With continued reverberations resulting from the Macondo oil spill crisis of 2010, solutions developed by Trendsetter Engineering, Inc. remain at the apex of innovation. Capping Stack technology is one of the highest impact developments to hit the oil and gas industry in many years—in this case, born out of necessity.
Mario R. Lugo, founder, CEO, and President of Trendsetter, was specifically selected by ExxonMobil in 2010 to be the subsea lead expert for the crisis intervention and solution team for the Macondo subsea blowout. An immediate, effective response system had to be developed to stop the massive flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
With the resulting cessation of subsea drilling mandated by the U.S. Government, solutions and backup redundancies have been in high demand. A proactive approach is necessary for preparedness in the event of future crises. Trendsetter remains the leader—and the company upon whom the oil and gas industry relies—for innovative solutions to difficult subsea problems.
“If it wasn’t for Trendsetter, we wouldn’t be getting permits right now, at least for projects that need the 15,000-psi capping stack, the higher pressure containment.”
Gene Hall, Subsea Manager for Cobalt International
Our team of staff engineers and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) has a proven track record and we welcome the continuous challenges set forth by deepwater drilling and production in today’s global industry.
“…they are known for their deepwater expertise, attention to detail and customer interaction.”
John Wuest, HWCG Steering Committee, Manager of Corporate Emergency Preparedness for Marathon Oil.
Interim Capping Stack Assembly for the Marine Well Containment Company (MWCC)
Trendsetter was awarded the contract to design and build the 18-3/4” 15,000 psi Interim Capping Stack (ICS) assembly for MWCC, a consortium currently consisting of ten major Gulf of Mexico companies involved in deepwater drilling.* Trendsetter completed the system on a highly accelerated schedule (eight weeks) with equipment designed, manufactured, and tested safely—with zero incidents. Complete function testing was witnessed by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE) and the ICS also meets the requirements of BOEMRE Notice to Lessees (NTL) 10.
The ICS is in “ready” mode, with a dual barrier design consisting of blowout preventer (BOP) ram plus containment cap. The system can be controlled subsea by a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), if necessary. With a depth capability of 8,000 ft a, it has a well pressure tolerance of 15,000 psi, and includes the ability to capture/process 60,000 barrels (bbl) of fluid per day. Four 5-1/8” 15,000 psi outlets are also built into the ICS for subsea dispersant injection capability, another rapid response component critical to containment in the event of a future deepwater subsea well blowout.
*MWCC members: Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, Apache, Anadarko, BHP Billiton, Statoil, Hess
Capping Stack System for Clean Gulf Associates
Trendsetter was awarded the contract to design and build the 18-3/4” 15,000 psi Capping Stack System for Clean Gulf Associates (CGA). CGA contracted Trendsetter on behalf of Helix Well Containment Group (HWCG), a consortium consisting of 24 Gulf of Mexico oil and gas owners and operators,* whose mission is to provide rapid response in the event of a subsea spill.
This second generation Capping Stack system was completed in an unprecedented 5-1/2 weeks. The equipment was designed, manufactured, and tested safely and meets the requirements of BOEMRE’s NTL 10—complete function testing was also witnessed by the BOEMRE.
The Trendsetter Well Capping Stack (TWCS) is in “ready” mode at Trendsetter’s facility in Houston. Owned by Trendsetter, the equipment is available for lease from any of the consortium members. Similar to the ICS, it also has a dual barrier design consisting of BOP ram plus containment cap and can be controlled subsea by ROV, if necessary. The HWCG also has a well pressure tolerance of 15,000 psi but a greater depth capability of 10,000 ft. It, too, includes the capability to capture/process 60,000 bbl of fluid per day, but this system has two (vs. four) 5-1/8” 15,000 psi outlets built in for subsea dispersant injection capability.
*HWCG members: Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Apache Deepwater LLC, ATP Oil & Gas Corporation, BHP Billiton (Americas), Inc., Century Exploration New Orleans, Inc., Cobalt International Energy, LP, Deep Gulf Energy, LP (Deep Gulf Energy II LLC), ENI U.S. Operating Company, Energy Resource Technology GOM Inc., Hess Corporation, LLOG Exploration Company, LLC, Marathon Oil Company, Marubeni Oil & Gas (USA) Inc., Murphy Exploration & Production Company–USA, Newfield Exploration Company, Nexen Petroleum USA Inc., Noble Energy, Inc., Plains Exploration & Production Company, Repsol E&P USA Inc., Statoil Gulf of Mexico LLC (Statoil USA E&P, Inc.), Stone Energy Corporation, Walter Oil & Gas Corporation, Woodside Energy (USA), Inc., W&T Offshore, Inc. (W&T Energy VI, LLC)
Capping Stack System for Shell Exploration & Production (E&P)
Trendsetter was awarded a contract from Shell Exploration and Production Company in Alaska to design and manufacture a Capping Stack System. There will be challenges associated with drilling offshore Alaska that will require a capping solution different from ones utilized in deepwater Gulf of Mexico. This capping stack will have the capability to stop flow using blind rams, to divert flow to a surface processing vessel, to enable kill fluid to be pumped, and to allow subsequent well intervention work to be completed without temporarily abandoning the well. The capping stack concept will be a simple and robust approach and provide the required functionality through the final design and construction phases. The project will be assembled at Trendsetter’s facility in Houston, Texas and is expected to be completed early 2012.
