VIDEO: The making of Dvalin umbilical for DEA Norge

Oil and gas company DEA Norge has launched a video showing the making of an umbilical cable for Dvalin, its first operated field development project in Norway, at Aker Solutions’ construction facility in Norway. 

In the words of Dan Philip Flesjø, NDT & Quality Controller at Aker Solutions, an umbilical is a communication cable which normally goes from the platform and down to a subsea structure.

The video shows how this vital part, which will be the lifeline between the Dvalin subsea structure and the Heidrun platform, was made at Aker Solutions’ yard in Moss, Norway.

The project 

The Dvalin gas field is located in the Norwegian Sea some 15 kilometers north-west of the Statoil-operated Heidrun platform and 290 kilometers from the Nyhamna processing plant. DEA submitted the plan for development and operation of the Dvalin field, formerly known as Zidane, to Norwegian authorities in October 2016. First gas from the field is expected in 2020.

The development plan entails a subsea tieback to the adjacent Heidrun platform. Gas from the field will be transported via Heidrun through the Polarled pipeline to the Nyhamna plant before being sent to the European market via Gassled.

Soon after the plan was filed, Aker Solutions won two contracts from DEA for the Dvalin development. The first contract was for a production system encompassing a manifold, four subsea trees and a 15-kilometer long umbilical that will connect to the Heidrun platform. It also covers wellheads, controls, tie-in and workover systems and options for further subsea production tie-back connections to Heidrun.

The second one was a five-year framework contract for maintenance and servicing of all subsea production systems ordered under the first agreement, including installation and commissioning services.

The lifeline 

According to DEA, the 15-kilometer long cable that follows the seabed from Heidrun to Dvalin will enable control of the subsea wells from the Heidrun platform by supplying the subsea structure with hydraulic and electrical power, fibre optic signals, and chemicals. There are about 20 tubes and cables within the umbilical, each carrying a specific task and function.

Earlier this year, Aker Solutions delivered a subsea template for the Dvalin development to DEA, after 15 months of production at its yard in Egersund, making this the first hardware milestone for the Norwegian Sea field.

The template will be stored in Egersund until load out and installation on the Dvalin field by TechnipFMC, which is currently expected to take place in April 2018.

As the operator, DEA holds a 55% interest in the Dvalin field and its partners Petoro and Edison hold 35% and 10% interest, respectively.

Offshore Energy Today Staff