EQUINOR GJØA

Photo: Jan Inge Haga

Equinor operates the Gjøa field, which lies in the Norwegian North Sea. The field was proven in 1989 and its remaining reserves are estimated to be 82 million barrels of oil and 40 billion cubic metres of gas. In June 2010 the Gjøa platform installation was completed by AkerSolutions and towed to its location in the North Sea. Production started in November 2010.

In 2008/2009, Koso Kent Introl operated under a framework agreement for control and choke valve products by Equinor. Under the framework, AkerSolutions, the EPC contractor for the Gjøa project, awarded a contract to KKI for manufacture of these products. In view of the scale and complexity of the project, Chris Bowers, KKI’s Sales Manager for Scandinavia, worked as a member of AkerSolutions’ integrated operations team through the initial phase of the contract. His role was to evaluate the process and operating parameters for each application, and to specify appropriate valve solutions that would deliver the function required by the EPC, whilst complying fully with the standards and specifications demanded by the Equinor framework agreement. Due to the complex nature and timing of this project, operating specifications were constantly revised during the design phase. Process engineers in KKI worked closely with AkerSolutions’ specialist engineers (including metallurgists, paint specialists and package engineers) in the UK and Norway, to ensure that the valve solutions precisely met the evolving requirements.

The total delivery to the Gjøa platform exceeded 250 control valves, and 6 surface choke valves, which ranged in size from 1/2” to 24”, with pressure classes ANSI 150 to ANSI 4500. Materials included Titanium, 6Mo, Duplexes, Stainless Steels and Carbon Steels. Solutions included surface choke valves and globe angle valves and rotary control valves. On completion of manufacturing, the valves were shipped to approximately 15 package suppliers across Europe for assembly into fire-water systems, sand cleaning systems, hydrocyclone packages etc, before being delivered finally to the construction yard for installation onto the platform. KKI continued to support the installation and commissioning phases of the project with provision of service engineering resources, as required, at the Aker Stord yard in Norway. During this time, KKI engineers calibrated and tuned the delivered equipment according to the required performance and input.

Since the project was formally handed over from AkerSolutions to Equinor, KKI’s role has been to provide aftermarket support for the installed product, in the form of spare parts deliveries and on-site maintenance support. Throughout the project, feedback was at all times positive from AkerSolutions, with regard to the quality of the product supplied and the expertise of the KKI team.

Ownership of the Gjøa platform has since been transferred from EQUINOR to ENGIE.