Confidential
Flow assurance
Oil and gas
Middle East
Highlights
When a major gas project in the Middle East required a solution to unlock over 1 billion standard cubic feet per day of new gas reserves, Wood’s foremost technical and digital experts responded. Working to optimise a field of over 100 wells, feeding into new compression stations and a new world-scale gas plant via an extensive pipeline network.
Challenge
The existing upstream gas gathering network included 67 remote headers and around 75 trunk lines and pipelines of various sizes. Optimising this network to efficiently transport the additional gas to the new gas plant posed a significant technical challenge. Operating at very low pressures, the system required precise predictions of backpressure and liquid content, with routing, elevation, temperature and configuration all needing careful consideration.
The client’s initial proposed approach of deploying multiple new intermediate compression trains was both expensive and disruptive to production.
Solution
Wood collaborated closely with the client to develop a more efficient and cost-effective solution. Instead of adding compression trains at multiple locations, Wood recommended centralising compression at a single location within the field and using reservoir pressure to “free flow” lines directly from wells to the new gas plant.
Wood proprietary digital tools were developed to create a simplified screening methodology, enabling rapid testing and validation of configuration options without the need for full simulations each time. This approach was underpinned by expert in-house and industry knowledge, as well as tailored use of flow assurance software.
Working across multiple geographical locations, the team refined the network configuration and developed quick pass/fail criteria for pipeline sizing and routing. This allowed for fast, iterative development of a robust and actionable solution. The team could efficiently reconfigure, reroute and resize infrastructure to ensure effective gas flow.
Outcome
The revised gas transport system resulted in over $2 billion in capital expenditure avoidance compared to the original client developed concept by maximising the use of existing infrastructure and reducing the need for new compression facilities. The optimised network enabled efficient gas flow, minimised production interruptions and improved overall operational efficiency.
The simplified screening rules accelerated the project timeline, allowing the team to explore multiple configurations quickly and implement the best solution. Through innovative thinking, collaboration and strategic use of digital tools, Wood delivered a solution that met project goals while achieving significant cost savings and operational improvements.