Subsea processing presents significant potential for cost savings by moving some of the traditional topsides fluid processing to the seabed. Subsea separation and local re-injection of produced water and/or gas to the reservoir or to a dedicated disposal zone will allow flowlines and topside processing equipment to be used more efficiently. Subsea gas/liquid separation and liquid boosting can increase the production rate in low-energy reservoirs.
The main features of subsea processing:
- Subsea bulk water removal, with re-injection or disposal
- Subsea single-phase or multi-phase boosting of well fluids
- Subsea sand and solids separation and sand handling system
- Subsea gas/liquid separation and liquid boosting
- Subsea gas treatment Subsea gas compression
- Monitoring, control and instrumented safety systems
FMC Technologies is currently supplying subsea processing equipment in projects worldwide. This modularized subsea processing technology is based on widely used subsea production technology, providing:
- Robust and reliable subsea solutions
- Fully modular architecture – retrievable units
- Flexibility over life of the field
- Stepwise installation and cost exposure
- Installation and intervention similar to a conventional subsea production system
- Utilization of existing tie-in and connection tools and components for optimum and cost efficient operations
Primary drivers for subsea processing include:
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Accelerated and/or increased recovery
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Development of challenging subsea fields
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Flow management and flow assurance
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Low quality assets with low Gas Oil Ratio (GOR), high viscosity and low permeability can be rendered commercial
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Reduced CAPEX on topside processing equipment and pipelines
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Flexibility of infrastructure for all phases of field life
For maturing fields a subsea processing station can contribute to increased earnings, production and recovery, improving and prolonging the use of existing infrastructure. Separation and re-injection of bulkwater will free up space in flowlines and risers and eliminate the need for topside equipment upgrades. For new field developments, it can enable cost-efficient and environmentally friendly platformless solutions, where the field is tied back directly to an existing offshore facility or directly to shore.