Norway's Statoil says the world’s first subsea gas compression system has now been in successful operation for one year on the Åsgard field, helping increase production by some 16 MMboe.
The firm says the system, installed on the field in the Norwegian Sea, has been "running like a Swiss clock with practically no stops or interruptions."
System regularity has been close to 100% through its first year of operation, according to Halvor Engebretsen, vice president for Åsgard operations.
With the system, recovery from the Mikkel and Midgard reservoirs is expected to increase by as much as 306 MMboe, corresponding to a medium-sized field on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) and extending the fields’ life to 2032.
“During the first year of operation we have raised production by an excess of 16 MMboe. Based on today’s prices the value added amounts to more than NO 5 billion,” says Engebretsen.
The recovery rate from the Midgard and Mikkel reservoirs on Åsgard has been raised from 67% to 87% and from 59% to 84% respectively.
The technology used on the project was developed over many uears working with suppliers including as Aker Solutions, MAN and Technip, Statoil, with more than 40 new technologies qualified.
“We have built test facilities at K-lab, storage and maintenance capacity at Vestbase, and we have access to ships that are capable of handling installation of large subsea modules. By reusing this technology, we have great opportunities for simplification and efficiency improvements, and for reducing carbon footprints of future gas compression systems,” explains Engebretsen.
The technology also represents a significant reduction in energy consumption and carbon emissions in a lifecycle perspective on Åsgard, compared to a compression platform. This technology represents a potential for further carbon reductions through use in future subsea solutions.