Connections for Innovation | Module Pre-Commercial Procurement | Petrobras | Technology and Inovation

Request for Information - RFI to verify which companies in the market have inspection tools that allow assessing the structural condition of offshore composite pipelines like pipeline discontinuities, such as cracks, delaminations and pores.

Recent advances in the oil and gas exploration and production in ultra-deep water in Brazil have demanded efforts to develop and improve techniques and processes that optimize projects and field operations in the Brazilian´s industry in this sector.

Therefore, there is a need to develop alternative systems that are increasingly more efficient and reduce the CO2 emissions per unit of produced oil or natural gas, like the heat recovery for further power generation from the exhaust heat. Thus, Petrobras has intention to use Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) in offshore platforms (FPSO) recovering energy from gas turbine exhaust flue gas. The purpose of this RFI is to gain a better understanding about the technology, its power generation potential (at least 3 MWe), footprint and weight of the system and its feasibility to be installed in FPSO.

Description of Issue

Digital twins, replicating the physical assets it represents, can significantly improve efficiency in the execution and operational phase. However, building robust and trustworthy digital twins that can be used for critical operational decisions, is a key industrial challenge. In the context of the subsea production system, Digital Twins of Risers Systems (flexible and rigid) are being devleoped by Petrobras. These Digital Twins require the availability of reliable data that can be used to assess the structural integrity of these systems.

Currently, Digital Twin technology can predict top tension and remaining service life of  risers by processing in real time digital twin models. However, there is no monitoring system to check the prediction provided by these models against real parameters such as top tension. Therefore, such parameter is one of the most important input for the Digital Twin analysis. This data is of great importance to assess the structural integrity of risers due to extreme and dynamic loads. Additionaly, specifically for flexible risers and its multi-layered structure, the structural integrity is also dependent on the number of broken tensile armour wires and annulus condition (i.e., dry or flooded).

Therefore, in order to have a robust Digital Twin system for risers system, it becomes very important to have a reliable monitoring system that is able to provide the aforementioned information. In that sense, the following prospection intends to understand better about the technological risks related to this development and the interest of the market on it.

This RFI aims to obtain information on the viability of the qualification, up to TRL 6 (API17Q), of a Subsea Chemical Storage and Injection System until June 2026.

Development of a Subsea Pig Launcher/Subsea Automated Pig Launcher (SPL/SAPL) for unprocessed natural gas.

Request for Information - RFI for market evaluation of solutions for subsea water-oil separation and reinjection systems, their system functions, technological maturity, operability, manufacturing capacity and other technical and management aspects.

Petrobras is performing is on the Swiveled Symmetrical Bending Stiffener, which aims to locally increase the rigidity of the flexible pipe to progressively reduce the curvature and, consequently, the stresses imposed on the pipeline, in order to meet specific demands for the installation of risers in deep waters. This bending stiffener absorbs the bending moments acting on the pipeline by bending a double polyurethane cone pivoted to a stationary structure. Therefore, there is a smooth transition between the tubular body of the pipeline and its termination.

Development of equipments and non-pumpable materials as a cement alternative on well annular barriers.   
The intended technological solution shall work as a well barrier element (WBE) and shall be installed together with mobile rock formations (with creep properties), to isolate the annulus of the well permanently.

Petrobras needs to detect cracks on external armour structures of flexible lines (without thermal insulation). We want to detect and measure Stress Corrosion Cracking. Petrobras needs to inspect these structures down to 2500 meters water depth, allowing for the scan of risers and flowlines every 1 meter length.

Petrobras seeks to identify companies capable of providing chemical formulations for the reduction of organic compounds dissolved in water, which can be measured as TOG (Total Oil and Grease). The focus is to find existing solutions on the market or develop new ones, individually or in a consortium of companies, to replace or complement the acidification method with organic acids, such as acetic acid, currently used by Petrobras. The scope includes all phases of product development, from laboratory to field, excluding the evaluation or development of equipment and other acidic formulations.

PETROBRAS intends to contract the development and support of an open digital platform for the integration of computational tools for asset integrity management, aiming to meet its multiple needs related to the development and applications of innovative solutions in this area.
In this way, the platform (a software framework) must speed up the development and rapid and efficient incorporation of innovations into work processes, based on a diversity of suppliers, with beneficial network effects for the entire business ecosystem.
Initially, the platform must be developed to form the basis of the Ativo360 technological solution, already operational in the company's business units, with strong demand for coverage in other areas.
The platform must therefore meet PETROBRAS' demands in digital management of maintenance and inspection of all its offshore production units, onshore production units, refineries and other industrial assets.

Petrobras intends to contract the development, testing, supply and installation of: automatic water drainage system from clear product storage tanks, to be installed in existing tanks in the PETROBRAS system, capable of being installed and removed from tanks in operation without the need for trepanning, to monitor the presence and accumulation of water in the tanks, to autonomously identify the tank's readiness for water drainage and inform the situation to the person responsible for the operation, to start draining the tank automatically after release from the operation team, to monitor the quality of the fluid drained and stop the process based on pre-determined parameters, to quantify the volume of fluid discarded from each tank, to measure the quantity of hydrocarbon in the disposal stream, to notify operation if something different than expected is detected in the fluid, monitoring not only the presence of hydrocarbons in the drained fluid, but also the presence of solids, sludge and other contaminants, and recalibrating its sensors without the need for operational interruption, in order to meet the demand of refineries and terminals that operate clear product tanks.

Petrobras intends to contract the development of the qualification of high-performance natural gas CO2 separation membranes, developed of the hollow fiber type, in partnership with PAM Mmembranenas Sselectives Ltda., according to patent BR 10, 2022, 024002 7. This membrane model has the potential to eliminate future bottlenecks by increasing the CO2 concentration of an FPSO's processing systems, while reducing downtime for membrane element changes.

Petrobras intends to contract the development of a stimulating completion fluid capable of acting to remove damage from drilling, leaving a well without any damage or, preferably, slightly stimulated, so that a subsequent conventional stimulation operation is not necessary, reducing the need for a dedicated stimulation ship and its associated costs and risks.​​​​​