Douglas Complex

Douglas Field
Country	United Kingdom
Region	East Irish Sea Basin
Location/block(s)	UK Block 110/13
Offshore/onshore	offshore
Coordinates	Coordinates: 53°27′14″N 3°15′22″W / 53.454°N 3.256°W / 53.454; -3.256
Operator(s)	BHP Billiton
Field history
Discovery	1990
Start of production	February 1996
Production
Estimated oil in place (millions of barrels)	225
Producing formations	Triassic Helsby Sandstone Formation

The Douglas Complex is a 54-metre (177 ft) high system of three linked platforms in the Irish Sea, 24 kilometres (15 mi)^[1] off the North Wales coast. The Douglas oil field was discovered in 1990, and production commenced in 1996. Now operated by BHP Billiton, the complex consists of the wellhead platform, which drills into the seabed, a processing platform, which separates oil, gas and water, and thirdly an accommodation platform, which is composed of living quarters for the crew. This accommodation module was formerly the Morecambe Flame jack-up drilling rig.

The Douglas Complex is also the control hub for other platforms in the area, and provides power for all platforms. It also offers recreational, catering and medical facilities for up to 80 personnel.^[2] Oil from the Lennox, Hamilton, and Hamilton North unmanned satellite platforms is received and blended at the complex.^[3]

Gas is sent through a pipeline 33.5-kilometre (20.8 mi) long to a processing plant at Point of Ayr, in Flintshire, North Wales. After processing, almost the entire output is sold to E.ON to fire the combined cycle gas turbine power station at Connah's Quay, on Deeside, in Flintshire. Oil produced in Liverpool Bay is sent through another pipeline, 17 km long, to the Offshore Storage Installation, a permanently anchored barge which acts as a floating oil terminal, capable of holding 870 thousand barrels (~1.2×10^⁵ t) of oil. From the floating terminal oil is transferred to tankers approximately once every month.^{[2][dead link]}

See also

Energy portal

• List of oil fields
• Geology of the United Kingdom
• Oil platform
• Point of Ayr

References

1. ^ "Offshore Liverpool Bay Development". Offshore Technology. http://www.offshore-technology.com/projects/bhp/bhp1.html. Retrieved 2007-12-03. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Offshore Industry". Virtual Prestatyn. Archived from the original on October 24, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20071024180755/http://www.prestatyn.org.uk/offshore.industry/. Retrieved 2007-12-03. 
3. ^ "Hazardous area instrumentation is all at sea". Engineering Talk. 2006-05-09. http://www.engineeringtalk.com/news/avt/avt113.html. Retrieved 2007-12-12. 

External links

• Douglas Complex on AIS Liverpool