World’s first subsea compression system passes five years in operation
In September 2015, multinational energy company, Equinor, broke new ground by putting the world’s first subsea, gas-compression facility into operation at the Åsgard offshore gas-field on the floor of the Norwegian Sea. It features two Subsea HOFIM® motor-compressor units from MAN Energy Solutions, which have since achieved a total of 80,000 operational hours with an availability of close to 100%, MAN said in its release.
By the end of 2015, analyses indicated that the pressure in Åsgard’s reservoirs would eventually be too low to ensure stable flow and satisfactory production. The need for compression resulted in the installation of 2 × 11.5 MW HOFIM® motor-compressor units operating 300 metres below sea level to maintain the output as the reservoir pressure in the Åsgard gas field decreased over time.
Thanks to the subsea technology, the reservoirs’ productive life was extended for another 15 years. Overall, around 306 million barrels of oil equivalent will be added during this period.