MAN Energy Solutions' Subsea Compressors for Chevron's Jansz-Io Project in Australia

Norwegian firm Aker Solutions has awarded MAN Energy Solutions the contract to supply subsea compressor units for Chevron's Jansz-Io Compression (J-IC) Project offshore Western Australia.

The Jansz-Io field was first discovered in April 2000 and is a part of the Gorgon project, one of the world's largest natural gas developments.

Chevron, as the operator of the Gorgon gas project, in July decided to proceed with the $4 billion Jansz-Io Compression (J-IC) project. The Jansz–Io gas fields are located around 200 km off the north‐west coast of Western Australia in water depths of approximately 1,350 meters.

The compression project is set to help maintain gas supply from the Jansz-Io field to the three existing LNG trains and domestic gas plant on Barrow Island. Aker Solutions is responsible for the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of the all-electric subsea gas compression system.  

Now, Aker Solutions has contracted Man Energy Solutions for the delivery of five subsea compressor units for the project.

MAN Energy Solutions will supply five Subsea HOFIM compressor units, each with compressor frame size RB 45 with integrated MAN motor, size M43. Three compressor systems will be installed into the subsea modules while two further will serve as spare units.

According to MAN, the Subsea HOFIM compressor was specifically adapted for underwater use. 

"All components are designed to be as robust as possible to counteract the risk of corrosion inside the machine. Hermetically sealed and oil-free, the system uses seven-axes active magnetic bearings and a high-speed motor. This design means a large number of components are not required, including the gearbox, lubrication- oil system, instrumentation and valving as seen on conventional topside compressor solutions," MAN Energy Solutions said.

MAN Energy Solutions explained that compressor systems are used to maintain output and enhance recovery as reservoir pressure at gas-producing fields drops over time. Placing the system close to the reservoir at the seabed typically reduces the energy consumption by about 20-60 % per year, because of a lower pressure drop in the pipeline downstream.

Compared to conventional compression solutions installed on platforms above sea level, subsea gas compression represents a lower-carbon alternative, MAN Energy Solutions said. The size and weight of the subsea solution is significantly smaller than a platform infrastructure, which results in a reduction in the use of steel and other materials, as well as associated health and safety risks.

Aker Solutions and MAN Energy Solutions collaborated in the delivery of the world’s first subsea compression system to Equinor’s Åsgard field in Norway.

Since start-up in 2015, two Subsea HOFIM compressor systems have been operating at full load and have reached well above 80’000 hours of operation as per September 2020 with an availability above 99%, MAN Energy Solutions said.
 

Related Stories