GUPCO Gas Compression and Water Injection Facilities

Fluor was selected by the Gulf of Suez Petroleum Company (GUPCO) for both a waterflood project and a platform-mounted gas compression facility for the Gulf of Suez Oil Company's new July Field. This new July production field is a sister to the El Morgan Field where Fluor has done significant work, and is one of the largest seawater injection facilities ever built.

Fluor provided design, engineering, construction management and start-up assistance for this project. Located onshore opposite the El Morgan Field in the Gulf of Suez, the facility treats and conditions raw seawater for injection into nearby offshore wells. Fluor also performed engineering, design and field inspection for the facilities in the El Morgan Field, also located in the Gulf of Suez.

Client's Challenge

GUPCO is a join venture of the Egyptian Government's Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation and the American International Oil Company, a subsidiary of AMOCO.

The client requested Fluor to determine means by which a portion of the flood system established for the El Morgan Field could be applied to the nearby July Field to leverage existing infrastructure and assets. Both fields were to be operated from the same onshore stations. GUPCO itself has a highly developed construction capability which will be employed in the execution of both projects.

At the injection facility, seawater is first treated with sodium hypochlorite to remove algae and slime. Then suspended solids are removed to a level of 0.5 parts per million and a maximum of size of five microns by a graded-bed, sand- gravity filer. Dissolved oxygen is reduced to 0.03 parts per million, and provision is also made for chemical additives to maintain water quality and lengthen facility life. After treatment, the water is pumped offshore for injection at 2500 pounds per square inch gauge.

Fluor's Solution

In the existing El Morgan Field, Fluor designed and built two platform-mounted compressor stations, production platforms, water flood distribution and pressure booster platforms, a 24-inch high-pressure deep water pipeline, as well as an onshore water filtration plant with a high-pressure pumping station for the water flood. With GUPCO construction engagement leveraging the El Morgan Field's existing infrastructure, Fluor successfully proposed a water flood project and a platform-mounted gas compression facility for the new July Field.

The waterflood facilities at July are designed to be expanded by 100,000 barrels per day in order to provide injection water for the Ramadan Field located between the July and El Morgan Fields in the Gulf of Suez.

Conclusion

Originally built to operate at a waterflood delivery rate of 300,000 barrels of water per day (BWPD), the unique building-block design of the plant allowed for easy expansion to 400,000 BWPD. A second plant subsequently designed by Fluor nearly doubled that capacity, providing a combined waterflood rate of 700,000 BWPD.

Fluor also completed a third expansion design for GUPCO that later increased capacity to 800,000 BWPD.