Wood partners with Petrobras on future FPSO concepts

Wood has entered into an agreement with Brazil's national oil company, Petrobras, to conduct concept studies focused on optimizing performance and reducing emissions in support of a future vision for Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) units over the next decade.

The first study will investigate design concepts for FPSO units that minimize human exposure to risk and enhance operational reliability, aligning with industry trends. This plan aims to evaluate the overall unit concept and its practical application within one of the plant modules.

The second study will explore design concepts to convert the existing Petrobras Reference Design into an FPSO that does not rely on main electricity generation onboard. Instead, it will be electrified by an external power source, such as offshore power generation hubs or an integrated onshore system, effectively eliminating the largest source of emissions associated with traditional designs.

“These studies, developed collaboratively between Wood and Petrobras, will consider innovative solutions targeting concepts, definitions, and specifications that remain unexplored or underutilized in conventional FPSO projects,” said John Day, President of Oil, Gas, and New Energies at Wood.

“Research and design projects in traditional hydrocarbon extraction will be crucial for achieving net-zero emission goals. Wood was selected by Petrobras for this project due to our extensive global offshore expertise, diverse capabilities, and partnerships with industry technology providers.”

The project will be executed from Wood’s Houston office, with local support in Rio de Janeiro, leveraging the company’s marine systems and hull offshore expertise from Sandefjord, Norway. Wood will collaborate with engineers, scientists, and researchers from Petrobras, many of whom are based at the Rio de Janeiro headquarters, which houses the engineering department for Surface Systems responsible for all FPSO conceptual and Front End Engineering Design (FEED) designs. Additionally, it is home to the Petrobras Cenpes Research Center, the largest oil research hub in the southern hemisphere.