Industry players team up for subsea storage solutions

NOV, a provider of technology solutions, has signed an agreement with a group of energy players in a joint industry project (JIP) to work on an economical subsea storage solution for the market.

Specifically, NOV and the JIP partners Equinor, Shell, the Research Council of Norway, the Net Zero Technology Centre and the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) signed the deal as part of the qualification and final product validation for subsea storage technology.

The company’s goal with developing large subsea storage units (SSU) is to become a primary contributor to the distribution network of the global greenhouse gas reduction strategy.

it was highlighted that comparing the NOV subsea storage system’s CO2 emissions to a floating, storage and offloading (FSO) vessel over ten years shows a saving of 140,000 tons of CO2.

The storage system is said to provide added flexibility by offering unlimited seafloor space when topside space is constrained and avoiding the need for umbilicals for tie-backs.

It mitigates health, safety, and environmental (HSE) challenges by reducing power consumption, minimizing human interaction, and decreasing vessel trips and emissions, NOV explains.

The technology provides a subsea storage solution for larger volumes of all relevant types of fluids such as enhanced oil recovery (EOR) chemicals, production chemicals, oil, condensate and maritime fuels.

According to NOV, the system can be placed at any water depth and adjusted in capacity depending on customer requirements.

The final product validation of the technology, including a submerged large-scale open system and a closed-loop system demonstration, has already begun and is expected to be completed by 2023.

The company noted that this will be the last step of the qualification program with the aim of delivering the first project in late 2024 or early 2025.

“Innovation and teamwork are going to be critical to meeting industry decarbonisation ambitions, and this project embodies both of these values. ABS is proud to be part of the team supporting the development of this innovative new technology using our extensive experience in alternative marine fuels and offshore classification leadership to advance its safe application”, said Patrick Ryan, ABS’ senior vice president of Global Engineering and Technology.

Charlie Booth, project engineer and the Net Zero Technology added that the centre sees the technology as a key enabler for the implementation of low and zero-carbon fuels in the offshore environment.

“Working with a consortium of industry that spans both the UK and Norwegian energy sectors offers a unique opportunity to apply this technology across various offshore oil and gas production activities and vessels and aligns with our roadmap to deliver technology to help reduce UK Continental Shelf operational emissions to net-zero”, Booth concludes.

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