BP and Maersk Drilling are to work together on the conceptual development of a “new breed” of deepwater drilling rigs that can operate in high-pressure and high-temperature reservoirs.

The UK major and the Danish rig specialist have agreed to partner in the development of conceptual engineering designs for the drilling units as part of BP’s Project 20K™, its’ multi-year initiative to develop next-generation systems and tools for deepwater exploration and production.

The two companies will collaborate on concepts for deepwater rigs that can operate in HP/HT reservoirs up to 20,000 pounds per square inch and 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

A jointly staffed engineering team will be located in Houston, with back-office support from Maersk Drilling’s headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark. They will perform the engineering studies required to select the optimal design of the 20K™ drilling rigs, riser and blowout prevention equipment. BP will then determine “how best to proceed with construction”, it said.

It is anticipated that some of the technologies to be developed and deployed on the new rigs will include advanced operating systems to aid the situational awareness of the rig crew and inform decision making; real-time blow-out-preventer monitoring to continuously verify functionality of the BOP; and significantly enhanced mechanical capabilities of the BOP, rig structures and piping systems, according to BP.

Last November BP announced the first two contract awards for the project (see DI, 26 November 2012, page 7). KBR will develop program execution and management plans for Project 20K™, including capital cost and schedule estimates, risk assessments and technical designs. FMC Technologies will participate in a technology development agreement, in which it will work jointly with BP to design and develop 20,000 psi rated subsea production equipment, including a subsea production tree and a subsea High Integrity Pressure Protection System.

BP launched its Project 20K™ in February last year, with the aim of developing technologies over the next decade in four key areas: well design and completions; drilling rigs, riser and blowout prevention equipment; subsea production systems; and well intervention and containment. It estimates it could potentially access an additional 10-20 Bn bbl of resources across its global portfolio over the next two decades through the application of Project 20K™ technology.

In the US Gulf, for example, BP says it expects the technology to play an important role in developing major discoveries it has made in recent years, including Kaskida and Tiber. Those deepwater discoveries were found in the Paleogene play, where the company says it holds a strong lease position. It also sees potential applications for the technology in Egypt, Azerbaijan and other deepwater basins globally.

These resources, it added, are inaccessible with current equipment, which has a technical limit of 15,000 psi pressure and temperatures of 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

“This agreement marks another important step in taking Project 20K™ from concept to reality,” said Neil Shaw, BP’s Chief Operating Officer, Projects. “It also highlights BP’s commitment to seeking out the best partners and minds for a project that will move the entire offshore industry forward.”