Sulzer Flow Equipment is working in partnership with TechnipFMC and Petrobras on the development of innovative subsea CO2 pump solutions for new cutting-edge technologies.
Petrobras’ HISEP high-pressure separation technology enables the separation of CO2-rich natural gas from oil at the seabed, offering significant potential for enhanced energy efficiency and productivity of floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels, while reducing costs and emissions.
Currently, the CO2-rich gas processed on FPSOs at the topside requires energy-intensive treatment and recompression through large compressors.
The new pump technology will enable the CO2-rich gas stream to be immediately pumped back into the reservoir at the seabed, 2,000 meters below the water line, allowing FPSOs to improve their efficiency and lower their carbon footprint, further enhancing production.
Sulzer Flow Equipment has been collaborating with TechnipFMC since 2017 to develop and validate a prototype of supercritical CO2 pumps for Petrobras’ HISEP technology.
Following this successful stage, Sulzer is now supplying three customized 6 MW high-pressure centrifugal (HPcp) pumps for Petrobras’ planned HISEP pilot project in the Brazilian pre-salt oil region. The pumps will undergo rigorous testing and validation in a purpose-built laboratory at Brazil’s Federal University of Itajuba.
“We are excited to work with TechnipFMC and Petrobras to bring this remarkable new technology to life,” said Jonathan Lloyd, head of Sulzer’s Flow Equipment Energy and Infrastructure Business Unit. “By avoiding the need to process CO2 on the FPSO, this collaboration allows significant energy efficiency and topside space advantages.”
Luana Duffe, executive vice president of New Energy at TechnipFMC, added, “With the HISEP project, we will again demonstrate how our leadership in subsea processing, technology innovation, and integrated solutions can deliver real and sustainable benefits to our partners. Sulzer is an expert in market-leading pump solutions for the industry’s most demanding processes and is a go-to partner for the Mero 3 HISEP project.”
The 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.
Source :Sulzer
