Subsea Production System(SPS)-A Solution to Marginal Offshore Fields Development in the West African Waters

摘要

Globally,the search for hydrocarbon is witnessing a dramatic shift from the land and swamp terrain to the offshore frontier with significant challenges in terms of technology requirements,safety,reliability and economics.The challenges become more apparent in offshore marginal fields where operators struggle with cutting edge technological demands,high CAPEX,lean reservoir and a possible poor return on investment(ROI). The last two decades have seen a huge increase in the application of subsea systems as the preferred concept for offshore production of oil and gas.Subsea is a term generally used to refer to equipment, technology,and methods employed to explore,drill,and develop oil and gas fields that exist below the sea bed. This paper explores the use of subsea production systems(SPS)as a possible solution to marginal field developments in West African waters.An SPS case study for marginal fields developed with a floating system is analysed and compared to other offshore development concepts from applicable equipment’s, schedule to CAPEX and OPEX considerations.