Offshore staff
LONDON – TechnipFMC has installed and tested the 37-km (23-mi) trace-heated subsea production pipeline for Neptune Energy’s Fenja field in the Norwegian Sea.
The electrically trace-heated (ETH) pipe-in-pipe solution, which Neptune claims is the world’s longest to date, will transport Fenja’s oil to Equinor’s refurbished Njord A platform, via a connection to existing infrastructure.
According to Neptune, the ETH pipeline was a collaborative development and qualification program with TechnipFMC.
Fenja’s oil contains a high wax content, so the pipeline contents must be warmed to a temperature above 28°C (82°F) during start-up following a scheduled shutdown or interruption to operations.
During normal production, the temperature in the pipeline would be much higher.
Ståle Ryggvik, TechnipFMC’s project director, said: “This technology has the potential to unlock future developments with challenging reservoir properties.”
The offshore installation was performed in two subsea campaigns during 2020 and 2021, 120 km (74.6 mi) north of Kristiansund in a water depth of around 320 m (1,050 ft).
TechnipFMC was also responsible for fabrication and assembly of the ETH-pipe.
Odfjell Drilling is due to start drilling the production wells in 4Q, using the semisubmersible Deepsea Yantai.
08/03/2021
