IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BP CHOKE MODEL ON THE WOODSIDE OPERATED COSSACK PIONEER FPSO

Abstract

The choke model evolved from a BP campaign started in the early 1990s to improve production operating efficiency. The choke model is a software tool (Access 2000) designed to enable this process to be consistently applied across all BP’s producing assets. It enables losses to be identified and categorised relative to the system capacity or installed production capacity across four primary production chokes—the reservoir, wells, plant and the export system. The volume of losses (measured relative to the installed production capacity) is recorded and the source and cause of the loss are identified and categorised. The latter are then analysed for trends and opportunities are identified and prioritised for improvement. This paper describes the choke model and the collaboration between Woodside as Operator of the Cossack Pioneer, and BP, to implement the choke model and to improve production operating efficiency across the Joint Venture’s oil assets.

The operating efficiency benefits and typical losses are analysed and discussed, learnings through the implementation process are described and improvements for the future are identified. Key conclusions and learnings from the implementation process include:

the choke model is an operations improvement tool that helps support a production improvement process;

definitions of Installed Production Capacity;

need for standardisation of the sources and causes of losses (people interpret these differently); and

the need for consolidation of pre-existing reporting systems into one common database.