Conventional production facilities require significant time and investment to reach startup, and even then, they may lack the operational flexibility to adapt to reservoir dynamics. Some of the major challenges facing facility operators are overcoming technological gaps, dealing with overlapping multiple providers, and balancing delays in cash flow with high capital expenditures. Other issues extend to reengineering wrong-sized facilities due to reservoir uncertainty while avoiding underutilization that locks up capital.

The answer to these challenges is an integrated surface production system that comes from one service provider and is reservoir-driven, fit-for-purpose and designed to expedite the production of first oil and gas while maximizing project economics.

OneSurface system

To provide operators with a solution that accelerates time to first oil, Schlumberger has introduced the OneSurface reservoir-integrated production system to globally connect the subsurface with the surface facility and create value throughout the production life of a field.

The integrated approach employed for the new system enables early engagement through a single, agile, multidisciplinary interface. Operators can tap into extensive petrotechnical domain expertise for risk management and deploy adaptive modular technologies that deliver export quality oil and gas sooner for faster cash flow.

CYNARA acid gas removal membrane systems permeate acid gases to separate them from produced gas streams that contain 5- to 95-mol% acid gas. (Image courtesy of Schlumberger)

Digitally connected

Fully connected and digitally enabled for asset optimization, the OneSurface system integrates data analytics, process modeling and automation to increase productivity by maximizing uptime.

Connectivity is built in from the starting point of reservoir characterization in the development of facility design. To properly manage reservoir uncertainties, operators can capitalize on the Schlumberger subsurface offering consisting of technologies and expertise in petrophysics, formation testing, and geosciences and including specialized rock and fluids laboratory analysis. The resulting insight is coupled with process technologies to focus on de-risking facilities engineering and avoiding the various constraints that usually emerge during the production phase.

In this integrated approach, prognostic health monitoring of individual processing units is an essential component that guides the optimization of process performance. Complete automation feedback loops drive the efficiency of the entire production system, ultimately maximizing hydrocarbon production at export quality.

Processing and separation

To accommodate a wide range of production operating environments and accelerate the time to first oil, the OneSurface system readily adapts to the operational scope by integrating modular, adaptable processing and separation technologies.

The NATCO DUAL FREQUENCY treater reduces capex and opex through its higher treatment capacity, higher tolerance to wet crudes, and increased dehydration performance. (Image courtesy of Schlumberger)

For example, by using the NATCO DUAL FREQUENCY electrostatic treater, operators can efficiently remove water from the produced oil to achieve the required export quality with increased facility throughput and lower opex. Another separation technology—CYNARA acid gas removal membrane systems—is ideal for stand-alone bulk acid gas removal and the treatment of produced gas to meet pipeline transmission and natural gas heating specifications. Treatment efficiency for produced water is increased while maintaining the desired oil production by employing the EPCON Dual compact flotation unit with its 50% smaller footprint.

Case study

The operator of a greenfield development in Egypt needed an onshore sour gas production facility to be designed and commissioned in the fastest time possible for processing 350 MMscf/d of natural gas and condensate.

Schlumberger provided a holistic solution through the OneSurface integrated offering by designing and bringing online an onshore sour gas process facility capable of handling the volume of produced gas and condensate liquids to required specifications along with associated utilities, ancillary systems and subsea production systems.

The project clearly demonstrated the success of the integrated approach from the initial conceptual phase to detailed engineering and construction to commissioning. The operator obtained an innovative, reliable and cost-effective solution for a complete upstream gas production system in record time—14 months. The new facility project was awarded to Schlumberger in October 2016, and the field started production in December 2017. This fast-tracked project for a sour gas facility creates a new industry benchmark by compressing the time to market, lowering equity development cost, and accelerating cash flow for the operator.

To learn more about OneSurface offering, visit Schlumberger booth 2415 at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) to speak with an expert.