Arctic Subsea Processing System

Currently, long distance transport of hydrocarbons in the arctic without a platform facility like eg. FPSO is impossible due to lack of technology to remove and prevent pipeline clogging following from hydrate formation and wax build-up as the temperature of the fluid decreases towards ambient water temperature. Another problematic issue is related to the installation of large subsea processing systems due to the need for large, expensive and often unavailable transport and heavy lift crane vessels. Such extensive marine operations embody huge economic, environmental and safety costs that are increasingly larger in remote and sensitive environments such as the arctic, and are therefore not viable with traditional lifting technology. The main and final goal is to develop a revolutionary subsea production system allowing long distance transport of hydrocarbons at ambient temperatures from field to existing infrastructure or onshore facilities. Such a facility will avoid the need for a platform with all its implications. A full pilot in the Arctic will be conducted together with Aker BP years ahead. Extensive research and development needs to be conducted before the technology is ready for any full scale/pilot testing. The objective of this Petromaks2 project is therefore to verify crucial technological advancements needed to realize arctic subsea processing before a development process may be undertaken. Aker BP has already been granted an exploration license in the arctic based on the technological description of Subsea 7?s proposed subsea processing solution. This implies an option for Subsea 7 to access a full development and pilot project given a successful research phase through Petromaks 2.

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Currently, long distance transport of hydrocarbons in the arctic without a platform facility like eg. FPSO is impossible due to lack of technology to remove and prevent pipeline clogging following from hydrate formation and wax build-up as the temperature of the fluid decreases towards ambient water temperature. Another problematic issue is related to the installation of large subsea processing systems due to the need for large, expensive and often unavailable transport and heavy lift crane vessels. Such extensive marine operations embody huge economic, environmental and safety costs that are increasingly larger in remote and sensitive environments such as the arctic, and are therefore not viable with traditional lifting technology. The main and final goal is to develop a revolutionary subsea production system allowing long distance transport of hydrocarbons at ambient temperatures from field to existing infrastructure or onshore facilities. Such a facility will avoid the need for a platform with all its implications. A full pilot in the Arctic will be conducted together with Aker BP years ahead. Extensive research and development needs to be conducted before the technology is ready for any full scale/pilot testing. The objective of this Petromaks2 project is therefore to verify crucial technological advancements needed to realize arctic subsea processing before a development process may be undertaken. Aker BP has already been granted an exploration license in the arctic based on the technological description of Subsea 7?s proposed subsea processing solution. This implies an option for Subsea 7 to access a full development and pilot project given a successful research phase through Petromaks 2.