As subsea processing and instrumentation is being added, traditional subsea control systems cannot accommodate the additional data throughput required. Subsea control systems will need to be able to deliver large amounts of data, and will need simplified connectivity so an increasing amount of sensors and production-boosting equipment can be added to the system.
The ability to use these large amounts of data in verifying the condition of the subsea production system is important. Systems will be provided that give assistance, either advisory or automatic, to the operator. This assistance will help monitor the health of the subsea system or assist in optimising the overall subsea system performance.
This paper will present next generation subsea systems starting with the current status of subsea processing and boosting systems, including the level of benefits that an operator can expect from these types of systems. The paper will also cover for electrical field-or e-field-solutions, both the use of data for condition monitoring and the optimisation of production. Specifically, the paper will show how subsea data can be used to predict failure or maintenance cycles.
The final part of the paper will identify the changes that have occurred to the control system that makes the delivery of good, timely data achievable. The use of fibre optics and open systems means that third-party devices are able to connect easily to the subsea production system and to deliver consistently the required amount of data so that decisions can be made.
The conclusion of this paper will propose a system built with subsea processing to improve recovery. Where the subsea system is closely monitored to ensure it is working optimally. Large amounts of data are interpreted to optimise both the production from the well and the uptime of the system.
The infrastructure required to bring about this monitoring and control will allow the easy connectivity to the subsea control system of devices, which will have the bandwidth they require to correctly monitor the well and subsea control system.
All of these areas together will facilitate an increased recovery from the subsea well.
Depending on the different needs for subsea processing, Aker Kværner Subsea has developed different solutions that may be applied during the whole production lifetime or inserted at field late life to increase oil recovery and to handle large amounts of produced water. Relevant process solutions are listed below:
MultiBoosterTM system-subsea multiphase pumping The MultiBoosterTM system consists of one or multiple MultiBooster units integrated into a subsea process system. The multiphase pumps can either be arranged in parallel for increasing capacity of well fluid boosting, or serial for increasing differential boosting pressure for well fluid across the pumping process system.
DeepBoosterTM system-subsea separation and boosting The DeepBoosterTM system is a subsea processing system for separation of the well fluid into a gas phase and a liquid phase followed by pressure boosting of the liquid phase. Each of the phases is transported separately to topside dedicated risers. The system will accommodate the lifetime changes in hydrocarbon and water production and is especially well suited in applications from mid-deep to ultra-deep water.
