Emerson Process Management recently completed a long-term project to help NAM (Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij) upgrade controls at its Groningen gas field in The Netherlands. The Groningen natural gas field is one of the world’s largest and has been in production since the mid 1950s. However, field pressure has been falling and NAM has been working with an alliance of contractors to optimize production by renovating the control and monitoring of 300 gas wells.
The wells are connected within 29 production clusters, with each cluster having an average of 10 wellheads. More than 1000 of Emerson’s Fisher® control valves now help NAM control deliveries from individual well clusters to maximize output from the field. The improved control will enable an operator in a central location to start and stop individual clusters depending on its ability to deliver gas.
Advanced diagnostics provided by FIELDVUE™ digital valve controllers enable technicians using AMS ValveLink™ SNAP-ON™ software to easily monitor and maintain the valves’ performance.
Centralised control also means that routine operator and maintenance tasks can be performed remotely, minimizing visits to clusters. This also applies to the control valves on the field’s gas compression facilities, which are equipped with performance monitoring and remote diagnostics. In addition to troubleshooting, the predictive diagnostics are also being used to monitor the control valve condition over time.
