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2 Subsea Technology Revised

Subsea Technology HVL 2

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41 views6 pages

2 Subsea Technology Revised

Subsea Technology HVL 2

Uploaded by

hamidzomorrodip
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Subsea Technology and Operations

Part 2: Subsea Production Systems

● Reasons for use / types of systems.


● Configuration - subsystems / components.
● Installation / Operation / Maintenance.
● Examples of systems / development trends.

Subsea technology and operations


by Jens Chr. Lindaas translated by Kjell Eivind Helgesen
revised August 2013 July 2016
Subsea Technology and Operations, part 2: Subsea Production Systems

Table of Contents

1 Introduction to Subsea Production Systems and Relevant Standards


2 Examples of Recent Systems
3 Development Trends
4 Appendix

Page 2 of 6
Subsea Technology and Operations, part 2: Subsea Production Systems

1 Introduction to Subsea Production Systems and


Relevant Standards
With increasing depths, lower oil prices and new possibilities through general technological
development, there is a clear trend that an increasing amount of the production equipment
will be placed at the bottom of the oceans.

Appendix A gives an introduction to subsea production systems. Since this is a relatively


aged appendix (but still highly relevant), it has been supplemented with more information
and sketches of newer fields in chapter 2.

In addition to the American standards that are mentioned in Appendix A, the following rules /
regulations / standards are relevant to the Norwegian continental shelf.

➢ The Norwegian Law of Petroleum Industry.


➢ General regulations from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate.
➢ NORSOK1 standards. A few of these are available for free from standard.no. The
following three are particularly relevant:
○ NORSOK U-001 - Subsea Production Systems (also refers to many relevant
standards from ISO2 , API3 and ASME4).
○ NORSOK U-009 - Life Extension for Subsea Systems.
○ NORSOK L-004 - Piping Fabrication, Installation, Flushing and Testing.
➢ DNV GL5 standards and recommended practices. Most of these are available for free
from dnvgl.no. The following two are particularly relevant:
○ DNV-OS-F101 - Submarine Pipeline Systems.
○ DNV-OS-F201 - Dynamic Risers.

When using any law, regulation, standard, recommended practice or similar, always use the
latest revision, in order to have all information up to date.

1
NORsk SOKkel - Norwegian Continental Shelf
2
International Organization for Standardization
3
American Petroleum Institute
4
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers
5
Det Norske Veritas - Germanischer Lloyd

Page 3 of 6
Subsea Technology and Operations, part 2: Subsea Production Systems

2 Examples of Recent Systems


As a supplement to Appendix A, Appendix B has a selection of information and sketches
from the Åsgard and Ormen Lange field developments.

FMC Kongsberg Subsea’s “HOST”-system was used in the Åsgard field development.
“HOST” is based on a hinged template that can be installed through the moonpool of a
floating rig. This modular system affords a great degree of flexibility to adapt to the
production system for that particular field through the lifetime of the field. The subsea
installations are here connected to floating production facilities before gas, condensate and
oil is transported ashore.

The Ormen Lange field is special (in the same way as Snøhvit), by having all necessary
production equipment on the seafloor. In other words, there are no fixed or floating
installations offshore that the gas flow is fed into. A multi-phase gas flow is instead fed
directly ashore through pipelines to the processing plant at Aukra in the Møre og Romsdal
region of Norway. The entire subsea facility is also remotely controlled from Aukra.

Appendix C shows “ICARUS”, which is an ROV based pull-in and connection system for
pipes and cables. The system has a maximum pull-in force of 20 metric tonnes and can
deliver an alignment torque of 250 kNm. “ICARUS” was originally developed by ABB, but is
now operated by GE Energy.

“ICARUS” was used at the Åsgard field, amongst others.

Page 4 of 6
Subsea Technology and Operations, part 2: Subsea Production Systems

3 Development Trends
In the past few years the following development trends have emerged for subsea production
systems:

➢ Only wet systems are used.


➢ Diverless systems are preferred, even in shallow waters.
➢ Horizontal x-mas trees are preferred, at least on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.
➢ TFL (Through FlowLine) methods are less used as maintenance methods due to
complexity and the danger of the tool jamming in the tubing / flowline.
➢ Multiplexed electro-hydraulic control systems are preferred, preferably hooked up to
a computer.
➢ ROV-based intervention techniques are preferred, also for pull-in and connection of
flowlines / umbilicals.
➢ Increasing degree of standardization, especially regarding interfaces between
equipment. This relates also to tools.
➢ More and more of the processing plant equipment is being placed on the sea floor,
some examples are:
○ Crude separation.
○ Multi-phase pumps.
○ Compressors.
○ Large electrical motors with high energy consumption.
○ Sensors and control systems.
➢ This requires development of new installation and maintenance methods.
➢ Increasing depths infer transitions to guidewireless systems for installation and
replacement of modules.

To give an impression of future subsea production systems, the following equipment /


systems are presented in:

Appendix D: Example of a guidewireless system for great depths.

Appendix E: Subsea processing - “The Subsea Factory”


(Copied from an article in Teknisk Ukeblad (a Norwegian technical periodical),
sources are Statoil, Aker Solutions and Shell).

Page 5 of 6
Subsea Technology and Operations, part 2: Subsea Production Systems

4 Appendix
➢ Appendix A:
○ “Subsea - an Overview” (some figures have been removed or are poorly
printed. Use equivalent and relevant figures from Appendix B instead).
➢ Appendix B:
○ Åsgard: Subsea production system and associated installation sequence
(Statoil).
○ Ormen Lange: Subsea production system (excerpts from presentations by
Christopher Fougner from Norwegian Shell and Tom Røtjer from Norwegian
Hydro).
➢ Appendix C:
○ “ICARUS”: Pull-in and connection system (outline specification).
➢ Appendix D:
○ Example of a guidewireless system for great depths (excerpt from brochure).
➢ Appendix E:
○ Subsea Processing - “The Subsea Factory” (Copied from an article in Teknisk
Ukeblad (a Norwegian technical periodical, sources are Statoil, Aker
Solutions and Shell. Internet reference to the original article in Norwegian:
http://www.tu.no/olje-gass/2012/12/08/slik-vil-en-havbunnsfabrikk-kunne-
fungere).

Page 6 of 6

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