Aker Solutions and MAN Diesel & Turbo say they expect to cut the size and weight of subsea compression systems by at least 50%, just a year after the first such system successfully went on stream at Statoil’s Åsgard field.
Image: Before and after, the size of the Åsgard system compared to the size it could be. Image from Aker Solutions.
The Åsgard system, which has been running with practically no stops or interruptions in its first year, will help recover an additional 306 MMboe more cost-effectively, safely and with a smaller environmental footprint than a traditional platform, says the two firms. Aker Solutions delivered the system in close collaboration with partners including MAN and the operator Statoil.
Hervé Valla, CTO at Aker Solutions, said: “Together with MAN we’re taking this technology further to deliver slimmer and lower-cost compression systems without compromising on effectiveness.”
Aker Solutions and MAN Diesel & Turbo teamed up in October 2015 to build on their joint experience from Åsgard. The partnership expects to reduce the size and weight of future systems by at least half, greatly lowering investment and installation costs.
“The next generation of subsea compression systems will be based on proven technology and contribute to major improvements in both the recovery rate and lifetime for a number of gas fields,” says Basil Zweifel, head of Oil & Gas Upstream at MAN Diesel & Turbo in Zurich. “Aker Solutions and MAN will provide reliable compression systems for use at small subsea fields as well as large deposits such as Åsgard.”
Compressors are used to maintain output as reservoir pressure at gas-producing fields drops over time. They are typically installed on platforms above sea level. The two 11.5 MW HOFIM motor-compressor-units at Åsgard are the world’s first compressors to be installed and put into operation on the seabed. The technology is based on 25 years of experience with more than 100 machines in operation in gas storage and transport.
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