New Kensington, Pa. - Low- and medium-drives manufacturer ASIRobicon was recently awarded a strategic contract with BP for up to $12 million for its Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Development Program.
New Kensington, Pa. – Low- and medium-drives manufacturer ASIRobicon was recently awarded a strategic contract with BP for up to $12 million for its Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Development Program.
ASIRobicon will provide variable frequency ac drives for several BP production platforms presently in development. These large, liquid-cooled variable frequency drives (VFDs) will control the motor speed of high-pressure pumps and gas compressors operating in recently discovered deepwater oil fields in the Gulf of Mexico. One of the fields, Thunder Horse, discovered by BP in 1999, is the largest ever found in the gulf with an estimated 1 billion barrels of reserves.
BP is the largest acreage holder in the deepwater gulf and the second largest deepwater producer. It produces approximately 259,000 net equivalent barrels per day.
Five Star Electric (San Antonio, Tex.) reviewed BP’s specifications for the project, and determined that ASIRobicon’s technology provided the best solution. James Smith, Five Star’s Houston-based office manager, says the drives will be installed on offshore platforms in three new BP-operated oil fields, Thunder Horse, Holstein and Atlantis, which will begin production in 2005. Besides the 1 billion barrels expected from Thunder Horse, another 600 million net equivalent barrels are expected from the other three fields. The largest deepwater transportation system to date will be built to support production in water depths of 6,000 feet or more. ASIRobicon will also provide consultation on drive installation and application.
Control Engineering Daily News Desk
Jim Montague, news editor
[email protected]
