Uchenna Izundu
International Editor
LONDON, Dec. 6 -- Oil production from offshore King field in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to increase by 20% thanks to the application of multiphase pump equipment that BP PLC has installed (OGJ, Oct. 8, 2007, p. 49).
King produces 27,000 boe/d, and BP expects to improve recovery by 7% and extend the economic life of the field by 5 years. The pump, which BP described as the world's deepest in 5,500 ft below the sea's surface, also sets a world record, for distance because the pumps are 15 miles from the Marlin tension leg platform. King is tied back to Marlin.
Andy Inglis, BP's chief executive of exploration and production, said: "In line with our strategy to maximize reserves from our existing fields, the application of this cutting edge technology across BP's large deepwater portfolio has the potential to unlock significant resources that would otherwise remain unrecoverable."
BP is 100% owner and operator of King, which is 75 miles off Louisiana in Mississippi Canyon Blocks 84, 85, 128, and 129. The pumps will be powered by an umbilical from the Marlin tension leg platform 18 miles away in Viosca Knoll Block 915.
Contact Uchenna Izundu at [email protected].