About Les E. Griffin, P.E.

I'm a Mechanical Engineer (TX licensed Professional Engineer) with 15-years’ experience in the Deepwater Oil & Gas industry, during which I've worked for an equipment supplier and an oil major providing technical expertise as well as project management. Along the way I've developed an array of technical skills and industry knowledge to successfully design, analyze, fabricate, install, operate, and maintain many of the critical structures that connect offshore platforms at the surface to the seafloor and reservoirs thousands of feet below.

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As far as credentials go, I received my bachelor’s degree in 2006 from the University of Texas at Austin in Mechanical Engineering and became licensed in Texas as a Professional Engineer in 2011. LES is also registered with the Texas Board of Professional Engineers as a state licensed engineering firm.

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Looking back on my first 15 years in the industry, I take great pride in the contributions I’ve made and the influence I’ve had on world-class projects. I started at Dril-Quip in 2006 as a fresh mechanical engineering grad from UT. In my first years as a design engineer, I worked with a wide variety of subsea equipment for different operators and global applications. Access to Dril-Quip’s vertically integrated manufacturing provided me with understanding of the processes, as well as an appreciation of design for manufacturability.

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My first project engineering lead role was for the design, manufacture, and testing of hydraulic riser tieback connectors for Perdido, which continue to operate today connecting the spar’s risers to the world’s deepest DVA (direct vertical access) wells. In 2010-2011 I was Dril-Quip’s project/technical lead for the Olympus TLP / Mars B development project, which was my largest scope before joining Shell. The technical challenges on this project included designing for post-Katrina extreme loads, in addition to fatigue performance far exceeding all prior SSWH (subsea wellhead) system and TTR (top tension riser) connector designs.

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In late 2011 I unexpectedly had the opportunity to join Shell’s Mooring & Riser team and took it, continuing my support of the Olympus TLP project from my new perspective at Shell. In addition to the SSWH and TTR connector systems that continued to be delivered from Dril-Quip, I had the chance to contribute to the fabrication of the drilling & production risers and take the role of fabrication lead for its qty.16, ~3000ft, 38” tendons. Where the SSWH and TTR systems provide structural links and conduits from platform to reservoir, the tendons provide the structural link from platform to seabed while overcoming extreme loads and continuous fatigue for the next half-century.

 

My first (only) offshore trip was to the tendon installation vessel for a couple weeks in summer 2013 to provide technical oversight as the tendons were run to depth, locked into their piles, and suspended freestanding by support buoys. In the months leading up to install I supported the logistics of transporting the tendons by barge to site, as well as identifying a high potential issue in the mechanical design of the support buoy clamps that required an expedited solution that I designed, had manufactured, and helped install offshore.

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After Olympus I worked on the Appomattox project as riser systems pull-in lead, responsible for the development of a novel system to install all the SCRs and water intake riser using a single, mobile chain jack on a moving structural bridge. I gained a better understanding of semi-submersible deepwater applications and the challenges of working with SCRs. I spent the next five years in the role of TTR engineer, responsible for ongoing technical assurance and evaluation of Shell’s GoM TTR assets. Working closely with Wells and GoM asset teams to keep drilling and completion activities on schedule, I managed the execution of onshore inspections and refurbishment between deployments. I also provided technical support for SSWH design for fatigue applications, including a post-installation fatigue evaluation of a SSWH system in the Arctic with major business ramifications.

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My last stop at Shell was working with the SURF (subsea, umbilical, risers, & flowlines) marine construction team, responsible for our GoM subsea tooling portfolio and finding ways to better plan activities and interact with stakeholders. I transitioned into this role remotely at the start of the pandemic, and a year and a half later left Shell without having had the chance to meet many of my new contacts face-to-face.

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I'm launching Lateral Engineering Solutions LLC (LES) in 2021 to provide a unique, collaborative alternative for engineering design, consultation and services. The principles that LES is founded on are a direct result of my personal experience and observations to this point in my career, so I hope sharing a little about myself has provided some insights about my company.