A project to create the world's first subsea gas compression facility is a step closer after the main subsea frame for the project set sail from a Norwegian yard.
Aker Solutions loaded out the 1800-tonne gas compression station steel frame from its yard at Egersund. In the next two weeks it will be installed using the crane vessel Saipem 7000 in 300m water on the seabed at the Statoil-operated Åsgard field.
It is the largest template manufactured by Aker Solutions, at 74m long, 45m wide and 26m high.
The Åsgard subsea compression station will comprise 22 modules, including two 11.5MW compressors, which will be installed inside the compressor station next year.
A subsea manifold, measuring 34m long, 27m wide and 15m high, has also been completed and is due to be installed. The project also involves a module to power the new subsea system, which will be installed on the Åsgard A platform.
The entire system is due to come on stream in 2015. It will boost declining gas pressures at the Midgard and Mikkel satellite fields in the Norwegian Sea and enable the recovery of an additional 280MMboe from the field.
"The Åsgard project is a game changer for the entire industry," says Per Harald Kongelf, regional president for Aker Solutions in Norway. "The technology has the potential to change offshore gas field developments worldwide and I am very pleased that we have delivered this part of the project on schedule."
Reservoir pressure at gas-producing fields drops over time, reducing output. Gas compressors are used to raise the pressure and extend the life of a field. Such compressors have typically been installed on platforms over sea level.
Placing the compressors on the seabed and near the wellheads improves recovery rates while reducing overall capital and operating costs. Subsea gas compression also leaves a smaller environmental footprint and is safer to operate than a platform.
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