Gold Standard in House Engineering Design Through Efficient Process Optimization to achieve Excellence in Opex Saving and 40% Reduction in Capex
Authors: Nandi Bashistha , Al Qaydi Fatima Mohamed , Al Damasi Dana Hashem , Almazrooei Ruwayya Salem Ali 
Published: October 2022

This paper will showcase efforts of a Gold standard engineering team, through multiple fit for purpose and innovative solutions which were adapted as part of process optimization during RE-FEED in order to achieve excellence in capex saving in a mega project of ADNOC onshore. The efficient and best in class engineering design led to permanent solution for problems in a vast field which is profoundly challenged for handling oil, gas and water. Lesson learnt from this project has become eye opener and became benchmark. Another success story was made through this project.

This mega project for production sustainability was challenged due to significant CAPEX requirement. Comprehensive cost optimization was sought by management. As reciprocation, In house process engineering team undertook a daunting task to modify/optimize scheme of unit processes of the project through simulations, detailed analysis of profile, calculations and process optimizations. Following methods were applied to achieve the success.

Process optimizations at core – "one solution for addressing multiple problems" Simplifying the surface facility process scheme Alternative method of design and out of box ideas which resulted in impactful cost optimization

Plateau Oil production of this onshore field was hindered by field and CDS congestion, high water cut, limitations in Oil and produced water handling capacity in CDS.

After implementation of process optimizations and innovative solutions, following observations and conclusions were made and included in FEED design.

Dewatering station at upstream : This was recognized as one point solution for multiple problems. Removal of water at upstream reduced back pressure in existing transfer lines drastically and led to non-requirement of new transfer lines hence decongestion and allowed oil-water separation requirement within limits of existing facilities’ capacity. Deletions of a new CDS with two oil trains complete with all utility and flare facilities and transferring facilities for oil, associated gas, produced water, gas injection leads to a significant OPEX and CAPEX saving. Innovative solutions such as placing HP and LLP flare at the same structure to reduce footprint, combining water separation tank and disposal tank, deletion of produced water degasser with the help of HIPPS, transferring high H2S off gases from water separation tanks of RDSs to CDS stripper overhead were a few to be named. Optimized design such as usage of rationalized MOC, deleting flare packages in remote 15 PADs / Minipads, optimized footprints resulted in CAPEX saving.

Thus, the multibillion project CAPEX was almost reduced to 60% by teamwork of a young process engineering team. Through a tremendous efforts in REFEED stage.

This paper will reflect how ideation will pave the way for achieving great success. A relentless process optimization approach to continuously challenge the design while focusing on achieving design functions resulted into great saving for company. How a simple idea of Dewatering at upstream solved multiple problems in a field, how the success of one idea gives birth to many more and how a comparatively young engineering team was engaged with utmost sincerity in quest of solutions….answer of all these questions definitely lead to Novel category as team acted differently and earned COMPANY's trust to award for EPC.