Marine Technology Reporter Blogs - petrobras

Baker Hughes Centrilift ESP system pumps can be found in various important Petrobras plays. Petrobras has been using the Baker Hughes Centrilift subsea pressure boosting system in the deepwater Jubarte Field offshore Brazil in the Campos Basin for about three years now. The one megawatt electrical submersible pumping system (ESP) was installed at Jubarte in November 2005, but was not brought on line until 2007, following hook up of the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel. The system is producing approximately 22,000 BPD in 4,600 feet of water. Petrobras installed at least eight additional vertical booster stations using ESP technology at Jubarte in the months following the first system going online..

The two new discoveries in one well, announced by Petrobras last Thursday, strengthen the thesis pertaining to the possibility of the existence of a great reservoir beneath the salt layer of the Campos Basin. The Campos Basin pre-salt shows its potential even if volumes are less than at the Santos Basin, as various factors related to logistics, production timeline and development costs make this possibility very attractive to players and specially to Petrobras. As is widely known, the Campos Basin is presently responsible for over 80% of the Brazilian O&G production. The discoveries indicate the existence of hydrocarbons in both the pre-salt and the post-salt layers in a single well at the Barracuda field in the Campos Basin, 100km from the coast of  Rio de Janeiro.

With headquarters in the UK, Wellstream has invested heavily in the Brazilian O&G market since 2007 and currently has an ongoing contract with Petrobras for around 700km of flexible pipes. They are the acknowledged leaders in flexible riser manufacture in Brazil.Wellstream is a world leader in design and manufacture of flexible pipeline products, systems and solutions for fluid transportation in the O&G industry. The business, founded in 1983 is headquartered in Newcastle, UK, with manufacturing facilities in the UK, Brazil and USA. The company has over 1,000 employees worldwide and also has sales and project offices in Canada and Australia. Flexible pipe products are used in many offshore field developments, but particularly where floating production vessels are involved.

The Subsea Technology Laboratory (LTS), part of COPPE/UFRJ, was created in 1989 in order to supply the increasing demand for deep water technology. Among other important projects they may soon earn international certification for a fiber optic sensor calibration system.In its 20 years of activitiy, LTS has concluded fifteen graduate projects, fifty-five masters degree dissertations and nine doctorate thesis. Presently under way are two graduate projects, ten masters degree dissertations and nine doctorate thesis. The laboratory has published over one hundred articles and papers in national and international magazine and events. Around two hundred and twenty technical consulting reports have also been developed.

Prysmian announces investmens of around $115 million to start flexible pipe production in its Vila Velha, Espírito Santo industrial plant.Prysmian Cabos e Sistemas do Brasil S. A., announced in november a $115 million investment for 2010, for the expansion of its industrial plant in Espirito Santo in order to produce flexible pipes along with umbilicals already produced at the plant. The event, had the presence of Prysmians’ Worldwide President, Valerio Battista, Prysmians’ South American President, Armando Comparato Jr., Petrobras management representatives and The Italian Minister of Economic Development, Claudio Scajola. “Petrobras and Prysmian have signed a technological cooperation agreenment in order to develop flexible pipes for Petrobras.

With major contracts secured in the last two years in Brazil, Cameron is in a great position to expand its presence in the Brazilian subsea market in 2010 and beyond.After being awarded a $100 million contract for 25 subsea Xmas tress for the Campos Basin by Petrobras in 2008, (deliveries completed in late 2009), Cameron entered into a frame agreement with Petrobras in 2009, expected to be worth approximately $500 million, for the supply of subsea trees and related running tools to Petrobras for use in their developments offshore Brazil. Under the agreement, Cameron is providing 138 subsea Christmas trees, with the installation to be supported by 18 sets of running tools that are also part of the scope of supply.

PRAVAP (Advanced Oil Recovery Program) began in 1993, when there was a need to create technological projects for the company to increase the recovery factor of its fields, prolonging its production on an economic and environmentally correct basis. PRAVAP main objectives are to provide and advance technological solutions that increase the recovery factor of oil fields, for optimum economy and permit exploration of fields considered under-commercial due to restrictions in existing technology. PRAVAP is organized in systemic projects, which are groups of research projects with a common objective. Wells - Its focus is on various technologies applicable in the well-formation interface…

PROCAP 3000: next ultra-deepwater exploration frontier.Over the past 23 years, Petrobras, forerunner in the use of the floating production concept, has always emphasized innovation and upgrade based on its professional expertise. The first PROCAP – Technological Development Program for Deepwater Production Systems was launched in 1986 in order to improve the company’s technical skills in oil and natural gas production in water until 1,000m. To do so, Albacora and Marlin fields were chosen as a development unit. The results obtained in this first program and the other discoveries in deeper water encouraged the company to create a new program in 1993, PROCAP-2000 - Technological Development Program for Deepwater Exploration Systems.

Increased investment in subsea systems instead of intensive use of rigs and FPSOs is looking to be the present and future trend in the Brazilian O&G market. Subsea system equipment manufacturers in all levels, from subsea trees to the smallest subsystem manufacturers, have a good reason to be happy with present and future business prospects in Brazil. Not only are the deepwater pre-salt plays being developed and other propective deepwater plays being drilled, but also various new post-salt shallow water fields have been recently discovered, most in the southern Campos Basin by OG X Petroleo and more recently by Petrobras, which has confirmed the potencial of its play adjacent to the Pampo field.

FMC signs an $80 million subsea service contract with Petrobras in January and is awarded a $400 million contract for subsea trees in February.FMC Technologies signed a subsea service contract with Petrobras effective through 2012 and expected to result in an additional $80 million in revenue. FMC's scope of supply includes storage, maintenance, commissioning and offshore services for subsea and topside control systems and drill pipe riser systems. "FMC has a strong and longstanding relationship with Petrobras," said John Gremp, Executive Vice President of FMC Technologies. FMC Technologies has signed a four-year subsea tree frame agreement with Petrobras.