Baker Hughes, an energy technology company, has launched its new fast all-electric tiebacks solution at Offshore Northern Seas 2022 in Norway, driving cost efficiencies through optimised architecture and reduced topside footprint, and delivering environmental benefits for subsea operations.
Fast all-electric tiebacks solutions provide structured building blocks for major subsea assemblies to reduce cycle time and, when combined with Baker Hughes’ all-electric control systems and electrification solutions, can deliver a reduction in project capital expenditure (capex) costs by more than 15% compared to traditional electro-hydraulic multiplexed (EH-Mux) systems.
The combined system produces significant benefits through simplified umbilical and distribution requirements, removing the need for hydraulic control fluid and ultimately the elimination of topside HPUs supply for this purpose. When linked with renewable power sources to deliver remote power and communications systems, the need for long umbilicals and topside power – and associated power demand for additional tieback infrastructure – is reduced or eliminated. The new solution also compresses the scale of required subsea and topside equipment, allowing for optimisation of vessel type and size to deploy the equipment and scaling back of offshore manning.
“The industry’s journey towards net-zero emissions is gathering momentum, but hydrocarbons will continue to play an important part in meeting our energy demands and energy security for the future. We need to adopt a dual approach of continuing with oil and gas production in an efficient way while investing in sustainable energy projects,” says Gareth Davies, executive director of systems and technology – Oilfield Equipment at Baker Hughes.
“We are not only investing for growth in new technologies, but we are also determined to maximise the life and efficiency of existing fields. Our new fast all-electric tiebacks are utilising traditional oil and gas foundations and putting this to use for a new energy era. Our aim is to make our subsea technology simpler, lighter and deliver them faster to increase efficiency and reduce costs for our customers,” adds Davies.
The new fast-tiebacks technology will be ready for commission in late 2023. The tiebacks have a 3,000-metre maximum depth and a faster delivery schedule than traditional solutions. Baker Hughes’ dedication to localisation will offer this latest solution across its global operational regions.
