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Piper B

Piper Bravo (Piper B) is an eight-legged fixed steel jacket oil production platform in the Piper oilfield of the UK North Sea. Installed in 1992, it succeeded Piper Alpha after the 1988 disaster. Piper B produces both oil and associated gas, and serves as a central production facility for the field and associated reservoirs.

Operator: Repsol-Sinopec

Status: Operational

Piper B platform photo

Image Source: Repsol-Sinopec. (All rights belong to the original owner.)

Production: Oil

Operations start: 1976

Water depth: 146 m

Country: UK

Block: 15/17

Type: Fixed steel jacket

Field

The Piper field, discovered in 1973 in the central North Sea, produces oil with associated gas from reservoirs in Triassic and Jurassic sandstones. Piper B is located near the site of the former Piper Alpha platform and is designed for long-term oil and gas production with integrated processing and export facilities.

Facilities

Piper B's facilities include multiple production wells tied into the platform, with topsides hosting separators for crude oil and gas, gas compression and dehydration trains, and water treatment systems. Oil is stabilized, metered, and exported via pipeline to the Flotta oil terminal in Orkney, while gas is exported via the Frigg pipeline system to processing facilities. The platform supports utilities such as power generation (gas turbines), HVAC, accommodation, and control systems. Piper B incorporates safety enhancements post-Piper Alpha, including freefall lifeboats and upgraded firewater systems. Its processing trains handle multi-phase flow from wells, separating liquids and gas and routing outputs to export infrastructures. Subsea tiebacks from satellite reservoirs and injection wells may support enhanced oil recovery. Life-support utilities include waste treatment, potable water systems, and redundant power supplies.

Piper B layout
Image Source: Repsol-Sinopec. (All rights belong to the original owner.)

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