The need for more and more flexible subsea control systems led ECA to develop a new concept, called TOV, based on fully standard and very light modules linked to a trunkline network After a long term test carried out in Norway, the system has been chosen by Total Austral SA, Bridas Austral SA and Deminex SA to equip the first subsea field in Argentina, Argo Developed in two phases, Argo comprises two subsea wells and a subsea manifold, located 12 7 away from the existing Hidra platform. The TOV system is organized in a daisy chain and uses six modules per well and an additional eight for the manifold Benefiting from the main characteristics of the TOV, the complete system is simple, light, and reliable. On the first well, already installed, the previously sequential hydraulic system is easily replaced, using the same interfaces, by the TOV electrohydraulic control, where conventional pod would have needed an additional structure. Though first installed in the shallow waters of Argentina, the TOV system is optimally designed for deepwater fields, considering its light weight, small size ideally adapted to ROV intervention, and 2000 m depth rating
The offshore production of oil and gas is moving very quickly in several directions Contractually speaking, large groups are preferred, financially, the budget is always lighter than the previous one, and technically, it is more and more difficult To deal with these trends, the master word is flexibility
In the control system business, the electrohydraulic pod is, today, very well implemented and represents the basic offer for subsea systems.
In order to improve the flexibility previously mentioned, ECA developed, a couple of years ago, a new concept called TOV which can be described as a mini-pod, or a one function pod. After a long term test in Norway, and thanks to the EEC funding within the THERMIE programme, this concept has been chosen by Total Austral SA, operating the Argo field in South Argentina, in partnership with Bridas Austral SAand Deminex SA.
This paper describes the application of the new TOV concept to the Argo field
The Argo field is developed as a satellite to the Hidra field in south Argentina The lines will be tied in to the Hidra centre platform Communication between Rio Cullen, onshore, and Hidra platform is ensured by a telemetry link Argo will include two subsea wells within a phased development The first phase consists in a single subsea well tied back to Hidra centre by use of an 8″ production line, a 4″ gas lift line and a control umbilical. In order to allow for a simple installation of the second phase, a production and a gas lift manifolds are installed within this phase.
Figure 1 represents the organization of the complete field The first phase includes
a 12 7 km production line (8″)
a 12 7 km gas-lift line (4″)
a control umbilical
a subsea well ARGO I
a production manifold
a gas lift manifold
