BRENT E-NEWS SHELL BRENT FIELD DECOMMISSIONING PROJECT ISSUE #16 MAY 2016 IN THIS ISSUE... A WORD FROM DUNCAN A welcome from the Business Opportunity Manager A WORD FROM ALISTAIR An update from the Project Director SHEAR RESTRAINTS Learn more about what shear restraints are and how they will be used on Brent ATTIC OIL RECOVERY A look at the Brent Delta attic oil recovery project RESEARCH See how research is supporting the Brent decommissioning project PROJECT LESSONS AND EXPERIENCE Sharing over 10 years of project lessons and experience RECYCLING Brent helps the Deeside Railway with an interesting reuse project www.shell.co.uk/brentdecomm BRENT E-NEWS Issue #16 May 2016 A WORD FROM DUNCAN Welcome to issue 16 of Brent e-news. We also plan wider communications later they will be made into two bridges. in the year. Read the dedicated article later in this In this issue we will share our latest offshore newsletter to find out more about this progress, explore how we are sharing our “SHELL VIEWS creative reuse opportunity.Finally, please knowledge and key learning with other KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER note the refreshed content on our website. colleagues in the industry and tell you The site is constantly evolving with new about an exciting project where Shell has AS KEY TO IMPROVING content, videos and images added as been able to support the Deeside Railway. THE DECOMMISSIONING often as possible to ensure that new We will also update you on our refreshed INDUSTRY AND HAVE information is available and that we can website which is one of the main resources keep you up to date with our activities. for all Brent updates and project information. ENGAGED WHEREVER In 2016 this will be a more regular feature. POSSIBLE TO SHARE Our aim is to capture the decommissioning In 2016 we are looking ahead to a busy THE BRENT STORY AND work as it happens. period when the team will be visiting stakeholders to discuss project findings; LESSONS LEARNED.” You will see that new material such as an this follows on from engagements last image gallery and videos from the Brent year which concluded with our Cell If you would be interested in meeting to team have already been added. I hope Management Stakeholder Task Group discuss our Brent Field decommissioning that you will find this information useful (CMSTG) plenary event in November proposals, I would be happy to hear from and informative. where the detailed analyses of the cell you. You will be able to get in touch with the sediments were discussed. team via the ‘Contact us’ link on the website. Duncan Business Opportunity Manager Shell views knowledge transfer as key to improving the decommissioning industry and have engaged wherever possible to share the Brent story and lessons learned. Alistair, my colleagues and I attend many industry ONE-TO-ONE conferences, events and seminars and you ENGAGEMENT can read more about this later in this issue. If you would like to be briefed An example of creative reuse one-to-one on any aspect of the was demonstrated Brent Decommissioning Project’s recently by the developments, or would like to raise Deeside Railway who any particular queries or issues with contacted Shell to the Project team, please contact us at ask if they could use the www.shell.co.uk/brentdecomm or you underdeck runway beams, can also get in touch with the team via once they were no longer needed. the ‘Contact us’ link on the website. Shell has donated the beams and 2/9 < Previous Next > BRENT E-NEWS Issue #16 May 2016 A WORD FROM ALISTAIR There has been a lot of activity both Readiness for the topside lift is going “READINESS FOR THE on and offshore from an engineering well and one of our key aspects is the TOPSIDE LIFT IS GOING perspective since our last newsletter production and installation of shear WELL AND ONE OF OUR at the end of 2015. restraints. These are the giant clamps that will be added to the legs prior to KEY ASPECTS IS THE Our key focus for Brent Delta remains the lifting of the platform – you can read PRODUCTION AND the preparation for the topside lift. more about the shear restraints later in INSTALLATION OF this issue of e-news. We are working closely with Allseas, who SHEAR RESTRAINTS.” we have commissioned for the heavy lift of On Bravo our focus has been on plugging the Brent Delta platform using the Pioneering wells. This is one of the most significant Spirit vessel. Allseas have advised us that areas of activity for any decommissioning the topside lift is now expected to take project, and industry data suggests this place in Summer 2017. The lifting of the typically accounts for 40% or more of all Brent Delta topside is not specifically time expenditure. Using the lessons we have bound, and Shell has always been clear learned from Delta we have generally that the lift will only take place when the been able to apply great time and cost topside, vessel, and Able UK Ltd. Seaton savings to our operations on Bravo. This Port yard are ready, and all necessary is experience that we have shared both permits and consents have been granted. internally with colleagues in Shell and with others in the industry. Our attic oil techniques will use innovative technology adapted specifically to The team who has been working on remove the small portion of oil trapped plugging activities have been operating SIT site tour at the top of the cells on Delta. During the on the platforms since 2008. Many winter period, large baseplates, which lessons have been learnt which have are almost 2.5 metres in length were been invaluable. In this e-news we will installed 80 metres under the sea onto the share some examples as well as details top of Delta’s storage cells, each of which of where representatives from the team stand 60 metres tall by 20 metres wide. have been to recently to engage more broadly about the project. Onshore System Integration Testing (SIT) CONTACT US for attic oil methods was completed Alistair in early March near Inverurie in Project Director For further information on the Aberdeenshire, Scotland – I met with Project, please visit www.shell.co.uk/ a representative from Oil and Gas brentdecomm or, you can also get in Authority (OGA) at the testing to view touch with the team via the ‘Contact this new technology and we also took Us’ link on the website. the opportunity for a site tour. 3/9 < Previous Next > BRENT E-NEWS Issue #16 May 2016 BRENT DELTA SHEAR RESTRAINTS In issue 15 of Brent e-news, we updated Production of the high grade steel fast turn-around, but the work is very you on our extensive offshore activities. restraints commenced in the small specialist and occurs in tight spaces, to This detailed the installation of eight Aberdeenshire town of Huntly in precise specifications and challenging giant cruciform points which Allseas will November last year and by early conditions. To see the first successful use as lifting points for the Pioneering March, the giant rings were ready for installation was a great triumph.” Spirit vessel to execute the Brent Delta transportation. A trial assembly was platform single lift. undertaken onshore; as transportation of The lessons that we have learned from the rings offshore necessitated the rings the installation of these restraints on Brent Successful installation was completed to be sent in smaller segments, it was Delta will be captured and shared with over the winter and some of the surplus vital that they could be pieced together the team ahead of similar operations equipment has been donated to the perfectly on arrival and after a successful on Bravo. Deeside Railway which you can read onshore trial, they were ready to be about elsewhere in this newsletter. shipped offshore for installation. “...THE WORK IS VERY Now the offshore focus has moved to The journey took the rings from the SPECIALIST AND OCCURS reinforcing Delta’s three legs, each with manufacturer to Aberdeen where they a diameter of almost 12 metres – about were transferred to a vessel before being IN TIGHT SPACES, TO the same size as three small hatchback shipped to the platform. Once offshore a PRECISE SPECIFICATIONS cars nose to tail – ahead of the lift. team securely fitted them to the inside of AND CHALLENGING the legs – no mean feat considering the The steel ring shaped restraints are being size and weight of each component. CONDITIONS.” attached to the inside of each of the The work also had to be conducted within platform legs ahead of the cut and lift the confines of a 40-year-old platform leg operations in order to provide additional in the middle of the North Sea. strengthening provisions. Each ring will weigh approximately 35 tonnes when The first full installation was completed at fully installed, the equivalent of five the end of March with the other two rings double decker busses. transported and installed in April. Shell’s Brent engineering team has Project Engineer Eric McWilliam worked on the design of the rings in described the work as unique. conjunction with civil engineering “On the surface, this sounds quite a specialists. simple project and we have had a really 4/9 < Previous Next > BRENT E-NEWS Issue #16 May 2016 BRENT DELTA ATTIC OIL RECOVERY There is a small portion of oil within the Each piece of equipment has to be top dome of the Brent Delta cells. The expertly guided into place by a team of oil cannot be recovered with the internal ROV ‘pilots’ who work on rotational shifts.