Standardization and Carbon Footprint Reduction of Subsea Manifolds – Is Ready and Now!

There has never been a more challenging time for the energy industry. In the subsea sector, the search for optimised costs, minimized carbon emissions, and maximized performance is set to intensify as oil prices continue their unpredictable trajectory. At the same time, the risks to equipment, to people, to the local terrain and seascape will remain. What the industry needs in the face of all this is cost certainty and reduced CO2 output, derived not just from technical certainty but also execution certainty. With these concerns front of mind, it is no surprise that research into the performance of subsea equipment and service suppliers published by [1] Kimberlite LLC in May 2020 showed some concern about the capability of suppliers" offerings to meet those future requirements. 45% of those surveyed said that more advances were needed in subsea trees, citing reliability, cost, lead times, and size as areas for improvement. In addition, subsea manifolds were separately cited by another 12%, as a technology area that could be advanced. As part of the goal to achieve carbon net zero status, every single aspect of subsea operations is an opportunity to drive improvement. Through the work undertaken as described in this paper to drive standardization across the industry around the world, it can be shown that even equipment like manifolds – that come with some entrenched design and operational philosophies behind them – can deliver substantial improvements to the areas that matter most such as reduction of carbon footprint.