|
REGIONAL FOCUS:
Offshore Brazil Field Development Highlights ABS’ Global Capabilities
|
The
ABS-classed FPSO Fluminense assisted
field partners Petrobras, Shell and MODEC International
to achieve first oil from the Bijupira and Salema
Fields offshore Brazil in mid-August. First
production offloading completed on September
30, 2003. The fields are located adjacent to
each other in the Campos Basin, 175 miles from
Rio de Janeiro, in water depths ranging from
approximately 470 to 800 meters. Artificial
lift is required to raise the reservoir fluids
to the surface for processing. Reservoir pressure
is maintained by injection of seawater at high
pressure to assist oil recovery.
|
|
|
 |
evelopment of the Bijupira and Salema oil
fields offshore Brazil brings into focus |
the customer service talents of many ABS offices. The ABS classification
team supported project contractors, including engineering/designers
in Houston, Rio de Janeiro and Singapore; fabricators in Singapore,
Johor (Malaysia) and Batam (Indonesia); installers in Rio de
Janeiro; and various vendors in the Americas, Europe and Asia.
These global components all were brought together before field
partners Petrobras, Shell and MODEC International achieved first
oil in mid-August.
ABS provided flexible, needs-oriented classification services
for the conversion of the Sahara tanker to a floating,
production, storage/offloading (FPSO) unit newly named the
Fluminense, which the joint operators selected for
the field development project, advises ABS Project Manager
Luiz Feijo.
“The conversion of the Sahara tanker to the
Fluminense FPSO presented some significant challenges.
The integration of existing and new piping and electrical
systems is always a design and fabrication concern. The use
of an external turret required the addition of a considerable
amount of structural steel to the bow of the vessel,”
said Feijo.
|
To address these conversion issues, ABS employed SafeHull, a dynamic
evaluation tool designed to assess needs specific to the project
and the client. This software design tool analyzes input conditions,
sloshing loads, hydrostatic loads, and other project-specific conditions.
Satisfying SafeHull criteria is a condition for ABS classification.
“The ABS SafeHull System is based on thorough and easy-to-apply
engineering analysis techniques, leading to improved reliability
and enhanced safety of ship structures,” said Feijo.
ABS awarded the FPSO Fluminense the class notation XA1
Floating Offshore Production and Offloading System. Operated by
MODEC, the vessel has an oil processing capacity of 81,000 barrels
of oil per day, gas handling of 75 million cubic feet per day, water
injection of 92,000 barrels per day and storage capacity of 1.2
million barrels.
Furthering ABS’ flexible, non-prescriptive and site-specific
customer services, Feijo advises that ABS also certified the entire
process plant topsides, which is typically not done for Gulf of
Mexico projects, but is required on FPSOs offshore Brazil.
|
