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Baker Hughes Awarded Major Subsea Contract with Azule Energy for Agogo Oilfield Offshore of Angola

Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2023 1:11 am
by escveritas
  • First new major greenfield project awarded in Angola in over five years
  • Order includes 23 standard subsea trees, 11 Aptara™ manifolds, SemStar5™ fiber optic controls and related system scope of supply
HOUSTON, Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Baker Hughes (NASDAQ: BKR), an energy technology company, has been awarded a major contract to provide subsea equipment and services by Azule Energy for work in the Agogo oilfield, offshore Angola. This award represents the first major new greenfield project awarded in offshore Angola in more than five years.

The scope of work includes 23 standard subsea trees, 11 Aptara manifolds, SemStar5 fiber optic controls and the related system scope of supply. Baker Hughes will also provide services and aftermarket support for the Agogo integrated west hub subsea production system.

A significant portion of the equipment will be manufactured, assembled and tested in Angola, leveraging Baker Hughes’ local facilities and workforce.

“Our local manufacturing capabilities, deepwater development equipment and innovative subsea control system technology enable us to provide exceptional support to Azule Energy in their efforts to increase oil production in Angola,” said Maria Claudia Borras, executive vice president of Oilfield Services and Equipment at Baker Hughes. “Our expertise and comprehensive solutions well-equip us to reduce complexity, support project schedules, and deliver successful outcomes for Azule Energy and further contribute to the growth of Angola’s energy industry.”

Azule Energy is an international energy company located in Angola, with bp and ENI sharing equal stakes in the business. Baker Hughes' technology offerings are well-equipped for the challenging deepwater offshore environment, and the subsea control system technology enables Baker Hughes to support greenfield development and interface with legacy interconnected producing wells.

About Aptara Manifold

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Overview

Reduced cycle time and footprint
Baker Hughes is rethinking the future of subsea fields and simplifying the complex by launching the new Aptara™ family of TOTEX-lite products. The Aptara modular compact manifold is part of this family of light and smart subsea equipment designed to reduce the total cost of ownership over the life of your field.

Our Aptara modular compact manifold system has been developed to address the need for modular, pre-engineered manifolds that use off-the-shelf components, reducing cycle-time cost and footprint. The new compact block manifold has been designed to overcome complexity with simplicity.

Next-level standardization
The core design of the Aptara modular compact manifold uses a four-slot or six-slot dual-header configuration to suit your pipeline requirements, and 5-inch or 7-inch branch valve blocks for its branch valve connections, with separate header piping. The manifold branch valves are identical to our Aptara lightweight compact tree system valves (for example, 5-inch trees require 5-inch manifold branch valves), pushing the boundaries of standardization to the next level. This enables large-volume purchase of components such as valves and forgings, allowing us to hold the stock you need—reducing your cost and lead time.

Faster delivery
We have achieved a level of standardization that limits the engineering to the manifold header, structural steel, and foundation, resulting in faster delivery with reduced risks and costs. For the most common configuration, the manifold will be make-to-order, with zero product engineering, and delivered in 10 months from the award of contract. Our configure-to-order variant can be delivered in 12 months.

Lower total cost
The Aptara manifold features a compact design enabled by Aptara valve blocks, with reduced pipe work, pipe-end preparation, fitting, welding and non-destructive evaluation, along with simplified interfaces. It is our response to the industry’s need for reduced lead times and total cost. We have pre-engineered stock of Aptara valve blocks and gate valves from our family of 51/8-inch 10,000 psi and 71/16-inch 10,000 psi XT valves, all based on existing designs and using qualified components. The manifold design enables different configurations to be selected to optimize your production, while chemical injection valves can be included as required.

Enhanced operability
The blocks can be readily insulated to provide the necessary thermal properties required to enhance operability, and project-specific features such as gas lift can be accommodated in the manifold structure. The manifold and mudmat can be installed in a single lift, using smaller and lower-cost vessels.

Pre-assembly and testing for versatility
Some facilities may not be as well-equipped as our XT facility for assembling and testing the valve blocks. So, where appropriate, pre-assembled and tested blocks (‘flat packs’) can be shipped to remote fabrication locations for incorporation into the manifold build, assembly and test-activity sequence.

Shorter connection time
The Aptara modular manifold is complemented by our Aptara connection systems, including our latest lightweight and fast horizontal tie-in system, the Aptara HCCS-L (horizontal clamp connection system – light). This is 50% lighter, 30% more compact, has a high capture range, and can reduce connection make-up time by 50% compared with other conventional connection systems.

Reduced sub-sea hook-up time
Another member of the Aptara connection system family is the FLX360 stab plate connector. It has a simple latch that allows the ROV to connect flying leads quickly to the surrounding architecture, thus reducing overall subsea hook-up time.