Subsea Separation Tops List of Subsea Technology in Demand
- Rheology modification, or flowing hydrates
- Long distance direct electrical heating
- Monoethylene glycol (MEG) loop optimization
- Low dose inhibition
"Some flow assurance technologies have been demonstrated to be very effective over relatively short distances," Saunders commented. "Many of these technologies need further investment and development to enable future applications where, for example, multiphase transport is required over long distances. There is a huge difference in cost, technology and performance requirements between 3.1 miles and 310 miles (5 kilometers to 500 kilometers)."
Some future applications may lie in the upper part of that range and the technical and economic limits will continue to evolve with investment, Saunders noted. GE is working on a technology that limits hydrate agglomeration on pipe walls, reducing the probability of hydrate plug formation as well as improving the flow efficiency.
"Of course, the overall solution enabling complex flow over long distances will require integration of multiple technologies, some of which may be application specific," Saunders noted.
Normally, technology starts at the safer and easier side of oil and gas production and when applicable the technology is then developed and enhanced to migrate to more difficult environments once proven.
"However, sometimes challenging environments require a 'step change', something not tried before in order to solve an issue unique to that environment and in those cases the benefits that technology can deliver can then be applied to easier environments to deliver the same gains and that adoption path is normally faster, but happens less often because 'disruptive' advances are not common," Saunders added.
Maturing Technologies Find New Life Through New Applications
While the industry needs to forge ahead with advancement of new subsea technologies, the industry continues to find new applications for matured technologies like chemical and operating solutions, or technologies that have been around a decade or more, some of which have applications for both onshore and offshore production. These technologies have opportunity for incremental improvements to optimize for better processes.
Direct electric heating, the current applications for which are focused on hydrates, is both a matured and growing technology. DEH can keep fluid temperatures above the hydrate formation temperature and above the wax appearance temperature. DEH has mostly been used in North Sea fields, with DEH open loop technology used at Statoil's Asgard, Huldra, Kristin, Urd, Tyrihans, Alve, Ormen Lange, Morvin, and BP's Idun and Skarv fields. Closed looped DEH technology has been utilized at Shell's Serrano, Oregano, Nakika and Habanero.
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