A pioneering new tool is being launched at ONS that is set to revolutionise the global industry’s approach to water injection.

The SWIT (subsea water injection treatment) unit takes water injection facilities from topside to seabed for the very first time, increasing oil recovery (IOR) and slashing costs by up to 50%.

Innovated by Well Processing (AS) with the majority of funding coming from members of ITF, the oil and gas Industry Technology Facilitator, SWIT provides an alternative to traditional seawater treatment by doing everything on the sea floor, removing the need for bulky topside treatment plants.

Tests of the SWIT unit prove that the treatment has a significant effect on delaying the formation of biofilm.  It also shows excellent disinfectant results and a continuous reduction in solids content. Final full scale seabed pilot trial results show that SWIT gives 99.7% uptime compared with the industry norm of 85-95%. 

Launching SWIT to market at ONS, the global energy conference taking place in Norway, inventor David Pinchin and chief technology officer at Well Processing (AS) said: “It is incredibly exciting to be launching our new product to market following rigorous testing. We believe that SWIT will deliver huge cost savings and revolutionise water injection facilities, moving them to the seabed. This has all been made possible because ITF and a number of their key operator members believed in our vision and backed our technology development. This truly shows how collaboration in the oil and gas industry is nurturing technology advances.”

SWIT gives freedom of choice on the number and location of injection wells, allowing for the introduction of as much treated seawater as required, where required – without typical host platform restrictions.

The technology provides two independent methods for sterilisation of seawater and can also be combined with existing subsea water injection pumping equipment. By promoting increased oil recovery (IOR), SWIT enables reservoir engineers to rethink the reservoir drainage strategy and manage the reservoir more effectively, essentially getting more oil out of a field. The development of SWIT was facilitated by ITF and funded through four operating companies.

Economic evaluations show that cost reductions of between 30-50% would be achieved with SWIT.  This has been attributed to a much simpler treatment system, utilisation of 20% less power as well as a vast reduction in the use of chemicals, which will also create marked benefits for the environment.

A total of £1.4 million was invested in the development of the technology, with the majority coming from ITF’s members along with contributions from Norway’s Demo 2000 and Well Processing (AS). ITF, the funding programme of choice for the global oil and gas industry is not-for-profit and owned by 25 major global operators and service companies.

Offering  members a cost effective way of solving cross-industry issues in a more efficient way with less risk, ITF funded projects have delivered 151 new technologies to market through joint industry projects (JIPs), securing £50 million from its members in funding.

Allowing inventors to retain their intellectual property (IP), ITF supports inventors and technology innovators through funding, development and finally commercial implementation of new technology to the industry.  It is the only global technology funding programme that has the potential to offer up to 100% funding for the development of new technologies for the industry.

Neil Poxon, ITF’s managing director said: “Effectively tackling industry wide challenges such as water treatment is the prime focus for ITF and its membership.  When ground-breaking technology like SWIT is successfully delivered into the market place it provides benefits for the entire international community. Our joint industry projects have resulted in many pioneering technology solutions being taken from the ideas stage through to full commercialisation and implementation.  Successes like SWIT and other ITF facilitated technologies have seen our member numbers grow and we are now at our highest ever level of membership.”

SWIT has potential applications in the Middle East, Far East, North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.  It is also being considered for large land based reservoirs such as those seen around the Arabian Gulf.

So far SWIT has completed a phase one feasibility study which included a technology readiness evaluation, a phase two lab testing process that addressed any issues identified in the first phase and, most recently, a full scale successful pilot on the seabed that has now been completed. The full scale pilot took place in Oslofjord.

Well Processing (AS) is showcasing the SWIT technology on the Subsea Technology Group Pavilion (STG), HALL E on stand number 564 at ONS.  ITF will be exhibiting at ONS on the UK Pavilion, HALL J on stand number 1010-11.

Tags: SWIT (subsea water injection treatment)