Australian researchers join Worley’s project to reduce subsea gas field CO2 emissions

April 22, 2022, by Ajsa Habibic

Researchers from the University of Western Australia (UWA) are collaborating with engineering company Worley on the enhanced subsea gas tieback project which aims to reduce operational carbon emissions in gas fields by up to 90%.

As part of the collaboration, the partners are working on a new cost- and carbon-reduction technology to develop stranded gas fields in remote locations.

Zachary Aman, Chevron Woodside Chair in Long Subsea Tiebacks, Research Fellow Bruce Norris, and a team of researchers from UWA School of Engineering will provide complex simulation expertise to Worley’s project.

Aman said that the UWA will contribute expertise to support the operation of pilot-scale in the UK and extend complex simulation tools to incorporate the new technology.

“… together, the outcomes will enable future engineers to easily test the application of this technology, and to quantify the reduction in capital and carbon intensity across future gas projects”, he explained.

With the recently secured £765,000 support from Scottish Enterprise, Worley is developing the subsea pseudo dry gas (PDG) liquid removal system.

As described, the system eliminates the need for topsides and compression by reducing back pressure in the pipeline and the shape of the resistance curve.

This is said to allow for much greater tie-back distances and ultimately produces more gas.

The PDG liquid removal system aims to reduce carbon emissions by up to 90% compared to offshore compression and platforms, the project developer claims.

“This new partnership with Worley will support a new, cutting-edge industry technology with the potential to significantly reduce the capital and carbon intensity of future gas projects, constituting a critical path in the transition to emissions neutrality”, Aman concludes.