Among other things, they’re trying to predict the best locations for the wells and how quickly the oil or gas will flow out of the reservoirs. They do this by simulating many different possibilities. Getting this right can take months, although new software has sped up the process considerably.
The facility takes shape
Every oil and gas production facility is different. The size, shape and features match the climate and characteristics of the location, as well as the type of reservoir and the specific hydrocarbons within it.
On land, a motorized pump is positioned over a well to extract the oil and gas into tanks or a pipeline. Steam, gas or water may be pumped through a nearby well to flush more of the hydrocarbons out.
At sea everything we do on land has to perch on top of a platform hundreds of metres above the sea floor. Each platform is a major engineering feat. The largest can take years to build and costs billions of dollars.
The biggest pieces of a platform arrive at the site ready-built. Cranes lower the massive steel or concrete legs onto a support structure or directly onto the ocean floor. The platform hull is floated into place and welded on. Its height must clear the roughest waves.
While the smallest platforms operate without a regular onboard crew, most offshore facilities include living quarters within the carefully planned maze of rooms and stairwells. Sometimes our engineers decide that multiple platforms are needed, in which case footbridges connect drilling, injection, storage, treatment and living spaces on separate structures above the water.