Types of Offshore Oil and Gas Structures

[01/03/13]

This illustration shows several types of offshore oil and gas structures. Various designs can be used for drilling, production management, crude storage and offloading:

#1 and #2 are conventional fixed platforms anchored to the seabed; 

#3 is a compliant tower; 

#4 and #5 are vertically moored tension leg and mini-tension leg platforms (#4 represents the design of the ConocoPhillips’ Magnolia TLP); 

#6 is a spar platform; 

#7 and #8 are semi-submersible platforms; 

#9 is a floating production, storage, and offloading facility; and, 

#10 is a sub-sea completion and tie-back to host facility.

ConocoPhillips’ Magnolia TLP

Here is the Magnolia tension leg oil platform operated by ConocoPhillips. The sea floor is more than 1,403 m (4,600 ft) below the platform.
[http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov]

Credit: Images by NOAA Ocean Explorer.

[SOURCE: http://geology.com]