Tenaris Tests in Culzean Project

Tenaris has pushed the limits of its high pressure/high temperature (HP/HT) technology, and through precision in execution in testing, delivery, running and expert services, generated outstanding results for its work on Total’s Culzean project.

According to the supplier of tubes and related services for the world's energy industry and certain other industrial applications the Culzean gas field is located in the challenging waters of the North Sea, about 145 miles off the coast of Aberdeen.

The field began production in June and is anticipated, at peak, to provide five percent of the United Kingdom’s gas demand.

Tenaris supplied TenarisHydril Blue Max and TenarisHydril Blue Heavy Wall connections, and Dopeless technology for the project’s complex wells in water depths of 90 meters to production zones located about 4,500 meters below the sea level with bottom hole pressure of 13,500 psi and bottom hole temperatures of 180C.

“This was an incredible undertaking in extreme downhole conditions of high pressure and threat of corrosion. We achieved amazing results, carrying out industry-first testing for our products, proving the robustness of our technology, minimizing risks, ensuring reliability and optimizing performance," said Gabriel Podskubka, Tenaris President, Eastern Hemisphere.

To enhance running times, the Culzean team opted to run double stands. The running of 2,200 joints of TenarisHydril Blue Max and Blue Heavy Wall Dopeless connections, with each double joint weighing up to 4.25 metric tons, was a success, with 99.6 percent of the connections torqued to the required value on the first make up.

The use of Tenaris’s dry, multifunctional coating, Dopeless technology, further enhanced the stand’s robustness in make up, while offering the customer the environmental and safety benefits the product offers due to the absence of compound, making for a cleaner rig site, as well as generating total pipe cost savings.

To manage the rigorous technical product specifications required and delivery dates, Tenaris also provided its logistics solution based Rig Direct services, strategically coordinating manufacturing and testing with its local and global teams.

Expert services included technical consulting, pipe management, as well as a dedicated field services expert at the rig site to support running operations.

Tenaris was first awarded the long-term contract to supply pipe casing and related services for Culzean in 2015 from Maersk Oil, which was acquired by Total in 2018.