In a major step towards more sustainable offshore oil and gas production, Sulzer Flow Equipment has been selected by TechnipFMC to develop new subsea CO2 pump solutions for Petrobras’ revolutionary HISEP high-pressure separation technology.

The HISEP process enables the separation of CO2-rich natural gas from oil at the seabed itself, providing significant gains in energy efficiency and productivity for Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels while reducing costs and emissions.

Currently, the associated CO2-rich gas processed on FPSOs must be treated and recompressed through large, energy-intensive compressors before being reinjected into the reservoir.

The new pump technology developed by Sulzer and TechnipFMC will allow the CO2-rich gas stream to be separated and immediately pumped back into the reservoir at the seabed, 2000 metres below the water line.

This eliminates the need for topside compression, improving FPSO efficiency and reducing carbon footprint.

Sulzer has been collaborating with TechnipFMC on developing and testing supercritical CO2 pumps for the HISEP technology since 2017.

Following successful prototype validation, Sulzer is now supplying three customised 6 MW high-pressure centrifugal pumps for Petrobras’ planned HISEP pilot project in Brazil’s pre-salt oil region.

“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, TechnipFMC’s Executive Vice President of New Energy, highlighted the partnership’s innovative spirit: “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.

“This project has truly been a shared journey of innovation for all of us.”

Petrobras’ HISEP project will be deployed at the Mero 3 development, where fields typically contain a 50/50 mix of oil and CO2-rich gas.

Mero 3 is being developed by the Libra Consortium, operated by Petrobras (38.6%) along with partners Shell Brasil (19.3%), TotalEnergies (19.3%), CNPC (9.65%), CNOOC (9.65%), and Pré-Sal Petróleo SA (3.5%), representing the Brazilian government.

Upon delivery, the pumps will undergo rigorous testing and validation at a purpose-built laboratory at the Federal University of Itajuba before deployment.

The successful implementation of HISEP technology could pave the way for more sustainable offshore production practices worldwide.