Optimized Electrification of Subsea Oil & Gas Infrastructures Based in Genetic Algorithm

Offshore field development relies on multiple optimization techniques targeting a feasible and cost-effective production solution yet are focused on the field itself. While so, advancements in offshore engineering bring increasingly complex subsea infrastructures to depths in the excess of 3,500 m. Many offshore production topsides which currently rely on costly and harmful onboard thermal-based power generation are turning to high voltage power-from-shore electrification solutions to cope with the challenges being brought by subsea infrastructures. An optimal electrification of these subsea templates is a challenge on its own as the seafloor morphology and well distribution is far from consistent. This paper presents a combined k-means and genetic-algorithm optimization to assess how the combined deployment of high voltage umbilical, wellheads and subsea substations can be optimized for the lowest cost possible. Results show a significant improvement in optimization of the total umbilical length as well as the substation positioning on the seabed.