Pipe Issues Hit Draugen
Wednesday 14 June 2017
Shell is grappling with integrity issues on the production pipeline at its Draugen field in the Norwegian Sea that is set to cut output this year.
Production from the field is expected to fall by 16% in 2017 as the Anglo-Dutch operator has been forced to cut throughput pressure on the dilapidated conduit connected to subsea installations.
Shell said it has now initiated a project to replace the crude pipeline, which has been in service since the oilfield was brought online in 1993.
Production of saleable crude from Draugen has tailed off from a peak of 76.1 million barrels in 1999 to around 9 million barrels last year, with over 145 million barrels produced to date, according to figures from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate.
Shell has boosted the recovery rate at Draugen to 70% from an original figure of 40%, thereby doubling recoverable reserves, while also upgrading both the platform and subsea facilities to extend the field’s lifetime beyond the expected 17 to 20 years.
Two additional production wells were brought on stream at the field, located in Statoil-operated production licence 093, last year as well as a subsea pump to boost output as part of the increased recovery effort.