Helix fast-response system

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The Helix fast-response system (HFRS) is a

subsea well incidents. Helix Energy Solutions Group
designed the Helix fast-response system based on techniques used to contain the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. On February 28, 2011 the drilling moratorium imposed as a result of the spill ended when the United States Department of the Interior approved the first drilling permit based on the availability of the HFRS to offshore oil companies.

The HFRS relies on the deployment of Helix ESG's

psi
in water depths to 10,000 feet.

Overview

When deployed, the HFRS is assembled in stages following an

well head. ROVs then lower a custom-designed well cap onto the blowout preventer (BOP) stack; if the flow of escaping hydrocarbons is not too extreme, the vents inside the well cap can be manually closed one by one to shut in the well. If the pressure is too extreme to shut in the well, ROVs will lower an intervention riser system (IRS) onto the top of the well cap. The hydrocarbons will then be transferred through a marine riser to the Q4000, which will use its gas flare
to burn off much of the oil and gas while transferring the rest through a flexible riser to the Helix Producer 1.

The Helix Producer 1 will activate its flare to burn off the gas while it processes the oil and transfers it to a nearby oil tanker through another flexible riser. As the oil and gas is successfully captured, processed or burned and then transferred onto a tanker, drillships will be required to drill a relief well to permanently kill the damaged subsea well.

Developments

In January 2011 Helix ESG signed an agreement with Clean Gulf Associates, a non-profit industry group, to make the HFRS available for a two-year period to CGA member companies in the event of a future subsea well incident in the Gulf of Mexico. In 2012 Helix ESG said it was working develop an additional consortium for the Caribbean and would likely base the system out of Port of Spain Trinidad.

References

  1. ^ Kratz, Owen (April 18, 2011). "GULF OF MEXICO: A FOCUS ON COMMUNITY RECOVERY AND NEW RESPONSE TECHNOLOGY" (PDF). House Committee on Natural Resources. Retrieved 12 February 2024.