ples a liquid-liquid separation step with reinjection of the water into the reservoir.the future, the seawater injected into the reservoirs to enhance oil recovery will be treated on the seafloor as well. Total is working on SPRINGS (for Subsea Processing and Injection Gear for Seawater), the first seawater sulfate removal system designed for installation on the seafloor. With a treatment and injection capacity of 5,000 to 50,000 barrels of water per day, SPRINGS is designed for satellite oilfields located more than 10 kilometers from an FPSO vessel. It can also be deployed to optimize the production of existing fields without requiring any major revamp of the FPSO facilities. The nanofiltration membranes selected for this system have been qualified for a depth of 3,000 m, a first in the deep offshore industry. An industrial trial is tentatively planned for 2015.Toward All-Electricadvances in subsea processing and increasing distances from shore, hydraulic controls must be phased out in favor of electric ones. Indeed, electric controls offer a number of decisive advantages over hydraulic systems:
· greater reliability (hydraulics are the leading cause of failure of subsea equipment);
· more responsive, more precise control of facilities;
· better management of environmental impacts with the elimination of the risk of a hydraulic fluid leak;
· lower development costs with the elimination of the hydraulic lines in the umbilicals.years of research by Total s R & D teams (on wellheads and downhole safety valves) led to the qualification of these technologies for an initial deployment around 2013.
«With advances in subsea processing and increasing distances from shore, hydraulic controls must be phased out in favor of electric ones.»
Subsea transmission and supply of electricity is another major enabler of subsea processing technologies. Total s research aims to define the electrical architectures for tomorrow s developments, tailored according to water depth, tie-back distances and power requirements. The overarching goal of these studies is to achieve optimal reliability in order to streamline maintenance requirements and improve the availability of the facilities. Ultimately of course, the «subsea-to-shore» model for oil and gas developments far from any coastal infrastructure will best be served by locally-generated power. In 2011, Total s R & D undertook a program to identify the most viable solutions (such as wave energy or fuel cells) for a generating capacity of up to 20 MW.
4. Improving Deepwater Recovery
is highly committed to research on enhanced oil recovery and has launched the world s first deep offshore polymer injection pilot.
Billions of Additional Barrels
At present, the recovery factor of conventional reserves averages around 32% of the oil in place. Improving on this performance is a strategic priority, for an increase of just 5% represents some 300 billion barrels of additional reserves - equivalent to the estimated future reserve discovery volume.technologies designed to raise recovery factors are collectively known as Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) technologies. Total has developed strong expertise in processes that ...
