Project Profile
Location: 100 miles (161 kilometres) southeast of New Orleans, Gulf of Mexico, USA
Reserves: 150 MMboe
Spar production: 65,000 bopd and 70 MMcf/d (2 MMcm/d)
Water Depth: 14,677 feet (4,474 metres)
Located on Mississippi Canyon Block 127 in the Gulf of Mexico, the Horn Mountain field is roughly 100 miles (161 kilometres) southeast of New Orleans. BP is the operator of the field and holds 67% interest, while Occidental Petroleum Corporation holds the remaining 33% interest. Ocean Victory drilled the Horn Mountain exploration well, which encountered 285 feet (87 metres) of net pay in two primary and two secondary intervals. The intervals contained 33-degree API gravity crude oil. The discovery well reached a depth of 14,677 feet (4,474 metres) and encountered a hydrocarbon column of at least 500 feet (152 metres). Appraisal drilling confirmed the field contains recoverable reserves of 150 MMboe. Production on Horn Mountain commenced in 2002 at a rate of 15,000 bopd and 12 MMcf/d (0.3 MMcm/d), but it is currently producing more than 65,000 bopd and 68 MMcf/d (2 MMcm/d). Field development on Horn Mountain consists of eight production and two injection wells tied to a truss spar. In 2000, BP and Occidental sanctioned the project, and construction of the Horn Mountain Spar began immediately.
Horn Mountain Spar
The spar is located in the Gulf of Mexico on Mississippi Canyon Block 127, in a water depth of 5,420 feet (1,652 metres). At the time of installation in 2002, the spar was the world\'s deepest dry tree production platform. With a production capacity of 65,000 bopd and 70 MMcf/d (2 MMcm/d), the Horn Mountain spar is capable of supporting 14 dry trees, connected to the facility via a dual-barrier riser system. The large tensions from the deep waters are supported by 240 foot-long (73 metre-long) and 12 foot-diametre (4 metre-diameter) air cans. The hull structure measures 585 feet (178 metres) in length and 106 feet (32 metres) in diameter and was designed by CSO Aker. Gulf Marine Fabricators constructed the topsides, and Alliance Engineering carried out the design. Intec Engineering was contracted for the pipeline infrastructure; and the lines were laid by Allseas\' vessel Solitaire.
Operators:
BP: Operator with 67% interest
Occidental Petroleum Corporation: 33% interest
Contracts:
Alliance Engineering: Design of the topsides
Allseas: Lay the lines of the pipelines
CSO Aker: Design of hull structure
Gulf Marine Fabricators: Construction of the topsides
Intec Engineering: Construction of the pipeline infrastructure