Mars Debottlenecking Project

The Mars installation consists of a four (4) block unit with a Tension Leg Platform (TLP) installed in Mississippi Canyon Block 807. The discovery well was drilled in 1989. Development studies were conducted in 1990 through 1992 with project fabrication funding occurring in the fall of 1993. A twenty-four (24) well dual casing riser TLP in 2,933 feet of water was approved. The facility was originally designed to process 100,000 BBL/D of oil and 110 MMSCF/D of gas. Maximum individual well rates were estimated at 11,000 BBL/D of oil. During the fabrication phase of the project in 1995, it became clear that completion technology advances had increased the individual well production potential far beyond the 11,000 BBL/D of oil benchmark, and the ultimate TLP production potential would exceed the topsides nameplate capacity. A study was undertaken to debottleneck the topsides in order to handle unconstrained production rates. The study evaluated all phases of the production facility impacted by the increased production. This paper will present the evaluated phases of the production facility debottleneck, will summarize the modifications to the facilities at the TLP integration site and will review the utilization of several new and innovative technologies. The facilities systems that were debottlenecked included: ○ Production High Rate Flowlines ○ Oil Treating ○ Compression Units ○ Dry Oil Sales Pumps ○ Utility Systems ○ Flare System ○ Gas Dehydration.