Aker Solutions and Well Processing have signed a co-operation agreement to bring a new technology offering onto the marketplace. The combination of subsea water treatment and injection aims to increase oil recovery and enhance oil production from offshore produced fields.
As part of the agreement, Well Processing will bring its subsea seawater treatment and sterilization technology to the table. This will be combined with Aker Solutions’s know-how and experience within subsea water injection, boosting and pumping technologies.
According to the company, water injection is the most commonly used method of enhancing production from oil reservoirs. Traditionally for offshore fields, seawater is treated on and injected from a surface installation. This can put restraints on achieving optimum water flood in the reservoir, which again may limit recovery and production; while locating the system on the seabed can provide both practical and financial benefits, according to Aker Solutions.
Aker Solutions said that this solution is complementary to its topside technology for seawater treatment and sulphate removal for reservoir injection purposes. The first pilot system comprising Well Processing’s treatment technology is due to be installed in May 2009.
Aker Solutions and Well Processing are reportedly in a position to start working on front-end engineering and design studies for oil and gas fields that could benefit from this technology.
