Pilotering av DAR inflow control technology for økt utvinning, -oljeproduksjon og redusert miljøbelastning

he DAR technology will be used to control the inflow of gas and water downhole in oil wells. It was first developed by Innowell in a previous Petromaks2 project and has now been through system qualification in this Demo2000 project. The technology has many unique capabilities, including that it naturally controls unwanted water production from the wells, thereby reducing the need for water treatment and water reinjection on the surface. Since this is what the gas turbines on the production platforms use the most energy for, the technology will be able to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions significantly by dealing with the root cause of the problem. In addition, such autonomous inflow control is a very effective method of obtaining maximum oil from a field, at a low cost. The Troll Oil field is a good example of that, an example where gas influx was the challenge. The DAR technology also controls gas, but has a unique ability to control water, which means that it opens up for significantly more Troll Oil adventures, where this type of technology was instrumental in making this field Norway's largest oil field for five consequtive years. The DAR technology utilizes differences in density to control the inflow and therefore works on all fluids in a well and is independent of viscosity contrasts. The technology therefore also operates independently of the reservoir's flow properties along a well, and creates a small pressure drop against the reservoir. This allows for increased recovery and accelerated oil production. In other words, the technology represents a technological breakthrough, a "game changing" scenario. The value of a successful project is huge. In addition to significantly reduced energy consumption and CO2 emissions, the number of wells in a field can be reduced and costs associated with development and operation as well. The goal is to have DAR technology commercially available by 2022.

DAR teknologien ble først kvalifisert på komponent/prototype nivå gjennom et Petromaks 2 prosjekt i tidsperioden 2015 til 2018. Dette DEMO2000 prosjektet hadde som hensikt å kvalifisere teknologien på systemnivå, dvs. å demonstrere den på et utviklingsstadie der den inkluderes i og utsettes for de samme laster og betingelser som når den brukes i en kommersiell sammenheng - i en brønn. Systemkvalifiseringen har bekreftet funksjonaliteten som ble demonstrert allerede i prototypekvalifiseringen. De forventede virkningene og effekten av teknologien kan derfor realiseres i de sammenhenger rettighetshavere gjør bruk av teknologien,