Page 125: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (May/Jun 2014)

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boosting extraction of oil, a number of program which further sup-

Brazil technologies are central to subsea works. port the trend to apply such

Pumping and subsea construction tech- solution in a near future.   niques are very important to advanced

OE: oil recovery, They should be seen as key Regarding new opera- areas for investment in this respect. tors, what Brazil could do to be more attractive for interna-

OE:

Would you agree with the statement tional oil companies?

that local industries do not compete

Leite: with international businesses in terms of Brazil has very large quality? potential areas for oil and gas production and Petrobras has

Leite: I do not agree. It is frequently dif- been playing an important role fcult to fnd a good supplier, not just in demonstrating that, but there

Brazil. I would also point out that Brazil are also many challenges. now excels in several industries, such Different from Petrobras, with

Nelson Leite as in the automotive and aeronautical more than 50 year experience in Brazil,

OE: industries. Bringing skills and talents like FMC Technologies has a contract the new players will have the challenge those developed in these enterprises to with Petrobras to develop specifc to build its own local staff, infrastruc- the oil and gas industry is a notable, but technologies. Please give some examples ture, logistics, supply chain and meet not insurmountable, challenge for devel- of some specifc technologies and their the local content. Taking such premises oping Brazil’s industrial capacities. There purposes? scenario, Brazil should be more attractive are many small suppliers in Brazil, and by creating local conditions to reduce

Leite: their contribution to the diversity and FMC Tecnologies do Brasil has a risk and provide long term opportuni- availability of parts is to be welcomed memorandum of understanding (MOU) ties.  This a complex issue as there are in this market. One further positive with Petrobras that defnes and shares many opportunities improvement areas development, however, would be if they common vision of future technologies under the government decisions and in were prepared to deliver in high scale, as need.  Basically, that agreement was the industry, such as keep or improve well as more complete unit fnal prod- intended to develop or to expand subsea frequency the concessions bid rounds, ucts. This would reduce the number of processing technologies to allow feld tax regimes, supply chain and logistics operations required to receive a desired development solutions to increase oil just to mention some. fnal unit, ready for integration into a recovery and, in the future, consider

OE: production chain. Having more advanced production from subsea to shallow or to FMC Technologies signed a $1.5 bil- production and fnancing schemes for the shore. lion contract with Petrobras. What is the goods would be a great boon for Brazilian The most signifcant technology example status of the work? industry. is the Marlim SSAO. The heavy oil water

Leite: subsea separation system (SSAO) for the In 2012, FMC Technologies do

Typical subsea tree used ofshore Brazil.

Please cite which subsea technolo- Petrobras Marlim feld was the frst full- Brasil inked with Petrobras a US$1.5 bil-

OE:

Photo from FMC Technologies Brazil.

gies, FMC Technologies in Brazil is pro- scale prototype tested in the Technology lion contract to supply up to 130 subsea moting for advanced oil recovery. Center (located in the Rio de Janeiro’s trees to be installed in the pre-salt felds.

Federal University (UFRJ), which was The scope of supply also consider subsea

Leite: FMC Technologies has developed later installed in the feld during 2012.   multiplex control module for each tree solutions to increase oil recovery such The main purpose of this prototype and installations tools. Along with that as subsea separation, subsea boosting project was to develop a subsea technol- contract, we received the frst call-off and subsea intervention tools that allow ogy solution to reduce the amount of for 78 trees, then, in 2013, we received well access without the need of a rig. produced water that reaches the topside the fnal call-off for 49 trees, achieving a

In Brazil, FMC Technologies developed processing facility, by doing this, oil total of 127 trees. The project has been facilitating advanced oil recovery to and delivered to Petrobras many subsea production is increased and the topside designed at our technology center and it

FMC Technologies’ ambitions? boosting modules for ESP (either vertical process plant effciency is enhanced. is currently under manufacturing in our and horizontal confguration) and the oil/ The subsea system combines multiple plant, both located in Rio de Janeiro. We

Leite: There are greenfeld and brown- water separation and water injection for separation technologies to deal with gas, expect delivery to start this year.

The company made signifcant invest- feld sites and the latter are far more the Marlin feld. For Shell, at Parque das heavy oil, water and sand. Basically, after ments in operations in Brazil to enable diffcult to produce oil from, frequently Conchas, a subsea artifcial lift manifold the gas is separated, the water is also large scale manufacturing and development involving fltering a great deal of water was developed with retrievable process- separated from the heavy oil by using the of new technologies. In the last three years, from the oil reserves. The future of the ing modules, capable of performing the pipe separation design and then cyclone the technology center was built, plus plant felds depends on producing more oil in gas liquid separation and boosting which separation modules, further cleaning capacity and subsea services expanded. felds containing an ever-larger store of enhances the ESP effciency. We believe the water before having it pumped and water. It is one reason why producing the positive results achieved with such injected back in the reservoir. The sepa- cost-effcient separation technology, part- technologies provide feld-proven alter- rated oil, gas and sand are recombined Peter Howard Wertheim is a veteran ing water from oil, is so important. FMC native solutions to be considered by the to fow to the surface facility. The subsea oil/gas journalist based in Rio de

Technologies is developing such technol- operators to improve production either in test confrmed performance expected Janeiro, Brazil: You may contact him at: ogy together with Petrobras. Along with green or brown felds. from the design and qualifcation [email protected] oedigital.com May 2014 | OE 127 124_0514OE_Brazil2_Petrobras.indd 127 4/19/14 10:11 AM