Meeting the Challenge of Potential Deepwater Spills: Cooperative Research

Effort Between Industry and Government

by

Robert LaBelleU.S. Minerals Management Service

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Per

cen

t

1985

1987

1989

1991

1993

1995

1997

Year

Oil

Gas

Deepwater Production(Percent of Total GOM OCS)

GOM Production GOM Production (percentage by depth)(percentage by depth)

WaterDepth 1997 2002 (est.) 2007 (est.)

0 - 650 ft 59% 39% 17%

650 ft - 2600 ft 13% 14% 14%

> 2600 ft 28% 47% 69%

Deep Water Spill Research

• What’s different about deep water?

• Why do we need a field experiment?

Ixtoc Blow-out, Gulf of Mexico

Deep Water Issues

• Complex ocean column

• Hard to track

• Oil/gas rises in hrs - days

• Phase changes (hydrates)

• Thin surface slicks

• No validated models

Why a calibrated model ?

• Oil spill contingency planning• Incident response• Environmental analyses Release of oil and gas, 815 m depth

650

700

750

800

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400

Distance downstream, m

Dep

th, m

~20 cm/s

Plume with entrained water, hydrate and

dissolved components

Rising oil droplets

Model simulations of expected behavior of release during experiments

entrainment

bottom sediment

current

near-field far-field

neutral buoyancy level

sea surface

jet

plume

hydrate formation

hydrate decomposition

gas dissolution into water

oil droplets

Deep Water Blowout

Cooperative MMS/IndustryResearch

Dec. 97

Workshop defines problem

Jul. 98

Start 3-D modeling

Aug. 98

Start lab studies

Feb. 99

Workshop to refine model /

lab work

UH Lab

Plume model

Jun. 99

Deep Spill feasibility

study

Jul. 99

Workshop to scope field experiment

Dec. 99

Start Deep Spill JIP June 00

Complete lab studies

June 00

Deep Spill field

experiment

June 01

Validated model

Deep Spill ParticipantsAgipBHPBP AmocoCNGChevronConocoDevonEEXElfEl PasoExxonMobilKerr-McGee

MarathonMarinerMMSMurphyNewfieldNorske HydroPhillipsShellStatoilTexacoUnocalVastar

Why a field experiment?• Collect realistic field data• Test & validate subsurface surveillance• Provide data to validate models• Input to environmental assessment documents

1996 Field shallow-water exp. off Norway

Trondheim

Kristiansund

Stavanger

Bergen

Helland Hansen

Kårstø

MongstadSture

Deep Spill Release Location

“Deep Spill” Status - 10/00

• Deep Spill experiment successful June 26 - 30, 2000

• Budget around $2 million

• MMS share is $600k

• 23 companies so far… approx. $67k/company

• Final report due November 2000

• Calibrated model due June 2001

• Raw data proprietary for 5 years