A project to use wind turbines to power water injection facilities on oil fields is to move into a second testing phase, says joint industry project leader DNV GL.
The WIN WIN concept includes a floating wind turbine, which supplies power to a typical water injection process that includes pumping and basic water treatment.
A first phase of the project, WINd powered Water INjection, determined that wind power could be used to power offshore water injection. The second phase of the project will include refining and testing the electrical systems, and investigating possibilities for broader applications.
The project consists of four partners: DNV GL, ExxonMobil and ENI Norge – all part of the first phase – and the Norwegian Research Council – a new participant for this second phase.
The second phase will focus on extensive physical lab testing of the electrical systems at the DNV GL power laboratories in Arnhem, the Netherlands, thereby maturing the technical concept and expanding the system performance.
“In this next phase of the project, we’ll use a small scale physical set-up to conduct tests on the systems,” explains project manager Johan Slätte. “We aim to instill confidence in the industry that the system and components in this configuration will perform well over time with a variable power input. While phase one was a desk top study, this phase is a natural step before going into piloting with real prototypes. The second phase of WIN WIN is expected to run over the course of one to two years and will result in an application guideline document for the industry. If all tests are successful, a realistic timeline for a first full scale prototype could be around 2020.”
The next phase of WIN WIN will also help to further develop the economic feasibility of wind and potentially other renewables in complex environments with demanding functional requirements. The concept showcases alternative sources of energy and its reliability for off-grid situations.
“The WIN WIN project has shown great potential for the oil and gas industry to lower costs and increase efficiency, while also reducing its environmental footprint," says project sponsor Johan Sandberg. "Proving that large-scale renewable units can be integrated well into oil and gas systems will also expand the industry's toolbox of technology solutions.”
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