ABB breaks new ground on the North Sea floor
A general practice of the oil and gas industry is to verify the operation of equipment and systems before installation by conducting a ‘string test demonstration’ at the factory that simulates site conditions.
Despite the technical challenges, the ABB system passed with flying colors. "In the world of technology, frontiers are made to be broken," commented ABB project manager Ole Meyer in Bergen, who worked on the project for more than two years.
Production at the Tyrihans oilfield will employ five subsea skids installed on the seabed 300 meters (1,000 feet) underwater. One of them will use a 2.5-megawatt (MW) pump motor to inject raw seawater into the oil reservoir, raising pressure in the field to facilitate oil extraction.
Tyrihans will deliver oil and gas by pipeline to the existing Kristin oil and gas platform 31 kilometers away. An ABB ACS1000 frequency converter installed on the platform will ensure the pump motor at the extraction site runs at optimal voltage.
The Tyrihans subsea field holds 176 million barrels of oil and 30 billion cubic metres of gas.
ABB in Bergen collaborated closely with colleagues in Turgi, Switzerland (for the frequency converter), and ABB in Vaasa, Finland (for the topside and subsea transformers).
In addition to the unusual pump motor-converter connection, ABB is also supplying the biggest subsea transformer it has ever delivered for the injection skid on the sea floor.
For the Kristin platform, ABB will supply specially designed transformers, frequency converters and a controller with newly developed software to power subsea motors, and ensure optimal operation of the injection pumps.
The subsea cable and platform equipment will be installed in 2009-2010.
Photo://ABB
