Oil production from the Rijn Field, offshore from The Netherlands, ceased in 1998 when it became uneconomic to produce the oil. Current enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques have made it economically viable to re-commence oil production, following a Re-Commissioning Project which carried out major refurbishment and upgrading of the offshore facilities.

The Requirement

As part of the Re-Commissioning Project, Orchid undertook to supply the following:

• An Operations Manual
• A set of Operating Instructions
• A Platform Systems Handbook
• Operator Training Materials
• Binder Artwork and Memory Sticks

The systems to be covered in the Operations (and Training) Manual were to include:

VOLUME 1 – Process Systems
SECTION 1 – HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL
SECTION 2 – INTRODUCTION
SECTION 3 – UNITS OF MEASUREMENT
SECTION 4 – CONTROL AND SHUTDOWN SYSTEMS
SECTION 5 – PRODUCTION WELLS, FLOWLINES AND HEADERS, AND MULTI-PHASE METERING
SECTION 6 – SEPARATION
SECTION 7 – OIL PUMPING, METERING AND EXPORT
SECTION 8 – PRODUCED WATER TREATMENT
SECTION 9 – PRODUCED WATER INJECTION FACILITIES
SECTION 10 – CHEMICAL INJECTION
SECTION 11 – HYDROGEN SULPHIDE REMOVAL
SECTION 12 – VAPOUR RECOVERY SYSTEM
VOLUME 2 – Supporting Systems
Section 1 – HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL (repeat)
SECTION 2 – INTRODUCTION (repeat)
SECTION 3 – UNITS OF MEASUREMENT (repeat)
SECTION 4 – POTABLE WATER
SECTION 5 – SEAWATER SUPPLY AND SERVICE WATER
SECTION 6 – FIREWATER
SECTION 7 – CLOSED DRAIN SYSTEM
SECTION 8 – HAZARDOUS AND NON-HAZARDOUS OPEN DRAIN SYSTEMS
SECTION 9 – LP VENT SYSTEM
SECTION 10 – LP FLARE SYSTEM
SECTION 11 – HP FLARE SYSTEM
SECTION 12 – INSTRUMENT AIR SYSTEM
SECTION 13 – DIESEL FUEL SYSTEM
SECTION 14 – PURGE/BLANKET GAS SYSTEM
SECTION 15 – SEWAGE TREATMENT
SECTION 16 – POWER SUPPLY

The Project

The Operations Manual involved re-authoring material from the original manuals and authoring of new material from design and vendor documents. All new illustrations were produced, maintaining the ‘tram-line’ style used on the flow diagrams in the original manuals. In order to maximise the benefits derived from the use of these manuals these were produced in three formats:

• As printed paper manuals, printed on wipe clean, tear resistant paper.
• As a simple electronic manual, on CD/memory stick, as a collection of PDF files with an index html page.
• As an interactive electronic technical manual (IETM).

Separate Operating Instructions were produced in Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. The Excel versions were structured so that they could be imported in to TAQA’s existing Operating Instruction System.

The A6 sized Platform Systems Handbook was issued to all Operators on the offshore installations. It was designed to be a carry-about aide memoire to the Production and Utility Systems. These handbooks were also printed on wipe clean, tear resistant paper.

Operator Training materials took the form of Microsoft PowerPoint Presentations, supported by comprehensive Lecture Notes.

These were utilised at Operator training seminars organised and run by TAQA project personnel themselves.