• Published: July 2001
• REF/ISBN: 9780852932841
• Edition: 1st
• Status: Current

These guidelines are intended for engineers concerned with offshore production, drilling, completion or workover well operations from fixed (seabed founded) platforms and mobile jackup drilling units. This publication provides information and guidance on those issues that affect the overall structural strength, integrity and operability of such well systems. In this context the well systems include conductor tubulars, surface casing string tubulars, surface blow-out preventers (BOPs including flanges and other connections), surface xmas trees (including flanges and other connections) and surface risers (i.e. those joining surface wellheads to surface BOPs). Any of these items that are present are primary structural components and the integrity of the entire well system is dependent upon their suitability for the particular application.

These guidelines also provide a single reference source for what has over the years become accepted practice in the engineering analysis and design of jackup and fixed platform well conductor systems. General guidance is provided on typical systems that have been successfully used in the field, as an indication of the types of system which may be suitable for a particular application. Assurance that a particular system will be acceptable in any given set of circumstances can only be derived by carrying out the appropriate analyses, utilising the methods and techniques described in this publication.

These guidelines have been written primarily for application offshore on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf and Norway, but the principles and recommendations have general relevance to similar operations elsewhere in the world. It is intended that these guidelines should be considered as a starting point and general reference source for such operations. It is also essential that the codes of practice, specifications, standards, recommended practices, national regulations and national statutory requirements referred to are studied and applied as appropriate.