MODEC, the leading supplier and operator of offshore systems for the global oil and gas industry, 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 end customer Equinor.

The compressor trains will be installed aboard the largest FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading) vessel to ever be delivered to Brazil. The vessel will be deployed in the Bacalhau field, about 185 kilometers off the Brazilian coast – south of São Paulo – at a water depth of around 2,050 meters.

The FPSO plant 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.

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

"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", added Christopher Bowles, Head of Sales – Oil & Gas Upstream – at MAN Energy Solutions. "There are strict goals for reducing CO₂ that have to be met for this project. Our comprehensive, technical expertise and the unrivaled 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 maximizing the production flow-rate and efficiency. The type RB compressors (2 × RB 45-4+5 and 3 × RB 28-6), which are driven by an electric, fixed-speed motor, will be utilized for gas-processing, full gas re-injection and gas-lifting applications.

The two SKUEL 510 screw compressors will be used as vapor-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, it also significantly reduces CO₂ emissions.

While the radial compressors will be designed, manufactured and tested in Zurich (Switzerland), the screw compressors will be produced at the MAN site in Oberhausen (Germany). Delivery of all compressor trains is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2021.