Shell breathes new life into Draugen
Friday 16 June 2017
Shell aims to keep producing from its Draugen field in the Norwegian Sea for another 10 years as it works on a project to remedy integrity issues on the field’s main production pipeline.
The schedule, confirmed to Upstream by the Anglo-Dutch operator, would significantly extend the lifetime of the field that was brought online in 1993 and was originally expected to produce for between 17 and 20 years.
A company spokesman said Shell and its partners in production licence 093 that hosts the field have “indicated a 2027 end-of-field life for the past years, and the expectation is to maintain this view also going forward”.
He confirmed there was an “ongoing integrity issue” for the subsea production line that “limits our total liquid capacity, and hence our ability to maximise oil production”, which is expected to be cut by 16% this year due to the issue.
Shell is now working on a project to replace the pipeline, having carried out “extensive analysis” of the subsea system over the past two years to ensure it has sufficient integrity”.
“Our view is that the change out of the… production line is the main element; apart from this, only minor integrity work is foreseen,” he stated in an e-mailed response to questions on the issue.
Shell is also looking to reduce running costs on Draugen to boost economic performance in the final decade of the field’s lifetime.
The operator 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 last year as well as a subsea pump to boost output as part of the increased recovery effort.