OSLO, Norway, Nov. 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Aker Solutions
and a group of the world's leading oil and gas operators have come
together in a joint industry project with the aim of making subsea
gas separation a reality.
Using CO2 injection to increase recovery rates in offshore oil
and gas fields can improve the economics of a field significantly,
but so far, the separation of `back-produced' CO2 from the
well-stream has been considered carried out on an existing
platform, adding cost and making the concept economically
unattractive.
Now Aker Solutions together with energy companies Total,
Pertamina, Equinor and industry group the CO2 Capture Project*
(CCP), have initiated a Joint Industry Project (JIP) to identify
required membrane qualities for a subsea gas and CO2 separation
process, to minimize pretreatment needs and avoid large processing
modules.
Flooding an oil field with CO2 increases recovery rates, and
extends the life of an offshore field. Aker Solutions has developed
new concepts for subsea processing of well streams from CO2-flooded
oil fields, in which CO2-rich gas is separated, compressed and
reinjected back into the reservoir. The hydrocarbon-enriched gas
can then be routed to the topside production facility.
Subsea gas separation has the potential to make CO2-rich gas
fields commercially viable.
Testing Membranes
A prerequisite for the concept to be technically and
economically attractive is that the gas separation is done with
robust membranes that reduce pretreatment requirements and remove
the need for large processing plants.
Also, the qualified operating range for relevant membrane
materials do not match the optimal operating conditions for gas
separation on the seabed. Hence, testing must be done in order to
obtain knowledge about membrane performance under these
conditions.
The project will perform tests of different membrane qualities
under relevant conditions related to pressure, temperature, gas
composition and rates. The tests will be carried out by the SINTEF
research institute in Norway. The
project also includes technical and economic engineering studies to
assess the technology concept based on the test results.
The project aims to:
- Qualify membrane qualities that are suitable for bulk
separation of CO2 in a typical subsea process
- Confirm technical and economic use of subsea processing as a
favorable concept for the realization of offshore CO2 EOR in
combination with reinjection and storage of CO2
Aker Solutions delivered the first subsea gas compression system
to Equinor for the Åsgard field offshore Norway. The system has been in operation with
no unplanned downtime since it was installed in 2015. The subsea
gas separation technology in combination with the subsea gas
compression technology could make offshore handling of CO2 for EOR
technically and economically attractive.
*Current CCP members are BP, Chevron and Petrobras.
Media Contact:
Ivar Simensen
mob: +47-464-02-317
email: ivar.simensen@akersolutions.com
Investor Contact:
Fredrik Berge
mob: +47-450-32-090
email: fredrik.berge@akersolutions.com
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SOURCE Aker Solutions ASA