Customer challenges
- Expro was awarded the contract by Shell Development Petroleum Company of Nigeria to upgrade the Expro Tunu Early Production Facility (EPF) in South Forcados, Niger Delta, from 20,000 bbl/day to allow production from an adjacent field (seven wells)
Expro Excellence
- A new process system was designed and built within 13 weeks from the contract award
- Modular design allowed large production vessels to fit within an Antonov heavy lift aircraft for fast track delivery
- The new process facility was loaded onto a flat barge in Port Harcourt and towed to the Tunu location in the Niger Delta, whilst the new equipment was in transit the existing process plant was shut down and decommissioned
- The barge was moved out of its slot for the equipment transfer, with a crane capable of lifting 90 tonnes used to move the old equipment and install the new plant, of which the first stage separator weighed 43 tonnes alone
- New larger first stage, second stage and test separators were installed, in addition to: new high pressure and low pressure flare gas knockout vessels; an additional six well production test/inlet manifold; two new gas engine-driven export pumps; a metering skid; fuel gas treatment package; flare gas divertor manifold; and horizontal flare system
- All equipment was installed and commissioned within the agreed 16 day shutdown period
Value to client
- Process system was successfully brought back online ready for the new flow rate of 45,000 bbl/day
- Fast track: the duration of the entire upgrade project from contract award to first oil was 17 weeks - all project milestones were met
- Efficient: shutdown time to facilitate the change over of equipment was minimised to only 16 days
- The complete package was operated and maintained by Expro
