Petrobras’s technology, HISEP, is said to enable the separation of CO2-rich natural gas from oil at the seabed. The process has the potential to provide gains in energy efficiency and productivity to floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels while reducing costs and emissions.
Currently, the associated rich CO2 gas processed on FPSOs at topside needs to be treated and recompressed through large, energy-intensive compressors. While this allows the CO2 gas to be reinjected in the reservoir, it is energy intensive. The new pump technology will support and enable the gas stream, rich in CO2, to be separated and pumped back into the reservoir at the seabed, 2000m below the water line, allowing FPSOs to improve their efficiency and reduce their carbon footprint.
Sulzer Flow Equipment has been collaborating with TechnipFMC to develop and test supercritical CO2 pumps for Petrobras’ HISEP technology since 2017. Following the staged development and validation of a prototype, the pump expert is now supplying three customised 6 MW high-pressure centrifugal (HPcp) pumps for Petrobras’s planned HISEP pilot project in the Brazilian pre-salt oil region. The HISEP technology is supported by Petrobras and its partners in the Libra Consortium. Upon delivery, the pumps will be tested and validated to the highest standards in a purpose-built laboratory at the Federal University of Itajuba.
Petrobras’ HISEP project will be deployed at the Mero 3 development in the Brazilian pre-salt oil region, where fields typically contain a 50/50 mix of oil and CO2-rich gas.