Aker Solutions and MAN Diesel & Turbo are aiming to reduce the size and weight of subsea compression systems by at least 50%, according to a news release.
The effort comes just a year after the first such system, delivered by Aker in collaboration with partners including MAN and Statoil, went on stream at Statoil’s Åsgard Field in the Norwegian Sea. “The Åsgard system, which has been running with practically no stops or interruptions in its first year, will help recover an additional 306 million barrels of oil equivalents more cost-effectively, safely and with a smaller environmental footprint than a traditional platform,” MAN said in the news release.
Basil Zweifel, head of oil and gas upstream at MAN Diesel & Turbo, added, “Aker Solutions and MAN will provide reliable compression systems for use at small subsea fields as well as large deposits such as Åsgard.”
Compressors, typically installed on platforms above sea level, are used to maintain output as reservoir pressure at gas fields drops over time. The two 11.5 MW HOFIM motor-compressor-units at Åsgard are the world’s first compressors to be installed and put into operation on the seabed, the release said.
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