Ormen Lange subsea compression project
Powered by low-carbon electricity, the subsea compression system will maximize the recovery of one the world’s most complex and technically demanding gas field developments while extending its lifetime.
Taking market-leading technology to the seabed
One of Norway’s most complex and technically challenging locations, the giant Ormen Lange Field was discovered in 1997. Approximately 55% of its gas reserves have been produced since 2007, and a solution was needed to extend its lifetime and further maximize its recovery.
We co-designed with A/S Norske Shell the world’s deepest subsea compression system, which will be powered by hydroelectric energy and operate at a water depth of 900 m. Using subsea multiphase compression, an additional 30 to 50 billion m3 of natural gas will be unlocked at Ormen Lange, increasing the recovery rate from 75% to 85% while halving the field’s energy consumption.
A first in subsea compression
In 2019, A/S Norske Shell awarded SLB OneSubsea a frame agreement for an engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) contract for the Ormen Lange subsea multiphase compression system. The project will be executed by Subsea Integration Alliance partners OneSubsea and Subsea7.
Our award-winning subsea multiphase compressor is the world’s first and only true subsea wet-gas compressor. Conventional compressors require perfectly dry gas to operate safely and efficiently. The subsea compression system from OneSubsea, on the other hand, can operate with the unprocessed multiphase well stream—including condensates, produced water, and MEG—with liquid fractions ranging from 0% to 100%. It also tolerates sand and solids.
The Ormen Lange system uses two compression stations, each containing two compression modules. Each compressor can provide up to 50-bar differential pressure, configured in parallel for a large volumetric flow capacity. The 32-MW subsea multiphase compression system will use onshore variable speed drives (VSDs) located 120 km away, eliminating subsea VSDs or topside alternatives to improve project economics.
The solution’s technical feasibility was validated using OneSubsea’s state-of-the-art umbilical simulator and multiphase flow loop.
After the system is commissioned, Subsea Live™ data-driven performance service will use remote monitoring and data analysis to optimize performance.
Achieving a major project milestone
An essential part of the Ormen Lange subsea compression system project is the thorough testing of all components to ensure they function correctly. For the dynamic full load test of the power drive system, a vast set up was built at the OneSubsea facility in Horsøy, Norway, to verify the functionality of the 120-km step-out. Watch the second video in the player to see how the testing turned out.
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