Ben Cannell, innovation director at Aquaterra Energy. (Image source: Aquaterra Energy)

Offshore engineering solutions provider Aquaterra Energy has launched well re-entry and re-abandonment services along with its new patent-pending recoverable abandonment frame (RAF)

The combined solution will address challenges in locating, re-entering and re-abandoning legacy wells that penetrate, or pass through, offshore oil and gas reservoirs or saline aquifers that have been earmarked to be repurposed for carbon dioxide (CO2) or hydrogen storage.

The significant economic and technical challenges of re-abandoning problematic legacy wells that pose a leak risk beneath the seabed could derail many carbon capture and storage (CCS) and hydrogen storage projects, that intend to use previously penetrated oil and gas or saline aquifer formations. Technical challenges such as traditional relief well drilling could be infeasible in shallow intersects or where azimuth and depth are unknown.

Excavation methods require enormous amounts of material to be removed and may also fail to isolate re-abandonment loading from the compromised legacy well, meaning both methods may fall short in addressing technical, environmental, safety, and regulatory issues effectively.

Aquaterra Energy’s solution overcomes these challenges by employing advanced seabed and subsurface surveying technologies, well imaging, marking, and tagging to precisely locate wells. This allows the RAF to adjust to an exact well position and install conduits below the seabed to re-engage the legacy well and then back to the surface to allow for successful re-abandonment via a vertical well re-entry tieback method. Crucially the RAF also protects the legacy well components from environmental, lateral and axial loading generated by wave action on the tieback conduits and the re-abandonment operation itself.

RAF to address energy transition

George Morrison, CEO at Aquaterra Energy, said, “The introduction of the RAF and our re-entry services illustrate our strategy of pivoting decades of offshore expertise to address the wider challenges of the energy transition. Our team is committed to innovating and taking on the tough issues, ensuring that carbon and hydrogen storage can be effectively delivered as part of our broader commitment to driving the energy transition forward.”

The technology is intended for repeated use across multiple wells or locations with flexibility built in for differing seabed conditions. Its modular design allows for shipping worldwide or road transport for quayside assembly. This could enable the effective abandonment or re-abandonment of wells that may not have been previously possible, while also significantly lowering costs, saving operators £18-20 million per abandoned well - an estimated 80% reduction in comparison to other methods currently deployed. The approach could also lead to major reductions in project timelines, estimated to be up to 50% quicker per well.

"The RAF and our associated suite of services for legacy well re-entry represents a significant leap forward in abandonment technology," said Ben Cannell, Innovation Director at Aquaterra Energy. "Well re-abandonment for CCS is a new challenge, and our solution has been developed to meet it head-on. By reducing project risk, costs and operational time, we're not only making well abandonment more efficient, but also enabling the viability of carbon or hydrogen storage, as these projects would generally be far more costly or even impossible to deliver." 

Aquaterra's presence in Africa goes way back, when the company delivered an installation project for Chevron offshore Angola, or worked on a platform development in Niger Delta. 

The pump is ideally suited for applications with limited suction head. (Image source: Michael Smith Engineers)

Michael Smith Engineers has introduced the TPM magnetic-coupled peripheral pump, engineered by Dickow Pumpen

The latest addition to Michael Smith's extensive range of high-performance pumps, this innovation is designed for application across industries, including oil & gas, chemical, petrochemical, aviation, and renewable energy. 

Also known as turbine pump, the TPM peripheral pump works like any centrifugal and side-channel pumps. It is ideally suited for applications with limited suction head as it comes with a low net positive suction head (NPSH).

The TPM range can deliver flow rates of up to 17 cu/m per hour and a maximum differential head of 400 m. With a design pressure of 40 bar and maximum operating temperature of 300°C, the TPM range is built to ensure reliable performance even under the most challenging conditions.

One of the standout features of the TPM peripheral pump is its ability to handle liquids with entrained gas, enabling continuous operation even during gas release or temporary air ingress. Additionally, its hermetically sealed design makes it an excellent choice for handling toxic, explosive, or environmentally hazardous fluids, ensuring safety and compliance with stringent environmental standards. 

Today's advanced pump solutions are designed with energy conservation and sustainability in mind, as highlighted by Yasser Nagi, managing director of Wilo Middle East, speaking at the recent World Future Energy Summit. 

New technology

David Todd of Michael Smith Engineers said, "‘We are delighted to be able to offer our customers this new pump technology from Dickow Pump, whom we have been in partnership with for almost three decades. We are confident this will be as successful as the rest of the Dickow pump range." 

Also read: GD Energy introduces customer-friendly pumps 

Total spending to surpass US$42bn by 2027. (Image source: Rystad Energy)

Rystad Energy has predicted a significant influx of capital in the subsea market segment, with a 10% annual compound growth rate (CAGR) from 2024 to 2027

This includes players involved in production and processing systems such as subsea umbilical risers and flowlines (SURF), trees, wellheads, manifolds and other components. 

Total spending can reach beyond US$42bn by the end of 2027 as operators increasingly focus on advanced equipment and installation services. Signed in June, Woodside Energy's contract with DeepOcean for subsea inspection, maintenance, and repair (IMR) services for Sangomar field offshore Senegal remains one of the latest instances of such developments. 

This suggests cumulative spending to reach as high as US$32bn by the end of 2024; a 6.5% increase from the previous year. This growth is driven by strong activity across services, equipment and SURF, largely fueled by significant investment in deep and ultra-deepwater projects. 

Deepwater developments are set to dominate the subsea sector, accounting for 45% of the market from 2024 to 2028. Golfinho in Mozambique is a significant greenfield project.

Ultra-deepwater activities, driven by major floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) initiatives are projected to capture 35% of the market. One of the notable brownfield projects in the sector is Nigeria's Egina.

In the SURF sector, global installations, 10% of which can come from Angola, are anticipated to reach 3,500 kms in 2024. The installation rate is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 15% from 2024 to 2028, with Angola being a major market.

TotalEnergies holds a strong position in deepwater and ultra-deepwater exploration and production in Africa, especially in Angola and Nigeria.

CCS applications

The subsea sector is also expanding beyond traditional oil and gas applications. The push for carbon capture and storage (CCS) is creating new opportunities for suppliers and spurring research and development in this emerging market. Consequently, suppliers are leading the way in developing more efficient subsea production systems, which are set to see broader adoption.

“The subsea market has rebounded robustly from the impacts of Covid-19, which caused a significant 20% drop in expenditure in 2020. By 2021, the industry began to recover, with spending increasing by 5% to reach US$23bn. Looking ahead, we anticipate steady growth in the subsea sector, fueled by advancements in deepwater exploration and CCS. This recovery highlights the industry’s resilience and suggests a promising trajectory of consistent progress,” said Sanwari Mahajan-analyst, supply chain research, Rystad Energy.

The companies will develop one integrated platform for subsurface workflows. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

To boost efficiency from its exploration and production assets, Aker BP has announced a long-term partnership with SLB to co-develop a digital platform powered by artificial intelligence

The new platform will generate advanced digital solutions in the cloud for Aker BP by utilising the Delfi digital platform. Aker BP’s current application portfolio will be transferred to the cloud so that it becomes one integrated platform for subsurface workflows. When this is supported by high-performance computing speed of the cloud, combined with AI and, SLB and Aker BP's domain expertise, unprecedented access will be unlocked to previously untapped data for a success-oriented approach. 

In 2022, the subsurface community was benefitted by an Aker BP and Halliburton partnership, when the duo introduced a cloud application called Field Development Planning for integrated well planning services. 

“By co-developing AI-powered digital technologies, we will transform Aker BP’s subsurface workflows, accelerating planning cycles, increasing production, and reducing costs across their entire E&P life cycle,” said Rakesh Jaggi, president - digital and integration, SLB. “We have made a long-term commitment with Aker BP to continuously improve the subsurface part of their platform, driving constant efficiency optimisation and more sustainable energy production.”

E&P company of the future

“The platform we develop in partnership with SLB is a key step in realising our strategy to build the E&P company of the future and cement our position as a digital leader,” said Per Øyvind Seljebotn, SVP Exploration & Reservoir Development, Aker BP. “Leveraging the cloud for data-driven subsurface workflows will increase efficiency and value creation, while helping to lower the environmental impact from our fields and discoveries.” 

In one of its latest efficiency-boosting solutions, SLB has introduced advanced artificial lift systems that offers uninterrupted live surveillance and real-time optimisation.

An essential part of enabling AI-driven workflows is establishing a unified data environment. The new platform builds on SLB’s commitment to the Open Group’s OSDU Technical Standard and close integration with Microsoft’s Azure Data Manager for Energy.

“Moving to the Delfi platform is a big step forward on our data-driven journey. The use of Azure Data Manager for Energy, a strong and open collaboration with our digital ecosystem, and a high ambition to leverage GenAI are key benefits in this partnership with SLB,” said Paula Doyle, chief digital officer, Aker BP.