Seabed boosting is alternative or complementary with other artificial lift

techniques and can have advantages in production and field flexibility. Today,
helicon-axial pumps have been developed, tested, and installed in numerous subsea
field applications and are a proven technology.

Subsea boosting is not just about the pump knowledge, but also about the total
system engineering and supply. Understanding the operational process regimes from
start-up and continuous flow, through to managing operational upsets such as
emergency shutdowns and the process dynamics is key to ensuring a successful
system.

The effect of a subsea multiphase booster pump on the oil recovery is significant.
The pressure from the well is used to drive the oil to the first stage separator.
The resistance is made up of a static and dynamic flow resistance that together
represents the system resistance curve.

The well production is found from the intersection of the two curves. Installation
of a subsea multiphase booster pump will increase the pressure in the well fluid,
i.e. adding kinetic energy directly to the flow. The effect is as if the flowing
wellhead pressure is increased. The flow from the wells increases until a new
balance between fluid pressure and system resistance is achieved. The effect is a
net increase in oil production.

Production system curve.