Currently, the state of the art for subsea well control is based on hydraulic technology. Hydraulic fluid is supplied from a host facility to the subsea wells through dedicated tubes within an umbilical and is distributed to the wells. Shifting that trend, K5F3, the world’s first all-electric well in the subsea industry, opened to production on 4 August 2016. This paper presents the benefits of electric subsea control compared with current state-of-the-art hydraulic methods.
Rationale for Electric Production System
Expenditure Savings. When looking at the introduction of a new technology such as an electric system, successful introduction is a direct consequence of a perceived reduction in capital expenditure (CAPEX) and factors such as operating expenditure (OPEX); health, safety, and environment (HSE); and future readiness also need to be addressed.
To perform preliminary system engineering for the implementation of the electric system and provide a comparison with a conventional electrohydraulic multiplex system, a case with five oil-production wells, one gas-injection well, and three water-injection wells was used as a base case for cost. The study concludes that the electric system is likely to show a range of benefits over the equivalent electrohydraulic multiplex system.
Improved System Efficiency.
