World’s First Subsea Compression System Passes Five Years in Operation

In September 2015, multinational energy company, Equinor, broke new ground by putting the world’s first subsea, gas-compression facility into operation at the Åsgard offshore gas-field on the floor of the Norwegian Sea. It features two Subsea HOFIM^® motor-compressor units from MAN Energy Solutions, which have since achieved a total of 80,000 operational hours with an availability of close to 100%.

Randi Elisabeth Hugdahl, Vice President of Åsgard Operations at Equinor, stated:  “We are very proud that our subsea gas-compression facility has reached five years of successful operation. The pioneering subsea technology we implemented at Åsgard represents a quantum leap for the global energy industry. Putting the compression system on the seabed near the wellheads improves recovery rates, and reduces capital and operating costs. Moreover, it has essential advantages in the form of improved safety for our employees and a significant reduction of the carbon footprint. At the core of the subsea technology lie two MAN HOFIM^® compressor systems, which have been operated at full load since start-up in 2015. Their overall performance throughout the five years of operation has exceeded our expectations.” 

Basil Zweifel, Vice President Sales & Execution, Upstream and Midstream, at MAN Energy Solutions, said: “The achievement of 80,000 operational hours with practically no stops or interruptions since production-start in September 2015 proves the unrivaled reliability of MAN’s Subsea HOFIM^® compression systems.”

By the end of 2015, analyses indicated that the pressure in Åsgard’s reservoirs would eventually be too low to ensure stable flow and satisfactory production. The need for compression resulted in the installation of 2 × 11.5 MW HOFIM^® motor-compressor units operating 300 metres below sea level to maintain the output as the reservoir pressure in the Åsgard gas field decreased over time. Thanks to the subsea technology, the reservoirs’ productive life was extended for another 15 years. Overall, around 306 million barrels of oil equivalent will be added during this period.