Statoil, Partners Aim to Boost Recovery Rate at Njord License

- Statoil, Partners Aim to Boost Recovery Rate at Njord License

Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Statoil

Statoil and its partners in the Njord license in the Norwegian Sea have decided to invest in low-pressure field production. This, combined with other measures, will prolong the lifetime of the field until 2020.

Reservoir pressure on Njord is falling and the field has entered tail-end production. By lowering the pressure on the first and second stage separators it will be possible to increase production from individual wells and maintain production in each for an extended period.

"Owing to the complexity of the Njord reservoir the recovery rate of proven resources is currently roughly 23%. The aim is to increase the recovery rate to 30%. This type of measure is important with a view to maintaining production on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS)," stated Ivar Aasheim, head of NCS field development.

There is currently a great deal of activity in the Njord area. The Njord northwest flank project six kilometers northwest of the Njord platform is now being carried out. It consists of two new long-distance wells drilled directly from Njord and tied back to the platform.

Several wells will be drilled in coming years. In addition, Hyme fast-track is being processed via Njord.

"In combination with the low-pressure production project these measures will prolong the lifetime of Njord until 2020," explained Njord production head Arve Rennemo.

The low-pressure production project on Njord will boost volumes by roughly 18.5 million barrels of oil equivalents alone and extend the field's working life by two to three years.

Investments in low-pressure production amount to roughly NOK 500 million.

The contracts for Njord low-pressure production modification and the Hyme topside has been awarded to Reinertsen. The contract for compressor procurement and installation was awarded in March of this year to GE Oil & Gas.

Project execution will take place in the autumn of 2012 and the start-up of low pressure production on Njord is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2012.

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Statoil: Production Start Delayed at Njord Platform

Statoil: Production Start Delayed at Njord Platform

Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Statoil
by SubseaIQ

Production on the Njord platform was shut down on April 24 as a result of operational problems with gaskets in a gas export compressor. Later the same day, during work to resume production, a gas leak was discovered in one of the risers.

All production on Njord was immediately shut down and will remain shut down until the cause of the leak has been determined.

Production at the Njord field has been shut down since April 1 as a safety measure, while inspection of risers is carried out after earlier discoveries of internal damage to a particular type of flexible pipe.

The first instances of damage were discovered during a planned inspection last autumn, and an inspection program was initiated which is now being carried out. Riser inspection is also being carried out at the Visund field.

Risers are the pipes that convey oil and gas from the seabed to the installation, and consist of several layers of plastic and steel. Production at Njord and Visund is planned to be phased in again in due course as inspection of the risers confirms that they are in order, or after they have been repaired or replaced.

The Njord field resumed partial production on April 16, but was shut down again on April 24 when manual measurements during a work operation revealed a gas leak from one of the risers after an automatic shutdown. The well was contained when the leak occurred.

The riser in which the leak was discovered was quickly depressurised, and production and the other risers were shut down in a controlled manner.

The Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) has been informed of the incident.

Shutdown delays production from the field. The total field production for Njord is around 70,000 barrels of oil equivalents (oe).

Risers on all installations are subject to constant monitoring and routine inspections in accordance with applicable inspection programs.

Statoil temporarily suspended production at Njord and Visund

Statoil temporarily suspended production at Njord and Visund

11 April 2011
Scandinavian Oil and Gas

Oslo. Production on the Njord field in the Norwegian Sea has been temporarily suspended as a safety precaution due to internal damage to flexible risers. The damage was detected during a scheduled inspection.

Statoil has also found it necessary to conduct special investigations at Visund, and this installation will therefore also be shut down today.

In the autumn of 2010, faults were discovered on some of the risers on the Njord A platform. An extraordinary inspection programme was therefore initiated. The inspection was performed visually by means of video camera that was sent down the risers.

Suspended production Risers are pipes that carry oil and gas between the seabed and the installation. They are constructed of multiple layers of plastic and steel.

The current challenges are limited to a specific type of riser technology.

Internal damage of this type does not threaten the structural integrity of the risers, but over time it will reduce resistance to leakage. The risers are therefore immediately removed from operation when damage is detected.

'Damaged risers will be shut down until they have been repaired or replaced. The rest will be shut down until they have been inspected and found satisfactory,' says Jannicke Hilland, Head of Joint Operations.

Njord has been shut down since 1 April, whereas Visund will be shut down today. The shutdown results in suspended production on the fields. The total field production for Njord is some 70 000 barrels of oil equivalent (boe), whereas the production on the Visund field totals about 50 000 boe. The inspection is still in progress, and the production will be phased in as the risers have been inspected and approved.

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) and the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) have been informed of the matter.
Other installations Equivalent risers are in use also on other installations on the Norwegian continental shelf: Veslefrikk, Snorre A and B, Norne, Åsgard A and B and Glitne are Statoil-operated fields belonging to this category. On these installations, however, the risers are connected to a pipeline system on the seabed which reduces the risk of damage.

There have been no known incidents or observations in the operating period that suggest damage to risers here.

Risers on all installations are subject to continuous monitoring and routine inspections in keeping with applicable inspection programmes.

Statoil had a meeting with the PSA this afternoon, describing the riser challenges. The company has also appointed a taskforce to identify actions that solve the operating challenges that the involved risers present. The taskforce addresses challenges across the Statoil group.