Brazil takes on challenges of Pre-Salt

Pipelines International — June 2011


Brazil’s state-owned petroleum company Petrobras has awarded Saipem a contract to install two export pipelines in the country’s Pre-Salt region, located in the Atlantic Ocean.


Petrobras has awarded Saipem a contract for the installation of the Guara and Lula-Northeast gas export pipelines in the Santos Basin, approximately 260 km off the coasts of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, in water depths between 2,100 and 2,200 m.

The contract encompasses the transportation, installation and pre-commissioning of two export pipelines, as well as the engineering, procurement and construction of related subsea equipment.

The 54 km, 18 inch diameter first line will connect the Guara floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel to a subsea gathering manifold in the Lula field. The FPSO is being constructed by Schahin/Modec consortium, will be able to produce 120,000 bbl/d of oil and 5 MMcm/d of gas, and is expected to go on-stream in late 2012.

The 22 km, 18 inch diameter second line will connect the Lula-Northeast FPSO to the same manifold in the Lula field.

The offshore activities for both the contracts will be performed mainly by the newly-built and highly specialised Saipem FDS 2 vessel, which will have the capacity to develop offshore fields by J-laying and lifting up to 1,000 t in dynamic position. Pipelaying on the project will be carried out in different periods between 2012 and 2013.

The Guara field is estimated to have between 1.1 and 2 Bbbl of recoverable oil.

The challenges of Pre-Salt petroleum production

The Pre-Salt region is located approximately 260 km off the coast of Brazil in the Atlantic Ocean. The region is named ‘Pre-Salt’ because the oil and gas resources are located in deep and ultra-deep waters, underneath an additional layer of salt that can be up to 2,000 m thick.

According to Petrobras, the biggest challenge in producing petroleum from these basins is the layer of salt, which, under high pressure and at high temperatures, behaves like a plastic, making it difficult to ensure the stability of the rock in the thick layer of salt.

Another challenge is transporting the oil and gas to shore once it has been produced.

Petrobras is investing in research for the development of pipeline infrastructure, which will enable more cost-effective production of Pre-Salt petroleum resources.

Petrobras has contracted a Japanese consortium to develop a flexible pipe design for offshore oil production in ultra-deep waters in the Pre-Salt cluster. The technical feasibility study is scheduled for completion in December 2014.