June
2015
Oilfield Technology
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25
standard and having early access to information allows
for timely adaption to the standard. The same study also
concluded that standardisation, as mentioned above,
does not prevent innovation. On the contrary; R&D risks
are in general considerably reduced by participating in
such standardisation efforts.
ThesubseaprocessingJIP
The launch of a subsea processing joint industry
project (JIP) brings the ambition of profitable
and reliable subsea processing to realisation.
The JIP is a collaborative venture involving key
subsea stakeholders and aims to produce an open
international industry standard for subsea process
technology that will be available to all industry‑players.
It will build upon open industry standards already
available. The objective is to develop a subsea
processing standard that will reduce costs and delivery
time, allowing project developments to be more
profitable and cost‑efficient. Project participants are
taking a stepwise approach to standardisation and will
ensure time within the first phase of the project to align
the ambitions of those involved.
A main driver is for subsea processing technology
to have improved reliability and become more straightforward to
implement in a lifetime perspective. Standardisation of modules
and interfaces will lead to effective installation and retrieval,
which again reduces maintenance costs and thereby helps ensure
a higher availability of the subsea system. It is clear how achieving
this goal would benefit the industry when considering the vessels
used to handle installation and replacement of processing
modules. Statoil’s Åsgard project, for example, deploys customised
equipment to install the heavy modules. If these modules can be
standardised by taking into account the available vessel types,
operations can be made far more streamlined and efficient.
By standardising interface technology and module dimensions
it will be easier to combine different types of technologies and
modules to create solutions for a project. Critically, this will
not happen at the expense of new and important technology
development. A key issue is to leave ample room for innovation
and competition by standardising how the technology is packaged,
connected and installed.
Unifiedapproach
The subsea processing sector can learn much from its counterparts
in subsea production, which are also subject to radical overhauls
to reduce costs and improve productivity. DNV GL has a number of
efforts underway, including JIPs, to harmonise efficiency issues in
the subsea industry.
When managing the integrity of subsea production systems,
a uniform information management and documentation
system is a particular challenge across the sector. In order to
provide guidance on how to establish, implement and maintain
a cohesive integrity management system, DNV GL published a
recommended practice (RP) in December 2014. DNV GL‑RP‑0002
‘Integrity management of subsea production systems’ was the result
of a two‑year JIP and aims to help operators carry out maintenance
activities at the most cost‑effective intervals.
Likewise, the DNV GL standard ‘Certification of subsea
equipment and components’ (DNVGL‑SE‑0045) aims to streamline
requirements for quality control and manufacturing processes. For
operators, it will reduce costs without sacrificing quality, innovation
or safety, and subsequently shorten lead times. For suppliers, it will
increase predictability and enable strategic stocking of long‑lead
items.
The company has also launched the first draft of an RP
for a common terminology and required minimum set of
documentation between subsea operators and contractors. The
RP has made significant progress in standardising the vast set
of documents for design, approval, manufacture, verification,
operation and maintenance of subsea equipment. This will
be undertaken through a pilot scheme and will be part of the
requirement for development of Statoil’s Johan Sverdrup field,
which is among the largest oilfields on the Norwegian shelf. Statoil
is one of the first international E&P companies to implement the
new standard.
A major portion of a subsea project’s lead time is due
to delivery times for large steel forgings used in making key
components. Suppliers will not normally stock such equipment
and the typical delivery time can be high. A new RP on ‘Steel
forgings for subsea applications’ was released in February this
year as a result of an industry JIP. DNVGL‑RP‑0034 includes
harmonised requirements and improved industry practices that
enable stocking of forgings. By applying the RP, contractors and
manufacturers will benefit from reduced lead time and better
consistency, repeatability and quality.
Having a clear focus on collaboration and innovation
allows DNV GL to provide the industry with a neutral ground
for businesses, regulators and advisory professionals to come
together to develop solutions to complex subsea challenges
quickly and effectively. Standardisation will be important to
secure a strong and co-ordinated mutual approach in order to
achieve the goal of more profitable subsea developments. The key
to achieving this is to create predictability throughout the entire
supply chain to allow optimisation at every step. By being clever
with standardisation, it will still allow for customisation through
configuration of standard modules, while also streamlining work
processes involved in designing, manufacturing and operating
technology. This will enhance quality and drive a profitable and
reliable subsea future.
Figure 4.
KristinNergaardBerg (second from left), Principal Engineer, subsea technology
at DNVGL, discusses aDNVGL led joint industry project to bring the ambition of reliable
andprofitable subseaprocessing to reality.
