Intec Engineering, which initiated a joint industry study early this year to assess subsea processing equipment, organized a May 2 news conference to discuss the status of subsea separators, subsea pumps, and subsea compressors.

"A step change is needed in subsea processing equipment for long-distance hydrocarbon management," said Intec systems engineering manager Tom Choate.

Bjorn-Andre Egerdahl, Statoil ASA senior advisor, subsea systems, said subsea processing enables production via low-pressure reservoirs and long subsea tiebacks. Emerging technology can increase recovery rates and reduce both hydraulic gradient and hydrate risks, Egerdahl said.

FMC Technologies Inc. is providing a subsea separation unit for Statoil"s Tordis field off Norway. The unit will remove most of the produced water for reinjection into the reservoir. In addition, FMC is developing a system to separate oil, water, and sand for Tordis field (OGJ, May 7, 2007, p. 20).

Cameron of Houston, has a joint venture with Curtiss-Wright Flow Control Corp."s Electro-Mechanical Div. to supply subsea multiphase pumping systems. The joint venture operates as Cameron/Curtiss-Wright EMD LLC. Cameron is a leading provider of flow equipment products, systems, and services to the worldwide oil, gas, and process industries. Cameron also is working with Leistritz Corp. to develop downhole pumps.

Separately, BP PLC is obtaining a multiple-application reinjection system (MARS) from Cameron Drilling & Production Systems. David Morgan, Cameron director, subsea processing, called MARS the "USB port for subsea completions." BP plans to install production enhancement equipment in King field in the Gulf of Mexico (OGJ, May 7, 2007, p. 20).

"Additional processing applications can be plugged in without disrupting existing field equipment," Morgan said.

PIN/OGJ.COM