Driven by the need to develop fields in deeper waters, more challenging locations and in reservoirs of increasing geological complexity, the subsea installation market is expected to grow significantly over the next few years
The latest World Deepwater Market Report from analysts Douglas Westwood forecasts a 90 per cent growth in deepwater expenditure between 2012 and 2016 as compared to the previous five-year period, with a total of US$232 billion predicted to be spent subsea.
In addition, Emerson expects the number of new Christmas Trees coming on stream each year to increase from about 280 in 2011 to around 720 by 2016.
As part of the so-called deepwater ‘golden triangle’ alongside North and South America, Africa is likely to secure a significant portion of this spend with the same Douglas Westwood report estimating that 72 per cent of forecast deepwater spend will be in Africa and the Americas.
Another report from Quest Offshore Resources (Subsea Acceleration: Fathoming New Technologies) forecasts 3,200 new subsea tree orders between 2011 and 2015 with 60 per cent of these being in offshore Brazil and Africa.
Along with Brazil and Australia, West Africa remains a key market for Emerson and we are currently pursuing 80 subsea projects over the next two years.
So in what specific areas is this growth in subsea installations being seen?
The increasing demand for subsea trees and associated hardware, such as control modules, manifolds and umbilicals, is helping drive the need for many broader solutions – solutions that can provide operators with more information and greater control over their subsea operations.
This covers everything from reliable reservoir and well monitoring in order that production keeps flowing, through to the avoidance of costly shutdowns resulting from sand, hydrates or an increased amount of water in the flow lines.
Continued growth of multiphase meters
Take the issue of measuring flow rates in the well streams and the role of multiphase and wet gas meters subsea.
Today, there is a definite need for multiphase flow meters to be installed from field start-up to efficiently manage the reservoir throughout its production life, ensure optimal recovery and maximise output.
As of 2010, according to Gioia Falcone of Texas A&M University and Bob Harrison from Soluzioni Idrocarburi Srl, there were 3,314 multiphase and wet gas meters installed worldwide – a number that is likely to double over the next ten years.
Current Emerson multiphase installations in Africa include the West Delta Deep Marine (WDDM) concession offshore Egypt, where 49 Roxar Wetgas meters have been installed to help the operator Burullus monitor water production profiles in realtime; the deepwater Akpo field, offshore Nigeria where Roxar subsea Multiphase meters have been deployed; and the Kizomba B development, offshore Angola, where Roxar subsea Multiphase meters and subsea sensors have been installed for the operator, Exxon.
Through the continuous measurement of the amount of oil, condensate, gas and water at the wellheads on the sea bed, Exxon will be able to determine the optimal production capacity of each well (thereby avoiding the risk of overproducing the well), increase flow assurance from the fields and optimise the production process.
In the WDDM example in Egypt, over just a four-month period, the Wetgas meters were utilised to avoid several water breakthroughs, identify zones for water production, and optimise gas production within acceptable and controlled water rates.
By providing early warnings of the water produced, the meters have helped Burullus and its partners save several wells from water breakthrough leading to a sustainable production strategy moving forward.
The rest of this article is available to read in issue 2, 2012, of Oil Review Africa
