Piling on the pressure

With a series of ultra-deepwater Gulf of Mexico discoveries in its development sights, BP is spearheading efforts to assemble a drilling and production system capable of handling reservoir pressures up to 20,000 psi and temperatures approaching 350 degrees Fahrenheit. David Eyton, the supermajor's group head of technology, gives Russell McCulley an update on Project 20K and other significant R&D targets.

Among the many positions he has held over a three decade-plus career at BP, David Eyton served as the company's vice president of deepwater developments in the Gulf of Mexico, a portfolio that included the groundbreaking Thunder Horse, which came on stream in 2005.

The Mississippi Canyon project, in 2000-metre water depths, required the development of a subsea production system that could handle pressures up to 15,000 psi, an offshore milestone at the time.

Project

Hc Technology

Piling on the pressure