ENERGY CONSERVATION AND OIL PRODUCTION OPPORTUNITIES IN GHAWAR FIELD IN SAUDI ARAMCO

Energy conservation is the key aspect to reduce high energy consumption in a Gas Oil Separation Plant (GOSP) where oil is separated from water and gas and shipped. Saudi Aramco is putting a lot of efforts to produce large fields, such as Ghawar field, with optimized energy consumption; especially in summer time which is always a peaking high demand period. Swing line network has been constructed between major field GOSPs to optimize energy consumption while meeting required production targets by reallocating oil production to reduce energy consumption. The swing lines were approved and structured in late 2005. Presently, they are in use and emerged as a proven tool to lower operating expenditure (OPEX) for GOSPs. This has not only reduced the cost of power but also minimized the environmental impact to a large extend. Also, as part of the field production strategy several high water cut wells were shut‑in resulting in a very remarkable power consumption reduction at their respective plants. This conservation was reached by shutting some of the disposal pumps and/or deferral of upgrade for the disposal system. This paper and presentation will focus on energy conservation and oil production efforts in Southern part of Ghawar field and highlight major achievements.