Visited with @The_Raw, @Pinkman, @Maniac and @extreme_ironing.
History
The Brent oil field, off the north-east coast of Scotland is one of the largest fields in the North Sea. Discovered in 1971, it was one of the most significant oil and gas finds made in the UK sector. Brent field production peaked in 1982 when over half a million barrels of oil and 26 million cubic meters of gas were produced… every day!
The Brent oil field was served by four large platforms owned by Shell – Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta. Each platform has a ‘topside’ which is visible above the waterline and houses the accommodation block, helipad, as well as drilling and other operational areas. The topsides sit on much taller supporting structures, or ‘legs’, which stand in 140 metres of water and serve to anchor the topsides to the sea bed.
By 1976 Brent Bravo had started production, and later that year the second platform, Brent Delta was installed, which started production in 1977. Delta weighed 24,000 tonnes (the same as 2,000 London busses!) and the platform alone was as tall as the London Eye.
The Brent field has reached the stage where production is no longer economically viable and decommissioning is underway. In 2011 Brent Delta stopped production. After 5 years of planning and 2 years of preparations, the entire Brent Delta platform was cut free from its supporting legs and brought ashore in one piece, where it will be dismantled and scrapped.
Brent Delta Platform after being brought ashore in Hartlepool
On the helipad
View across the deck with the derrick and flare stack towering above
More detailed view of the topdeck, where drilling activities were carried out
View across the deck
View in the other direction towards the crane
Derrick and flare stack
On the top deck where the drilling happened
Hook and winch equipment
The “doghouse” where drilling operations were controlled
Heading below deck we find a workshop
And various plant rooms
There were various rooms for deployment of workers
Sick bay
The workers accommodation was pretty basic
Central control room
The engine room was tucked away below the accommodation block
One of the emergency lifeboats
Sign on the side of the platform
History
The Brent oil field, off the north-east coast of Scotland is one of the largest fields in the North Sea. Discovered in 1971, it was one of the most significant oil and gas finds made in the UK sector. Brent field production peaked in 1982 when over half a million barrels of oil and 26 million cubic meters of gas were produced… every day!
The Brent oil field was served by four large platforms owned by Shell – Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta. Each platform has a ‘topside’ which is visible above the waterline and houses the accommodation block, helipad, as well as drilling and other operational areas. The topsides sit on much taller supporting structures, or ‘legs’, which stand in 140 metres of water and serve to anchor the topsides to the sea bed.
By 1976 Brent Bravo had started production, and later that year the second platform, Brent Delta was installed, which started production in 1977. Delta weighed 24,000 tonnes (the same as 2,000 London busses!) and the platform alone was as tall as the London Eye.
The Brent field has reached the stage where production is no longer economically viable and decommissioning is underway. In 2011 Brent Delta stopped production. After 5 years of planning and 2 years of preparations, the entire Brent Delta platform was cut free from its supporting legs and brought ashore in one piece, where it will be dismantled and scrapped.
Brent Delta Platform after being brought ashore in Hartlepool
On the helipad
View across the deck with the derrick and flare stack towering above
More detailed view of the topdeck, where drilling activities were carried out
View across the deck
View in the other direction towards the crane
Derrick and flare stack
On the top deck where the drilling happened
Hook and winch equipment
The “doghouse” where drilling operations were controlled
Heading below deck we find a workshop
And various plant rooms
There were various rooms for deployment of workers
Sick bay
The workers accommodation was pretty basic
Central control room
The engine room was tucked away below the accommodation block
One of the emergency lifeboats
Sign on the side of the platform
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