Type:
Oil
Facility:
Production
Water Depth:
85
Installed:
1994
meters
Block:
46348
Design:
Fixed steel
Sub Structure:
8500
Topsides Wgt:
9900
tonnes
tonnes
Intro
Nelson is a fixed steel jacket oil and gas production platform in the UK North Sea located in Block 22/6a, approximately 200 km east-northeast of Aberdeen. Discovered in 1988, first production began in February 1994. The installation produces oil and associated gas and serves as the host for tied-back satellite fields including Bardolino and Howe.
Field
The Nelson field produces oil and gas from a reservoir within the central North Sea. Oil is medium gravity crude and gas is co-produced; the field has been developed with a primary platform and subsea tie-backs. Nelson contributes to the UK’s offshore oil and gas portfolio as a conventional reservoir developed in moderate water depth (c. 80–90 m).
Facilities
The Nelson platform comprises a four-legged steel jacket supporting integrated topsides that include production separation trains for oil, gas, and water. Wells drilled from the jacket install multiple production and injection wells. Fluids are routed to horizontal separators where crude oil is separated from gas and water. Gas is compressed and dehydrated before export or reinjection as needed; water is treated and discharged per regulatory standards. Oil is metered and exported via pipeline to the Forties Pipeline System (or via shuttle tanker arrangements depending on tie-ins). The platform’s utilities include gas-turbine or electric power generation, HVAC, firewater, and chemical injection systems to prevent hydrate formation and corrosion. Subsea infrastructure includes manifolds and flowlines connecting satellite fields Bardolino and Howe back to Nelson for processing. Accommodation facilities, control room, and safety systems are designed to support sustained offshore operations. Based on field data and typical North Sea platform configurations.
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