Petrobras has let a contract to SLB OneSubsea for two subsea raw seawater injection (RWI) systems to increase recovery from Búzios field offshore Brazil.
The subsea RWI systems will help to increase the production of floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels, which are currently bottlenecked in their water injection capacities, SLB said in a Dec. 12 release.
Once operational, the RWI systems are expected to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per barrel of oil as they are a more efficient means of reservoir pressurization to increase recovery when compared with topside injection systems, SLB said.
“As deepwater basins mature, we see more and more secondary recovery opportunities emerging,” said Mads Hjelmeland, chief executive officer of SLB OneSubsea. “By placing the system directly on the seabed, we free up space and reduce fuel needs for the FPSOs as well as lessen the power needs for the injection systems,” Hjelmeland continued.
Under the contract, SLB OneSubsea will provide two complete subsea RWI systems to support Petrobras’ FPSOs P-74 and P-75. They will each consist of a subsea seawater injection pump, umbilical system, and topside variable speed drive.
Búzios field
Five FPSOs (FPSOs P-74, P-75, P-76, P-77, Almirante Barroso) are currently operating in Búzios field in the pre-salt layer of the Santos basin, off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. The Almirante Tamandaré arrived in Brazil in October and also will be installed in the field.
Located 180 km off the coast, Búzios field began operating in 2018. The field accounts for more than 20% of Petrobras' total production.
The Búzios consortium, operating in the field, is made up of Petrobras (operator), CNOOC, CNODC, and PPSA, which manages the production sharing contracts.