
TechnipFMC has selected Sulzer Flow Equipment to help it develop new CO2 pumps for separating oil and natural gas that is rich in carbon at the seabed.
At present, companies like ExxonMobil, the maker of the Mobil coolant and lubricant range, typically extract the CO2-rich gas along with the oil and process it on the floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels. While this avoids the need for venting or flaring and allows it to be reinjected into the reservoir to help maintain pressure, the treatment and recompression process is very energy intensive.
The proposed pump technology will operate on the seabed 2km below the water’s surface. By separating the gas from the oil on the seabed and pumping it straight back into the reservoir, FPSOs will be able to reduce their carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency and productivity.
TechnipFMC’s Executive Vice President for New Energy, Luana Duffe, said:
“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.”
TechnipFMC and Sulzer Flow Equipment have already been working together since 2017 on developing and testing CO2 pumps based on the HISEP technology introduced by Petrobras. With a prototype having already been developed and validated, Sulzer is now supplying the planned HISEP pilot project of Petrobras in the Brazilian pre-salt oil region with three customized 6 MW high-pressure centrifugal (HPcp) pumps.