Saipem, Total, Veolia bring water treatment to market

OE Staff Jun 13, 2016

Italy's Saipem is to lead the industrialization and commercialization of Springs ("Subsea PRocess and INjection Gear for Seawater"), a subsea water treatment technology designed for deep water application, developed in collaboration with oil major Total and water treatment specialist Veolia.

Springs is a nanofiltration-based sulphate removal unit designed for subsea use in deep water environments. Saipem has entered into an agreement with partners Total and Veolia for the co-ownership and exclusive commercialization of the technology. A deepsea test was successfully completed last year to prove the validity of the process in a relevant environment offshore West Africa.

A cost effective alternative to conventional topsides water treatment and injection units, Springs moves the sulphate removal process subsea, thus enhancing the economics of oil recovery by:

eliminating water injection sealines
producing savings in terms of topsides weight and deck space, freeing up vital topside space for production equipment
easing brownfield retrofits, especially on FPSOs
making distant, deep injection wells economical.

Saipem’s CEO Stefano Cao says: “The signing of the agreement is in line with Saipem’s commitment to develop innovative technologies and deploy its capabilities in the subsea environment with a view to reducing clients’ overall costs and enabling new business opportunities.”