SLB Expands Digital Production Monitoring for Johan Sverdrup Phase 3
SLB has been awarded a contract by Equinor to expand real-time leak detection, virtual flow metering and digital production monitoring capabilities for the Johan Sverdrup Phase 3 development in the North Sea offshore Norway. The contract extends the companies’ existing collaboration on the field and will broaden digital monitoring coverage across new subsea infrastructure being developed as part of the latest phase.
Johan Sverdrup is located on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and represents one of Equinor’s major offshore producing assets. As the field’s production network continues to develop, the addition of new subsea infrastructure is increasing the scale and complexity of the systems that operators need to monitor. Digital production technologies are being used to provide more detailed and timely information about flow conditions, equipment performance and potential integrity issues across these interconnected assets.
The Phase 3 contract builds on SLB’s previous deployment of its Olga Online production management system during the Johan Sverdrup Phase 2 development. The technology has supported Equinor’s leak detection and real-time production surveillance activities, providing visibility into operating conditions across the field’s production network.
Under the new award, monitoring capabilities will be extended to new subsea templates and multiphase flowlines associated with the Phase 3 development. The expanded deployment is intended to provide Equinor with real-time insight into production conditions across additional wells, pipelines and subsea infrastructure before the new facilities enter production.
The Olga Online system combines first-principles multiphase flow modeling with real-time analytics. The approach enables operators to use available production and operating data to understand flow behavior and identify changes that could indicate an abnormal condition. Its capabilities include leak detection, virtual flow metering and continuous production surveillance.
For complex offshore production systems, real-time monitoring can provide operators with information that complements conventional field measurements. Virtual flow metering can estimate production rates in locations where physical meters may not be installed, while multiphase flow modeling can help interpret the behavior of oil, gas and water moving through production infrastructure.
For the Johan Sverdrup Phase 3 development, the expanded system will provide visibility across the production network, including information that can support the assessment of potential leak size, location and severity. Such information can help operators investigate abnormal conditions and make decisions based on a more comprehensive view of the production system.
The deployment also forms part of Equinor’s broader digital approach to managing offshore production assets. As offshore fields incorporate additional wells, subsea templates, flowlines and processing infrastructure, maintaining an accurate picture of production performance becomes increasingly important. Digital monitoring systems can bring data from multiple parts of the production network together, allowing operating teams to follow changing conditions in real time.
SLB will support implementation of the technology ahead of production from the new Phase 3 facilities. Its responsibilities will include delivery, commissioning and long-term operation of the expanded monitoring capabilities. The implementation schedule is intended to ensure that the digital production management system is in place as the new infrastructure becomes operational.
The Phase 3 deployment represents a continuation of the technology’s use at Johan Sverdrup rather than a standalone implementation. By extending an established production management platform to additional subsea infrastructure, the project is designed to provide continuity in monitoring capabilities as the field develops.
Offshore production environments can involve long distances between wells, subsea equipment and surface facilities, making continuous visibility into production conditions particularly relevant. Changes in pressure, flow rates or other operating parameters can affect production performance and may require investigation. Real-time analytical tools can help operators identify changes and assess their potential implications using information from across the production network.
The use of virtual flow metering is also relevant to increasingly digitalized offshore operations. By using models and available operational data to estimate flow rates, operators can supplement physical measurement infrastructure and obtain additional information about individual production streams. This can contribute to production accounting, surveillance and operational decision-making.
SLB’s continued work with Equinor at Johan Sverdrup also reflects the companies’ longer-term collaboration around digital production technologies. The initial implementation during Phase 2 established a foundation for real-time monitoring, while the latest contract extends those capabilities as the field’s subsea network grows.
The Johan Sverdrup development has been an important component of Norway’s offshore petroleum sector. Continued development of the field involves adding infrastructure designed to support production over an extended operating period. Digital technologies such as real-time leak detection, virtual flow metering and production surveillance can play a role in managing the performance and integrity of these long-life assets.
For Equinor, the Phase 3 deployment is expected to expand access to real-time production information across the new infrastructure and support monitoring as production begins. For SLB, the contract extends the application of its digital production management technology within an established offshore operating environment.
The agreement highlights the growing integration of digital technologies into offshore oil and gas production. As operators manage increasingly interconnected subsea systems, combining multiphase flow models with real-time operational data can provide additional insight into production performance and potential integrity events.
With the expanded Olga Online deployment, Equinor will have broader digital monitoring coverage across Johan Sverdrup’s Phase 3 production network. The system is expected to support leak detection, virtual flow measurement and continuous production surveillance as the new subsea facilities are brought into operation, extending the digital capabilities already deployed during the field’s earlier development phase.
Source Link: https://www.slb.com/
