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.
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.
