1. A computer program product to facilitate storing data in an operating environment having a plurality of domains, the computer program product comprising:
a non-transitory computer storage medium comprising a relational database for storing data of a plurality of domains as a three-dimensional data structure, the three-dimensional data structure comprising:
multiple columns and multiple rows defining a two-dimensional array of data cells, and at least one column of data cells of the array of data cells comprising a cell depth greater than zero, thereby defining the three-dimensional structure, and wherein the cell depth greater than zero indicates that multiple depth-wise data values are provided for the at least one data cell of the array of data cells, each depth-wise data value being associated with a different domain of the multiple relational domains, and wherein for each data cell of the at least one data cell, one depth-wise data value of the data cell associated with one domain is different from at least one other depth-wise data value of the data cell associated with another domain of the multiple relational domains; and
wherein the three-dimensional data structure further comprises at least one cell of the array of data cells having a depth of zero, meaning that the at least one data cell of zero depth is invariable for the multiple relational domains of the operating environment, and wherein the at least one data cell of zero depth contains an actual valid data value which is common to the multiple relational domains.
2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the at least one column of data cells of the array of data comprising a cell depth greater than zero has a depth equal to a number of domains of the plurality of domains.
3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the plurality of domains comprise a plurality of clusters of nodes.
4. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein the data comprises configuration information for at least one node of at least one cluster of the plurality of clusters.
5. A computer system for facilitating storing of data in an operating environment having a plurality of domains, said computer system comprising:
a non-transitory computer storage medium comprising a relational database for storing data of a plurality of domains; and
a processor in communication with the non-transitory computer storage medium, wherein data for the plurality of domains is stored in the relational database as a three-dimensional data structure, the three-dimensional data structure comprising:
multiple columns and multiple rows defining a two-dimensional array of data cells, and at least one column of data cells of the array of data cells comprising a cell depth greater than zero, thereby defining the three-dimensional structure, and wherein the cell depth greater than zero indicates that multiple depth-wise data values are provided for the at least one data cell of the array of data cells, each depth-wise data value being associated with a different domain of the multiple relational domains, and wherein for each data cell of the at least one data cell, one depth-wise data value of the data cell associated with one domain is different from at least one other depth-wise data value of the data cell associated with another domain of the multiple relational domains; and
wherein the three-dimensional data structure further comprises at least one cell of the array of data cells having a depth of zero, meaning that the at least one data cell of zero depth is invariable for the multiple relational domains of the operating environment, and wherein the at least one data cell of zero depth contains an actual valid data value which is common to the multiple relational domains.
6. The computer system of claim 5, wherein the processor comprises logic to:
select a column of the three-dimensional data structure from which data is to be read;
determine, for the selected column, whether the selected column has a depth greater than zero;
index into the three-dimensional data structure to the identified domain to read the data value for that domain, in response to the determining indicating the selected column has a depth greater than zero;
read the data value in the selected column, in response to the determining indicating the column does not have a depth greater than zero; and
repeat one or more of the selecting, determining, indexing and reading for zero or more other columns of the three-dimensional data structure.
7. An article of manufacture comprising:
at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable program code logic to facilitate storing data in an operating environment having a plurality of domains, the computer-readable program code logic when executing performing:
storing data for multiple relational domains of a plurality of domains in a relational database as a three-dimensional data structure, said three-dimensional data structure comprising:
multiple columns and multiple rows defining a two-dimensional array of data cells, and at least one column of data cells of the array of data cells comprising a cell depth greater than zero, thereby defining the three-dimensional structure, and wherein the cell depth greater than zero indicates that multiple depth-wise data values are provided for the at least one data cell of the array of data cells, each depth-wise data value being associated with a different domain of the multiple relational domains, and wherein for each data cell of the at least one data cell, one depth-wise data value of the data cell associated with one domain is different from at least one other depth-wise data value of the data cell associated with another domain of the multiple relational domains; and
wherein the three-dimensional data structure further comprises at least one cell of the array of data cells having a depth of zero, meaning that the at least one data cell of zero depth is invariable for the multiple relational domains of the operating environment, and wherein the at least one data cell of zero depth contains an actual valid data value which is common to the multiple relational domains.
8. The article of manufacture of claim 7, further comprising retrieving data from the three-dimensional data structure, the retrieving comprising:
identifying a domain for which data is to be read;
selecting a column of the three-dimensional data structure from which data is to be read;
determining, for the selected column, whether the selected column has a cell depth greater than zero;
indexing into the three-dimensional data structure to a cell depth associated with the identified domain to read the data value for that domain, in response to the determining indicating the selected column has a cell depth greater than zero.
9. The article of manufacture of claim 7, wherein storing data for multiple domains further comprises creating an additional domain in the three-dimensional data structure by increasing cell depth of the at least one data cell of the array of data cells.
10. The article of manufacture of claim 9, wherein creating the additional domain comprises:
selecting a column of the three-dimensional data structure;
determining, for the selected column, whether the selected column has a data cell with a cell depth greater than zero;
increasing cell depth for the three-dimensional data structure within the selected column, in response to the determining indicating that the selected column has a depth greater than zero.
11. The article of manufacture of claim 9, further comprises creating a row for the additional domain.
12. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein creating the row comprises:
allocating space in the three-dimensional data structure for an additional row in the multiple columns; and
populating the additional row in the multiple columns with data.
13. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein creating the row further comprises:
initially determining whether the additional row already exists in the three-dimensional data structure;
performing the allocating and populating, in response to the determining indicating that the row does not already exist in the three-dimensional data structure.
14. The article of manufacture of claim 11, further comprising writing data to the additional row in the three-dimensional data structure for the additional domain.
15. The article of manufacture of claim 7, wherein each domain comprises a cluster of one or more nodes, and said data comprises configuration information for at least one node of the one or more nodes of the cluster.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of exploiting a subsea hydrocarbon reserve, comprising the steps of drilling a first well (4) from a floating drilling vessel (2), establishing a production riser (10) for transferring production fluid from the first well (4) to the drilling vessel or production fluid reception means (18) closely associated with the vessel, and extracting production fluid from the first well (4) while drilling one or more further wells (20) from the drilling vessel (2), and characterised by the steps of:
(i) processing the production fluid with processing means (24) installed on the drilling vessel (2);
(ii) subsequently installing the processing means (24) on the seabed; and
(iii) carrying out subsea processing of production fluid from the wells (4,4,20) by using the processing means (24).
2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing means (24) is in the form of a module for installation as part of a seabed processing system.
3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing means (24) separates the production fluid into different components.
4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the production riser (10) is sufficiently flexible to permit local excursions of the drilling vessel (2) while it is drilling a said further well (20).
5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the production riser (10) is of sufficient flexibility and length to permit the drilling vessel (2) to move between appropriate locations for drilling plural further wells (20) in order that output from two or more wells (4,4) can be exploited while well drilling is still in progress.
6. A method as claimed in claim 5, including the step of establishing at least one further well (4) and transferring production fluid from the first well (4) and the at least one further well (4) to the drilling vessel (2) or the production fluid reception means (18) closely associated with the vessel while drilling at least one additional well (20).
7. A method as claimed in claim 6, including conveying the production fluid from the drilling vessel (2) to an off-loading buoy (12) for onward conveyance.
8. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein said production fluid reception means comprises a floating storage unit (18), and the method includes storing production fluid for a period of time in the buoy (12) while the floating storage unit (18) is removed for replacement by another floating storage unit.
9. A method as claimed in claim 1, including conveying the production fluid from the drilling vessel (2) to a pipeline leading to a remote location via an off-loading buoy (12).
10. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein production fluid is conveyed from the drilling vessel (2) to the buoy (12) by means of an off-loading hose (16) extending from the drilling vessel (2) to the buoy (12).
11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein fluid is conveyed from a said further well (4) by an additional production riser (10) to the drilling vessel (2) or production fluid reception means (18).
12. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein fluid is conveyed from a said further well (4) by interconnecting said further well (4) with at least one other well (4) so that the combined production flow from a number of wells (4,4) is conveyed via a common production riser (10).
13. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein fluid is conveyed from a said further well (4) by installing a manifold to which the further well or wells isare attached and the combined production flow is conveyed to the drilling vessel (2) or production fluid reception means (18) via the production riser (10).