed to this technology:

J. H. T. Carter, Frank Eijkhout, J. A. Foolen, Wim Jan van Heijst and Leon Vincken Bluewater, Petrobras, Shell International Petroleum Maatschappij (now Shell), Single Buoy Moorings (now SBM).

Submersible Mobile Offshore Production Units (MOPU) are non-shipshape, bottom founded mobile type structures and the first of a number of classes, shapes and kinds of MOPUs. MOPUs have the ability to mobilize quickly into a production field, have oil and gas processing equipment on them, store processed crude and have the ability to offload the crude to a tanker and/or pipeline. Today, the use of MOPUs is an accepted means to effectively develop offshore oil and gas fields.

The economic advantage of a MOPU was and is its ease of mobilization, installation and redeployment to a new field. The first unit was a submersible type unit built by The California Company (now Chevron) in 1960, that produced and stored oil in the Gulf of Mexico. In the same year, Bethlehem Steel Company patented the design, which was a non-jacking version of their mat type jackup MODU. Another early example, completed in 1961, was the purpose-built submersible by ODECO, called the OBM for the initials of ODECO, Burma Western (later part of British Oil then BP) and Murphy Oil. The OBM was similar to and a takeoff of ODECO’s drilling units such as the Mr. Charlie. These early units proved the concept of the MOPU that later led to the development of the jackup and semisubmersible type MOPUs.

Recognizing the pioneering efforts of the following individuals and organizations that contributed to this technology:

John C. Estes, W. E. Foster, Tom Graham, Ray E. Lacy, Jr. and J. C. Sparkman. Bethlehem Steel Company, The California Company (now Chevron), Murphy Oil Corporation and ODECO (now Diamond Offshore Drilling).

A major reduction in deepwater field development cost can be achieved by combining production flow from subsea wellheads to the host platform through the use of multiphase flowlines. Not separating production into its component phases at the wellhead allows field processing to be conducted with fewer personnel and with greater safety and efficiency.

In 1980, a major joint industry project began which dramatically improved the ability to predict phase behavior in subsea pipelines. In 1983, SINTEF built and operated an industrial laboratory in Tiller, Norway, that processed more than 10,000 data points, vastly expanding the knowledge of multiphase flow in large scale pipelines. Also, in the early 1980’s, the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) developed a preliminary version of its OLGA software package which could simulate two-phase flow in pipelines. The difference between OLGA and previously developed software packages was its capability of simulating transient behavior such as slugging, one of the major operating problems encountered in pipelines. This new software hailed a new era in offshore production. Multiphase transport (transportation of oil, water and gas in the same pipeline) is an important reason why today’s petroleum industry can install an entire offshore production facility on the ocean floor, leaving operating personnel ashore, where it is cheaper, safer and more environmentally friendly to work than on board platforms depending on two-way helicopter transportation. These new transportation arteries on the sea bed have saved the petroleum industry huge financial outlays. They have also made it possible to develop oil and gas fields that would otherwise not have been profitable.

Recognizing the pioneering efforts of the following individuals and organizations that contributed to this technology:

Kjell Bendiksen, Per Fuchs, Dag Malnes, Jon Rasmussen, Ivar Brandt, Zheng-Gang Xu, Lee Norris and Richard Shea.

The Institute for Energy Technology (IFE), SINTEF and the SPT Group.

In 1960, H. D. Cox of Shell filed a patent for a floating offshore platform with numerous suspended steel catenary risers (SCR). The SCR is an extension of a pipeline curving upward from the sea floor in a catenary shape, hung off and connected to the platform. A catenary arc is defined as the natural trajectory assumed by a flexible member lying on a horizontal surface, when one end is lifted above that surface under the influence of gravity. Principal advantages over a vertical rigid riser is that the SCR can readily accommodate the motion of the floating facility and it is easier to install as there is no connection needed on the sea floor between the pipeline and the riser. SCR risers can be connected to subsea manifolds and laid on the seabed in advance as wells are completed; then when the floating production facility arrives on station the free ends of the SCRs are captured and simply pulled up by a cable to be connected to the floating facility.

This idea was ahead of its time as floating production systems were not needed until much later. The idea was first used to repair an 8 inch oil pipeline riser torn loose from a platform damaged by Hurricane Camille in 1969.

During the 1980’s, Shell continued to advance SCR technology in preparation for deepwater applications in the Gulf of Mexico. The first SCRs installed on a floating structure were the two 12 inch pipeline risers connected to Shell’s Auger Tension Leg Platform in 1994. Steel catenary risers have proven to be an effective, efficient and safe means of connecting deepwater export and import risers to deepwater floating facilities. Since 1994, more than 200 have been installed on deepwater floating production systems.

Recognizing the pioneering efforts of the following individuals and organizations that contributed to this technology:

Don Allen, Dr. Ray Ayers, Don Barry, Frans Kopp, Carl Langner, Ed Phifer, Richard Swanson and E. G. “Skip” Ward.

Shell International Exploration and Production, Inc.

Floating drilling began in 1955 when Chevron’s “Western Explorer” used a subsea BOP controlled via individual control hoses from the surface; however, this resulted in the hoses becoming entangled and damaged even in these shallow water depths. Samuel Moore formed a small company in 1948 that developed the ability to bundle the hoses with an outer jacket. The first “bundled and jacketed” umbilical for the oilfield was 250 ft. long delivered in 1962 to the Global Marine (now Transocean) “CUSS II” under the name trade name “Synflex”. As water depths increased, the reaction time to close the BOPs became unacceptably long. The “pilot” control system was first developed by Hershel Payne using small plot hoses to shift pilot valves in a “pod” on the subsea BOP stack that directed power fluid to the proper function. This greatly decreased reaction times and was first used on the Ocean Drilling and Exploration Co. (ODECO and now Diamond Offshore) “Ocean Driller” in 1963 working for Texaco (now Chevron Texaco) in the Gulf of Mexico. The technology of “thermoplastic” pilot and power hoses encased in a polyurethane “jacket” or “out sheath” developed using different materials and weave patterns from short lengths to over 8,000 ft. lengths through the next decades. The number of pilot lines (usually 1/8 and/or 3/16 inch OD) increased from the original 22 to over 80 in some advanced bundles in the 1990s with the OD of the umbilical increasing from a few inches to over 5. Seismic and other segments of the oil and gas industry also adopted this new technology.

In 1977, umbilical technology was first used in the production mode offshore India for ONGC in the Bombay High Field to control a subsea Christmas tree. In the early 1980s, Phillips Petroleum used an umbilical from Multiflex (now Oceaneering) to control subsea Christmas trees half a mile from a platform in the North Sea. With the growth of subsea completions and the control point farther away, control systems went from all hydraulic, to electro-hydraulic to multiplex-hydraulic with other non-control functions required in the umbilical bundle. These may include thermoplastic hoses, stainless steel tubing, electric power cables, electronic wiring for control and monitoring, fluid injection and other items all encased in a weighted armor jacket. With advancements in control systems, production umbilical lengths have grown to over 50 miles long and weigh hundreds of tons.

Without the development of umbilical control technology in the drilling industry, deep water drilling in the 1960s – 2000s could not have been accomplished. With the development of armor cased umbilicals with multiple types of leads, production via satellite Christmas trees and production manifold could not have been achieved.

Recognizing the pioneering efforts of the following individuals and organizations that contributed to this technology:

Mark Childers, Hugh Elkins, Ed Greene, Samuel Moore, Hershel Payne, Emmett Richardson and Bill Savage Multiflex (now Oceaneering), Payne Manufacture Co. (now Cameron), Samuel Moore & Co. (now Eaton) and Stewart & Stevenson (now Cameron)

In the early 1960s, the offshore oil and gas industry was in its infancy concerning concepts, research and development of remote location and deepwater (then over 300 ft.) production systems. Humble Oil and Refining Co. started a development program that would last for over 30 years and guide it into developing ground breaking concepts, research and initial development of many of the systems, configurations and equipment that would lead to today’s ultra-deepwater production systems.. After considerable prototype development, full blown SPS multi-well template and manifold systems were installed in the North Sea with the first being Shell-Esso Central Cormorant Project in 1982-83 and the next being the Norwegian Sea Saga-Esso Snorre Project in 1991. The SPS perhaps had the most pronounced influence on remote location and deepwater subsea production of any of the large projects of its type and resulted in many “firsts” that led to the widespread successful and economic use of subsea production systems today. Some examples: the template and manifold concept of multi-well development; through-tubing, pump-down workover and intervention; metal-to-metal seals on piping and valves; leak containment for the manifold; remote repair and replacement of components; using ROVs for manifold intervention; aerospace-type quality control and construction techniques; oil pressure compensation for hydraulic and electrical control pods; inductive electrical signal and power couplers; water depth pressure compensated failsafe valves; MODU installation of large manifold production systems; subsea production pump and oil/gas separation systems; and articulated marine risers. These were only a few of the concepts and technology associated with the SPS project over its 30 plus year lifetime.

The SPS was truly a concept and technological pioneer in the early development of subsea production systems for ultra-

deepwater.

Recognizing the pioneering efforts of the following individuals and organizations that contributed to this technology:

Joseph A. Burkhardt, Thomas W. Childers, Roger J. Koerner, Johnny A. Kopecky, William D. Loth, J. Preston Mason, and Daniel R. Tidwell, General Electric, Global Marine (now Transocean), Humble Oil and Refining Company (now ExxonMobil), Rockwell-McEvoy (now Cameron), TRW Subsea (now Aker Solutions), and Vetco Offshore (now GE Oil and Gas)

Applying a technology used by the mining industry, the oil industry developed induced gas flotation technology to remove microscopic oil droplets from produced water so it could be disposed of in an environmentally acceptable way. In 1968, the Tretolite Division of the Petrolite Corporation developed an improved flotation unit. In 1972, the Clean Water Act was passed. It recognized induced gas flotation as the best available technology for oil/water separation. Several companies joined the race to capture the rapidly growing market. One company, Monosep, owned by Al George of Lafayette, Louisiana, joined with Unicel to develop an improved hydraulic technology called an eductor. Success led Monosep to introduce a multi-stage design to challenge 4-stage mechanical designs. Similarly, WEMCO and Petrolite introduced their own hydraulic designs.



Recognizing the pioneering efforts of the following individuals and organizations that contributed to this technology:

Bob Bailey, M. Glen Basset, Paul Broussard, Vern Degner, Chris Jahn and Morris Place, Jr. Gulf Oil (now Chevron), Monosep (now Siemens), Shell, THUMS, Tretolite (now Baker Hughes), Unicel, and WEMCO, division of Cameron (now Schlumberger)

Prior to the early 1990’s, the most common units for meeting produced water discharge regulations on offshore platforms utilized large four-cell induced gas flotation (IGF). As the need evolved to be able to handle higher flowrates on floating facilities the size and weight of four-cell IGF units and their susceptibility to vessel motion led to a search for other designs which were lighter, smaller and insensitive to vessel motion.



Earlier, Southampton University led an effort to determine whether hydrocyclones, which had been used for years to separate solids and liquids, could be modified to separate oil from skimmed sea water in oil spill clean-ups. This was the start of a fifteen year research effort to develop specific geometry for such a hydrocyclone. This basic work was taken by industry entrepreneurs and initially used for offshore facilities in Australia and the North Sea. While at first the use of hydrocyclone technology met with some skepticism and less than adequate performance, after the publishing of the results of the Esso Bass Straits testing in a 1985 OTC paper, and a Conoco 1987 OTC paper on how best to control

hydrocyclones in the water treating system, the industry began to use this technology. It has now become standard equipment on many offshore facilities worldwide.

Recognizing the pioneering efforts of the following individuals and organizations that contributed to this technology:

Jim Cappi, Noel Carroll, William Carroll, Neville Clark, Derek Coleman, Peter Gould, Peter Harvey, J. J. Hayes, John MacIntosh, Neil Meldrum, David Parkinson, G. J. J. Prendergast, Martin Thew, Phil Tuckett and John Weston BWN Vortoil, Conoco (now ConocoPhillips), Esso Australia, Serck Baker and Southampton University