Offshore staff
PARIS – Nexans has delivered the umbilicals serving the new subsea wet gas compression station on the Statoil-operated Gullfaks gas field in the Norwegian North Sea.
The umbilicals, combining power, fiber-optic and hydraulic lines in a single cross section, will supply power to two 5-MW gas compressors on the seafloor in a water depth of 135 m (443 ft).
The 650-metric ton (716-ton) station will be housed in a 420-metric ton (463-ton) protective structure, managing a flow rate of 10 MMcm/d (350 MMcf/d). It will be installed at the Gullfaks Sør satellite field, 15 km (9.3 mi) from the Gullfaks C platform. It is due to enter service later this year and over time should increase total gas extraction from the field by 22 MMboe.
Subsea compression is used when reservoir pressure falls below a critical level, reducing gas production. By compressing the gas on the seafloor, pressure in the pipelines is increased. The gas flows faster, allowing more to be extracted from the field.
04/13/2015
