Innovations
Innovation is the key to progress in the offshore oil production industry, enabling improved efficiency, safety, and sustainability.
As the world still depends on hydrocarbons for energy, the need to extract oil from offshore reservoirs highlights the importance of continuously advancing technology and practices.
Innovation plays a crucial role at every stage, from exploration to extraction, transportation to refining, transforming the industry and its environmental impact.
FPSO Through Hull Cooling System
A new concept for the cooling system for FPSO units causes the closed-circuit cooling system using industrial fluid to be cooled through the contact of this fluid with the hull side/bottom shell, thus dissipating heat into seawater. In this way, there is no need to install the seawater lift system for cooling, reducing the footprint, and the structural reinforcement on the FPSO. In addition to increasing the platform's energy efficiency by reducing fuel consumption, this new cooling system concept mitigates the environmental impact of offshore production by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases and the pollution of the oceans with biocide.
FPSO Longitudinal Cargo Tank Arrangement
The current arrangement of FPSO tanks is similar to that of oil tankers, from which the FPSO design originated. This innovation proposes a new longitudinal cargo tank arrangement to reduce the equipment and piping on the FPSO deck. This arrangement saves space and weight on the topside while reducing the construction and commission time of the FPSO. The reduction in the number of cargo tanks, cargo pumps, and piping also lowers the cost of operating and maintaining the storage and offloading systems.
Compressed Air System Optmization
This innovation proposes that FPSOs use compressed air in a gas turbine to feed all the systems that require compressed air. This feed is carried out through the bleeding part of the compressed air in the gas turbine compressor before it enters the combustor of the gas turbine to supply the compressed air systems. The supply is made through piping, valves, and heat exchangers designed to connect the gas turbine compressor to the FPSO air compressor systems. Besides increasing the compressed air system efficiency and reliability, a reduction in moto compressors is also expected.
