LOTOS Petrobaltic on October 1 launched a gas dehydration, compression and export system at the Petrobaltic offshore oil field working at the B8 field in the Baltic Sea.
The gas accompanying the oil extracted from the field will flow via a 75 km long underwater pipeline to Władysławowo, to the Energobaltic company. Its heat and power plant produces thermal energy which is transferred to the city’s district heating network.
At the Petrobaltic platform, gas is separated from oil. Dried and compressed, in the form of the so-called dense phase, i.e. a suspension of hydrocarbons in dry gas, it is sent via an offshore gas pipeline to the gas separation station at the premises of the combined heat and power plant in Władysławowo. The pipeline is 75 km long and 115 mm in diameter. The pressure of the gas flowing in it is 10-13 MPa.
– All works related to the construction of the underwater pipeline were carried out by the crews of Lotos Petrobaltic’s offshore units, competently supervised by the engineers of the company’s technical department and supported by the crews of the platforms. This shows that in the offshore area we have the right equipment, high competence and skills. It should be remembered that the offshore industry in the Baltic Sea area has very interesting development prospects in the area of SHPP, where our experience in the construction of subsea infrastructure may be used – says Grzegorz Strzelczyk, President of the Management Board of Lotos Petrobaltic.
Production in the B8 field has been ongoing for more than 6 years. The start of production was possible thanks to the adaptation of the Lotos Petrobaltic drilling platform to carry out extraction works. In September 2019, the Petrobaltic platform was sited on the B8 field next to the Lotos Petrobaltic platform – a unit transformed from a drilling platform into a modern Production Centre – an offshore oil and gas mine. In September 2020, the Production Centre reached full production capacity in terms of oil separation and transport, power supply to the power unit and injection of formation water. The final stage in the development of the B8 field was the construction and commissioning of a gas pipeline from the platform onshore to Energobaltic in Władysławowo.
– Construction of the gas pipeline required a great deal of determination and commitment on the part of the B8 field development project staff, working under time pressure and coordinating many technical and weather elements. In particular, I would like to thank the ship crews for their professional preparation and safe execution – says Artur Wójcikowski, Lotos Petrobaltic technical department manager and coordinator of the gas pipeline construction project.
Energobaltic Sp. z o.o. is a unique plant in Poland and even in Europe. Since 2003, it has been using natural gas accompanying the crude oil produced by the Baltic Beta offshore oil production facility in the B3 field, also owned by Lotos Petrobaltic.
– The connection of gas from the B8 pipeline did not require major investments in the infrastructure of the gas reception and separation facility in Władysławowo. The only additional elements were a new connection with the necessary fittings and automation, and a new pig receiving station. Already at the design stage, the capacity of the product separation facility in Władysławowo provided for deliveries not only from the B3 field, but also from the B8 field. This project combines innovative technology and experience with care for the environment – says Grzegorz Dyrmo, President of Energobaltic.
Energobaltic is one of the few production plants, where the utilisation of raw materials reaches 100% and the emission of harmful products (fumes and waste) has been reduced to a minimum. The production process in Energobaltic is a two-stage one. In the first stage, heavy hydrocarbon fractions are separated from the gas supplied from the platform, resulting in liquid propane-butane gas (LPG), natural gas condensate (KGN) and dry gas. In the second stage, the dry gas is used to produce electricity and heat. The Władysławowo cogeneration plant is equipped with two gas turbine sets, each cooperating in cogeneration with a recovery boiler. The gas turbine sets can cogenerate electricity and heat of a total capacity of 11 MWe and 17.7 MWt respectively.
The supply of gas from B8 has significantly increased the production of electricity supplied to the national grid. The energy produced is fed into the district heating network owned by Energobaltic. At present, the district heating network comprises 148 heat substations and 12.2 km of pipelines. The total ordered power is 13,2 MW.
rel. PortalMorski.pl
photos:Lotos SA
