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Trelleborg: New subsea gas compression
technology August 08, 2014 + + + An issue for many subsea oil and gas fields is that decreasing natural pressure is reducing recovery and shortening the lifetime of fields. Owners of the Åsgard oilfield, situated some 200 kilometres off the coast of Norway, have developed a process that could bring benefits to the oil and gas industry for years to come. Set for completion in 2015, the groundbreaking project will use subsea gas compression technology to maintain production and boost recovery from the Midgard and Mikkel reservoirs by the equivalent of about 278 million barrels of oil.
Åsgard field operator Statoil states on its
website: “With Åsgard subsea gas compression, we are one step closer to
realizing our vision of a subsea factory. Subsea processing, and gas
compression in particular, is an important technology advance to develop
fields in deep waters and harsh environments.” At these depths, fluids become warmer, resulting in a significant temperature difference compared with the surrounding seawater. This can cause piping wax build-up and eventually clogging, potentially leading to costly production downtime and repairs. Sophisticated thermal insulation is crucial to ensure a steady fluid flow. With this in mind, Aker Solutions, contractor of the Åsgard subsea compression system, will apply Trelleborg’s high-performance Vikotherm R2 subsea insulation to 600 meters of piping. A well-proven solution, the material can easily be adapted to the varying geometries, surfaces and applications of the installation.
The rubber-based composite Vikotherm R2 system
insulates and protects jumpers, manifolds, risers, pipelines, flow lines,
equipment and other subsea structures. Maintenance-free, the product is
designed to last the installation’s lifetime, a minimum of 30 years, so it
will never normally require replacement. Vikotherm R2 is made up of three layers, all bonded to one another. The inner layer is chemically bonded to the structure surface, ensuring protection against corrosion, HISC (hydrogen-induced stress cracking) and disbondment. The middle layer provides thermal insulation, and the outer layer protects against mechanical and water ingress. “The layer thicknesses and properties are extremely flexible,” Kopstad explains, “making it easy to adjust to environmental challenges and customer requirements.”
Launched in 2012, the Vikotherm R insulation
builds on the success of its former generation, first manufactured in the
late 1980s. The updated material has been subjected to years of rigorous
testing, including lifetime evaluations, long-term simulated service tests
and full-scale qualification tests. A notable upgrade to Vikotherm R2 is
that it can be applied either on-site or at Trelleborg’s production
facility in Norway. “The growing global subsea market increasingly focuses
on flexibility, delivery time and quality,” says Kopstad. “So it is a huge
advantage to be able to apply it on-site, anywhere in the world.”
With a market share of 20 to 25 percent and
advanced growth plans, the future looks bright for Vikotherm R2. “In 2013,
Trelleborg saw a very big increase in the specification of this solution,”
Kopstad says, “and the company expects to see more growth, much of it as a
direct result of Vikotherm R2’s on-site possibilities.”
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