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of existing, feld proven technologies” into a solution for these lower fow rate applications. The concept is suited to brownfeld developments where it can

Subsea use existing subsea infrastructure to provide additional boosting on depleted

Alliance wells, adding incremental production or potentially deferring plug and abandon- ment. The POWERJump will also have creates results application in greenfeld sites as a solu- tion for producing stranded reserves back

Two years in the making, Aker Solutions and Baker Hughes’ to a host facility or seabed injection, Aker subsea production alliance is already proving fruitful.

Solutions says.

“We looked at how many felds could

Elaine Maslin reports.

use this idea and it came to a very large number, which surprised us. These felds are everywhere because they are the lon- ger step outs or where the production is below a certain threshold. Neither Aker

Solutions nor Baker Hughes could have come up with this idea on their own,” says Ayling.

More broadly, the alliance’s initial focus will be well performance, boosting, power and control, combined integrated control and power systems, and seabed boosting. “We are going deeper, into more remote and harsher environments,” says Ayling. “Whether that is metocean challenges in the Arctic or sub-surface challenges with high-pressure, high-temperature, or more complex reservoirs, or a combination of

The Baker Hughes/Aker Solutions POWERJump fowline booster. these. With, in the short-term, industry

Image from Aker Solutions.

not fnding more (fewer exploration hen Aker Solutions and offshore west Africa with 150,000b/d successes), cost effcient solutions for

Baker Hughes joined forces foating production systems,” says increasing or sustaining production and a

W under an alliance last year it Ian Ayling, Director of Business longer-term goal of improved recovery is was with a mission to develop technol- Development and Sales, Baker Hughes. why the two companies came together.” ogy for production solutions designed to “For the smaller felds, there hasn’t been Talks started between Baker Hughes boost output, increase recovery rates, and any cost effcient tools on the boosting and Aker Solutions about two years ago, reduce costs for subsea felds by drawing side. We have seen some innovation here says Ayling. “We are convinced the only on each other’s expertise. and there, but, so far, for small individual way to meet this challenge head on is

One of the key targets is boosting wells, at 30,000 b/d, there haven’t been collaboration across traditional industry production from mature felds. By 2020, any good tools. Our engineers came up segments and boundaries. Combining more than half the wells installed on the with the POWERJump fowline booster, Baker Hughes’ artifcial lift and comple-

Norwegian and UK Continental Shelves which uses existing feld infrastructure.” tion technologies with Aker Solutions’ will be more than 10 years old. POWERJump is a boosting sys- subsea production systems, “This is going to grow,” says Herve tem which can be added between coupled with joint knowledge

Valla, head of research and innovation the wellhead and manifold. in subsea intervention, you and technology strategy, Aker Solutions. The concept would see a Baker can provide a horizontally “The number of wells more than 11 years Hughes’ electrical submersible integrated service… from the old will grow from 800 to 1450 between pump placed inside the jumper reservoir through the interface 2012 and 2020. The number older than that connects the Xmas tree and of the Xmas tree to production 21 years will grow from 86 to 649 (in the the manifold. “It is relatively facilities.” same period). There will be a need for small, relatively flexible and For Valla, the whole system

Ian Ayling more advanced subsea production, but uses the existing infrastructure. needs to be addressed. Well also a more simplifed boosting solution.” It would be possible to install with small access for easier intervention operations

The frst new product aimed at boost- vessels and offers 80-90-day pay back,” needs to be by design. For enhanced ing has already been unveiled by the says Ayling. oil recovery, boosting, and processing, alliance. “Up to now seabed boosting Aker Solutions describes the tech- integrated power and control systems are has been using larger pumps, typically nology as an “innovative repackaging needed, he says.

February 2015 | OE oedigital.com 58 058_OE0215_Subsea2.indd 58 1/20/15 6:36 PM