The Ærfugl field is a gas condensate field located in the Norwegian Sea to the West of Skarv and Idun fields.

Heat input into the flow line system will be required during both plateau and off-plateau production periods. The enabling technology Electrically Heat Traced Flowline (EHTF) will be utilized to enable system start-up and shut down, and to maintain the production fluids outside of the hydrate envelope during steady state operation.

The Ærfugl EHTF consists of a 10” flowline inside a 16” carrier pipe (Pipe In Pipe). The large annulus between the 10” and the 16” allows for good insulation, and combined with reduced annulus pressure, a U-value of less than 0.5 W/m²/K is achieved. Such a low U-value allows for a quite passive system, requiring limited power from the heating system.

The Ærfugl EHTF system is based on a topside transformer which transforms 11 KV to 1.1 KV. The power cables goes directly from the bus bar to the In-Line Power Inlet Structure (ILPIS) on the Electrically Heat Traced Flowline (EHTF) via a continuous dynamic and static power umbilical.

There is as such not any sophisticated components subsea to transform or split the current. All components that may need maintenance and repair are located topside.