Marlim 3 Phase Subsea Separation System: Subsea Process Design and Technology Qualification Program

This paper presents the selected concept, the main challenges of the adoptedscenario and in consequence the requirements for a development of an extensiveTechnological Qualification Program performed on the components and on thewhole sub-sea water separation and re-injection pilot system for Marlim field -known as SSAO Marlim Project. Due to being a pioneer project, even consideringthe previous Troll and Tordis sub-sea separation and re-injection systems, itwas necessary to perform a very extensive and broad Technological QualificationProgram (TQP). Two main characteristics of the SSAO project are responsible forthe mentioned pioneer character of the project. Initially, in opposition to thementioned existing systems, separated water has to be re-injected in theproduction reservoir formation, due to non available disposal reservoir inproduction field area. Thus, required water quality, relating to oil andsediment content after separation, was very strict in order to avoid loss ofinjectivity. Furthermore, due to the deep water depth of the installation site(870 m) and due to the fact that the SSAO is a pilot for future deep waterinstallations, conventional gravity separators - as used in the mentionedprojects - would not be feasible and new technologies, not yet used elsewhere, have to be adopted.