– We have developed a container-based process module which produces oxygen-free fresh water for washing salt out of oil, says CEO Frode Olsen.

The solution was developed at the request and challenge of Equinor.

Because the module is easily movable and can be produced much faster and cheaper than the fixed installations traditionally used on platforms, it will be able to revolutionise so-called tail projects on the shelf.

– Operators no longer have to wait so long to start emptying the wells, which may not have been carried out due to high realisation costs, says Bjørn Helleren, who is responsible for offshore operations at Halvorsen.

The compact module is approved according to NORSOK Z-015N, the standard that defines the technical and safety-related requirements for temporary equipment used on facilities on the Norwegian continental shelf. This means it can be installed on any platform regardless of operator.

The first container module is now at Øyesletta in Kvinesdal, ready for shipment to the Heimdal platform – which is operated by Equinor.

– If everything goes as we hope, we will also get orders from other operators. We see a large market in the North Sea, on both the Norwegian and British sides. The challenge of salt in oil is worldwide, as it is in the Gulf of Mexico where many mature fields are limited by this. There are opportunities here, says Frode Olsen.

Water production in the container occurs without the use of chemicals, which is a definite plus as the Sørlandet company now prepares to market its new product.

– The process is environmentally friendly. We make fresh water from seawater, remove oxygen, and heat it to 40 degrees to avoid organic growth and wax problems in the well. All this happens inside a 20-foot container. You could easily call this a compact factory. It delivers between 50 and 70 cubic metres of water per day, says Roald Ingebretsen, who has led the development project.

With today's capacity, Halvorsen will be able to produce ten modules per year.

He makes no secret of the fact that Halvorsen has big ambitions for the new concept. Especially as the company works closely with Veolia Water Technologies, a French giant that is a world leader in water treatment solutions.

– Together we will further develop such systems. The market for mobile complete modules will certainly increase in the coming years, as more fields mature. We are particularly seeing this in the North Sea, says Olsen.