# US 9,004,177 B2 · Subsea production systems and methods

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- Number: US 9,004,177 B2
- Document ID: US9004177B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/144,709
- Filed: 2010-01-08
- Published: 2011-12-01
- Granted: 2015-04-14
- Earliest claimed: 2009-01-16
- Assignees: Shell Oil Company
- Applicants: Gregory John Hatton
- Inventors: Gregory John Hatton
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9004177B2

## CPC

- E21B 43/017: Production satellite stations, i.e. underwater installations comprising a plurality of satellite well heads connected to a central station
- E21B 43/35: {specially adapted for separating solids (down-hole drilling fluid separation systems E21B21/002; separating solids from drilling fluids E21B21/065)}
- E21B 43/36: Underwater separating arrangements (E21B43/38 takes precedence)
- E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS

## Abstract

A subsea production system, comprising a plurality of wells located on a sea floor, the wells producing a fluid comprising hydrocarbons; a cold flow center on the sea floor, the cold flow center fluidly connected to the plurality of wells; and a production facility on land or on a floating structure, the production facility fluidly connected to the cold flow center; wherein the cold flow center lowers a temperature of the fluid and produces a slurry of the fluid and suspended solids for transportation to the production facility.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A subsea production system, comprising:
a plurality of wells located on a sea floor, the wells producing a fluid comprising hydrocarbons;
a cold flow center on the sea floor, the cold flow center fluidly connected to the plurality of wells; and
a production facility on land or on a floating structure, the production facility fluidly connected to the cold flow center;
wherein the cold flow center lowers a temperature of the fluid and produces a slurry of the fluid and suspended solids for transportation to the production facility and wherein the cold flow center comprises a separator adapted to remove water and sand from the fluid before producing the transportable slurry.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of cold flow centers fluidly connected to the production facility.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, further comprising a manifold fluidly connected between the cold flow center and at least two of the wells.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the cold flow center is at least 1 kilometer from one of the wells.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the cold flow center is at least 2 kilometers from one of the wells.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the cold flow center is at least 5 kilometers from the production facility.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the cold flow center is at least 10 kilometers from the production facility.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the cold flow center is at least 20 kilometers from the production facility.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the cold flow center is at least 50 kilometers from the production facility.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the cold flow center is at least 100 kilometers from the production facility.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the suspended solids comprise at least one of waxes, paraffins, hydrates, and asphaltenes.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the fluid comprises crude oil.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the fluid in the wells has a temperature from 30 to 100 degrees centigrade.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein seawater adjacent to the cold flow center has a temperature from −10 to 10 degrees centigrade.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the cold flow center lowers the temperature of the fluid from 10 to 80 degrees centigrade.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the cold flow center lowers the temperature of the fluid from 20 to 50 degrees centigrade.

### Claim 17

A method of producing hydrocarbons from a subsea field, comprising:
drilling a plurality of wells into the field on a seafloor;
fluidly connecting the wells to a cold flow center;
fluidly connecting the cold flow center to a production facility on land or on a floating offshore structure;
producing a fluid comprising hydrocarbons from the wells to the cold flow center;
separating water and sand from the fluid at the cold flow center;
lowering a temperature of the fluid at the cold flow center to precipitate out one or more solids into the fluid;
forming a slurry of the fluid and the solids; and
transporting the slurry from the cold flow center to the production facility.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, further comprising: connecting at least two of the wells to a manifold, and then connecting the manifold to the cold flow center.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, further comprising injecting the water into a disposal well.