Subsea electrification has gotten much attention over the last few years. Several companies – suppliers and operators alike – have publicly shared results from studies showing expected cost reduction and operational benefits.
All-Electric solutions open for rethinking many current assumptions and design practices. Removing or reducing hydraulic lines and associated equipment impacts hardware from topsides to downhole, and all phases of project execution. During system definition, there is an almost endless combination of technologies and concepts with unique sets of benefits – or lack thereof. This is coupled with the desire to qualify structured and standard solutions that are applicable for the majority of fields and acceptable to the majority of operators.
Hence, adopting a process that allows efficient screening and down-selection of options that realize the most system level benefits while ensuring safe operation – yet is both structured and flexible – is a complex, but critically important activity at the start of any development process to ensure qualification of the right solutions. One BHGE outcome of this process is the implementation of transmission system modularity which allows the combination of standard, modular core technologies and system level flexibility to meet different tie-back distances and field layouts. The result is an Envelope Map. This presentation will present a methodology for optimizing system level benefits including identifying the right balance between existing and novel technologies for All-Electric, describe the process for developing the BHGE Envelope Map, and finally give a view of current and future envelope needs and potential solutions.