Download Solutions 2008 issue 1 - Aker Solutions

Solutions
Sharing the Future I-2008
Subsea Umbilical Technology
Revolutionizing Innovation 5
Kikeh Deepwater Development
Breakthrough Offshore Malaysia 10
Norway’s Ormen Lange Field
Shore Facilities Complex 12
Subsea Compression Station 16

Contents
Review
Recent News .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Celebrating Solutions Magazine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Business Focus
Aker Solutions’ Umbilicals: The Vital Subsea Link .. . . . . . . . . . 5
Project Execution
Murphy Oil: Kikeh-starting a New Era . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Ormen Lange Shore Facilities: Waking the Giant. . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Technology
Ormen Lange: Deep Compression Cometh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Tyrihans: Big Boost for Oil Recovery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
MEG System: A Question of Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
DEMO 2000: Demonstration Effect.......................27
MultiBooster: Into the Deep Oil Recovery Position......... 32
Capabilities
North Sea Success: Efficient Supply Management .. . . . . . . . . 34
Employee Profile
Female Presidents: Taking Charge and Making a Difference . . . 36
Beyond Oil & Gas
BioCnergy : Fuelling a Greener Tomorrow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Operations & Maintenance Support
Husky Energy: New Bloom on White Rose.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Conference Participation
Presentations and Papers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Solutions
Aker Solutions’ Oil & Gas Magazine
©Aker Solutions 2008
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Donna Rougeaux
Vice President Global Communications
Aker Solutions
EDITOR
Bonnie Smollen, Freed Advertising, L.P.
Editorial Board
Torbjørn S. Andersen
Bjorn Oistein Bergseth
Kim Corbin
Siw Anett Enerud
Henrik Hannus
Mariken Holter
Endre Johansen
Jannik Lindbaek jr.
Vanessa Mourant
Alf Terje Myklebust
Lars Fredrik Rolstad
Karen Romer
Caroline Stallion
Inger Sund
ART Director
Alicia Noack, Freed Advertising, L.P.
WRITERS
Meg Chesshyre
Jeremy Cresswell
Terry Knott
Vanessa Mourant
Amanda Powell
Ryan Skinner
Darius Snieckus
Caroline Stallion
PHOTOGRAPHY
Courtesy of:
Aker Solutions
Blue International Communication
Husky
Renato Langfeldt
Praj Industries
Richard Reynolds
Eivind Røhne
Steven Shea
Sør Stangeby
StatoilHydro
Xvision
Letters to the editor
solutions@akersolutions.com
AKER SOLUTIONS ASA, through its subsidiaries
and affiliates (“Aker Solutions”), is a leading global
provider of engineering and construction services,
technology products and integrated solutions. The
business within Aker Solutions comprises several
industries, including Oil & Gas, Refining & Chemicals,
Mining & Metals and Power Generation. The company
is organized into a number of separate legal entities.
Aker Solutions is used as the common brand/trademark
for most of these entities.
Copyright and Legal Notice
Copyright of all published material including photographs,
drawings and images in this magazine remains
vested in Aker Solutions and third party contributors to
this magazine as appropriate. Accordingly, neither the
whole nor any part of this magazine can be reproduced
in any form without expressed prior permission. No
trademark, copyright or other notice shall be altered
or removed from any reproduction. Articles and
opinions appearing in this magazine do not necessarily
represent the views of Aker Solutions. While all
steps have been taken to ensure the accuracy of the
published contents, Aker Solutions does not accept any
responsibility for any errors or resulting loss or damage
whatsoever or howsoever caused and readers have
the responsibility to thoroughly check these aspects
for themselves. The “ton” unit of weight used in this
magazine refers to short (U.S.) tons. Currency figures
are approximate in USD ($). Inquiries about reproduction
of content from this magazine should be directed
to the Editor-in-Chief.
Creating opportunities
The year 2007 was another strong period for our company.
With successful deliveries of major projects, further
improvements in our overall health, safety and environment
(HSE) performance and record-high financial achievements,
we have entered 2008 with optimism and confidence. We
see that our vision of being the preferred partner materializes
through our strong focus on project execution and our
continued effort to improve and streamline our worldwide
operations within the energy and process industries.
The fundamental driver of our business is the demand for
energy and processing of natural resources. It seems clear
that this demand will continue to prosper, and we see a continued
growth potential across all our markets. Our strong financial position, impressive track
record, highly competent and skilled workforce and committed ownership give us the power
to create new opportunities for our customers and partners.
From Aker Kvaerner to Aker Solutions
On April 3, 2008 we announced a new corporate name.
Why the name change? Why Aker Solutions? What does it mean for our customers? Let me
use this opportunity to share the background for the decision to change our name.
Aker Kvaerner is a “merger name” – a name designed to transition the company from two
strong brands into a single entity; to combine the brand equity of both Aker and Kvaerner
into a new brand. We have passed that milestone. Today we truly are a unified company. We
believe it further strengthens our potential as a company to brand ourselves with a forwardlooking
name that communicates both the long-term committed ownership of Aker as well
as our primary deliverable.
In short, the new name, Aker Solutions, represents a simplification and strengthening of our corporate
identity, and it outlines our offering of comprehensive industrial solutions. It represents
the synergies between our business units, business areas, and with other Aker companies.
When I decided to take on the responsibility as leader of Aker Solutions, it was because of
my passion for working closely with our current and new partners to solve great challenges
and win new opportunities within our industries. Through my 20 years with this company, I
believe I have learned something about the success criteria of our business – and basically it
is all about the partnerships we develop with our customers and suppliers. I look forward to
continuing our work with you!
Sincerely,
Simen Lieungh
President and CEO
Aker Solutions ASA
1

Review
Aker Solutions Lands Talisman
Service Agreement
May 21, 2007 – Talisman Energy Norge AS
has awarded Aker Solutions a service contract
for provision of personnel and equipment
for well intervention services on the
Norwegian continental shelf, including the
Gyda, Varg, Yme and Rev fields. The contract
is for a firm period of two years, plus
three times one-year optional periods. Estimated
contract value for the initial two years
is $12 million.
Umbilical Contract Awarded
to Aker Solutions
June 1, 2007 – Aker Solutions has won a $14
million contract to supply subsea umbilicals
to Helix Energy Solutions through its subsidiary
Energy Resource Technology, Inc. This
contract includes engineering and project
management for the Noonan development
project in the Gulf of Mexico.
Aker Solutions Wins
MultiBooster Contract
June 14, 2007 – Aker Solutions has shipped
three subsea MultiBooster pumps to the Gulf
of Mexico. The installation in the King field
will break world records when it is applied in
water depths in excess of 5,500 ft (1,700 m),
more than 18 miles (29 k) from the platform.
The contract was first announced by Aker
Solutions in October 2005.
FPSO Agreement Awarded
to Aker Solutions
June 20, 2007 – Aker Solutions has signed a
contract for delivery of equipment and modifications
to Aker Floating Production’s SMART
1 floating production storage and offloading
(FPSO) vessel. This new contract is an amendment
to a contract awarded in November 2006
for both SMART 1 and 2 vessels.
Aker Solutions Lands Umbilical
Contract in North Sea
July 6, 2007 – Aker Solutions has been
selected by Subsea 7 Norway for the manufacturing
and supply of steel tube umbilicals
for Norsk Hydro’s Vega and Troll O2 developments
in the North Sea. The contract,
worth approximately $86 million, is one of
Aker Solutions’ largest stand-alone umbilical
contracts to date.
Aker Solutions Acquires Shares
in German Company
August 1, 2007 – Aker Solutions has signed
an agreement for acquisition of 50 percent
of the shares in the German company Wirth
Maschinen- und Bohrgeräte-Fabrik GmbH
(“Wirth”) with an option to buy the remaining
shares within the next years.
CNOOC Selects Aker Solutions
August 17, 2007 – Aker Solutions has been
awarded a contract by China National Offshore
Oil Corporation (CNOOC) for delivery
of drilling equipment and system for an ultradeepwater
drilling semisubmersible unit with a
contract value of approximately $128 million.
Aker Solutions Wins BP Contract
in Norwegian Sea
September 20, 2007 – BP has selected Aker
Solutions to perform the detail engineering,
procurement and construction management
assistance (EPcma) for the Skarv field development
in the Norwegian Sea. Since November
2005, Aker Solutions has been involved
with the project, performing the front-end
engineering design of the complete floating
production storage and offloading (FPSO)
ship and intermediate engineering of the topsides.
Total value of the new scope of work is
approximately $400 million.
Gjøa Umbilical Agreement
Awarded to Aker Solutions
September 24, 2007 – Aker Solutions has
signed a contract – valued at over $51 million
– with Statoil for the manufacturing and
supply of steel tube umbilical control cables
for the Gjøa field in the North Sea.
Aker Solutions Lands Petrobras
Contract in Gulf of Mexico
October 24, 2007 – Petrobras Americas
Inc. has awarded Aker Solutions a contract
to supply subsea power cables and control
umbilicals to its Cascade and Chinook
fields in the Gulf of Mexico. The contract is
approximately $65 million.
Daewoo Drilling Equipment
Selects Aker Solutions
November 9, 2007 – Aker Solutions has been
awarded two drilling equipment contracts by
Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering
Co. Ltd (DSME) in Korea: one for a single
drillship, the other one for a semi rig. Total
contract value is approximately $213 million.
Chinese Contracts Awarded
to Aker Solutions
November 16, 2007 – Aker Solutions has
taken further strides into the Chinese market
by signing two deals with China National
Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). One
contract is for the delivery of a complete
marine drilling riser system and associated
equipment, while the other is for delivery
of mooring equipment to a new deepwater
semisubmersible drilling unit. Contract values
are undisclosed.
Aker Solutions Reaches Out
to Angola Community
November 16, 2007 – Aker Solutions has
helped fund a mobile water well drilling rig
that will supply safe water for the community
of Cabinda, Angola. The rig was handed
over to the local community in an official
ceremony in Cabinda.
Woodside Selects Aker Solutions
for Frame Agreement
November 22, 2007 – Aker Solutions has
signed a frame agreement with Woodside
Petroleum Ltd to become the Australian oil
and gas giant’s preferred supplier of steel
tube umbilicals. The contract could be worth
between $30-40 million annually.
Aker Solutions Expands Subsea Service
November 28, 2007 – Aker Solutions has
signed a letter of intent with Aker Oilfield
Services and is set to expand its subsea
service offering by providing equipment
and personnel to the world’s first deepwater
subsea equipment support vessel (SESV).
The contract – to commence latest 2010 –
is worth approximately $60 million over an
initial five-year period.
Umbilical Contract Awarded
to Aker Solutions
November 30, 2007 – Aker Solutions has been
awarded a contract to supply steel tube umbilicals
to Woodside Petroleum’s Pluto field. The
contract is worth approximately $21 million.
Husky Chooses AKCS Offshore
Partner Consortium
December 3, 2007 – Husky Operations Limited
has awarded the Aker Solutions-led
AKCS Offshore Partner a contract for “Provision
of Engineering, Procurement, Construction
(EPC) & Campaign Maintenance Support
Services” in connection with the production
and operations of the White Rose Field. Contract
value is approximately $74 million for a
period of five years, with option for renewals
for 15 successive periods of one year each.
The AKCS Offshore Partner consortium consists
of Aker Offshore Partner AS (40 percent),
SNC-Lavalin Inc. (40 percent) and G.J. Cahill
and Company Limited (20 percent).
MultiBooster Success
at BP’s King Field
December 5, 2007 – Aker Solutions has celebrated
the success of the company’s MultiBooster
pump technology now operational
at BP’s King field in the Gulf of Mexico. BP
expects the two subsea pumps to enhance
production by an average of 20 percent.
Aker Solutions Lands Two
Contracts Offshore Brazil
December 14, 2007 – Aker Solutions has
been awarded two contracts from Petrobras
to supply a total of three subsea manifolds
for two of the Brazilian oil giant’s projects
offshore Brazil. Combined contract value is
approximately $90 million.
Petrobras Selects Aker Solutions
Hull Design
December 18, 2007 – The Brazilian oil
company Petrobras has selected an Aker
Solutions design for the hull of their new
semisubmersible production platform to be
located offshore Brazil, at the Marlim Sul
deepwater field development.
North Sea Agreement Goes
to Aker Solutions
January 18, 2008 – Aker Solutions has signed
a five-year partnership agreement with Shell
U.K. Limited and A/S Norske Shell (‘Shell’)
covering the provision, installation, commissioning
and life-of-field support of subsea
control systems in the North Sea.
Aker Solutions Awarded
ExxonMobil Contract
January 25, 2008 – ExxonMobil Exploration
and Production Norway AS has exercised a
two-year option in their term contract with
Aker Solutions in Stavanger, Norway. The
contract covers all ExxonMobil-operated
assets on the Norwegian continental shelf.
Aker Clean Carbon Focuses
on Just Catch Technology
January 25, 2008 – Aker Solutions has transferred
its Just Catch technology for CO 2
capture to the company Aker Clean Carbon,
which will focus on developing CO 2
capture
projects. Aker Solutions will have 30 percent
of the shares in Aker Clean Carbon, while
Aker ASA will own 70 percent. Aker Solutions
will also be responsible for supplying
engineering and construction for the coming
CO 2
capturing facilities. Aker Clean Carbon
aims to complete a first plant at Kårstø on the
West Coast of Norway.
Daewoo Selects Aker Solutions for
Drilling Equipment Contract
February 1, 2008 – Aker Solutions has been
awarded a drilling equipment contract by
Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering
Co. Ltd (DSME) in Korea for an ultradeep
drillship with an approximate value of
$130 million.
Aker Solutions Lands First Project
off East Coast of Spain
February 7, 2008 – Aker Solutions has landed
its first subsea contract from Spanish oil company
Repsol YPF. The deal is for the delivery
of a subsea production system to the Montanzo
and Lubina projects off the east coast of Spain.
This is Aker Solutions’ first subsea project in
the region. Contract value is undisclosed.
Aker Solutions Enters Agreement,
Sells Shares
February 13, 2008 – Aker Solutions has
entered into an agreement which gives full
ownership of Finnish RR Offshore and ends
the cooperation between Aker Solutions and
its former Russian partner ST Holdings. As
part of the agreement, Aker Solutions sells
its shares in the Astrakhan Korabel yard to
ST Holding. The parties have agreed to not
disclose any transaction values.
Aker Solutions Wins
StatoilHydro Contract
February 13, 2008 – StatoilHydro has
awarded Aker Solutions a contract for modifications
of the Troll C platform. The object
of the Troll low-pressure production (LPP)
is to facilitate increased oil recovery on
Troll West called “long-term production.”
The contract is a full EPCI contract covering
all engineering disciplines and is valued
at approximately $89 million, with projected
completion scheduled for January 2010.
Launch of Aker Solutions’ PodEx
February 14, 2008 – Aker Solutions has
launched PodEx – a new, cost-effective
technology solution to the ever-growing
challenge of maximizing oil and gas recovery
from mature subsea fields.
Aker Solutions to Deliver Deepwater
System and Equipment
April 1, 2008 – Aker Solutions has won a
contract for the delivery of a complete deepwater
marine drilling riser system with buoyancy
package and associated equipment. The
undisclosed client also signed an agreement
to buy an additional buoyancy package for a
drilling riser system it purchased from Aker
Solutions in 2007. Total contract value is
approximately $50 million.
Petrobras Awards Frame Agreement
to Aker Solutions
April 3, 2008 – Aker Solutions has signed
a three-year frame agreement with Petrobras
to supply subsea trees and related equipment
in Brazil. The agreement is worth approximately
$223 million.
2 3

Business Focus
The Vital
Subsea Link
By Caroline Stallion
A new icon, a new name.
The clarity, innovation and drive
to move forward.
Aker Kvaerner has changed its name to Aker Solutions.
For over 150 years, we’ve delivered solutions for some of
the world’s most complex engineering and construction
challenges. Our new name honours the commitment
and skill of our people – the people who deliver expertly
engineered solutions to our customers, day after day.
Unrivaled in the ability to design, manufacture and successfully deliver to the
most complex projects, Aker Solutions’ umbilicals are second to none. The company
continues to take its technology to new depths, pushing the boundaries of
subsea development to overcome the most challenging recovery circumstances.
www.akersolutions.com
5

“We are extremely pleased with
Aker Solutions’ steel tube umbilicals.”
From relatively humble beginnings, Aker
Solutions began producing umbilicals at a
dedicated facility in Moss, Norway in the early
1990s. Within ten years, the company identified
the opportunity for considerable growth
and expanded operations, opening a new
manufacturing facility in Mobile, Alabama in
2003. This state-of-the-art facility features the
world’s largest umbilical bundling machine,
as well as the deepest draft quay (42 ft or
13 m) of any U.S. umbilical plant.
Aker Solutions has delivered more than 1,550 miles
(2,500 km) of steel tube umbilicals in the past 15 years.
Unique Design
At the forefront of umbilical technology, Aker
Solutions continues winning contracts. In
2007, the company was awarded 12 umbilical
contracts, including a frame agreement with
Woodside Petroleum. There is an obvious reason
Aker Solutions is a world leader in steel
tube umbilical technology. Not only does the
company possess the expertise, having delivered
more than 1,550 miles (2,500 km) in the
past 15 years, but nothing else compares to
the company’s innovative design.
“Our umbilical technology is not rocket
science – the idea is so simple. Using PVC in
steel tube umbilicals allows the various elements
to move freely within individual channels
– independent of one another – giving
them greater flexibility,” explains Kjell-Peter
Indreberg, Manager Umbilicals and Risers,
Aker Solutions.
Patented in 1993, this simple, yet effective,
design revolutionized subsea umbilical
technology. While other companies reinforce
the umbilical with an external wire armor,
adding unwanted weight, Aker Solutions’
design relies on the steel tubing already in
place. The PVC provides the necessary protection
without additional weight.
While Aker Solutions was awarded
more than 40 percent of the total kilometers
of steel tube umbilical contracts in 2007, the
projects represent approximately 60 percent
of the total monetary value (Source: Quest
Offshore). This indicates that the company
operates in the most advanced part of the
market and offers a product range superior
to many others.
“We are extremely pleased with Aker
Solutions’ steel tube umbilicals,” says Peter
Griffiths, Subsea Engineering Discipline
Leader, Shell EP Europe. “We installed a
static umbilical system at our Penguins field,
extensive experience
6 7

umbilical technologies
the most remote subsea satellite production
consumers. Together we achieved first production
on time and within budget from a
facility within the UK continental shelf of
the North Sea. The umbilical system has
world-record-setting facility in an ultra-deep
been performing very well for us.”
area of the Gulf where previously there was
Shell EP Europe currently has a frame
no infrastructure.”
agreement with Aker Solutions for the provision
of steel tube umbilical systems. The
agreement was initiated in 2001 and extended
in 2004.
Going Deeper
Aker Solutions continues to develop its
umbilical technology to meet the demands
of subsea projects. As oil and gas operators
move into deeper waters in pursuit of hydrocarbons,
the number of challenges increases
and the technology must meet extreme conditions
and vulnerable environments.
Carbon fiber rod technology addresses
these challenges by enhancing the stiffness
of the umbilical without adding extra weight.
Suitable for water depths of more than
9,500 ft (2,900 m), this patented technology
stops cables from stretching while minimizing
stress levels even in ultra-deep waters.
With a high degree of flexibility and
good mechanical characteristics that can
withstand most environments, the umbilicals
are designed for both static and dynamic
applications. This gives operators a unique
possibility to combat umbilical challenges in
ultra-deep subsea developments.
Carbon Fiber Rod Technology
The Independence Hub project is one of the
largest and most challenging developments in
the previously untapped Eastern Gulf of Mexico.
Located at Mississippi Canyon Block 920,
110 miles (177 km) from the Mississippi River
Delta, the project is the result of five independent
companies who came together to facilitate
the development of multiple ultra-deepwater
natural gas and condensate discoveries.
The production platform has been
installed in water depths of more than
9,200 ft (2,800 m), setting a new world
record. At such extreme water depths, the
development required a system that would
cope in such harsh conditions. Aker Solutions
was given the opportunity to introduce
its carbon fiber rod technology when the company
was awarded a contract to deliver 110
miles (180 km) of these umbilicals in May
2005. A second contract followed 12 months
later, bringing the total delivery to 125 miles
(200 km). As part of the scope, Aker Solutions
also delivered 12 control modules that
were mounted on subsea trees and two control
modules for subsea manifolds.
“The Independence Hub project was
being installed in deeper waters than any
other offshore platform in the world. We
needed an umbilical solution that addressed
the challenges associated with the dynamic
conditions of such deep water,” says Don Vardeman,
Anadarko Vice President of Worldwide
Facilities. “Aker Solutions delivered.”
The ultra-deep wells produced first gas
in July 2007, and have since reached their
capacity of 1 billion ft³ of natural gas per day
(Bcf/d). “This project is a remarkable accomplishment
by our industry”, said Jim Hackett,
Chairman, President and CEO of Anadarko
Petroleum Corporation, the operator of Independence
Hub. “It is a true testament to the
collaboration of the partners and the ingenuity
of the individuals who worked to deliver
these once unreachable resources to American
“We needed an umbilical solution that addressed the
challenges associated with the dynamic conditions of
such deep water. Aker Solutions delivered.”
The Future
Aker Solutions continues to develop its
umbilical offering. Last October, the company
announced it would deliver 230,000 ft
(70,100 m) of high-voltage power cables as
well as static and dynamic steel tube umbilicals
to Petrobras America Inc., an indirect subsidiary
of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras).
“We have extensive experience in
developing umbilical technologies for deepwater
areas and have used our know-how to
develop a high-voltage power cable suitable
for the same water depths. This deepwater
application is groundbreaking, and we are
extremely pleased Petrobras has chosen us as
their supplier for this project,” says Erik Wiik,
President – Americas, Aker Solutions’ subsea
business area.
Both the high-voltage power cables and
umbilicals will be installed at water depths
up to 8,800 ft (2,700 m). The umbilicals will
be manufactured using Aker Solutions’ patented
carbon fiber rod technology. The shift
towards deepwater developments will provide
a growing number of opportunities for
this type of technology going forward.
With extensive experience, Aker Solutions
will continue to develop and deliver
umbilical technology in the most challenging
recovery circumstances. 4
For more information, contact
Kjell-Peter.Indreberg@akersolutions.com.
Steel tubes ready for welding.
Dedicated umbilical facility in Moss, Norway.
2007 Umbilical Contracts
With state-of-the-art facilities in Norway
and the U.S., Aker Solutions has the
global presence, technology and experience
for worldwide supply of steel tube
umbilicals. The company was awarded
more than ten umbilical contracts in
2007, including:
8 Reliance – MA-D6, Indian
Continental Shelf
8 Helix – Noonan, Gulf of Mexico
8 Statoil – Gjøa, North Sea
8 Norsk Hydro – Vega, North Sea
8 Norsk Hydro – Troll 02, North Sea
8 Woodside frame agreement
8 Woodside – Pluto, Australia
8 Petrobras – Cascade and Chinook,
Gulf of Mexico
8 Statoil – Morvin, North Sea
8 Cameron frame agreement (renewed)
Aker Solutions’
Steel Tube Umbilicals
8 Patented design
8 Static and dynamic systems
8 Pressure rating of 15,000 psi
8 No chemical permeation
8 Suitable for water depths of 9,500 ft
(2,900 m)
8 Long and predictable service life
8 High crush resistance
8 Long, continuous manufacturing
without transition joints/offshore
umbilical connectors
Umbilical contracts
8
for deepwater
9

Project Execution
Kikeh-starting a New Era
With first oil achieved in August 2007, Kikeh kick-started a new era in Malaysia’s oil and gas
industry. The first deepwater development of its kind in Asia Pacific, Kikeh prompted a shift in
focus towards deepwater activities and positioned the region as a highly exciting offshore hub.
Key Project Information
8 Project Name: Kikeh
8 Customer: Murphy Oil
8 Area/Region: Malaysia/Asia Pacific
8 Project Duration: 2005-2007
8 Hydrocarbon: Oil
8 Tree Pressure: 10,000 psi
8 Water Depth: 4,400 ft (1,350 m)
8 Manufacturing: Malaysia, Norway, UK, USA
8 Service Base: Malaysia
Scope
8 16 trees – 5” horizontal
8 Controls – iCon topside controls, distribution system
8 Structure – five deepwater cluster manifolds
8 Connections – vertical clamp connector systems
8 Umbilicals – 11 miles (18 km) static and dynamic
steel tube umbilicals
As operator, Murphy Oil has an 80 percent interest
in Block K and adjoining Block H, which combined
cover over 6 million acres. Petronas Carigali Sdn
Bhd, a wholly owned exploration and production
arm of Petronas, holds the remaining 20 percent.
FACT BOX
Installation of one of five manifolds.
Kikeh subsea tree at Aker Solutions' manufacturing center in Malaysia.
By Caroline Stallion
Discovery
The Kikeh field was discovered by Murphy Oil
offshore Malaysia in 2002. After announcing
dry holes at the Bagang and Bliais prospects,
Kikeh was the most significant discovery
for Murphy in some time. The breakthrough
came at a time when industry experts predicted
Malaysia’s oil and gas reserves were
depleting. When a formal sanctioning of the
$1.5-billion, 440-million-barrel project was
announced in 2004, it was no surprise the
spotlight was turned on Malaysia.
Located in 4,400 ft (1,350 m) of water,
the Kikeh field was the first deepwater oil discovery
ever made in Malaysia and gave new
perspective to the region’s deepwater opportunities.
However, recovery in such harsh,
remote and even hostile locations is challenging
and requires a reliable, robust solution.
Deepwater Experience
Aker Solutions had already supplied the complete
subsea production system for Dalia, a
deepwater project off the West African coast.
The company’s field-proven technology and
extensive track record made them Murphy
Oil Corporation’s obvious choice. In July
2005, Aker Solutions was awarded the contract
to deliver a complete subsea system for
the Kikeh project.
First Oil
With lower-than-expected volumes in 2006,
Murphy had high expectations for Kikeh
which would more than double the company’s
production levels. The anticipated announcement
came in August 2007 when first oil was
pumped through the dry tree wells. A month
later, subsea wells followed. Production was
achieved on time and represented a major
milestone for Murphy.
“The first oil production from Kikeh,
coming just five years after discovery, is a tremendous
and best-in-class achievement,” said
Claiborne P. Deming, Murphy Oil Corporation’s
President and Chief Executive Officer.
For Aker Solutions, first oil provided
proof its subsea technology delivers.
A New Era
A large portion of the engineering and
manufacturing for Kikeh’s subsea system
was delivered from Aker Solutions’ hi-tech
manufacturing center in Malaysia. It is the
first facility in the world that can provide the
entire range of specialist subsea equipment
and services from one single location.
“Investing $100 million in our new
manufacturing center is a reflection of
our confidence in Malaysia and the rest of
the Asia Pacific,” says Raymond Carlsen,
Executive Vice President, Aker Solutions.
“The first products to be manufactured and
assembled at the facility were delivered to
the Kikeh field. First oil shows we possess
both the know-how and capacity to support
the overall development of the oil and gas
industry in this region.”
The facility’s opening has been extremely
important for the Malaysian oil and gas
industry as they move closer to becoming a
regional deepwater hub. Aker Solutions was
one of the first international companies to
“set up shop” and pursue the region’s deepwater
opportunities. This investment represents
a new era for Malaysia, bringing with it the
necessary innovative technology and specialized
expertise to meet the current boom
in deepwater development.
“Asia Pacific is an important growth area
for Aker Solutions. Our goal is to be the number
one subsea equipment supplier in this significant
and exciting region,” concludes Carlsen.
Kikeh kick-started a succession of
deepwater developments in the Asia Pacific
region. Aker Solutions has since been awarded
two contracts with Reliance Industries Ltd
in India, which is testament to the industry’s
confidence in the company’s ability to
deliver a fully integrated subsea solution. 4
For more information, contact
Morten.Pedersen@akersolutions.com.
“Investing $100 million in our
new manufacturing center
is a reflection of our confidence
in Malaysia and the
rest of the Asia Pacific.”
10 11

Project Execution
Waking the
Giant
Located in Nyhamna on the island of Gossen,
mid-way up Norway’s west coast, the
role of the Ormen Lange Shore Facilities is to
receive and process gas from the giant Ormen
Lange Development’s subsea facilities some
75 miles (120 km) offshore. The sheer scale
of the Onshore Facilities Complex is breathtaking,
with a massive footprint stretching
almost a mile (1.5 km) along the coastline by
over a mile (1.8 km) inland – in other words,
the equivalent of 100 football fields!
The plant is designed to export 2.5 billion
scfd (70 million Sm³/d) of processed gas
and to handle a condensate production rate of
63,000 bpd (10,000 m³/d). Once processed,
the sales gas is exported through the 42-in
(1,066-mm) Langeled pipeline via the Sleipner
platform to Easington on the east coast
of Great Britain. Upon arrival, it goes into
the UK national gas grid and on to homes
and businesses, a supply that will continue
for up to 30 years. At plateau production, the
Ormen Lange field will in fact supply nearly
20 percent of the UK’s gas demand.
Integrated Scope for
Improved Interfaces
The scope of work awarded to Aker Solutions
by Hydro, now StatoilHydro, encompasses
three phases, each one a substantial
undertaking in its own right.
– The $137.5 million contract for front-end
engineering design (FEED), detailed engineering,
procurement and construction
management support – or EPCMA – was
awarded in March 2003.
– In July the following year, the company
scooped the $290 million engineering, procurement
and construction (EPC) contract
for the gas reception and export areas of
the complex.
– Later that year, Aker Solutions landed the
main installation or MIC contract, worth
approximately $623.5 million.
– Then in January 2005, these three contracts
were merged into one mega EPC contract
– which also included the extensive civil
works for the complex – in total, worth
approximately $1.26 billion. Additionally,
a further $435 million worth of equipment
ordered in StatoilHydro’s name was managed
by Aker Solutions.
Aker Solutions’ Project Manager Jan
Tore Elverhaug explains the reasoning
behind this single source appointment: “StatoilHydro
wanted an organization capable of
taking the entire project through from start to
finish, adopting responsibility for interfaces
between all aspects of the work. It was our
job to ensure that total system functionality
was achieved across all disciplines and all
areas of the complex. With the large number
of contractors and sub-contractors involved,
this was a huge undertaking.”
Unique Challenges, Grueling Conditions
The Ormen Lange Development is littered
with a string of industry firsts in technological
achievement, developed to overcome the
unique challenges encountered. At water
depths of 2,790 to 3,600 ft (850 to 1,100 m),
it is the deepest Norwegian offshore field.
In terms of estimated reserves, with 14.1
trillion ft³ (400 billion m³) of gas and 179 million
barrels (28.5 million m³) of condensate,
only the giant Troll Field is bigger in Norwegian
waters. At 750 miles (1,200 km) in length,
its subsea pipeline is the longest in European
waters. Subsea temperatures of nearly 30°F
(minus 1.2°C) and the hostile profile of the
ocean floor compound the challenges.
The Onshore Facilities Project came
with its own share of major challenges and
has also garnered a sheaf of massive statistics.
The schedule has been nothing short of grueling,
compounded by freezing weather conditions
and an overheated labor and supplier
market. As Jan Tore Elverhaug explains, the
tight schedule required most bulk materials
and long-lead equipment items to be ordered
earlier than normal. “We were also hit by the
knock-on effect of the Snøhvit project being
rescheduled, causing both projects to run
in parallel. This required us to source labor
from outside Norway.”
Lasting ten months, the FEED phase was
somewhat longer than normal. But as Engineering
& Procurement Manager Janne Rasten
says, this paid dividends further down the
line. “By spending more time on the FEED
phase – which is very much in line with Aker
Solutions’ Project Execution Model (PEM) –
the team was able to reach a very advanced
stage of definition before detail design began.”
With the gas plant on the critical path for a
2007 production start-up, this level of detail
development was even more important in
helping to avoid later project changes.
Ormen Lange Nyhamna Processing Plant
Overview of the Ormen Lange project, gas from subsea
Overview of subsea systems with the challenging steep slide edge.
with mainland mountains in the background.
to beach with export via Sleipner to Easington in UK.
ormen
Both images courtesy of StatoilHydro.
Kristiansund
Nyhamna Process Plant
With a population of only 2,500 people, the tiny inshore island of Gossen on Norway’s west coast has witnessed
Ormen Lange
the birth of a giant new “inhabitant,” the monumental Ormen Lange Shore Facilities Complex that went live in
Nyhamna
Ormen Lange
October 2007. As main contractor – from conception to completion – Aker Solutions has steered this incredible
1,000 m
120 km
Oslo
lange
Antifreeze And
mega-project from greenfield site to a $2.9 billion operating complex in less than four and a half years.
Sleipner
Control Lines
30" Multiphase
Import Lines
By Amanda Powell
Easington
Storegga Slide
35" Inclination
London
12 Subsea Production
13
End Termination Unit
Templates (44X33m)
Langeled
England
Langeled 1,200 km 42" Export Line
Molde

processing
A purpose-built 3,000-bed accommodation flare gas into the sales gas system. There will flotation – before being discharged. Tests have
complex – the 16th largest hotel in the world be no continuous flaring,” confirms Janne confirmed there is no unacceptable risk of
– was set up by StatoilHydro to house all
these people, complete with recreational and
sports facilities, all designed to cope with the
extremes of the harsh winter conditions and
long summer nights.
Minimizing Environmental Impact,
Optimizing Energy Efficiency
To minimize environmental impact, there
has been a strong focus throughout on energy
efficiency and the reduction of emissions and
discharges. The entire plant, including the
three compression trains, runs on electrical
power from the Norwegian national grid to
eliminate emissions to the atmosphere.
Carefully selected process solutions
include a closed flare system. “The system is
designed for recovery and recompression of
Rasten. A volatile organic compound (VOC)
recovery facility has also been installed to
limit hydrocarbon discharges to air during
condensate loading.
Around 530,000 ft³/hr (15,000 m³/hr) of
seawater is taken from a depth of 230 to 260 ft
(70 to 80 m) below sea level for use as cooling
water. “Taking the water from this depth
eliminates the use of chemicals and reduces
temperature fluctuations,” says Janne Rasten.
After use, the water is then discharged at
130 ft (40 m) below sea level without affecting
water temperatures in recipient areas.
The volume of produced water is small
– less than 21,000 ft³ (600 m³) per day. This is
treated to a very high specification in a threestage
water treatment plant – for oil extraction,
biological treatment and solids control by
environmental damage from the discharges.
Smooth Start-up
By mid-August 2007, the gigantic Ormen
Lange plant was pressurized using gas from
the Sleipner platform via the Langeled pipeline.
In mid-September, four and a half years
after the FEED began, the first Ormen Lange
production well was opened. Then in early
October, start-up was declared when the King
and Queen of Norway participated in the
official opening ceremony at Nyhamna. The
incredible journey to wake the sleeping giant
was complete and the Gossen inhabitants
could settle in with their new neighbor. 4
For more information, contact
Janne-Harstad.Rasten@akersolutions.com.
Ormen Lange Nyhamna processing plant ready to take gas onboard.
The FEED was carried out at Aker
Solutions’ offices at Lysaker, Oslo, followed
by detailed engineering and procurement
while parts of the 3D modeling design were
being performed in Aker Solutions’ Mumbai
office in India. Fabrication engineering was
carried out at Aker Solutions’ Stord facilities
in Norway, with Aker Solutions’ highly
advanced data management systems facilitating
this multi-location project execution.
The particular schedule challenge in
the project led to overlap between civil and
mechanical work on site at Nyhamna. The
need to conduct plant commissioning in parallel
with mechanical completion was a further
demanding aspect of the project.
Mammoth Logistics,
Multinational Workforce
The real logistics challenge started with
groundbreaking at Nyhamna in April 2004.
Over the course of the next 40 months, more
than 165,000 components and equipment items
were brought to site, sourced from suppliers at
20 different locations throughout Europe.
A total of 11,000 people worked on site
for Aker Solutions alone, peaking at 3,300
personnel. “Apart from Norwegians, we have
had personnel from 50 countries from all
over the world and especially from the rest
of Scandinavia, Poland, Russia, India and
the UK. Aside from the cultural differences,
there were significant language barriers to
overcome, especially when it came to safety,”
says Elverhaug.
Rigorous health, safety & environment
(HSE) induction courses and continuous
safety and risk assessments were a feature
of this project, more so than with any other.
“The difference here was with so many
nationalities we had to make sure everything
was understood. Key information was
therefore presented in four languages – Norwegian,
English, Polish and Russian,” says
Elverhaug. This initiative and constant focus
by all involved turned HSE figures from negative
trends in summer and autumn of 2006
to subsequent positive trends.
Managing the transportation logistics
for so many people was a major undertaking
as well. “We had to run charter flights with
a weekly capacity of 1,200 people, in addition
to using the regular commercial flights
run by SASBraathens,” says Janne Rasten.
mammoth
Mammoth Proportions
8 Piping:
4 28,100 tons (incl. Slug Catcher – 12,900 tons)
4 10,200 valves
8 Civil – 3.5 million ft 3
(100,000 m 3 ) concrete
8 Structural – 12,125 tons
8 Mechanical equipment – 9,260 tons
8 Cables – 1,350 miles (2,180 km)
8 Terminations - 90,000
8 Surface treatment: 2.8 million ft 2
(260,000 m 2 )
4 Painting 2.6 million ft 2 (245,000 m 2 )
4 Metallization 172,000 ft 2 (16,000 m 2 )
8 Passive fire protection – over 1 million ft 2
(100,000 m 2 )
8 Insulation – 860,000 ft 2 (80,000 m 2 )
Tons are U.S. short tons.
To minimize environmental impact, there has been a strong focus throughout on energy efficiency and
the reduction of emissions and discharges. The entire plant, including the three compression trains,
runs on electrical power from the Norwegian national grid to eliminate emissions to the atmosphere.
powerhouse
antifreeze – is continuously pumped from Nyhamna
Processing Powerhouse
The three-phase gas arrives at Nyhamna from Ormen
Lange via the two subsea-to-beach pipelines and is
routed to four slug catchers. Each 512 ft (156 m) long
– and with a joint slug handling capacity of 105,900 ft 3
and injected into the wellstream to prevent subsea
flowlines from becoming blocked by the formation of
hydrates. The MEG, when arriving back at Nyhamna
(3,000 m 3 ) – they are believed to be the largest of
together with the wellstream, is regenerated and
their kind in the world.
recycled back to the offshore wells.
After passing through the giant slug catchers, the
wellstream liquids are separated and the fluid streams
are heated. The sales gas is then dehydrated, hydrocarbon
dew point controlled and compressed to 3,050
psi (210 bar) by three 48 megawatt compressors
before being exported into the Langeled pipeline.
Condensate recovered from the wellstream is
stabilized and stored in a custom-built underground
rock cavern before being periodically exported via a
purpose-built jetty to sea-going tankers.
Due to extreme low seawater temperatures
at the wellhead, monoethylene glycol (MEG) – an
Ormen Lange Nyhamna processing plant: Slug
catchers under completion December 2006.
Ormen Lange Nyhamna
processing plant with hot oil
14 furnace heaters at the rear. 15

Technology
pioneering achievements
“We selected Aker Solutions for the pilot program because the company
offers the best overall technology concept. Aker Solutions is also
able to draw on the competence of the entire group…”
Deep Compression
By Terry Knott
Ormen Lange Onshore facilities at Nyhamna with
the rock blasted area for the pit in foreground.
Cometh
One of the offshore industry’s long-standing dreams is fast approaching reality
– the ability to compress natural gas on the seabed and pipe it directly to shore,
thereby eliminating the need for an offshore platform. Aker Solutions is designing
and building a full-scale subsea gas compression station which will act as a pilot
test bed for Norway’s giant Ormen Lange project – and the industry at large.
Within an industry known for its pioneering
achievements, the Ormen Lange development
can rightly claim to be in the top echelon.
Since the giant offshore gas field came into
production in October 2007, output has been
rising steadily towards the daily target of 2.5
billion ft³ (70 million m³) of gas and 50,000
barrels of gas condensate, helping to make
Norway the world’s third largest exporter of
gas. By 2010, when Ormen Lange reaches
plateau production, Norway will be exporting
3 trillion ft³ (85 billion m³) of gas each year,
meeting 20 percent of Europe’s demand for
energy from natural gas.
Ormen Lange, located some 75 miles
(120 km) offshore mid-Norway, is the country’s
second largest gas field after Troll. But
unlike its predecessor developed more than
a decade ago and which boasted one of the
largest offshore platforms ever to be built,
Ormen Lange has no offshore platform –
gas is produced from subsea wells in water
depths reaching up to 3,600 ft (1,100 m)
and is piped directly to the shore facilities at
Nyhamna for processing. From here, the dry
gas will be transported for the next 30 years
through the 750-mile (1,200-km) long Langeled
pipeline – the world’s longest subsea
gas pipeline – to Easington on the east coast
of England. At plateau production, Ormen
Lange will supply almost one fifth of the
UK’s natural gas needs over many years.
However, while there is sufficient pressure
in the Ormen Lange reservoir to drive
the gas and condensate to shore in the early
years of production – as with all hydrocarbon
reservoirs – pressure will gradually fall
over time. At this point gas pressure must be
boosted by compression in order to maintain
flow and meet the contracted supply of gas.
The anticipated date when compression will
be needed is around 2015-2016. But the big
question – which has already occupied the
industry for a number of years – is: will the
compression be carried out on a new offshore
floating platform yet to be built – but already
in the field development plan – or could
compression be achieved solely subsea like
the rest of the Ormen Lange development?
“To achieve subsea compression of wet
gas straight from subsea wells on this scale
requires a technology breakthrough,” explains
Bernt Bjerkreim, Subsea Compression Project
Manager with StatoilHydro, operator for
Ormen Lange throughout its ten-year development
phase; operatorship has now passed
to Shell for the production phase.
“The industry has been seeking a subsea
compression solution for many decades,
but the major challenges involved in placing
large rotating machinery on the seabed without
intervention for several years have yet to be
overcome. It is only now that the key individual
components of such a system appear mature
enough to try it, and with Ormen Lange requiring
four 12.5 megawatt subsea compressors,
the cost efficiency of the concept has improved
into a more solid business case.”
The gas compression design duty required
for Ormen Lange is significant. Some 2.1 billion
scfd of gas (60 million Sm³/d) at a pressure
of 1,160 psi must be raised to 2,030 psi (80 bar
to 140 bar), and the operation must remain in
continuous service for 20 to 25 years.
According to Bjerkreim, subsea compression
– if it can be realized – could offer
significant advantages over conventional
platform-based offshore compression. This
includes a 50 percent reduction in capital
cost, and – by virtue of there being no platform
to man – a 50 percent cut in operating
costs. He notes also that any steps which
reduce offshore manning will also increase
offshore safety. Calculations made by Aker
Solutions indicate that carbon dioxide emissions
could also be reduced by 60 percent
in the construction of the subsea station
compared with building a floating platform,
while offshore emissions would be eliminated,
with all power coming from shore.
Ambitious Goal
Ormen Lange perhaps ranks as the most
ambitious potential application for subsea
compression. In the past few years, major
efforts by a number of contractor groups
and equipment suppliers have gone into the
design and partial testing of critical components
for a subsea compression system,
which in the case of Ormen Lange would
sit in over 2,800 ft (859 m) of water and
be required to be available for more than
97.5 percent of the time. This means subsea
intervention for maintenance of equipment
has to be of the order of every four to five
Subsea compression station.
16
17

Ormen Lange future field layout
with subsea compression.
Subsea compression pilot located in test pit.
“To achieve subsea compression
Ormen Lange perhaps ranks
of wet gas straight from subsea
as the most ambitious potential
wells on this scale requires a
application for subsea compression.
technology breakthrough.”
subsea gas compression is possible
years. Comparing this to the average “mean
time between failures” for Norwegian platform
compressors of 1.8 years serves to underline
the true magnitude of the challenge.
Aker Solutions, which can trace back its
activities in working on subsea compression
over the past 20 years, took part in an industry-wide
and highly competitive two-year
subsea compressor concept and component
qualification program for Ormen Lange. In
July 2006, the company was successful in
winning the $160 million contract to design
and build a full-scale pilot subsea compression
station which will undergo extensive
onshore proving trials at Nyhamna.
“We selected Aker Solutions for the
pilot program because the company offers
the best overall technology concept,”
observes Bjerkreim. “Aker Solutions is
also able to draw on the competence of the
entire group – for example, Engineering &
Technology, Subsea and several construction
yards – and the company has a well-proven
management approach for successful project
delivery. In addition, Aker Solutions already
had an in-depth knowledge of the Nyhamna
process facility having been responsible for
its construction.”
Construction of the pilot subsea compressor
station will start at Aker Egersund
yard in Norway in 2008, along with testing
and proving of critical components for the
subsea environment. Once completed in
mid-2010, the modules in the 700-ton unit
will be disassembled, shipped to Nyhamna,
and reassembled there to begin two years of
operational endurance testing. The pilot testing
will take place in a large, purpose-made,
water-filled pit excavated from the rock,
118 ft long, 66 ft wide and 40 ft deep (36m
x 26m x 12m), using gas from the Ormen
Lange field. The energy used to drive the
compressor – around 13 megawatts – will
not be wasted. The compressed gas from the
pilot will join the main compressed gas flow
from Nyhamna for export through the Langeled
pipeline.
Advantaged Components
“The compressor at the heart of the pilot station
is the proprietary GasBooster , developed
by Aker Solutions in cooperation with GE Oil
& Gas,” says Erling Lysdahl, Aker Solutions’
Project Manager. “It is a 12.5 megawatt centrifugal
compressor train, identical to one of
the four trains that would be used in the offshore
subsea compression station. Given the
long subsea intervention periods, the design
is focused on reducing moving parts and process
utilities – for example, the compressor
has magnetic bearings which do not require a
supporting lubrication system, which is a big
advantage subsea.”
The vertical compressor will be driven
by a high-speed electric motor supplied by
Converteam with both units being housed in a
common, hermetically sealed enclosure. The
enclosure will be pressurized with a barrier
system separating the compressor and motor
spaces to ensure clean operating environments
for motor and magnetic bearings.
The compressor station comprises a
number of modules, all of which must weigh
less than 150 tons to be readily retrievable
by service vessel to the surface. In addition
to the compressor module, other key components
include a separator vessel to remove
condensate liquids from the incoming gas,
a condensate pump, cooling system, an allelectric
control system and a high-voltage
power supply.
“For the offshore compression station,
power will be supplied from Nyhamna
through a subsea cable at 132 kilovolts,
which will be transformed down to 22 kilovolts
at the subsea station,” explains Lysdahl.
“A critical component within the subsea
power supply – which must function without
interruption – is the variable speed drive
(VSD) needed to regulate motor speed and
compressor duty as the gas pressure and volume
from the reservoir change over time.
VSDs for use onshore are large units; hence
one major challenge is to make the subsea
VSD module very compact and light enough
for offshore changeout. It must also be
remotely controlled from shore through fiber
optics incorporated into the power umbilical.”
At Nyhamna, the two-year operation
test of the pilot will simulate offshore conditions,
including the make-up of the incoming
wet gas. While the deepwater environment
cannot be reproduced in the test pit, equipment
components will be individually certified
for deep subsea operation.
Within its contract, Aker Solutions has
an option to supply the full-scale compression
station, assuming the Nyhamna trials
are successful. The full-scale station, containing
four compressor trains, will weigh in
at around 4,000 tons, measuring 220 ft long,
190 ft wide and 88 ft high (67m x 58m x
27m). Compressed gas will be transported
through the existing subsea pipelines to
Nyhamna, along with condensate liquids,
commingled into the gas flow.
“The Ormen Lange pilot is the best
opportunity the industry has had to prove
that subsea gas compression is possible,”
observes Lysdahl. “It poses a set of very
significant challenges requiring advances
in technology on a number of fronts, but
we believe Aker Solutions has the capability,
knowledge and depth of experience to
deliver the solution.”
The dream of subsea gas compression –
held by the industry for many years – looks
to be moving towards reality. 4
For more information, contact
Erling.Lysdahl@akersolutions.com.
18 19

Technology
pushing back the boundaries
of subsea engineering
SeaBooster technology was selected by StatoilHydro due
to the simplicity and reliability of the system design, the
robustness of critical items such as the pumps and motors,
and the high-water injection capacity that can be achieved.
Big Boost
for
Oil Recovery
Aker Solutions is pushing back the boundaries of subsea engineering with its pioneering SeaBooster water injection
system, targeted at increasing oil recovery from offshore reservoirs. In the first application of the technology,
SeaBooster looks set to deliver significant benefits to StatoilHydro’s Tyrihans development in the North Sea.
By Terry Knott
StatoilHydro's Tyrihans field.
Ask any operating oil company if it would
like to squeeze more oil out of its offshore
fields and the answer will universally be in
the affirmative. But achieving that extra
oil recovery comes with a price tag. The
most common way to boost oil recovery
is to inject seawater into the reservoir
to maintain reservoir pressure and help
sweep more of the oil from the reservoir
rock pores. In the offshore environment,
this normally involves installing large
pumps on the host platform to pump seawater
at high pressure through injection
wells reaching deep into the reservoir,
and laying costly subsea flowlines to carry
the water from the platform to the wells
located around the field.
And indeed, seawater injection is part
of the development plan for the Tyrihans
field, a $2.6 billion project and one of the
largest offshore developments in Norway.
However, operator StatoilHydro is taking a
rather different approach to seawater injection.
Instead of locating the pumps on a
platform, they will sit on the seabed, taking
raw seawater from the surrounding ocean
and pumping it directly into the Tyrihans
reservoirs, thereby offering a very costeffective
and energy-saving alternative.
“Tyrihans is due to come onstream
in 2009,” says Torstein Austvik, Statoil-
Hydro’s manager for the water injection
part of the Tyrihans project. “Water injection
will begin a year later and will continue
for around six years. By doing this,
we expect to recover 10 percent more oil
from Tyrihans over the life of the field,
equivalent to around 19 million barrels of
oil – a very attractive prospect. We have
opted to do this subsea – which brings
advantages in cost and energy reduction
– and have selected Aker Solutions’ Sea-
Booster technology as being the best way
to achieve our goals for Tyrihans.”
The Tyrihans development includes
two reservoirs – Tyrihans South, which
contains oil with a gas cap, and Tyrihans
North, which is a gas and condensate reservoir
with a thin oil zone. The field is
expected to remain in production for 15
years or more and is being developed with
five subsea templates: four for production
wells and gas injection and a fifth one for
water injection, housing the SeaBooster
system. Power to run the subsea equipment
will come through a seabed power cable
from the Kristin floating production platform,
which will also receive the production
from Tyrihans’ wells via subsea pipeline.
“Tyrihans is not the first time subsea
water injection has been used in the
industry,” notes Stein Vegar Larsen, Aker
Solutions’ Project Manager for the Tyrihans
SeaBooster project. “But, with the
pumps located 19 miles (31 km) from
Kristin, this makes it the longest step-out
distance for operating a subsea pump.
Furthermore, with each pump requiring
2.5 megawatts of shaft power to achieve
the high-injection pressures and flow rates
required, these will be the most powerful
pumps yet to be installed subsea.”
While these requirements present
engineering challenges, Larsen points out
that the design of SeaBooster is specifically
aimed at meeting those challenges, emphasizing
that the technology was selected
by StatoilHydro due to the simplicity and
reliability of the system design, the robustness
of critical items such as the pumps
and motors, and the high-water injection
capacity that can be achieved. Following
a rigorous equipment qualification testing
Illustration of two LiquidBoosters .
20
21

enhancing oil recovery
program in 2004-2005 – carried out at Aker
Solutions’ manufacturing facility at Tranby
in Norway – StatoilHydro awarded the company
a $37 million contract in 2006 to supply
the subsea seawater injection system.
In 2007, the technical advance being made
by SeaBooster was acknowledged with a
prestigious “Spotlight on New Technology
Award” at the Offshore Technology Conference
(OTC) in Houston.
Advantaged Design
At the heart of the SeaBooster system will
be two LiquidBooster centrifugal pumps, a
design evolved from Aker Solutions’ longestablished
proprietary pump technology for
exporting crude oil and pumping produced
water. Although the pump has not been used
in subsea applications before, the qualification
program – which tested a smaller version
of the Tyrihans units – has demonstrated
that the pumps can be operated on the seabed
for long periods without frequent intervention
for maintenance.
“The LiquidBooster pump possesses
many advantages over other subsea pumps,”
explains Tom-Erik Dahl, Business Development
Manager for subsea processing and
boosting with Aker Solutions. “It is a vertical,
eight-stage centrifugal pump and has
an opposed impeller design – in effect, the
seawater flow passes through the first four
stages in one direction, then crosses over to
pass through the next four stages in the opposite
direction. This arrangement balances
the thrust forces generated when the pump
is rotating, giving less vibration and wear in
service. In addition, the inner pump casing
is split axially, which means we can balance
the complete rotor assembly outside the pump
and then place it into the casing, rather than
building each stage vertically inside the casing
and then trying to get the balance.”
In operation, the pumps will be able to
deliver raw seawater at a wide range of flow
rates and pressures. The design point is to
deliver some 88,000 barrels (14,000 m 3 ) of
untreated seawater per day at around 3,000
psi (205 bar), which will be pumped through
a single injection well between the two reservoirs
to boost oil recovery from both of
them. Raw seawater will be strained at the
pump intakes, and the pumps will be run in
parallel; due to the wide operating envelope,
one pump alone will be capable of meeting
three quarters of the design water demand.
Outlet pressure can be stepped up to 4,600
psi (320 bar) to achieve fracturing in the reservoir
rock if required.
The SeaBooster pumps, motors and
other equipment will be housed in a “pump
cassette” within the template on the seabed
in 885 ft (270 m) of water. All equipment is
modular in design – including controls, electrical
transformers and condition monitoring
system – and can be installed and retrieved
by a service vessel with the assistance of a
remotely operated vehicle. The pump modules,
containing the pumps with electric
motors above, stand 20 ft (6 m) high, each
weighing some 32 tons.
Protected Drive
The electric motors that will drive the pumps
are manufactured by Hayward Tyler in the
UK, a design well proven in submerged operation.
Audun Grynning, Aker Solutions’ System
Engineering Manager for the Tyrihans
SeaBooster project, notes that the motor
and pump combination provides several
advantageous features.
“An important difference between a
subsea pumping system and a topsides system
is the need to protect the subsea equipment
against seawater ingress, especially the
motor parts,” he explains.
“We have two levels of protection
against this. First, the pump and motor housings
are separated by mechanical seals, and
there is a pressure volume regulator between
them that always keeps the pressure in the
motor housing above that of the pump; so
any seawater ingress from the pump cannot
get to the motor. And second, the motor has
insulated windings and is filled with a barrier
fluid of fresh water and glycol. Should seawater
enter the motor housing from outside,
it will not contact the windings and short out
the pump. Commonly, subsea motors are
“...we expect to recover 10 percent more oil from Tyrihans over the life of the field,
equivalent to around 19 million barrels of oil – a very attractive prospect.”
filled with oil, but even a small amount of
seawater present in oil can cause the motor
to short circuit. The barrier fluid is kept cool
by passing it through an external cooling circuit
in the surrounding cold seawater, and it
is also used to cool bearings and seals, prolonging
their lives.”
Aker Solutions will also deliver a power
supply module for the SeaBooster , consisting
of transformers and variable speed drives to
enable pump speed to be changed. The module,
located on the Kristin platform, will allow
electricity at 22 kilovolts to be transmitted to
the SeaBooster through a seabed umbilical
cable, for subsequent step-down to 6.6 kilovolts
in subsea transformers in the SeaBooster system.
The umbilical will also carry barrier fluid
for occasional replenishment of the system and
fiber optics for data transmission.
The pumps for SeaBooster – a third
pump will be supplied as a spare – are currently
being manufactured at Tranby in readiness for
system testing in the first half of 2008.
“We believe the many advantageous
features incorporated into SeaBooster represent
a breakthrough for subsea water injection,”
concludes Larsen, “one which will
provide the industry with a new solution for
enhancing oil recovery in future and existing
field developments.” 4
For more information, contact
Tom-Erik.Dahl@akersolutions.com.
Illustration of the Tyrihans SeaBooster system.
“The LiquidBooster
pump possesses many
advantages over other
subsea pumps.”
SeaBooster
Technology
Tyrihans Field, North Sea:
8 Contract awarded by Statoil in 2006
8 19-mile (31-km) step-out
8 885-ft (270-m) water depth
8 17,000 m 3 /d flow
8 2,500 kW / 6.6kV power
8 3,000 psi (205 bar)
discharge pressure
Award-winning Technology:
8 OTC 2007 Spotlight on
New Technology Award
“We believe the many
advantageous features
incorporated into Sea-
Booster represent a
breakthrough for subsea
water injection, one which
will provide the industry
with a new solution for
enhancing oil recovery
in future and existing
field developments.”
Award-winning Technology
22
23

Technology
Aker Solutions’ centrifuge and vacuum
pump skids are being loaded on a ship in
Aalborg, Denmark, destined for Kakinada
in India and a Reliance gas-handling plant.
“Our task is to develop a MEG system that is as efficient as possible; that is,
we want to recycle the MEG and filter out salts using less energy.”
“One project that we’re working on
right now for Reliance in India will recover
99.5 percent of the MEG that goes into the
inlet flow. Our closed-loop systems are very
effective at reclaiming a high proportion of
the MEG,” says Jensen.
Another factor common to MEG systems
is build-up of salts and other unintended
constituents. Conventional systems simply
boil off the water and flash – or skim – off
the hydrocarbons, leaving salts and other
compounds in the MEG mixture. These salts
will eventually precipitate out and build up on
heating surfaces and in the injection pipeline,
ultimately fouling vital equipment that needs
to be cleaned or replaced during a shutdown.
“We condition the MEG after it arrives
at the gas-handling facility in distillation columns,
which effectively remove high- and
low-soluble salts. On Shah Deniz, there is
full-stream reclamation, meaning all of the
MEG is reconditioned (desalted) during distillation,”
says Jensen. “On Ormen Lange,
we employed a slip-stream solution, which
desalts a portion – roughly 3 percent – of the
MEG after distillation.”
Jensen explains that the company engineers
its solution around the specific salts
that are involved and the process. At Britannia
Satellites – where the MEG is reclaimed
offshore – size and weight are important
factors. The entire skid here measures
roughly 30 x 60 x 45 ft (10 x 20 x 15 m). On
the other hand, at Reliance KG-D6 Onshore
Terminal, MEG reclamation systems cover
several acres.
There is a wide range of capacities for
the different systems. The Shah Deniz MEG
reclamation system can remove as much as
26 tons of salts per day. Another project for
Reliance will have to be able to handle up
to 110 tons per day. The Britannia Satellites
reclamation system, on the other hand, handles
less than 4.4 tons per day.
Other factors that play a role include
energy constraints, water handling, the age
and state of the subsea gas reservoir, and
room for storage of rich MEG (before water
is distilled out) and lean MEG (after reconcentration).
“Each system is designed and
tailor-made to the specific conditions given
by the client, which vary a lot for the different
fields,” says Jensen.
Reliance Case Study
A large MEG reclamation system delivery –
estimated at a value of $25 million – occupied
Jensen and the process systems business unit
for much of 2007. Reliance Industries’ gas
field in the KG-D6 block is approximately
22 miles (35 km) off the coast of India and
at a depth of 1,300-6,000 ft (400-1,800 m).
Like Ormen Lange, gas treatment is onshore
and will depend on MEG injection to prevent
hydrate formation and possible blockage
of pipelines.
News of the contract came in September
2006 when Aker Solutions announced
that it would be responsible for engineering
“We condition the MEG after it arrives at the gas-handling facility in distillation columns,
which effectively remove high- and low-soluble salts.”
A Question of Flow
Gas from the Ormen Lange subsea gas field – set to supply the UK with up to 20 percent
of its demand for 30 years – would freeze up without MEG systems. As gas projects multiply,
Aker Solutions is ramping up its capacity to design and engineer these systems.
Aker Solutions provided a MEG system,
seen here for BP’s Shah Deniz facility
in Azerbaijan. The system can reclaim
as much as 26 tons of salts per day.
By Ryan Skinner
Ormen Lange is one. Snøhvit is another. Shah
Deniz in Azerbaijan. Gorgon, Pluto, Pilbara
and Browse in Australia. The list of subsea
gas fields – with long pipelines tied back to a
production plant on or offshore – is long and
growing. Hydrate inhibition is the art of preventing
ice from clogging up those lines.
“The vast majority of these fields – and
there are dozens – will use monoethylene glycol
(MEG) to prevent ice formation. Our task
is to develop a MEG system that is as efficient
as possible; that is, we want to recycle the
MEG and filter out salts using less energy,”
says Kristian Jensen, Vice President – Hydrate
Inhibition, Aker Solutions.
Jensen and his colleagues have delivered
MEG reclamation systems to StatoilHydro’s
Ormen Lange facility and to Shah Deniz for
BP, as well as Asgard B (StatoilHydro) and Britannia
Satellites (ConocoPhillips) in the North
Sea. Recent contracts for Reliance have also
grabbed headlines. Each system is unique.
“We have two goals now. The first is to
compete on more projects. We’ve doubled
our staff, and we’ll continue to grow. More
importantly, we’ll bring in other engineering
partners to do detail engineering, so we can
focus on system engineering and procurement.
Our second goal is to improve the system:
use less energy and more appropriate
materials to get better results,” says Jensen.
Prioritizing in MEG Systems
While each MEG reclamation system is
largely unique, some factors are universal
and impact the system’s design. First and
foremost, MEG is expensive. A MEG reclamation
system should recycle as much of
this valuable chemical as possible.
24 25

services, technical services, license agreement
and supply of key equipment on the
Reliance MEG system, with delivery by
third quarter 2008.
“I think we were chosen for a number of
reasons. Aker Solutions had a strong role in
the subsea development, so the relationship
was good. We are the market-leading supplier
of these systems, and we could provide
an alternative similar to the Shah Deniz MEG
plant – which is already under commissioning
and start-up – with acceptable delivery time
and a competitive price,” says Jensen.
Engineered like the Shah Deniz project
for BP, the Reliance system will feature three
separate MEG reclamation trains, each having
a flow of 420 ft 3 (12 m 3 ) of rich MEG per
hour. “Eventually, this site will need a much
higher capacity; the current design covers
only a small part of the expected amount of
produced water when the gas field is in full
operation,” says Jensen.
Aker Solutions’ process guarantee is
related to the recovery and concentration
of lean MEG. Basically, the system will
recover 99.5 percent and maintain the supply
of MEG to the subsea wellhead with over
90 percent MEG content (and less than 10
percent water content). This proportion will
ensure a pipeline free of ice during the lifetime
of the field.
A key element of the process systems’
delivery is the “split scope” approach where
Aker Solutions in India undertakes detailed
engineering and procurement assistance for
Reliance. Thus, Aker Solutions is able to
employ its manpower more effectively. It is
a model that the company has effectively
employed with several customers.
Future Developments
“We’re working on concept studies for a
number of projects, and we’re at the FEED
stage of one major new project. This is near
capacity for us right now, but we have tremendous
resources in Aker Solutions globally.
A production model with long subsea
tiebacks is increasingly popular and we’ll be
ready with the MEG solutions,” says Jensen.
The product is under steady development
as well. Aker Solutions has a close
collaboration with the Norwegian Institute
for Energy Technology (IFE) on chemistry,
and steadily hunts for more appropriate
materials. “Some parts require duplex, super
duplex or stainless steels, which are very
expensive. We may be able to replace some
of these with equally effective substitutes,”
says Jensen. 4
For more information, contact
Kristian.Magnus.Jensen@akersolutions.com.
Aker Solutions’ process guarantee is related to the recovery
and concentration of lean MEG. Basically, the system will
recover 99.5 percent and maintain the supply of MEG to the
subsea wellhead with over 90 percent MEG content (and less
than 10 percent water content). This proportion will ensure
a pipeline free of ice during the lifetime of the field.
MEG: What It Is and How It Works
Familiar to most people as the active
ingredient in their car’s antifreeze, monoethylene
glycol (MEG) is the most common
chemical used for hydrate inhibition
in subsea gas lines. Lean MEG (MEG
with low-water content) is pumped at
pressure to the wellhead where it joins
the gas flow at the christmas tree and follows
the gas to the treatment facility. On
the way – thanks to its natural desiccant
properties – the MEG binds up any water
in the flowline (and any salts or minerals
dissolved in the water). This prevents
ice build-up in sub-zero conditions and
scaling on process equipment. At the gas
plant, the gas is separated from the rich
MEG (MEG with high-water content)
and the MEG is reconcentrated by distillation
or evaporation and desalted. Lean
MEG is then returned to storage for reinjection
at the wellhead.
Kristian Jensen, Vice President –
Hydrate Inhibition, Aker Solutions.
MEG: What It Is and How It Works
Technology
Demonstration Effect
Crude trading at $10 per barrel and falling, fabrication yards facing mothballing, research and
development funding drying up: 1998 was a dreadful year for the offshore oil and gas industry.
Norway’s response – far from doomsaying – included DEMO 2000, an initiative with the mission
of moving innovative technologies from the drawing board to the market via three-way partnerships
between contractor, operator and government. As the program approaches its tenth year
in operation, Director Morten Wiencke speaks about the evolving role of his organization.
By Darius Snieckus
26 27

“DEMO 2000 evolved from a collective view that a joint approach would be the best
chance of surviving in Norway, of getting across the so-called ‘valley of death’
that we were all facing at $10/bbl oil in 1998.”
One-hundred-dollar-a-barrel oil can play
tricks on the mind. With industry attention
currently focused on such recent landmarks
as the potentially elephantine deepwater Tupi
discovery off Brazil, the game-changing $12
billion subsea-to-beach Ormen Lange development
now flowing off Norway, and the
two-million-barrel-capacity floating production
storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels
fast becoming a common sight off Angola, it
is easy to suppress memories of the closing
years of the last millennium, when the crude
price was in free-fall and the offshore contracting
sector in the doldrums. As Morten
Wiencke, Director of DEMO 2000 – one of
several technology-led, government-industry
programs launched to resuscitate moribund
regional offshore sectors in 1999 – puts it,
the scheme was Norway’s attempt to find a
way across the “valley of death.”
Wiencke’s words may sound like overstatement
now, but to look back over the
effect DEMO 2000 has had on the Norwegian
offshore industry in the intervening years,
the program has certainly been a lifeline to
many innovative research and development
(R&D) ventures. Between 1999-2006, the
program has supported more than 170 projects
– together worth some $431 million
– in technology areas ranging from new seismic
imaging, monobore, extended reach and
multibranch wells, through subsea compression,
processing and fiscal metering, to longdistance
power transmission, riserless mud
recovery and multipurpose FPSOs. Indeed,
there are few areas offshore that DEMO
2000 has not touched.
“DEMO 2000 evolved from a collective
view that a joint approach would be the best
chance of surviving in Norway, of getting
across the so-called ‘valley of death’ that we
were all facing at $10/bbl oil in 1998,” states
Wiencke. “It was developed by the manufacturers’
industry association as a white paper.
By 1999, the government, having been given
the assurance of Norway’s major contractors
– then Aker, Kvaerner, Kongsberg Subsea
(FMC), ABB Offshore Systems and so on,
as well as that of the oil companies – allocated
$19 million to the program for the first
tranche of projects.”
Three-way partnership commercialization
of innovative equipment, systems
and processes that would ensure more costeffective
development and increased recovery
from fields on the Norwegian continental
shelf (NCS) was the mission statement. Piloting
new technology projects in “actual operating
conditions” offshore was the means to this
end, with the argument running that securing
“field-proven” status would bridge the gap
between R&D and de-risk market success.
“We wanted to get R&D projects off the
shelf and into practical use – particularly if
that technology made the Norwegian shelf a
more interesting place to work for operators
and contractors alike,” underlines Wiencke.
“Also, in 1999 we had seen some heavy
cost overruns on projects off Norway that
pointed to the fact that the art of doing new
technology development and project execution
at the same time was a risky business, so
that in itself was a good case for the oil companies
contributing to a program that would
try out and test new technology without
complicating a major field development.”
Collaboration between oil companies
and their suppliers has always been a
strength of the Norwegian offshore sector’s
culture, he adds, but DEMO 2000 has meant
“the roots can grow deeper.”
An Offshore Who’s Who
Aker and Kvaerner – as they then were – were
among the early recipients of DEMO 2000
funding: the former for multiphase flowline
engineering and riser technology and the
latter for a subsea compression system. By
2000, 51 projects had received backing from
the program, including Framo Engineering’s
offshore cryogenic LNG tandem offloading,
FMC Kongsberg’s subsea fuel cell pilot
plant and Aker, DSND and Reinertsen’s
jointly developed offshore export system.
Since then, the list of companies which have
moved new technology ahead under the
DEMO 2000 aegis has come to read like a
Who’s Who offshore Norway: Roxar, Vetco
Aibel, Halliburton, Western Geco, MPM,
Baker Hughes, AGR, ClampOn, DNV, and
Scandpower are among those who have each
been granted a financial boost by the program
over the last decade.
Industry highlights off Norway in the
past year include more from the DEMO 2000
stable. The Statoil/FMC Tordis IOR project
now onstream is based on subsea separation
and boosting technology that was put
through a full-scale test loop of integrated
sand handling partly funded by DEMO 2000.
And Odim’s recently launched CTCU-based
fiber rope deployment system was given its
onshore barge test and field trial at Ormen
Lange with backing from the program.
“The success of our program is a tribute
to the support we have been shown by
the Ministry of Petroleum & Energy and the
operators’ willingness to trust our approach
as a very good way of getting untried technologies
into the field. After all, getting the
end customer on board is the important thing
in commercializing what are very good ideas
that might not otherwise get the attention
they deserve,” states Wiencke. “DEMO 2000
has been able to overcome some of the conservatism
of the industry.”
Much as the DEMO 2000 initiative
grew out of a time of bearish market conditions
on the Norwegian shelf, the program
continues to evolve to meet the present-day
needs of the wider, international offshore
industry. “Norway is a small country and
we must guard against introversion as it will
not necessarily benefit our culture of innovation,”
offers Wiencke. Where once it was
enough to make “maintenance and development”
of the NCS the be all and end all of
the program, now “extension of the industry
knowledge base” and development of new
products and – significantly – new markets
are part of the DEMO 2000 quest.
“Our ambition is to further step up the
program by utilizing field trial opportunities
on Norwegian offshore installations as well
as other continental shelves with similar
technology demands, notably Gulf of Mexico,
Brazil and West Africa which are important
export markets for Norwegian industry,”
says Wiencke.
International collaboration continues to
be on the agenda too, with DEMO 2000 having
carried out a “deepwater mapping” study
in 2004 with the U.S.’ DeepStar to identify
technology gaps in a 7 to 10-year perspective
in the Golden Triangle and Northern European
regions. This includes development of
production concepts such as a deep draft
semi with steel catenary risers for ultra-deep
water. There has also been “information
exchange and technology transfer” work
with Brazil’s Procap-3000 program that has
led to “several interesting leads for technology
development collaboration.”
Casting forward, DEMO 2000 is putting
its energies into advancing projects in a
matrix that ranges over the following areas:
– subsurface technology – to improve imaging
and reservoir characterization
– drilling and well technology – with the focus
on more accurate and less costly wells
– processing and multiphase transport – to
improve efficiencies of tiebacks to infrastructure
and to shore
– gas utilization and monetization
– e-fields and integrated operations
– deepwater
– Arctic technology – for which a data collaboration
project called Arctic Web has
recently been launched.
Installation of the MultiBooster at the Lyell field in the North Sea.
“We wanted to get R&D
projects off the shelf and
into practical use – particularly
if that technology
made the Norwegian shelf
a more interesting place
to work for operators
and contractors alike.”
28 29

…looking back, it is correct to say that the Kvaerner Booster Station
was the origin to the subsea booster family of Aker Solutions:
the LiquidBooster (liquid pump), the MultiBooster (multiphase
pump), the DeepBooster (gas-liquid separation and liquid pumping)
and of course the GasBooster (subsea compression).
The semisubmersible floater with SCRs is verified by testing.
“The success of our program is a tribute to the support we have been shown by the Ministry of Petroleum & Energy and the operators’
willingness to trust our approach as a very good way of getting untried technologies into the field.”
“The DEMO 2000 project has allowed our clients to include this solution as ‘project ready’ in their toolbox for field development.”
Power Behind the Throne
Recent start-up of a trio of two Aker Solutions’
subsea MultiBooster pumps in 5,600 ft (1,700
m) of water on BP’s U.S. Gulf King field was
the fruition of a technology project that was
first backed by DEMO 2000 in one of its earliest
funding rounds. (See article, p. 32-33.)
Subsea boosting has a history which has
its roots in the 1980s with the development
of the Kvaerner Booster Station (KBS). It
consisted of a separator, centrifugal pump and
centrifugal compressor mounted vertically
that was designed to separate gas and liquids
before pumping them as separate streams.
After five years of testing, it was concluded
that while KBS would work on the seabed,
it was “before its time” in terms of the subsea
market being ready for it, and in 1994,
it was shelved. However, looking back, it is
correct to say that the KBS was the origin to
the subsea booster family of Aker Solutions:
the LiquidBooster (liquid pump), the Multi-
Booster (multiphase pump), the DeepBooster
(gas-liquid separation and liquid pumping)
and of course the GasBooster (subsea compression).
(See articles, p. 16-23.)
Before the decade was out, however,
a multi-partner DEMO 2000 program led
by Hydro was rethinking the technology as
part of a program to boost pressure from the
operator’s Sognefjord development off Norway
from 26 bar to 65 bar and commingling it
with production from other fields. The Multi-
Booster pump module was tested using water
at what became Aker Solutions’ facility at
Tranby, and later at Statoil’s K-Lab at Kårstø
in simulated subsea conditions on a feed of
natural gas and condensate. It proved it could
handle a variety of flow conditions and a gas
void fraction of 98 percent – equivalent to
“wet gas compressor conditions.”
In 2004, a new DEMO 2000 program
was initiated to find a pilot site for the prototype
MultiBooster pump. The UK’s CNR Lyell
field was chosen and the pump was installed
in 480-ft (146-m) water depth. The pump has
been running without one single pump failure
since installation in December 2005. In two
years, Aker Solutions progressed the Multi-
Booster design from a 480-ft (146-m) prototype
to a full-scale, deepwater system for
installation at BP's King field.
Aker Solutions’ total work scope for
King encompasses delivery of subsea pumps
outfitted with Bornemann twin-screw technology,
as well as engineering, procurement and
construction of the station manifolds, variable
speed drives, topside and subsea control systems,
topside lube oil hydraulic power unit
and high-voltage connectors and jumpers.
The subsea MultiBooster is foreseen as
a fit for projects involving boosting of lowpressure
wellstream from subsea tiebacks, as
at King, tail-end production for increased oil
recovery and greenfield subsea developments.
BP has subsea pumping in the frame for “consideration
in future development plans in its
global portfolio to improve recovery.”
Harsh Treatment for SCR Semisub
Aker Solutions’ vision of marrying steel
catenary risers (SCRs) to Norwegian semisubmersible
production platform design for
use in deepwater and harsh offshore environments
has been given shape by a joint industry
project (JIP) carried out under the aegis
of DEMO 2000.
Supported by international operators
Statoil, Hydro, Shell, and BP – along
with Trondheim-based marine technology
researchers Marintek – the JIP took aim at
“enhancing the confidence in this concept to
a level where the technology will be ready
for development projects to come” in areas
such as the Norwegian Sea and West of Shetland,
according to Gunnar Arnesen, Project
Manager, Aker Solutions.
“SCRs have seen their merits in the
Gulf of Mexico – mainly in combination with
tension leg platforms (TLPs) and Spar platforms
– and this type of riser in combination
with semisubmersible platforms is also being
introduced in the Gulf of Mexico and Brazil,”
says Arnesen.
“For harsh environmental conditions,
such as we have offshore Norway, the semisubmersible
platforms have during the last
decades proved their excellence in use for
development of oil and gas fields in medium
to deep water,” he continues. “However, as
the developments in these areas now extend
to even greater water depths, the introduction
of SCRs is becoming a desired option.”
Base case tested for a gas development
offshore Norway in some 4,900 ft (1,500 m)
of water, the Aker Solutions semisub design
advanced by the JIP features a 27,580-ton
topsides, a deep 130-ft (40-m) draft, 24-in
(61-cm) steel catenary export riser, and a
taut leg mooring system.
“Various measures to improve the riser
fatigue has been evaluated and analyzed as
part of the JIP,” states Arnesen. “It has been
concluded that the use of a deep draft semi in
combination with weight coating on a limited
length of the risers is an effective measure
to achieve the required integrity of hull,
mooring and risers. The DEMO 2000 project
has allowed our clients to include this solution
as ‘project ready’ in their toolbox for
field development.”
While developed using a design and
analysis approach for a total system – semisub,
riser, and mooring – for harsh environments,
the technology is foreseen as applicable to
other “similar conditions.” 4
For more information on booster technology,
contact Knut.Nyborg@akersolutions.com.
For more information on semis with SCRs,
contact Gunnar.Arnesen@akersolutions.com.
30
31

Technology
Into the Deep Oil Recovery Position
As the oil and gas industry begins to speculate just how long world oil supplies will keep up with growing demand, operators
are facing a number of challenges: how to operate more efficiently, how to get more out of their reservoirs, and how to manage
deepwater developments. Aker Solutions’ MultiBooster technology is successfully addressing all of these challenges.
By Caroline Stallion
Installation of the BP King MultiBooster.
Technology to increase oil recovery (IOR)
came into focus in the mid 1990s after research
indicated many of the existing oil fields would
suffer a steep decline in production over the
coming years. While there were many uncertainties
surrounding IOR, it was clear that
large additional resources were achievable. In
1998, Aker Solutions began exploring various
processing and boosting technologies aimed
at improving reservoir drainage, improved oil
recovery and increasing flow rate.
“We began developing our multiphase
technology ten years ago, putting the pieces
together, testing it, doing modifications, testing
it over again and making new versions.
After six or seven years, we had a complete
pump that was ready for the market,” says
Gunder Homstvedt, Technology Manager
Processing & Boosting, Aker Solutions.
Aker Solutions’ MultiBooster was
developed as part of the “DEMO 2000 program,”
a Norwegian government initiative
which funds the development of new technology.
(See article, p. 27-31.) The company
first delivered this system to a pilot project
for CNR International in December 2005.
Installed in 480-ft (146-m) water depth more
than nine miles (15 km) from the Ninian
South platform, the pump at the Lyell field
in the North Sea has been operational since
January 2006.
“Not only were the wells brought on-line
more quickly, Lyell achieved a significant
increase in production,” says Knut Nyborg,
Vice President Processing & Boosting, Aker
Solutions. “The pump has been performing
consistently without any failures.”
While the success at the Lyell field
sparked great interest within the oil and gas
industry, operators were still cautious. Aker
Solutions needed a partner ready to apply the
technology in deep water.
Deepwater Capabilities – BP King
Production at BP’s King field in the Gulf of
Mexico reached its peak in 2004. Located
in 5,600-ft (1,700-m) water depth more than
15 miles (24 km) from the platform, BP was
uncertain Aker Solutions’ MultiBooster had
the power to transport the oil such a distance.
After several months of selection and
definition studies, BP was convinced of the
system’s capabilities. They awarded Aker
Solutions a contract worth $40 million to
deliver two complete subsea pump stations
– plus one spare pump – in 2005.
The system was manufactured and
extensively tested at Aker Solutions’
recently upgraded facility in Tranby, Norway.
The pumps were shipped to the Gulf
of Mexico in June 2007 and installed in
August by Aker Solutions’ subsidiary Aker
Marine Contractors.
For installation subsea, the pumps are
installed onto a landing structure and manifold.
These pump stations, measuring 30 ft
long, 13 ft wide and 23 ft high (9m x 4m x
7m) and weighing 100 tons, were installed in
a single lift.
“The first pump was installed within
five hours while the second pump was
installed after only three. Considering the
water depth of 5,600 ft (1,700 m), the operation
of installing the two pumps was performed
above expectations,” says Nyborg.
Operational since late November, the two
pumps will enhance production from the King
field by an average of 20 percent and allow a
7 percent increase in recovery, extending the
economic life of the field by five years.
“In line with our strategy to maximize
reserves from our existing fields, the
application of this cutting-edge technology
across BP’s large deepwater portfolio has the
potential to unlock significant resources that
would otherwise remain unrecoverable,” says
Andy Inglis, BP’s Chief Executive of Exploration
& Production, in a press release.
Benefits
Multiphase pumping increases the distance
over which the wellstream can be transported.
It enables longer step-out distances
between subsea assets and host facilities by
adding energy to the wellstream. This allows
for a lower wellhead pressure and increased
production rates.
The modular design of the Multi-
Booster allows for easier subsea installation
and retrieval. For any maintenance or
repairs, parts of the system including the
pump module and subsea control pod can
be separately retrieved.
In order to detect variations in performance
at an early stage, a condition monitoring
system is built into the control system.
This uses data on vibrations, pressure and
temperature collected by sensors mounted
on each pump to predict and prevent any
potential malfunctions.
Using the well-proven, twin-screw
technology, the MultiBooster has the ability
to pump oil and gas streams with a wide
range of gas content, which is significant for
fields that contain a high proportion of gas. It
can also pump oil, water, gas and some sand
without the need to separate or do any subsea
processing at all.
The Future…Deeper and Longer
The King project is a breakthrough in the
application of multiphase technology and
the installation set a double world record for
boosting equipment – for depth and distance.
“Now that the MultiBooster has proven
its ability to increase recovery at the King
field, we see huge potential for this technology
at a number of deepwater developments.
We will go deeper with even longer stepouts,”
concludes Nyborg.
With the addition of a dedicated subsea
pump assembly and testing facility in 2007,
Aker Solutions is prepared for growth within
the emerging subsea boosting market. 4
For more information, contact
Tom-Erik.Dahl@akersolutions.com.
Record-breaking Boosting Project
King Field, Gulf of Mexico:
8 5,600-ft (1,700-m) water depth
8 15-mile (24-km) step-out
8 Contract awarded 2005
8 Two complete subsea pump systems
installed 2007
8 One spare pump currently stored at
Aker Solutions’ service facility in Houston
The engineering, procurement and
construction contract included modules
with manifolds, variable speed drives,
topside and subsea control systems,
topside lube oil hydraulic power unit
and high-voltage connectors and jumpers.
Award-winning Technology:
8 OTC 2006 Spotlight on
New Technology Award
8 ONS 2006 Innovation Award
32 33
Award-winning Technology

Capabilities
Efficient Supply Management –
A Critical Key to Long-term,
Sustainable Success
Efficient corporate supply management can deliver spectacular results – as has been demonstrated
by the upstream oil & gas sector – with Northwest Europe leading the way since
the mid 1990s, driven by operators striving to ensure long-term viability of the North Sea.
By Jeremy Cresswell
great dedication
Mehdi Navidi, Project Director (left), and David Carnes, SVP Supply Management (right), inspect a duplex valve
made by Chinese valve supplier, Neway Valve (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., for a topsides module Aker Solutions delivered
for the SMART 1 FPSO project — part of the overall delivery by Aker Floating Production to Reliance Industries.
Creating and sustaining an efficient supply
chain is a relentless process requiring great
dedication and is as applicable up- as downstream.
At Aker Solutions, the current target
is to implement supply management improvement
initiatives that will contribute significantly
to the corporate goal of improving costs
by $187 million over the period 2007-2009.
Some aspects of early North Sea initiatives
– like NORSOK (Norway) and CRINE
(UK) – were later called into question, and as
Senior VP Supply Management David Carnes
explains, the core objective was and remains
sound: to drive out unnecessary costs by getting
smarter at doing the business, thereby
delivering a win-win outcome to operators
and throughout the supply chain.
“Sound supply management thinking was
at the heart of these initiatives,” says Carnes.
“It has to do with two main issues: one is standardization
and establishing industry standards;
the second is early involvement and
collaboration across the supply chain. Both
are fundamental to us at Aker Solutions.”
“We have major initiatives in all our
businesses – becoming more standardized and
delivering simpler modular solutions. One of
the ways in which we’re shortening lead times
and dealing with some of the extra pressure
that commodity pricing these days is putting
on the supply chain is through better collaboration,
including earlier supplier involvement.”
Get it right and resultant benefits
can include:
– lead-time reduction – or at least assured,
predictable, on-time delivery in these times
of ultra-tight capacity in the supply chain
– sustained high, even enhanced, quality
– effective control of total project/solution risk
– innovative solutions and, where relevant,
technology improvements achieved by
efficient cooperation down through and
across the supply chain
– assurance of cost competitiveness measured
against any region in the world.
It’s Been Happening for Years
Surely company bosses have been talking up
the benefits of a smarter supply chain for at
least 15 years and of the need for a change
in mindset to achieve this, so what’s new? Is
there not a sense of déjà vu?
“That’s true,” agrees Carnes. “But when
we talk about change of mindset, there are two
aspects: going for immediate short-term gain,
but at the same time addressing some longerterm
changes. Yes, it has been going on for 10
to 15 years, but it could take another 10 to 15
years of continuous hard improvement before
we’re really where we need to be.”
“Big industry changes – such that continue
to happen in upstream oil and gas – are
not achieved in two or three years. For projects
alone, very often we’re talking about
two to five-year time frames, even longer if
we include conceptual phases. Try multiplying
that across the sector and that’s why I
believe some changes will take that long.”
In a nutshell, supply management needs
to contribute at a strategic level – as a partner
with engineering and project management –
to design and implement more cost-effective
solutions and deliveries. Supply management
must also work early and proactively with
business development to promote commercial
concepts with clients to convert supply savings
into shared benefits to the bottom line.
“So much of this is about organizational
learning,” says Carnes. “You understand how
you operate and the sub-contractors understand
what your expectations are – throughout
both organizations. Typically with a
sub-contractor, this is learned in practice
over a three to five-year project period.”
“Of course, we work hard on immediate
short-term improvements, but with regard
to reinforcing overall competitiveness of the
group or the industry, that also has a longerterm
cycle. The short-term improvements are
the ticket to stay and play for the longer term.”
Simpler Modular Solutions
34 35
At Aker Solutions, the ongoing transformation
is driven by the Supply Management
Network, with leaders championing the
process within each business unit, supported
by the corporate supply management team.
A key enabler for this improvement is
centrally led, cross-functional commodity
teams that design and implement strategies
across business areas to leverage the group’s
total spending and manage key suppliers.
Teams include: steel products & piping,
subcontracted fabrication, valves & instrumentation,
heavy rotating equipment, industrial
consumables and logistics.
Another key to improvement is highquality,
best-value sourcing from low-cost
countries. As a result of this policy, sourcing
hubs in China and India will continue
to develop aggressively. Likely future additions
include Russia, and further focus is
on Asia.
Persistence and Skill Building
Despite the cross-functional nature of supply
management at Aker Solutions, Carnes
acknowledges that some business areas
have made better progress than others.
Again, it comes back to the time factor and
the need to keep chip, chip, chipping away
at the challenge.
“We have some nice successes where
we’re offering solutions that combine our capabilities
in field development, subsea, products
and technologies and also drilling. But we do
need to get better at looking across the board –
crossing our own business boundaries – when
creating solutions for clients,” he says.
Carnes is clearly proud of the long-standing
and deep relationship that Aker Solutions
has with StatoilHydro. There’s also the more
recent and highly successful cooperation with
the Indian group, Reliance Industries, where a
number of Aker Solutions businesses are collaborating
to offer total solutions.
But little of this is achievable without
equipping those involved with the necessary
skill sets – not just in-house, but suppliers
too where considered appropriate.
“There really is a lot of training and it
extends over a long period,” says Carnes. “In
an earlier position that I held (in supply management),
I had a team where about half of the
guys had been in training eight years previously,
spread over an 18-month time frame.”
“Eight years later, it was very clear who
had made that investment in terms of their
capabilities and their management skills and
the depth of their knowledge. In a company
like ours, we invest in the gain of such a
long-term process.”
“What we’re talking about here is
extending and increasing the professionalism
of the supply management organization.
Moreover, to develop the next generation of
really top management leaders requires a lot
of training and management development.”
“That has to start early – broadly across
the organization and also deep down into the
functions. In order to maintain the quality of
the organization over time, we need to expand
supply management training and we’re doing
that through the Aker Solutions Academy.”
“Meanwhile, you know, the hallmark
of Aker Solutions is that we deliver. On that
score we match anybody. But things don’t
stand still. The bar keeps being raised higher.
It means that even in areas where we know
we’re good, like supply management, we
have to keep working at it.”
“That’s the big challenge – and at a time
when everyone is working at full capacity. In
that kind of environment it becomes even
more important that we keep our strategic
focus on long-term development and efficiency
of the business.” 4
For more information, contact
David.Carnes@akersolutions.com.

Employee Profile
Taking Charge
and Making a Difference
In what has traditionally been a male-dominated area of the workplace – although less so in Norway
than elsewhere in the world – two out of Aker Solutions’ three Norwegian offshore fabrication yards
are headed by female presidents. May Wenche Hammert was appointed President of the Egersund
yard in September 2006, while Nina Udnes Tronstad joined Verdal one year later.
By Meg Chesshyre
“I may concentrate on some
areas differently, but I
don’t know whether that is
because I am a woman or
because I have a different
focus area.”
“We could benefit from
more females in Aker
Solutions, especially
at the yards. The
working environment
prospers from people
being complementary
to each other
– that means men and
women, different ages
and backgrounds,
different education
and experiences.”
May Wenche Hammert
Nina Udnes Tronstad
May Wenche Hammert – having previously
worked in management consultancy in the
U.S. and Norway – first joined the Aker Solutions
group in February 2004 as Senior Vice
President for Human Resources (HR) in the
Field Development Europe business stream.
She enjoys the variety of her role at Egersund.
“My job is to ensure that we deliver
our ongoing projects with satisfied clients
and high health, safety and environment
(HSE) standards, and to look a few years
ahead to see what our strategy should be,
what projects we want to win in the future,
and how we work with clients. In addition,
it is important to me that we are seen as the
region’s preferred employer, that we are able
to attract new people and give development
opportunities to the ones we have.”
The yard, established in 1972, currently
has a high work load employing over 1,600
people where 500 of them are direct-own
Egersund employees. The work load reflects
the three main product lines – topsides,
modules and subsea structures. Work is
ongoing to provide six barges to Agip KCO
for the Kashagan field in the Caspian Sea.
The yard also has two contracts for Statoil-
Hydro on the Norwegian shelf: the first is for
the delivery of a riser balcony for the Gjøa
project, and the second is for subsea structures
for the Morvin development.
Focus on People Development
Coming from an HR background, Hammert
has a particular interest in the people development
side of the work place. A new initiative is
the Aker Solutions Egersund School. It offers
training at yard level to hired-in personnel as
well as its own employees, including certification
and courses such as commercial awareness
and leadership. A special leadership
program for hired-in managers – explaining
what it means to be a leader at Aker Solutions
in Egersund and setting out how people are
expected to act according to the company’s
values – has been well received.
Hammert lives in Oslo, but commutes to
Egersund. She is married to a Swede who runs
a restaurant and bar – a complete contrast to her
working persona. At the time of her appointment
she was the first female yard president,
but in Norway this has occasioned little comment.
It is only when she goes to other countries,
for instance Russia, that it is considered
very unusual. “I may concentrate on some
areas differently, but I don’t know whether that
is because I am a woman or because I have
a different focus area.” She feels her biggest
challenge is lack of fabrication experience, but
at the time of her appointment she was told
there was 35 years of fabrication experience
at the yard and that she was being appointed to
bring her own skill sets and experience.
She is enthusiastic about the future for
Egersund. The challenges are to deliver the
existing projects, win new ones that will give
business from 2009, and keep the good people
at the yard. “Our vision in Egersund is
that we are going to be a world-class yard.”
Nina Udnes Tronstad has only been at Aker
Verdal fabrication yard since the beginning of
September in 2007 – after a varied career with
Statoil – but says she already feels at home. “I
think there are more similarities than differences.”
Her range of positions within Statoil
ties in with her current role at Aker Verdal.
“My job is leading the top management team
at the yard. My responsibility is with HSE
standards, customer satisfaction, profitability
and the enthusiasm in the organization. I
enjoy the company. I enjoy my job.”
“A very important part for me now is to
increase the profitability at the yard. We are
working hard on our cost structure, not only
to reduce but also to break down the costs so
that everyone at the yard understands the different
cost items. We are sharing the cost of
resources in a more open way than we used to,
and people are using their creativity to establish
a better way of doing things. I believe
strongly in transparency and openness, really
sharing the actual situation and sharing the
opportunities and risk with all the people at
the yard. We are faster in catching the opportunities
because we see the same picture.”
Long Track Record
The Verdal yard, established in 1970, has a
long track record. It is the Aker Solutions facility
which concentrates on large steel structures.
It also has a cold bending business. The current
workload includes risers for the StatoilHydro
Volve project, a new jacket for BP’s Valhall
field and 13 steel tripods and piles for offshore
windmills for the German company Multibrid
Entwicklungsgesellschaft. Work on this latest
contract has just started and Tronstad sees wind
energy as a market opportunity for the future.
Verdal is also carrying out two sub-contracts
for its sister yard at Egersund – pipe racks for
barges for Agip KCO Kashagan and steel structures
for the riser balcony for StatoilHydro’s
new semisubmersible for the Gjøa field.
Tronstad is married and has a daughter
who’s 21 and a son 17. Combining work and
family has been challenging in the past, but
it is easier now. Her husband, who heads up
the drilling department at recently renamed
DNO – and known as Det norske (previously
Pertra) in Trondheim – has been very supportive.
She is also a director of Eitzen Maritime
Services, Storebrand Life Assurance
Company and Aker Exploration. She feels
that she can both bring something to those
boards as well as learn things which benefit
her current position at Verdal.
Has she found it difficult being a
woman in a predominantly male environment?
“No, I enjoy it. We could benefit from
more females in Aker Solutions, especially
at the yards. The working environment
prospers from people being complementary
to each other – that means men and women,
different ages and backgrounds, different
education and experiences.” 4
For more information, contact
Mariken.Holter@akersolutions.com.
36 37

Beyond Oil & Gas
Manufacturing column.
Bioethanol plant in Colombia.
In the quest to reduce global carbon emissions and look to greater use of renewable fuels, there are more
Fuelling a Greener
Tomorrow
Praj's R&D facility in India.
biofuel plants in planning than ever before. As a new and emerging sector, biofuels is an evolving industry confronted
by many challenges and opportunities, not least the fierce ambition to find next generation technology
that will deliver improved efficiency and performance. Good plant design and project planning then are vital in
today’s facilities if they are to accommodate the potential advancements and upgrades of the future.
By Vanessa Mourant
Despite the plant complexities and challenges
relating to feedstock supply, biofuels
are growing in demand. Many oil refineries
and producers worldwide are starting to move
into this arena, investing to find improved
ways of making biofuels work more effectively,
with reduced environmental impact.
Recognizing the opportunities to transfer
capability to this growing sector, Aker
“BioCnergy offers European customers
access to the complete scope of services
required for license, plant design and
construction, with seamless integration and
application of the Praj technology,” says
Ronald van der Vlist, Managing Director of
BioCnergy . “And several key players in this
market segment have already recognized this
unique capability.”
“Through our Project Execution Model ,
Aker Solutions possesses immense experience
in concept selection and optimization to map
out the necessary considerations,” explains
van der Vlist. “Our ability to draw upon sound
project execution experience and best practice
is invaluable to achieving a productive, flexible
and reliable biofuels plant.”
Shashank Inamdar, CEO of Praj, agrees.
industry – which, of course, has many hurdles
ahead – but offers some very real and
exciting opportunities.”
“With so many variables, the choice of
feedstock will change regionally over the
short to long-term. The challenge then is to
assess the long-term availability and cost of
a feedstock. For example, wheat is currently
expensive in Europe, but a plant being built
feedstock production, potential environmental
conflicts and more. Concerns are being
raised about the potential impact upon the
food chain, for example, with the diversion
of corn or wheat into ethanol production.
While the global cereal supply and demand
situation is moving closer together and stockpiles
are decreasing, there are many factors
influencing supply and pricing.
Solutions formed a joint venture (JV) in
“At Praj we have the technology and the process
now will be operating for the next 20 to 30 “The appropriate discussion is not food “BioCnergy offers European customers
early 2007 with Praj Industries of India – a
global leader in biofuels technology for over
Unlocking the Potential
Infrastructure and transport logistics – in design, but we needed the strong project
execution element that Aker Solutions can
years,” continues van der Vlist. “Another key
consideration is whether there is an outlet for
versus fuel, but for what purpose can we use
the land. One of the challenges is to find crops
two decades. The relationship between the terms of feedstock supply, access to blending
facilities and steam and power – are all and the market is asking BioCnergy to bid
ity benefit from the plant.”
Praj’s developments in this area is sweet sor-
provide. Our clients demand a full solution,
the by-products, to draw greater sustainabil-
that can grow on lower quality soil (one of
JV partners is well established. Through a
access to the complete scope of services
strategic alliance formed in 2006, the two important factors, as is the need for flexibility
on new projects and to do feasibility stud-
“Supply of feedstock, such as ethanol, ghum), and of course the next generation bio-
in terms of future upgrade and capacity ies, so there is a lot of interest. The market is
has been variable over the last year. So Praj’s fuels,” concludes van der Vlist.
companies created a solid platform on which
to develop biofuels projects in Europe. With increases. Balancing the many commercial moving in this direction. There are emerging
research and development (R&D) into alternative
Indeed, many in the industry feel that to
required for license, plant design and
strong market interest in the alliance and factors in a biofuels plant can be very complex,
new stakeholders in Europe.”
options, such as cellulose and other do nothing is no longer an option. The next
so technology selection and project defi-
energy crops, are very important to the Bio- generation biofuels may be some way off, but
the fact that Europe will follow a binding
guideline of 10 percent biofuels blending nition are two critical stages. Aker Solutions’ The Challenges of a Newcomer
Cnergy offering going forward. The continuous
the prospect for success is there. 4
construction, with seamless integration
by 2020, the two companies extended their
association by forming BioCnergy Europa
B.V. This new JV is based from the Netherlands,
execution capabilities and extensive European
market knowledge, combined with the
cutting-edge, technological expertise of Praj,
Van der Vlist continues, “With economic
growth driving energy consumption, the
challenge is to find acceptable and sustain-
R&D effort in our Matrix center in
Pune is therefore of ultimate importance.”
There are much publicized discussions
For more information, contact
Ronald.vd.Vlist@biocnergy.com.
and application of the Praj technology.”
with Praj holding a 60 percent share enable BioCnergy to deliver customized and able alternative energy sources to help meet
about the issues relating to biofuels, particu-
Greener Tomorrow
and Aker Solutions holding 40 percent. value-for-money capability to the market. this demand. Biofuels is a new and emerging
larly associated with food crops and other
38 39

Review
Celebrating
Solutions
Magazine
Since its launch in 2002, Solutions magazine has carved out a very special reputation of
its own. Here, we explore why and how this highly successful publication came about.
By Jeremy Cresswell
“We believed at the outset that a more than usual degree of objectivity would
make Solutions more interesting to read than it might otherwise be.”
a multi award-winning publication
Life is tough in the media world. It is a place
where only the strongest and most inventive
products prosper, whether radio, television,
Internet or the printed word. Competition is
intense and, perhaps surprisingly, it applies
just as much to in-house corporate output as
mainstream consumer, business and specialist
journalism.
The cadre of leading energy journalists
who have written for Aker Solutions’ flagship
journal since it was launched in 2002,
have first-hand experience of how harsh life
in that world can be. They have applied that
knowledge to Solutions, helping in no small
measure with making Solutions what it is
today – a multi award-winning publication
that really does stand out from the crowd.
But why was Solutions created in the
first place? Torbjørn Andersen, a former head
of group corporate communications, says
the answer is simple: “At the time we set up
Solutions in the Spring of 2002, it was just
a few months after the merger of Kvaerner
Oil & Gas with Aker Maritime to form Aker
Kvaerner. While both names were already well
known, a new company had been established,
and we needed to communicate that with key
clients and other stakeholders in Norway and
around the world.”
“In fact, to establish an external magazine
wasn’t the obvious choice, because there are
so many out there and we knew that our target
audience already received too much information.
If it were to work at all and capture their
interest, we needed to make it stand out.”
There were two options. The first was
to come up with something very inexpensive
with a massive distribution and hope
that those people taking most interest in
Aker Solutions would read it anyway. The
other option was to create a publication of
exceptionally high quality in the belief that it
would, over time, become a compelling priority
read for our target audience.
The choice was clear: only the second
approach was likely to work. Having decided
on appearance, the next challenge was quality
of content and how to achieve it. Could
this be accomplished in-house, for example?
“We felt that most corporate magazines were
not interesting enough and had too much of
an internal feel about them – boasting even,”
recalls Andersen.
“So, instead of our saying how excellent
we are, we decided that we should as much as
possible get external people to evaluate what
Aker Solutions is doing, though we’re not
pretending that it is a non-biased magazine.
So we engaged professional journalists to talk
with our people and write the material; also
where appropriate, seek client perspectives.”
“For example, if there is an oil company
with a view on a certain technology or project
development challenge that is relevant,
we will try to incorporate such perspectives
as we believe our clients will be very interested
in what such a company has to say.”
“We believed at the outset that a more
than usual degree of objectivity would make
Solutions more interesting to read than it
might otherwise be.” Andersen points out that
the involvement of journalists from around the
globe also helps with the international feel of
Solutions. Again, this global flavor has been
a core element of editorial strategy since day
one; likewise, an editorial board that reflects
the international and technological, solutionsbased
nature of Aker Solutions.
Like Andersen, Jannik Lindbaek, Senior
VP Corporate Communications, has also been
closely involved with Solutions since it was
just an idea. “I was fortunate enough to be on
the team that started Solutions,” says Lindbaek.
“I was the editor, building the publication,
working closely with Torbjørn and the
editorial board that we set up at that time. The
attitude was then and still is that this is the right
way to build a good corporate magazine.”
“I believe Solutions is very relevant to
what Aker Solutions does and where it is going.
The thing is to get the right mix of people –
including journalists – pulling together, pooling
good ideas and generating top-class articles
that show what we’re achieving as a company.
Not only that, I think what we’re doing stands
the test of objective journalism and that’s key to
the ongoing success of this publication.”
“The best way to ensure Solutions stays
relevant and interesting to the readers is to
make sure we keep sharing our successes
drawn from our business, involving clients
and partners in a way that demonstrates how
we really are relevant to their success too.
But if the day ever arrives when we’re not
able to secure the services of experienced
and well-regarded trade journalists for the
magazine, we should take that as a sign that
we’re not doing the right thing anymore.”
In the premier issue of Solutions, Aker
Solutions’ first President/CEO, Sverre Skogen,
wrote that its name “is true both to what
we deliver to customers and our aspiration for
all future work.” He also said: “It is my sincere
hope you will find the content interesting and
informative about our exciting company and
what it does around the world.” Such words
are as relevant today and into the future as they
were when Solutions was first conceived.
The hope is that this and future issues of
Solutions will continue to be informative of
our latest projects, technologies and developments
reflecting Aker Solutions’ attitudes. 4
For more information, contact
solutions@akersolutions.com.
“The best way to ensure
Solutions stays relevant
and interesting to the readers
is to make sure we keep
sharing our successes drawn
from our business, involving
clients and partners in a
way that demonstrates how
we really are relevant to
their success too.”
40 41

Operations & Maintenance Support
New Bloom
By Darius Snieckus
on White Rose
Canada’s Husky Energy has unrolled blueprints for a reserve-doubling
satellite tieback project on its White Rose development off Newfoundland.
It has turned to Aker Solutions-led consortium AKCS to take on a
$74 million maintenance support services contract that will underpin
plans to flow new production from the North Amethyst, West White
“Aker Solutions knows the topsides inside and out because they engineered
and built them. When it came to this most recent contract, we put the project
out to bid to test the market and again AKCS came out the winner.”
Rose and South White Rose discoveries over the next four years.
Operational Support
Planning of Turnarounds
Maintenance Campaigns
Ongoing Repairs
Engineering for Modifications
Neighboring the Terra Nova and Hibernia
fields on the eastern margin of the Jeanne
d’Arc Basin off Newfoundland and Labrador,
Husky Energy’s White Rose field was brought
to first production through the SeaRose floating
production storage and offloading (FPSO)
vessel in November 2005. Flowing initially
from the development’s South Avalon oil
pool, the $2.3 billion capital project aimed
to tap between 200 and 250 million barrels
of 30°API crude. But such has been the success
of White Rose that the operator recently
kicked off plans to expand the field to take in
a trio of satellite tiebacks – North Amethyst,
West White Rose and South White Rose –
through to 2011, adding more than 210 million
barrels to current resource calculations.
Discovered in 1984, White Rose has
been developed using a total of 18 wells –
seven horizontal oil producers, nine water
injectors and two gas injectors – drilled in
394 ft (120 m) of water by the GlobalSantaFe
(now Transocean) Glomar Grand Bank semisubmersible.
Rowan’s harsh-environment
Gorilla VI jack-up was later brought in drill
delineation and exploration wells, spudding
the North Amethyst discovery and first West
White Rose delineation well in an outing
that marked the first time a jack-up has been
used to drill in the waters of Canada’s Grand
Banks. Presently flowing at rates of up to
140,000 bpd from the South Avalon structures,
reservoir pressure is being maintained
by water injection, with surplus natural gas
production injected into the North Avalon
pool for future extraction.
Fluids from the field’s early Cretaceous
Avalon formation sandstone reservoirs flow
from three drill centers set in seabed glory
holes – protected from iceberg-scour – via
more than 25 miles (41 km) of flexible flowlines,
umbilicals and risers to the SeaRose
FPSO. Built by South Korea’s Samsung
Heavy Industries under a deal inked in 2002,
the shipshape double-hull FPSO has been
designed with a storage capacity close to
one million barrels. It is outfitted with an
SBM-supplied disconnectable swivel turret
that makes it possible for the SeaRose to disengage
from the White Rose’s subsea infrastructure
and sail off in the event of “iceberg
threats.” Two new-build, one-million-barrelcapacity
shuttle tankers – chartered from
Knutsen OAS – transport oil from the development
to shore.
For its new multi-billion-dollar White
Rose tieback project, Husky has chosen
AKCS Offshore Partner – a consortium
made up of Aker Solutions, SNC-Lavalin and
G.J. Cahill & Company – for an assignment
encompassing the following: engineering
design, modifications and support services;
campaign maintenance services; field development
planning, feasibility and engineering
concept development; and subsea and FPSO
moorings support and engineering services.
42
43

The $74 million agreement – a five-year
deal with the option of 15 one-year renewals
to follow – has grown out of a 2002 contract
for the engineering, procurement, construction
and installation of the FPSO’s topsides that was
awarded to another Aker Solutions consortium,
AMKC – a joint venture between Peter Kiewit
Sons and Aker Oil & Gas Technology – which
was followed by a post-commissioning deal
with AKCS for ongoing engineering support
in White Rose’s offshore phase.
“Aker Solutions knows the topsides
inside and out because they engineered and
built them. When it came to this most recent
contract, we put the project out to bid to test
the market and again AKCS came out the
winner,” says Ruud Zoon, Husky’s St. John’s
Newfoundland-based Vice President of
East Coast Operations. “So going forward we
will use AKCS for two main scopes of work:
1.) operational support, including planning of
turnarounds, maintenance campaigns, ongoing
repairs, engineering for modifications,
and so on, and 2.) the large capital project
that is represented by tieback of the three
satellite fields to the SeaRose, where AKCS
is handling pre-FEED, FEED, procurement,
and planning and budgeting consultation.”
Satellites into Orbit
The White Rose field expansion project –
now gathering momentum – had its genesis
in a drilling campaign completed in 2006 that
44
“We believe what has been a long and successful relationship in the past
will continue to be equally successful on into the future.”
identified the 70-million-barrel North Amethyst,
120-million-barrel West White Rose and
24-million-barrel South White Rose satellites.
By bringing the three fields on-line in sequence,
starting with North Amethyst in 2009, Husky
aims to offset declining production rates at
White Rose, projected to come off plateau next
year. In Husky’s plan, West White Rose would
follow onstream in 2010 and South White Rose
in 2011. “The satellites will provide for a doubling
of reserves,” underlines Zoon.
Though Zoon emphasizes there is “still
quite a bit of engineering to do” on the White
Rose tieback project, as it stands, AKCS’
responsibilities are likely to include elements
of detailed design for modification of the turret
for tie-in of new risers, refitting and upgrading
of the topsides for increased production capacity,
detailed design of subsea manifolds and
equipment for tie-back of North Amethyst,
and the subsea FEED for West White Rose.
“One of the options we have is that we
tie-back into existing subsea infrastructure
and in this case we wouldn’t have to make any
modifications to the riser system,” he says.
“As far as the topsides go, we have had quite a
few studies done to look at how we can physically
increase the processing capacity when it
comes to power, liquids and gas injection,” he
says. “With the three fields to be tied back,
what is certain is we will need more water
injection, more gas compression and then, of
course, we are looking at more power.”
Final decisions on those modifications
that will be made to the SeaRose’s 17-module
topsides are to be taken “over the next
few months,” offers Zoon. As the FPSO is
disconnectable, Husky is considering the
cost-saving move of bringing the vessel in to
an inshore yard to carry out the upgrades.
“Husky has had a long-lasting relationship
with Aker Solutions, going back six or
seven years now to the capital phase of the
White Rose project. It has been a very successful
one – not least the project as a whole
was a real success story, coming onstream
ahead of schedule and under budget as it did.
Offshore we found that the reservoir could
produce more than first anticipated, so we
were very happy to discover that the topsides
could handle more than their original
design capacity; this summer we had rates of
140,000 bpd.”
“Given the quality of the work carried
out for the main project, we are very pleased to
see AKCS being able to secure this latest contract
through open bidding,” concludes Zoon.
“We believe what has been a long and successful
relationship in the past will continue to be
equally successful on into the future.” 4
For more information, contact
Bjorn.Viken@akersolutions.com.
Conference Participation
Selected Presentations
and Papers
May 2007 – April 2008
5th Asia Petrochemicals & Gas
Conference & Exhibition (APGC)
May 25, 2007
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
4 Butanediol from Butane Technology
– a Technology for a High-value
Intermediate using Advantaged
Feedstock by Hunter Isles,
Aker Solutions
International Methanol Technology
Operators’ Forum (IMTOF)
June 24-27, 2007
Edinburgh, UK
4 How Do I Get There from Here? by
Ian Salmon, Aker Solutions
Energy Conference 2007
August 8, 2007
Haugesund, Norway
4 Just Catch – A New Technology
for CO 2
Capture by Oscar Graff,
Aker Solutions
Offshore Europe Oil & Gas Conference
& Exhibition (OE 2007)
September 4-7, 2007
Aberdeen, UK
4 Award-winning technology, worldclass
rankings, local community
engagement and spirited presentations
by Aker Solutions
The Chemical Engineers’ Handbook
November 2007
Houston, Texas, USA
4 Section 10 – Transport and Storage of
Fluids by V. H. Edwards and D. Nadel,
Aker Solutions
IChemE – Self Monitoring of Effluent
Flow for PPC Installations
November 8, 2007
Billingham, UK
4 Uncertainties Associated with
Environmental Monitoring by
Martha McBarran, Aker Solutions
Norwegian Society of
Lifting Technology
November 27-28, 2007
Stavanger, Norway
4 Frigg Cessation – Challenges with
Removal and Lifting of Pile Guides by
Kjetil Eckhoff, Aker Marine Contractors
Subsea Lifting Operations
November 27-28, 2007
Stavanger, Norway
4 The Different Phases of a Subsea
Lift from an Offshore Construction
Vessel by Jill Jørgensen, Aker
Marine Contractors
Chemical Processing
January 2008
Louisville, Kentucky, USA
4 Avoid Costly Materials Mistakes
by Chip Eskridge, Aker Solutions
Hydrocarbon Processing
January 2008 Issue
Houston, Texas, USA
4 Improve Gas Interchangeability for LNG
Terminals by Kamal Shah, Aker Solutions
University of Trondheim (NTNU)
Yearly Conference
January 3-4, 2008
Trondheim, Norway
4 CO 2
– Will the Moon Landing Succeed?
Amine Development in Just Catch by
Knut Sanden, Aker Solutions
Norwegian Petroleum Society,
The 11th Field Development Conference
January 21-22, 2008
Bergen, Norway
4 Alternative Floater Concepts and Riser
Solutions – Which Factors Influence
the Selection? by Magne Nygård,
Aker Solutions
Norwegian Energy Week
February 5-7, 2008
Oslo, Norway
4 CO 2
Handling – A Challenge
for the Future by Oscar Graff,
Aker Solutions
“Petroleumsdagen” (Petroleum Day)
University of Oslo
February 8, 2008
Oslo, Norway
4 Just Catch – Large-scale CO 2
Capture
from Power Plants by Knut Sanden,
Aker Solutions
2008 AIChE Spring National Meeting
April 7-9, 2008
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
4 Considerations for Ambient Air-based
Technologies for LNG Regasification
Terminals by Kamal Shah, Judy Wong
and Bill Minton, Aker Solutions
4 LNG Pump Applications with
Variable Speed Motor Controls at
LNG Regasification Terminals by
Jeff Lovelady, Aker Solutions
4 Design of Safe LNG Regasification
Terminals by V.H. Edwards,
Aker Solutions
For more information, contact
solutions@akersolutions.com.
conferences

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