WIT Press

Oil and gas operations under extreme conditions in the cold north

Price

Free (open access)

Volume

Volume 3 (2015), Issue 1

Pages

5

Page Range

7 - 12

Paper DOI

10.2495/CMEM-V3-N1-7-12

Copyright

WIT Press

Author(s)

O.T. GUDMESTAD & T. MARKESET

Abstract

Norway’s oil industry is shifting attention toward the north, to the Barents Sea. This means it must adjust to temperatures down to −30°C, storms, sleet, and snow, and possibly to drift-ice in the case of operations toward the north and east of these seas. Furthermore, operations during winter time will be carried out in the blackest night as the sun is away for several weeks. We have some information about the climate; however, compared with our expertise from the southern Norwegian continental shelf, we know little about how to run an offshore production installation in a cold climate.

Keywords

Cold climate, High North, oil and gas developments, operations