Petrobras signed, this Tuesday (02/1), a contract with the company FMC Technologies do Brasil, a subsidiary of TechnipFMC, which won the bid for the integrated Engineering, Acquisition, Construction and Installation (iEPCI™) contract, as well as the carrying out tests to develop the HISEP® technology, patented by Petrobras for the separation of oil and gas at the bottom of the ocean and the reinjection of gas rich in CO² into the reservoir. The Mero 3 project, located in the Brazilian pre-salt, will be a pioneer in the use of this technology.
HISEP® technology was developed at Cenpes, Petrobras’ Research Center, to add value to fields with high Gas-Oil Ratio (RGO) and CO² content. It allows the separation of the associated gas produced, rich in CO², on the seabed, transferring part of the separation process from the FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading) processing plant to the seabed. . HISEP® has the potential to increase production, relieving the surface gas processing plant, while reducing the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions. This innovation is part of Petrobras’ RD&I portfolio and that of the company’s partners in the Libra Consortium.
The HISEP® submarine separation pilot unit will be interconnected to the FPSO Marechal Duque de Caxias, belonging to the Mero 3 project, in the pre-salt area of the Santos Basin. The tests aim to reach the technological and commercial maturity of the HISEP® technology.
The contract signed with TechnipFMC covers several stages and aspects of the project, including engineering, manufacturing, installation and maintenance of subsea equipment. This equipment includes manifolds, flexible and rigid tubes, umbilicals and energy distribution systems. In addition, the contract also provides for maintenance and intervention services after technology validation.
For Petrobras’ Director of Engineering, Technology and Innovation, Carlos Travassos, this contract is extremely important for the company, especially as it uses technology patented by Petrobras. “The technology developed at our Research Center will be applied for the first time in the pre-salt, in Mero 3. We are confident that it will be another pioneering advance for the company in the oil and gas industry. Furthermore, HISEP® will be another tool in the process of gradual decarbonization of operations, in the path of Petrobras’ fair energy transition”, says Travassos.
About the FPSO Marechal Duque de Caxias
The Mero 3 FPSO will be the fourth unit to be installed in the Mero field and will have a processing capacity of 180 thousand barrels of oil and 12 million m3 of gas per day. The charter and service contracts will last for 22 and a half years, counting from the final acceptance of the unit, scheduled for the second half of 2024.
The project foresees the interconnection of 15 wells to the FPSO, 8 of which are oil producers and 7 water and gas injectors, through a subsea infrastructure composed of rigid production and injection pipelines, flexible service pipelines and control umbilicals.
About Campo de Mero
The Mero unitized field is the third largest in the pre-salt and is located in the Libra Block, belonging to the Libra Consortium, operated by Petrobras (38.6%) in partnership with Shell Brasil Petróleo Ltda. (19.3%), TotalEnergies EP Brasil Ltda. (19.3%), CNODC Brasil Petróleo e Gás Ltda. (9.65%), CNOOC Petroleum Brasil Ltda. (9.65%) and Pré-Sal Petróleo S.A. – PPSA (3.5%) which plays the role of manager of the Production Sharing Contract and representative of the Union in the non-contracted area.
Brazil Energy Insight 
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