Page 34: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Nov/Dec 2025)

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ENERGY EFFICIENCY WATER PROCESSES

Norway’s continental shelf accounts

In the absolute best-case for about a quarter of our national scenario for processing,

CO emissions, and 80 percent produced fluids would be 2 of those come from gas turbines transferred directly from the powering offshore platforms.

underwater wells to shore.

– Dr. Stefania Gardarsdottir, – Dr. Heiner Schümann,

Center Director

Senior Research Scientist water injection is used to maintain pressure may shift to- intervals affected by water and gas breakthroughs by dif- wards favoring gas production over oil when gas prices rise, ferentiating fuid properties based on viscosity. This elimi- prompting the adoption of a pressure depletion strategy. nates the need for well interventions.

This transition can lower reservoir pressure and reduce The devices increase back pressure, and therefore in- energy consumption, but the increase in gas production crease energy dissipation when choking the fuid fow. necessitates more energy-intensive gas compression. This also limits production. Consequently, maintaining

The impact of CO2 emission costs is substantial, par- reservoir pressure becomes increasingly important, requir- ticularly affecting project revenue in ineffcient processing ing higher energy levels within the reservoir and resulting plants due to improper sizing, which is common in brown- in increased injection rates, therefore higher energy con- feld projects, says Schümann. Therefore, increasing CO2 sumption. However, they can still decrease overall energy tax levels is mainly a measure impacting emissions from consumption if they reduce water production.

felds with ineffcient production facilities. “There is a balance between maintaining suffcient res-

Further research from the group, published in October ervoir pressure and reducing selective infow,” says Sutoyo. this year, includes analysis of the energy effciency of in- “Although it is crucial to maintain reservoir pressure, ex- fow control systems under various drainage strategies and cessive increase in reservoir pressure appears to be disad- well completion confgurations. Infow control devices in- vantageous to energy effciency while concurrently giving crease oil production and can reduce the volume of water limited increase in hydrocarbon recovery.” lifted to the platform and then reinjected. Most recently, researchers from LowEmission are work-

Autonomous infow control devices can choke fow in ing on ultralong transport lines. Schümann explains: In 34 OFFSHORE ENGINEER OEDIGITAL.COM