MAN to supply compressors for Equinor’s Bacalhau FPSO

Japanese supplier and operator of offshore floating platforms MODEC has commissioned MAN Energy Solutions to supply a total of five radial compressor and two screw compressor trains for the first Brazilian offshore gas extraction project of the end customer Equinor.

MAN said on Wednesday that the compressor trains would be installed aboard the largest FPSO vessel to ever be delivered to Brazil.

The vessel will be deployed in the Bacalhau field, about 185 kilometres off the Brazilian coast – south of São Paulo – at a water depth of around 2,050 meters.

The FPSO will be designed to produce and process up to 220,000 barrels of crude oil and up to 15 million cubic meters of gas per day. The minimum storage capacity will be two million barrels of crude oil.

The FPSO will be MODEC’s 17th FPSO or FSO vessel in Brazil and Modec’s 9th FPSO in the pre-salt region, as well as Modec’s first contract with Equinor.

Jeff Knox, project manager at MODEC, said: “We are proud to support the further development of Brazil’s energy industry with this important, large-scale project. With MAN Energy Solutions, we have won a reliable partner for the compressor technology who can supply the required system components from one source“.

Christopher Bowles, head of sales of oil and gas upstream at MAN Energy Solutions, added: “We can look back on a long history of success with numerous joint projects for FPSO applications and are looking forward to continuing the good cooperation with MODEC.

“There are strict goals for reducing CO2 that have to be met for this project. Our comprehensive, technical expertise and the unrivalled reliability of our compressor systems play a vital role in achieving this target.“

The compressor systems will help maintain the pressure in the Bacalhau field, thereby maximising the production flow-rate and efficiency.

The two SKUEL 510 screw compressors will be used as vapour-recovery units. These pressurize any flash-gas created and return it to the process instead of burning it off into the atmosphere. Not only does this increase the efficiency of gas processing, but it also significantly reduces CO2 emissions.

While the radial compressors will be designed, manufactured and tested in Switzerland, the screw compressors will be produced at the MAN site in Germany.

According to the company, the delivery of all compressor trains is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2021.