Statoil reports startup of Gullfaks subsea wet gas compression in North Sea

Statoil ASA reported startup of a wet gas compressor in Gullfaks field from the seafloor of the North Sea (OGJ Online, July 6, 2015).

The company said the effort will increase recovery by 22 million boe and extend plateau production by 2 years from the Gullfaks South Brent reservoir.

The system consists of a 420-tonne protective structure, a compressor station with two 5-Mw compressors totaling 650 tonnes, and all equipment needed for power supply and system control on the platform.

A wet gas compressor does not require gas and liquid separation before compression.

In mid-September, Statoil started subsea gas compression at Asgard field. The company said the two projects are the first of their kind worldwide, and represent two different technologies for maintaining production when the reservoir pressure drops (OGJ Online, June 9, 2015).

Statoil said subsea compression has a “stronger impact” than conventional platform-based compression, and avoids increased weight and extra space needed on the platform for a compression module.

“Subsea processing and gas compression represent the next generation oil and gas recovery, taking us a big step forward,” said Margareth Ovrum, executive vice-president for technology, projects, and drilling.

Operator Statoil has 51%, Petoro 30%, and OMV 19%.