The modules for the first compressor train to be installed in the Åsgard subsea gas compression system - the world's first subsea compression system - are ready to be transported from Egersund in Stavanger, Norway, to Kristiansund, pending installation at the field next year.
During 2015, the subsea compressor will be completed at the Åsgard field off mid-Norway. The system will provide an additional 282MM boe from the Midgard and Mikkel reservoirs by placing the subsea compressors as close to the reservoirs as possible.
Image: The Åsgard compressor as Egersund, Norway. Phoro from Statoil.
Much of the installation work has already been carried out at the field, but the compressor trains, including the compressor, the heart of the system, remains. Each train consists of 11 modules that will be installed separately.
“We have now taken one step further toward realizing this huge technology project that will add considerable value from Åsgard. This is highly important for us as operator and in charge of the development,” says Statoil’s venture manager Snorre Grande.
A large subsea template has already been installed at a water depth of around 300m at Åsgard. Pipelines, umbilicals and power cables have also been laid. The subsea template is ready to be filled with two identical compressor trains next year, each weighing 1500-tonne.
A third train will be placed onshore in Kristiansund as a spare train to be used in the event of any problems with a module on the seabed.
The actual compressor for the first compressor train is currently being tested as it has been submerged in a big pool at Statoil’s test centre at Kårstø, providing operating conditions that are similar to those awaiting the compressor at the Åsgard seabed. The requirements for equipment to be placed in 300m of water, inaccessible to most, are strict.
Image: The Åsgard subsea template on its way out to sea earlier this year. Photo from Statoil.
“The compressor train modules have been tested prior to installation to ensure that they are compatible and intercommunicate properly. We are also using very strict check lists and control procedures for this project,” says Torstein Vinterstø, who is project manager for this pioneering technology project.
In the beginning of December the compressor train modules will be transported northward, pending installation at the field. Statoil is using its own fleet of supply vessels for this transport.
Read more:
The future of subsea technology
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