A stabilizing
design
Audubon Companies' Denis Taylor
and LLOG Exploration's Craig
Mullett discuss changing design
considerations for condensate
stabilization on the Delta House FPS in
the Gulf of Mexico.
C
oping with unexpected engineering challenges during
the design and development of infrastructure is some-
thing that is inherent in the deepwater offshore oil and
gas industry.
Case in point: LLOG Exploration's Delta House floating pro-
duction system (FPS) in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM).
Delta House, in Mississippi Canyon Block 254, was built under
a rather unique set of circumstances. Unlike the conventional
approach taken by most offshore operators, which involves delin-
eating wells and studying reservoir composition before detailed
design and construction begins, work on Delta House started
before a discovery was even made. Part of this was due to the
fact that the 20 or so deepwater leases acquired for production by
LLOG in 2010 were set to expire in early 2014 – requiring expe-
dition of the entire construction process so that the FPS could be
brought online and wells could be drilled within 36 months.
Delta House. Image from LLOG Exploration Co.
FPSO
