Coil Tubing Drilling Support Unit - BPXA North Slope, Alaska

The initial engagement's work scope involved advising BPXA on contract strategy and vendor selection for a long term coil tubing drilling application utilizing a third party rig contractor and a coil tubing service provider. Developed of a bid package sent to a group of providers and rig contractors including the incumbents. Bids were evaluated, the contract awarded and the strategy implemented. The work scope evolved as BPXA's project management representative with the rig contractor while modifications were designed and installed on an existing drilling unit. The drilling unit and coil service are operating to this day utilizing the strategy developed in 2004. Savings to BPXA were well over $100 million. The project involved developing a comfort level with local and outside resources including: Light fabrication resources in Alaska, including Anchorage and the North Slope. Trucking resources and standards for Alaska. Hovercraft and marine transportation on the North Slope. Heavier fabrication choices in Portland, OR., including sea lift resources for shipping to Alaska. The regulatory environment for the land transportation portions of the project.

Alaska Modular Platform Structural Design - Parker Drilling Cook Inlet, Alaska

Modular rig design of deck modules, consisting of 3 large structures of stiffened plate construction housing drilling rig equipment. Scope included preparation of complete design package. In addition to structure scope included design of heating distribution system & winterization panels.

Infill Drilling Rigs - Lease or Buy Analyses -- BPXA North Slope, Alaska

From 2006 to 2008 this work scope evolved into dozens of "lease or buy" analyses that were developed for BPXA's plans to employ up to six new infill drilling rigs. These new units were to replace two existing rigs on the North Slope. Probabilistic models were developed for various expected values for initial asset cost and operating expenses such as labor, supplies, maintenance and freight-in. Although the modeling resulted in a clear bias towards owning the rigs under even the poorest model, BPXA believed the risk for that option to be excessive within their existing organizational hierarchy.

Liberty Project - BPXA North Slope, Alaska

Liberty project's scope included multiple evaluations of the predetermined drilling contractor's resources and financial condition for all applicable "lease or buy" options. This Extended Reach Drilling project was to include many industry "firsts" including the eventual manufacture of two strings of drill pipe that had never been produced before. The scope also included a large number of risk analyses of the sea lift operation required to deliver the rig components and mobilize them for final assembly at the North Slope.

Arctic Modular Rig for use on Concrete Bottom Founded Platform - Zapata, Alaska

Developed all framing concepts, including winterization panels, performed design calculations for global and local loadings, prepared design sketches and guided drafting effort in preparing shipyard bid package. Design engineering for all modules and major outfitting items. Rig concept involved six fully enclosed and winterized modules plus the substructure, skid base and enclosed pipe rack.

Arctic Submersible 150 Ft. Water Depth for Arctic Ice Environment - Brian Watt and Associates Beaufort Sea, Alaska

Concept involved a caisson type bottom founded structure with a concrete lower structure and a steel upper hull. Scope involved basic and design engineering of steel upper hull structure. Structural engineer responsible for design of upper hull structure & Drilling Module. Scope involved development of framing scheme, design of local structure for payload, and ice loads, global analysis and preparation of design layouts/ sketches to guide the drafting effort.

Arctic Submersible 275 Ft Water Depth for Arctic/Iceburg Environment - Brian Watt and Associates, Beaufort Sea, Alaska

Bottom founded Semisubmersible that may be floated to avoid large icebergs. Conceptual and basic engineering of hull joints consisting of large double skinned tubular members. Scope included fatigue analysis and evaluation of fabrication difficulty. Structural engineer responsible for hull joint design. Scope included design layouts to develop framing concepts for framing together 20 to 30 Ft diameter hull elements with heavy plate thicknesses (2 to 4 inches). Involved resolution and combination of local and global stress components, fatigue analysis and evaluation of fabrication issues involving the double wall construction and the heavy wall thicknesses.