TTA6 Technology strategy for Subsea Processing and Transport. Lead Party Statoil

Transcription

1 Version: October 2006 TTA6 Technology strategy for Subsea Processing and Transport Lead Party Statoil TTA group companies and organisations: Hydro, Shell, Total, BP, Statoil, Chevron AkerKværner, DNV, Vetco, FMC, Sintef, IFE, NTNU

2 Table of contents Executive summary Introduction TTA vision and goals Future challenges and technology gaps Subsea processing Subsea separation Subsea compression technology Subsea multiphase pumping Subsea single phase pumping Subsea power supply Subsea injection of water Subsea injection of gas Downhole processing Downhole separation Wellstream transport Gas-condensate multiphase transport Oil-dominated multiphase transport R&D priorities, time frame and funding Roadmap for the future Link to other TTAs Recommendations Appendix ii

3 Executive summary OG21 ( Norway s technology strategy for the petroleum sector issued a revised strategy document in November In this document Subsea processing and transport was identified as one of the eight new technology target areas (TTAs). The overall OG21 strategy document is on an aggregated level, and therefore the Board of OG21 decided that a sub-strategy for each TTA was needed. This document proposes the sub-strategy for the technology target area Subsea processing and transport which covers the technology and competence necessary to effectively transport wellstream to a platform or to onshore facilities. This includes multiphase flow modelling, flow assurance challenges to avoid problems with hydrates, asphalthenes and wax, subsea or downhole fluid conditioning including bulk water removal, and optionally complete water removal, and sand handling. It also covers technologies to increase recovery by pressure boosting from subsea pumping and/or subsea compression. Finally it covers technologies to facilitate subsea processing such as control systems and power supply. The vision of the Subsea processing and transport TTA is: Norway is to be the leading international knowledge- and technology cluster in subsea processing and transport: o Sustain increased recovery and accelerated production on the NCS by applying subsea processing and efficient transport solutions Enable >500 km gas/condensate multiphase wellstream transport Enable >200 km oil-dominated multiphase wellstream transport Enable wellstream transport of complex fluids Enable subsea water handling and boosting Enable deepwater developments Optimize the utilization of existing infrastructure and maximize the development of petroleum resources on the NCS Enable environmentally friendly and energy efficient field development o Increase the export of subsea processing and transport technology Optimize technology from the NCS for application worldwide Develop new technology that can meet the challenges found in other areas than the NCS The current R&D support arrangements, like Petromaks, SFF (Norwegian centres of excellence), SFI (Centre for research based innovation), and Demo 2000, have been very successful. They have contributed to make the Norwegian oil and gas industry international leaders in subsea processing and transport. In order to maintain this position and thus fulfil the vision of this TTA, the current R&D funding system should be maintained, and there should also be a further increase in the level of funding. Some of the short-term challenges in subsea processing and transport are already handled by the operating oil companies in specific field development projects, and are due to be implemented in the contractor portfolio. Therefore, these challenges should have limited priority regarding funding from the Norwegian government. 1

4 The key technology challenges where governmental funding is most important are listed below. The order of the list does not reflect any priority. Monitoring and control systems for subsea processing Fundamental understanding and models for oil/gas/water separation, includes fluid characterization and fluid mechanics. Compact separation equipment for deepwater use High capacity and energy efficiency subsea compression Fundamental understanding of multiphase thermodynamics and flow aspects in equipment Increase differential pressure for multiphase pumps Distribution components for AC and DC power supply systems (Insulation materials and design for higher voltages) Subsea AC/DC power conversion Development of subsea gas injection compressor system Reliable equipment with high capacity for downhole separation Fundamental knowledge regarding multiphase pipeline flow and flow assurance Flow assurance with focus on complex fluids including heavy, highly viscous oil Basic understanding of fluid conditioning for long distances, Cold flow Detection and remediation techniques for plugs and deposits in multiphase transport The key recommendations from this TTA group are: The Norwegian authorities need to support fundamental R&D and knowledge build-up to solve the listed technology challenges. Of special importance is to maintain and extend the knowledge base and educate engineers to use and further develop multiphase transport and subsea processing technology. The development and application of technology products will mainly be handled by the industry. However, public financial support in an early development phase and also in the first field implementation is important in order to speed up industrialisation and promote the activity level. Such support schemes are therefore recommended to be continued. Key technology elements are linked to increased transportation distances and low cost development solutions for small fields. These are: o Flow assurance solutions for long distance oil-dominated transport o Low cost flow assurance solutions o Processing/boosting/artificial lift for deep water and/or long distance transport: Subsea water removal Two-phase separation and pumping Multiphase pumping Gas compression o Subsea power supply and control 2

5 1 Introduction OG21 ( Norway s technology strategy for the petroleum sector, issued a revised strategy document in November In this document Subsea processing and transport was identified as one of the eight new technology target areas (TTAs). The overall OG21 strategy document is on an aggregated level, and therefore the Board of OG21 decided that a sub-strategy for each TTA was needed. This document proposes the sub-strategy for the technology target area Subsea processing and transport which covers technology and competence necessary to transport wellstream to a platform or to onshore facilities. For many years, offshore oil and gas production from the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) has led the industry by applying innovative subsea technology combined with long distance multiphase transport. Future challenges are mainly related to three specific scenarios: o Utilization of existing infrastructure and tail production. o Development of new and remote areas with no or little infrastructure. o Specific arctic requirements Additional issues, which are common to all developments and operations, will be even stricter environmental requirements and continued focus on reliability, safety and cost. The first multiphase transport pipelines in Norway were installed on the Ekofisk field in the late 1970s. The first technology development projects in Norway were initiated in Laboratory infrastructure and simulation programs were developed through collaboration between oil companies, vendors and R&D institutions. After the initial experience on Ekofisk, further applications took some time. However, interest in multiphase started to escalate at the end of the 1980s: Tommelien (1988), TOGI (1991), and several oil satellites in the Statfjord and Gullfaks areas (1990s). Troll A was commissioned in 1996 and was the first field in Norway with multiphase transport directly to shore. The extensive regional developments facilitated by multiphase transport in the Halten- Nordland area started in the late 1990s. One example is the Aasgard field, unitizing the Midgard, Smørbukk and Smørbukk Sør fields, which became operational in 1999 and Further achievements are expected through the development of ultra long tie-back of unprocessed gas production for the Snøhvit and Ormen Lange fields. Multiphase transport solutions have been among the technologies that are most important for the latest developments on the NCS, and have often been put forward as one of the areas where investment in R&D has had the highest return on capital; both for the oil companies and the Norwegian State. Present subsea processing comprises multiphase pumping and bulk water separation. Subsea multiphase pumping was first demonstrated on the Draugen field. There are now more than 20 applications of this technology around the world. Subsea separation with injection of the produced water was first demonstrated on Troll Pilot in 1999 and will now also be applied on the Tordis field. Subsea injection of raw seawater will find its first worldwide application on 3

6 the UK Columba E field in 2006 using technology developed in Norway. Tyrihans will be the first NCS field to apply this technology in Downhole processing has not been applied on the NCS, although it has been considered seriously for several installations. Future deepwater field developments might still be a niche for this technology. The technology developed for the NCS will find comprehensive applications also in international arenas. The Atlantic margin and particularly the Arctic represent two of the promising regions in our neighbourhood. 2 TTA vision and goals The vision in the subsea processing and transport TTA is that Norway is to be the leading international knowledge- and technology cluster in subsea processing and transport: o Sustain increased recovery and accelerated production on the NCS by applying subsea processing and efficient transport solutions Enable >500 km gas/condensate multiphase wellstream transport Enable >200 km oil-dominated multiphase wellstream transport Enable wellstream transport of complex fluids Enable subsea water handling and boosting Enable deepwater developments Optimize the utilization of existing infrastructure and maximize the development of petroleum resources on the NCS Enable environmentally friendly and energy efficient field development o Increase the export of subsea processing and transport technology Optimize technology from the NCS for application worldwide Develop new technology that can meet the challenges found in other areas than the NCS 4

7 3 Future challenges and technology gaps Key future challenges on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and internationally will be: o Increasing water, sand and gas production from mature fields o Small discoveries, both remote and within tie-in distance from existing infrastructure o Complex fluids that are difficult to transport o Deepwater developments, possibly far from existing infrastructure. o Cold environment The present status regarding technology and competence in subsea processing and transport on the NCS is represented by the coming developments of Tordis and Tyrihans for oil fields, and Snøhvit and Ormen Lange for gas-condensate fields. Despite the fact that these developments are technological state-of-the-art projects, subsea technology building-blocks such as subsea compression and power- and signal transmission over even longer distances are still unrealized. For multiphase transport the gaps are essentially related to the production and transport of complex fluids when the transport distance exceeds what is feasible for pipeline insulation and heating. In this context complex fluids include waxy oils, heavy oils and oils with high water cuts, essentially any fluid that may create problems in processing and long distance transport. For the lighter gas-condensate systems, there are also gaps to be closed regarding flow modelling for very long transport lines, particularly the transition between gravity and frictional dominated flow. In addition, recovery rates from subsea completed wells will have to increase and reach almost the same level as platform completed wells. More cost-efficient solutions will be required to enable smaller discoveries to be developed. This will require improved understanding and tools to predict the relevant transportation phenomena and handle the associated risks. Subsea processing and transport represents an area where Norwegian R&D institutions and the supplier industry have a strong position. This also includes new areas such as subsea separation, subsea compression, and lightweight intervention. Further increase in the export of new knowledge and new products is therefore a viable goal. However, to reach it one needs to maintain the current high level of R&D, technology development, technology qualification and implementation. In addition, marketing support through Intsok and other arenas is important. Subsea processing and transport are two of the key enabling technologies in the development of resources in the Arctic. This includes both long range multiphase transport to shore, future ultra-long multiphase transport and sub-ice developments. All aspects of technology described in this report are therefore highly relevant to the Arctic context. Due attention must be paid to safety and protection of the natural environment. Many aspects of flow impeding phenomena have been based on chemicals for a long time. The industry aims to reduce the amount of chemicals in use, and develop more environmentally acceptable substitutes. This is not only a question of practising good environmental stewardship it is compulsory if we are to meet the increasingly stringent demands from the society and authorities. 5

8 In some areas, for example along the Arctic coastlines, the use of surface structures might not be acceptable. Together with the stringent environmental restrictions, this imposes significant limitations on the field development schemes. In fact, subsea production and processing combined with long distance multiphase transfer to shore may be the only viable solution. The key future challenges in subsea processing and transport are listed in Table 1. Focus Subsea processing Down-hole process Table 1: Key challenges in subsea processing and transport Core area Key challenges Increased recovery, reduced unit costs, increased export, competence development and HSE Subsea separation Subsea compression technology Subsea multiphase pumping Subsea single phase pumping Subsea power supply Subsea injection of water Subsea injection of gas Downhole separation Effective and reliable separation equipment Fundamental understanding and models for oil/gas/water separation, includes fluid characterization and fluid mechanics. Handling of solids Monitoring and control Complex fluids Compact separation equipment for deepwater use Robust solutions and reliable service Flexible liquid tolerance High capacity and energy efficiency Solids handling (erosion problems) Fundamental understanding of multiphase thermodynamics and flow aspects Subsea control system; Flexibility, reliability and open interfaces Long distance high capacity control systems High capacity (volumetric & power) Increase differential pressure Handling of solids Pumping of viscous crudes Handling of solids Handling of viscous crude Gas tolerance Distribution components for AC and DC systems (Insulation materials and design for higher voltages) Subsea AC/DC conversion Extend AC step-out capabilities Component and system marinisation Local power generation Solids removal and solids handling for raw sea water and produced water Develop equipment and monitoring systems Injection compressor Reliable equipment with high capacity Equipment with easy well access Acceptable water disposal solutions Intervention friendliness Time and Financing Ongoing/ short term initiatives (short term) are mainly industrially funded. Fundamental understanding for future technology is mainly governmental funded. Medium/long term. Split public/industrial funding 6

9 Well stream transport Gas/condensate multiphase transport Oil-dominated multiphase transport Fundamental knowledge regarding multiphase flow and flow assurance Liquid management Production system surveillance Reliable and accurate multiphase meters Flow assurance with focus on complex fluids including highly viscous oil Fluid conditioning for long distances, Cold flow Slurry fluid prediction Temperature control solutions by insulation and heating Extended range for direct electric heating Equipment and operations for conditioning Production system surveillance Remediation techniques for plugs and deposits Medium/long term. Split public/industrial funding 3.1 Subsea processing Current subsea processing implementation is limited to multiphase pumping and bulk water separation. In the future, an increase in capability and functionality is foreseen. This includes necessary equipment to facilitate multiphase transport over long distances such as small and large scale gas compression and high capacity multiphase pumps with corresponding high voltage power supply, efficient three-phase separation, and subsea injection of gas and water. More sophisticated equipment and application will impose stricter requirements on instrumentation and control and further development is foreseen in particular for monitoring system performance Subsea separation In 2001 subsea water separation and injection were demonstrated on Troll Pilot for the first time. Subsea separation technology will next be used on the Tordis field that comes on stream in Future needs will include lightweight and compact separation equipment for deepwater use. The next generation of subsea separation equipment is expected to apply other principles of separation than the traditional gravity separation vessel used on topside installations. Centrifugal-force based compact equipment and other sophisticated separation methods are expected to be applied. Present limitations in two-phase separation of complex fluids require increased gas tolerance of the separation process. Thus the ability to design efficient separation equipment and to predict the performance of equipment with sufficient confidence over the field life needs to be strengthened. Although a solution for sand removal has been developed for Tordis, further development is likely to be required with respect to performance, reliability and robustness. The Tordis solution is based on injection of sand with the separated water. This will not be acceptable for all applications and other solutions for the handling the removed sand must therefore be developed. 7

10 Oil in water measurement from subsea separators is an area with significant technology gaps as none of the instruments used topside can be easily adapted. This technology is crucial for the application of subsea separation. For deepwater application, the separation of gas and liquid with subsequent pumping of the liquid phase will provide an efficient solution for production boosting. This can be used as a standalone solution or in combination with water removal (three-phase separation). These applications may introduce challenges for the pump with respect to required pressure increase (both oil and water), capacity (increased motor size etc. to limit number of pumps) as well as viscosity (viscous crude, emulsions in particular at cold start-up) Subsea compression technology There are an increasing number of gas fields where unprocessed wellstream will be transported over long distances to a suitable infrastructure (onshore, shallow water existing platforms etc.). These fields will benefit from a late life pressure boost. For many of them, subsea compression is believed to be a cost-efficient solution. No subsea gas compression technology has been qualified for field application. Several field development projects are aiming at utilizing this technology, and several Norwegian vendors have demonstrated their prototypes. Medium scale compressors are needed for the Åsgard field from 2011, and Snøhvit and Ormen Lange will probably need large scale compressors around Due to the high degree of complexity, robust and reliable solutions will be of particular importance. Current gaps are related to acceptable compression efficiency and the large increase in the size of the electric motors compared to existing technology. There is also a lack of fundamental understanding of internal multiphase thermodynamics and flow in the compressors Subsea multiphase pumping Subsea multiphase pumping is considered to be a relatively well proven technology but further improvements will be needed with increased transport distances and water depths. This involves increased pressure boosting and capacity as well as the ability to handle more complex fluids (viscous crude) Subsea single phase pumping Restrictions in the gas tolerance and suction pressure of centrifugal liquid pumps may reduce the benefits of a subsea two-phase separation system. Further improvements in current pump technology are required Subsea power supply The subsea electrical equipment seen so far is mainly control systems, but some pumps with voltages up to 6.6 kv are in operation. Upcoming field developments will demand steadily 8

11 higher power at longer distance from existing infrastructure or shore. This will lead to a demand for reliable subsea high voltage equipment and frequency converters. The development (including voltage and current rating) of power supply equipment is expected to go in steps following the needs of upcoming field developments. Components that will be needed are: wet mateable connectors, penetrators, variable speed drives, dynamic umbilicals, high voltage cables, switchgear, and ultimately systems for DC transmission. Major and fundamental challenges in the power supply area are related to pressurized frequency converters, the influence of humidity, temperature and pressure on insulation material lifetime, high voltage design for components, test/qualification methods for electrical equipment to be used subsea, methods for extended range AC transmission and systems for DC transmission. Local power generation is not considered realistic at the moment, but may be an option in the future Subsea injection of water The Troll Pilot and the Tordis subsea process solutions represent the state of the art in subsea injection of water. Both applications utilize a single phase pump to inject the produced water in disposal wells. On Tordis the produced sand will also be injected together with the water. Future applications will include subsea injection of water for pressure support. Tyrihans will apply subsea injection of raw seawater in For some cases relatively strict injection requirements with respect to oil content and in particular solid content may be imposed. As a result, solutions to meet these requirements will be needed together with monitoring solutions to see that the requirements are met Subsea injection of gas Subsea injection of gas is a future possibility that might find an application both for pressure support and for gas lift. Pressure support is much more demanding than gas lift due to higher flow rates. Compared to subsea gas compression in wellstream transport the injection compressors are more challenging due to the high pressure increase. It is therefore foreseen that gas compression for transportation will have to be implemented first. The main technology gaps are those identified for subsea gas compression (Section 3.1.2). Additional gaps are related to combined high pressure and high capacity challenges. 3.2 Downhole processing Downhole processing has not been applied on the NCS, although it has been considered seriously for several installations. 9

12 3.2.1 Downhole separation Considering downhole separation, one limitation has been the need to have the water injection relatively close to the production well with the separation equipment. Another limitation is the reluctance to locate a pump downhole. However, it is possible to use downhole separation with water transport up to the platform or to the seafloor by using the annulus as a transport conduit, thus avoiding downhole pumping. Future deepwater field developments might see a niche for this technology. Likewise heavy oil production and processing would be easier using downhole technology since the heavy oil and water are normally stratified downhole in horizontal wells. 3.3 Wellstream transport The longest multiphase transport lines from subsea producers to the processing facility that are decided on the NCS to date are Snøhvit (145 km) and Tyrihans (50 km) for gascondensate and oil respectively Gas-condensate multiphase transport Long distance multiphase transport is already becoming increasingly important for regional field developments involving extensive tie-ins of satellite fields to existing production centres (e.g. Åsgard, Norne). Snøhvit and Omen Lange represent the next steps. Companies and the Russian authorities also are about to consider the feasibility of the Shtokman development more than 550 km offshore Russia in the Barents Sea. Multiphase flow and the handling of severe slugs, maintaining capacity and operability, corrosion control and hydrate plugging risk are the main flow assurance challenges. Chemical additives will control the corrosion and hydrate risk. However, field experience has shown that produced water and corrosion products pose operational problems with the risk of scaling at the well-head and in the auxiliary process systems. For ultra long gas condensate pipelines the diameter may have to be increased in order to reduce the pressure drop as much as possible. Due to more gravitational flow, the simulations are burdened with large uncertainties; this applies particularly to the liquid inventory estimates and the pressure drop (capacity) calculations. Further improvements in simulation models are required to reduce uncertainties in the pressure drop and liquid inventory predictions, particularly for the transition between gravity and frictional dominated flow. It is also important to take into account production chemistry to predict and quantify deposition potential from wellbore to receiving facilities. One particular goal is to develop feasible and appropriate surveillance systems for large gascondensate production and transport systems to monitor (e.g. wet gas-/ multiphase-meters and formation water detectors) and control the liquid inventory. Current technology in this field is insufficient for day-to-day operations. 10

13 3.3.2 Oil-dominated multiphase transport There are strong environmental and financial incentives to develop more distant oil fields with direct transport of the wellstream. Subsea removal of water and sand makes long distance transport even more efficient. Flow assurance challenges will mainly concern adverse flow conditions like unstable flow and fluid control (wax precipitation and hydrate plugging). Today s approach to well stream transport is to avoid low temperatures by pipeline insulation combined with direct electrical heating and/or hydrate inhibition for shutdowns. For long tiebacks heating becomes very expensive and other methods allowing cold flow must be developed. It is also a goal to stretch the application length for direct electric heating significantly beyond the present practical limitations. Unstable flow and slugging in wells, risers and flowlines reduce productions. Prediction and remediation of unstable flow is particularly important for risers linking deepwater subsea production systems to ships or platforms. Future long distance oilfield tiebacks will rely heavily on subsea processing and boosting. Hydrates formed from residual water carried over into a pipeline may have to be transported as hydrate slurry after cooling. Waxy fluids may have a tendency to form solid-like gels with complicated rheology during shut-ins at ambient temperature. The development of appropriate models for hydrate slurry transport and gelled oil behavior will improve confidence in long distance oil wellstream transport. Regarding the transport of complex well fluids like heavy or waxy crudes, dispersions and emulsions there is a lack of basic understanding and accurate prediction tools for their physico-chemical properties, their tendency to producing emulsions, their rheology, and flow properties in both single and multiphase flow. Therefore, new, improved prediction tools are required for fluid properties, fluid behaviour and flow. Better flow assurance remediation methodologies like methods and tools for removing hydrate plugs (also relevant for gas-condensate), are needed to cut the cost of backup solutions and save capital and operational expenses. Technologies to facilitate cold flow, such as water removal, are outlined under subsea processing (Section 3.1). For oil transport surveillance systems to detect wax and hydrate depositions are required to avoid some of today s demanding operational procedures. The impact of produced sand on multiphase transport should be investigated further. During recent years, there has been growing interest in the production and transport of heavy/viscous oil on the NCS. This is based on the occurrence of heavy oil outside Nordland, in Lofoten/ Vesterålen and probably also in the Barents Sea. From a field architectural viewpoint, these are prime candidates for subsea production and multiphase transport to receiving facilities. Even if our design models are de facto world industry standards for multiphase flow simulations, they have not been verified for viscous oils and water in oil dispersions. Testing of models for oil at viscosities above approximately 150 cp shows that the flow models are inadequate in this region. This applies both to gas-liquid flow patterns and water-oil interaction. The errors increase with higher levels of viscosity. There is therefore a pressing need to improve the design models for higher viscosities. 11

14 4 R&D priorities, time frame and funding The recommended R&D areas in subsea processing and transport are guided by the vision for this TTA: o Norway is to be the leading international knowledge- and technology cluster in subsea processing and transport The R&D priorities follow directly from the challenges and gaps outlined in Chapter 3, and in particular in Table 1. The current R&D support arrangements, like Petromaks, SFF (Norwegian centres of excellence), SFI (Centre for research based innovation), and Demo 2000, have been very successful. They have contributed to make the Norwegian oil and gas industry international leaders in subsea processing and transport. In order to maintain this position and thus fulfil the vision of this TTA, the current R&D funding system should be maintained, and there should also be an increase in the level of funding. One must also further improve the high level education, and stimulate the research based educations system (PhDs and Post docs). Some of the short-term challenges given in Table 1 are already handled by the operating oil companies in specific field development projects, and are due to be implemented in the contractor portfolio. Therefore, these should have limited priority regarding funding from the Norwegian government. The main focus in government funded research should be on basic competence-building and understanding the fundamental aspects of subsea processing and transport. A list of the ongoing Petromaks projects within the area subsea processing and transport are given in Table 2 in Appendix 1. The Demo2000 programme has proven to be a valuable body in getting Norwegian technology qualified and field proven. This has facilitated growth in the export of Norwegian technology. A list of the Demo2000 projects, with time span , within subsea processing and transport are given in Table 3 in Appendix 1. As the subsea processing and transport area is characterized by tough competition both between suppliers and between the oil companies, quite a number of ongoing projects cannot be published in this report. Table 3 in Appendix 1, gives a list of some of the ongoing industry projects within subsea processing and transport, but gives only a part of the total picture. The total R&D spending in Norway within this TTA is expected to be in the region of 300 to 400 MNOK per year. 12

15 Areas of R&D and technology development are prioritized according to following criteria: o Technology development within areas of strategic importance for the Norwegian oil and gas industry related to the main challenges: Increasing water and gas production from mature fields Small discoveries, both remote and within tie-in distance from existing infrastructure Deepwater developments, possibly far from existing infrastructure. o Technology development within areas where the Norwegian cluster has a competitive advantage due to technological excellence and knowledge. The key technology challenges where governmental funding is most important are listed below. The order of the list does not reflect any priority. Monitoring and control systems for subsea processing Fundamental understanding and models for oil/gas/water separation, includes fluid characterization and fluid mechanics. Compact separation equipment for deepwater use High capacity and energy efficiency subsea compression Fundamental understanding of multiphase thermodynamics and flow aspect Increase differential pressure for multiphase pumps Distribution components for AC and DC power supply systems (Insulation materials and design for higher voltages) Subsea AC/DC power conversion Development of subsea gas injection compressor system Reliable equipment with high capacity for downhole separation Fundamental knowledge regarding multiphase flow and flow assurance Flow assurance with focus on complex fluids including heavy, highly viscous oil Fluid conditioning for long distances, Cold flow Detection and remediation techniques for plugs and deposits in multiphase transport 13

16 5 Roadmap for the future A road map for the future regarding subsea production and transport is illustrated in Figure 1. The starting point is the Tordis subsea separation plant and the Tyrihans raw seawater injection project: Both these projects are sanctioned and the engineering and technology qualification are ongoing. The next significant development step is a medium-sized wet gas compressor. At present it seems that Åsgard will be the first to apply this technology in ~2011. The developments on Ormen Lange and Snøhvit will demand wet gas compressors in the +10 MW range. When these fields need compression is dependent on several factors like the number of drainage points. However, ~2015 is the anticipated date. Ultimately the goal is facilitate sub-ice production in the Arctic, and to transport complex fluids over ultra long distances. Tordis: 2007 Subsea sep. Sandhandling 2*2,5 MW, 12 km Tyrihans: 2009 Subsea raw seawater injection 2* 3 MW 35 km step out Åsgard: 2011 Subsea wet gas Compres. 2*6 MW 47 km step out Snøhvit : ~2015 Ormen Lange~2015 Subsea compression plant. Large step-out Arctic production: ~2020 Sub ice production, 500 km multiphase flow, cold flow

17 6 Link to other TTAs Subsea processing and transport (TTA 6) has defined links and interphases with the other TTAs as follows: TTA 1 Environmental technology for the future. Subsea processing and transport will help reduce the use of chemicals for enhanced separation due to the avoidance tight emulsions created in topside valves and piping. Subsea separation will reduce the energy consumption for water injection significantly since the pump suction pressure is higher than it is topside. Another important technology to get a broad approval for subsea processing is leakage detection systems from subsea installations. This technology is handled by TTA 1. TTA 4 - Cost effective drilling and intervention Cost effective intervention technologies is part of TTA4 and is important in order to realize subsea processing. TTA 5 Integrated operations and real time reservoir management / TTA 3 - Enhanced recovery Field-specific acceptance criteria are needed for the maximum rates of sand, added chemicals, and oil in water content in order to avoid reduction in the injectivity and the productivity of the reservoir. Downhole processing equipment such as HC/ water separation and water injection is defined to be part of TTA 6. Important issues here are reliable monitoring and control technologies (TTA 5). Zone control (TTA 5/TTA 3) is part of the smart well concept and offers added benefits for subsea processing. TTA 7 - Deepwater and subsea production technology There is a common need for new materials technology for TTA 6 and 7. This includes: o Erosion, corrosion, high strength (water/sand injection) o Composite materials, flowlines, load bearing structures, separators (tanks) (weight optimization for deep water) o Novel materials to improve weight/strength, erosion, corrosive environments (well), temperature, cost reduction o Novel material (nanotechnology) to prevent deposits (wax, hydrates, scale) at pipe walls In addition it has been agreed that TTA 7 will cover all aspects of subsea tree systems, manifold systems, jumpers, pull-in and connection systems. 15

18 7 Recommendations The Norwegian authorities need to support fundamental R&D and knowledge build-up to solve the listed technology challenges. Of special importance is to maintain and extend the knowledge base and educate engineers to use and further develop multiphase transport and subsea processing technology. The development and application of technology products will mainly be handled by the industry. However, public financial support in an early development phase and also in the first field implementation is important in order to speed up industrialisation and promote the activity level. Such support schemes are therefore recommended to be continued. Key technology elements are linked to increased production and low cost development solutions for small fields. These are: o Flow assurance solutions for long distance oil-dominated transport o Low cost flow assurance solutions o Processing/boosting/artificial lift for deep water and/or long distance transport: Subsea water removal Two-phase separation and pumping Multiphase pumping Gas compression o Subsea power supply and control 16

19 8 Appendix 1 Table 2: Ongoing subsea processing and transport projects with Petromaks funding. Name / Description Companies Duration Fracture Control - Offshore Pipelines Budget (KNOK) SINTEF Materialer og kjemi - Trondheim On-line flerfaset strømningsanalyse av brønnstrøm i produserende brønner og transportledninger mht til fasesammesetn., slug og strømnforhold Sensorteknikk A/S Prediction of deposition and transport of sand in sand-liquid flows (STRONG) SINTEF Petroleumsforskning AS Develop, prototype design and offshoretest a unique sensor for continous monitoring of hydrocarbone leakage from subsea production templates Aquadyne AS Clavis Hydraulic Impulse Generator for vertical transportation of hydrocarbons Tools for studying hydrate slurry transport in hydrocarbon transport lines principally gas-condensate lines Hydrates in petroleum production Development of method and instrument for measuring the water salinity Clavis Impulse Technology AS Institutt for energiteknikk - Kjeller Assessment of Plug Risk Kjemisk institutt (conductivity) in a multiphase flow mixture Multi Phase Meters AS Optimisation of Glycol Loop Design and Institutt for energiteknikk - Operation Kjeller Free convection effects in pipes and complex geometries exposed to cooling FMC Kongsberg Subsea AS Improving sub-sea pumping reliability Flow Design Bureau AS Presicion differential pressure sensor for subsea oil&gas applications with accuracy 0.1 % of dp and line pressure up to 1035 bar PreSens AS WIRESCAN Sub-Sea Development Project Real-Time Condition Monitoring and Analysis for Sub-Sea Wire Systems Wirescan AS In total for all Petromaks projects within subsea processing and transport

20 Table 3: Demo2000 funded projects within subsea processing and transport from 2004 onwards. Project title Responsible institution Sum KNOK Vessel Internal Electrostatic Coalescer VIEC ABB 416 SCSS/ISMS FMC Kongsberg Subsea 726 Qualification of Automatic Voltage Control for the CEC Tech. Kværner Process Systems AS DGRASS ABB Industrialisation of an in-line Oil in Water Monitor for topside applications Roxar Flow Measurement DeepBooster System Kværner Oilfield Products LOWACC for Deepwater Enhanced Subsea Processing ABB Offshore Systems Pilot installation of the Wet Gas Compressor WGC2000 on a live gas field in the Northe Sea Framo Engineering LOWACC Offshore Pilot Development Vetco Aibel AS Liquid Holdup Measurement in Gas Condensate Pipelines using Tracers IFE Process Qualification DNV Integrated Sand/Erosion Mngt System Roxar Fiscal Multiphase and Wet Gas Meter MPM Compact Tubular Coalescer (CTC ) Aker Kværner Process Qualification Phase 2 DNV In total Demo2000 funding to subsea processing and transport :

21 Table 4: Other industry projects within subsea processing and transport Project Project responsible/ Partners Duration Horizon: New basic flow models, IFE, Scandpower, Statoil, flow assurance and well technology Hydro, Chevron, Exxon, Eni, Shell Leda: New flow simulator Sintef, Total, OVIP: Olga verification and improvement project PhD Porgram Multiphase Transport ConnocoPhillips, Scandpower, ++ oil companies. NTNU Statoil, Hydro, Total, Shell, BP, ENI, Chevron, Scandpower, IFE, SINTEF Several projects, next: ongoing MEGscale simulator development NTNU, Statoil, Hydro Determination of liquid loading in gas/cond. pipelines by tracer techniques Laboratory HP/HT compatibility measurements for mixing of different wellstreams Photoaccoustic Oil in Water Monitoring IFE, Statoil, Hydro Statoil Aker Kvaerner, BP, Hydro, Exxon Mobil, ENI, ConocoPhillips, Petrobras, Total duration : FAMUS: Integrated decision support for Flow Assurance by management of uncertainty and simulation IFP, Statoil, GdF, TOTAL, ENI, Petrobras + NN Cold flow Sintef, BP, Statoil, Total