The Development of New Submarine and Offshore Technologies in Times of Uncertainty ...

68 Pages·2015·3.18 MB·English

The Development of New Submarine and Offshore
Technologies in Times of Uncertainty

Guilherme Duarte de Abreu Farinha

Thesis to obtain the Master of Science Degree in
Mechanical Engineering

Supervisor: Prof. Manuel Frederico Tojal de Valsassina Heitor

Examination Committee
Chairperson: Prof. Viriato Sérgio de Almeida Semião
Supervisor: Prof. Manuel Frederico Tojal de Valsassina Heitor
Members of the Committee: Eng. Carlos Soligo Camerini

May 2015

Acknowledgements

To Professor Manuel Valsassina Heitor, who led me throughout this thesis, helped me to open my
mind to such different areas of interest and for giving me the fantastic opportunity to work with him.
To all the interviewers, I want to leave a word of gratitude for their help in this thesis, with a special
thanks to Carlos Camerini for his hospitality and guidance throughout my internship in ONIP/PUC-Rio.
I wish to thank all my Friends to whom I will be eternally grateful for supporting me throughout the past
years and whom I am expecting to count on for the rest of my life.
Last and most importantly, I would like to thank my Family for their never-ending support, patience and

dedication. Without them I could have never made it here.
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Abstract

The recent discoveries of new energy sources over the past decade, particularly the pre-salt fields in
Brazil, are generating major technological innovations. Promoted by the technological trajectory
pursued in the last 40 years, mainly in the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, subsea technologies are
considered to be the next technological revolution in the oil and gas sector.
This thesis includes two main tasks: the study of three pioneering and innovative projects developed in
Brazil in the area of subsea technologies and the analysis of new technologies based on additive
manufacturing. The selection of the project was based on the ANP’s innovation awards, which
highlighted these three projects. Two of these projects are in the area of subsea boosting, Albacora’s
Subsea Helico-axial Multiphase Pump and Albacora’s Subsea Raw Water Injection System, and the
other one in the area of subsea separation, Marlim’s 3-phase Subsea Separation System. The second
task was accomplished with an internship in the cluster of digital manufacturing laboratories present in
PUC-Rio and INT, both located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Three key projects were studied, the Subsea
Cleaning Hub, the Modular Inspection System for Weld Analysis and the Smart Battery Monitor, and
experts in the area were interviewed.
Additive manufacturing is starting to bring some competences to the Brazilian industry, particularly
fomenting the development of small projects in start-ups or university spin-offs. However, the current
uncertainty scenario, created by the falling oil prices and the institutional corruption in Brazil, will slow
down Brazil’s industrialization strategy.

Keywords: Oil and Gas; Brazilian industry; Subsea technologies; Additive manufacturing

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Resumo

As recentes descobertas de novas fontes de energia ao longo da última década, particularmente nos
campos do pré-sal no Brasil, estão a gerar grandes inovações tecnológicas. Devido à trajetória
tecnológica dos últimos 40 anos, principalmente no Mar do Norte e no Golfo do México, as
tecnologias submarinas são consideradas a próxima revolução tecnológica no setor do petróleo e
gás.
Esta tese está dividida em duas partes: o estudo de três projetos pioneiros e inovadores
desenvolvidos no Brasil na área das tecnologias submarinas e a análise de novas tecnologias
baseadas em fabricação aditiva. A seleção dos projetos foi baseada nos prémios de inovação da
ANP, para quem estes três projetos mereceram grande destaque. Dois destes projetos pertencem à
área da bombagem submarina, a saber, Albacora’s Subsea Helico-axial Multiphase Pump e
Albacora’s Subsea Raw Water Injection System. O terceiro, designado por Marlim’s 3-Phase Subsea
Separation System, pertence à área da separação submarina. Para a segunda parte, foi realizado um
estágio no cluster de laboratórios de fabricação digitail existente na PUC-Rio e INT, ambos
localizados no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Foram estudados três projetos-chave, designados por Subsea
Cleaning Hub, Modular Inspection System for Weld Analysis e Battery Pack Controler. Foram ainda
efetuadas entrevistas a especialistas da área.
A fabricação aditiva está a começar a desenvolver competências na indústria brasileira, fomentando,
em particular, o desenvolvimento de pequenos projetos em start-ups ou spin-offs universitários. No
entanto, o atual cenário de incerteza, criado pelos baixos preços do petróleo bem como pela
corrupção institucional no Brasil, irá certamente abrandar a estratégia de industrialização do Brasil.

Palavras-chave: Petróleo e Gás; Indústria Brasileira; Tecnologias Submarinas; Fabricação Aditiva

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Contents

Contents..............................................................................................................................vii
1. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1
1.1. Context.................................................................................................................... 1
1.1.1. Towards an International Observatory of Global Policies for the Sustainable Exploration
of the Atlantic ................................................................................................................................... 2
1.2. The O&G Supply Chain ........................................................................................... 3
1.2.1. Segmentation ................................................................................................................... 3
1.2.2. Exploration and Production Sector .................................................................................. 4
1.3. The O&G Industry in Brazil ...................................................................................... 6
1.3.1. The Pre-salt Fields and Industrialization Policies ............................................................ 6
1.3.2. Uncertainty Scenario ....................................................................................................... 8
1.4. Thesis’s Framework ................................................................................................ 9
1.4.1. Motivation ........................................................................................................................ 9
1.4.2. Methodology .................................................................................................................... 9
1.4.3. Technology Development in Times of Uncertainty ........................................................ 10
2. Subsea Technologies..................................................................................................13
2.1. Subsea Processing Evolution .................................................................................13
2.2. Petrobras’s Subsea Technological Trajectory.........................................................15
2.3. Barracuda’s Subsea Helico-Axial Multiphase Pump ...............................................16
2.3.1. Project Overview............................................................................................................ 16
2.3.2. Design Challenges ........................................................................................................ 16
2.3.3. R&D Development Strategy .......................................................................................... 17
2.3.4. Adopted Solutions.......................................................................................................... 18
2.3.5. Developed Competencies ............................................................................................. 20
2.4. Albacora’s Subsea Raw Water Injection System ....................................................20
2.4.1. Project Overview............................................................................................................ 20
2.4.2. Design Challenges ........................................................................................................ 21
2.4.3. R&D Development Strategy .......................................................................................... 22
2.4.4. Adopted Solutions.......................................................................................................... 22
2.4.5. Developed Competencies ............................................................................................. 24
2.5. Marlim’s 3-phase Subsea Separation System ........................................................24
2.5.1. Project Overview............................................................................................................ 24
2.5.2. Technological Challenges ............................................................................................. 25
2.5.3. R&D Development Strategy .......................................................................................... 26
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2.5.4. Adopted Solutions.......................................................................................................... 27
2.5.5. Developed Competencies ............................................................................................. 31
2.6. Summary ................................................................................................................31
3. Additive Manufacturing in the O&G Industry ............................................................35
3.1. Process Description ...............................................................................................35
3.2. Industry Perspectives .............................................................................................35
3.3. The Digital Manufacturing Project...........................................................................36
3.3.1. Subsea Cleaning Hub .................................................................................................... 38
3.3.2. Modular Inspection System for Weld Analysis .............................................................. 43
3.3.3. Battery Pack Controler .................................................................................................. 47
3.4. Summary ................................................................................................................49
4. Conclusions .................................................................................................................50
Bibliography .......................................................................................................................53
Apendix A – Interviewed Specialists..................................................................................57

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