Type:
Oil & Gas
Design:
Compliant tower
Installed:
2000
Facility:
Production
Water Depth:
535
meters
Country:
USA - New Orleans District
Block:
VIOSCA KNOLL 60. Block 786
Intro
Petronius is a deepwater compliant tower platform located in Viosca Knoll Block 786 in the Gulf of Mexico. Installed in 2000, it produces oil and gas and is one of the tallest free-standing structures in the world. The facility functions as a standalone processing and export hub with direct pipeline connections to shore.
Field
The Petronius Field lies in the Viosca Knoll area of the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Reservoirs are Miocene-age deepwater turbidite sandstones. The field is moderate to large in scale and was developed using a compliant tower structure to operate in deepwater conditions while supporting dry-tree wells.
Facilities
The Petronius compliant tower is installed in approximately 1,754 ft (535 m) of water and supports multiple dry-tree wells drilled from the platform. The topsides include full processing facilities with multi-stage separation, oil stabilization, and gas compression. Oil is exported via a 24-inch pipeline to the Ship Shoal area, connecting into the Poseidon oil pipeline system. Gas is exported via a 14-inch pipeline to the Destin Pipeline system, linking into the U.S. Gulf Coast gas network. Produced water is treated prior to discharge. The platform includes water injection systems for reservoir support and gas lift capability. Power is generated via gas turbines. The compliant tower design allows lateral flexibility under wave loading while maintaining structural integrity. The facility includes drilling and workover capability, with integrated control systems managing well operations and processing.
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Image Source: "Chevron Taps Worley for Ballymore Tie-Back Work in Gulf of Mexico" - Offshore Engineer [https://www.oedigital.com/] (All rights belong to the original owner.)
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