OGTC funds study to unlock marginal fields

WorleyParsons’ INTECSEA consultancy partners with The Oil & Gas Technology Centre to review the economic impact of the technology designed to maximise economic recovery in the North Sea.

WorleyParsons’s INTECSEA consultancy will carry out two studies to look into the economic impact of applying its innovative Pseudo Dry Gas technology to the West of Shetland fields.  On a wider scale the study will also investigate how the technology could be applied as a gas disposal system across North Sea fields, with both studies being funded by The Oil & Gas Technology Centre in Aberdeen.  

The innovative new technology was developed with the aim of making long distance subsea tiebacks, which are typically not economically or even technically feasible, commercially viable.  By reducing back pressure in the pipeline, Pseudo Dry Gas technology eliminates the need for topsides and costly compression, reducing the associated high carbon emissions. This allows for much greater tie-back distances.  The solution is elegantly simple, using multiple passive separators, and a liquid removal pipeline connected to proven standardised pumps.

It is hoped that the results of these economic studies will demonstrate the advantages of the technology in assisting operators to bring marginal fields back online at a significantly reduced cost.

Lee Thomas, INTECSEA Engineering Lead for Pseudo Dry Gas technology, anticipates that the studies will show reductions in capital expenditure of more than 40% compared to current alternatives, without loss of recoverable reserves. 

Lee Thomas, INTECSEA Engineering Lead for Pseudo Dry Gas technology said:

“I am delighted that the potential of Pseudo Dry gas to support the OGTC’s aim of maximising economic recovery is being put under the spotlight. I believe it could lead to increased gas production for the North Sea, and vastly extended gas tieback distances, while simultaneously reducing operational CO₂ emissions.”

Graeme Rogerson, Marginal Developments Project Manager for the Oil & Gas Technology Centre, added:

“There are currently 363 marginal developments distributed across the UKSC, each holding an estimated 3 -50 million barrels.  At present these fields do not meet the current economic requirements to progress to investment, therefore it’s important that we identify technologies, like INTECSEA’s Pseudo Dry Gas, that can help unlock this huge potential which is worth an estimated £135 billion to the UK economy.

We hope the findings of this techno-economic study are of interest to exploration and production companies – ensuring that we can secure the industry support that is required to help bring this technology to the market.”