Latest order for water injection pumps bolsters FPSO market for Sulzer

Guyana has some of the world’s biggest offshore discoveries made in years, with 10 billion barrels of recoverable oil and gas starting to come online since 2019. These offshore reserves are being extracted using floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels, which are connected to well-heads on the seabed. Sulzer has already delivered 11 high pressure water injection pumps and the latest order for five more HPcp pumps will support the largest FPSO in the Stabroek block.

Sulzer’s expert support for the FPSO arena is based on both innovative pump design and the flexibility to meet the customer’s requirements. These are essential to cope with the often-extreme conditions of the oceans and the specifics of the operator’s production methodology and philosophy. Water injection as a method of increased oil recovery (IOR) is well known and time-proven in the upstream Oil & Gas market. Typically, high-pressure pumps are used to inject treated seawater or produced water into the aquifer formation to stimulate and drive oil to the production riser.

In this project, the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) company will also lease and operate the FPSO for two years. Consequently, the efficiency and reliability of the major pumping equipment are very important. Sulzer has a long-standing partnership with the EPC, which appreciates the high-quality products that have been delivered for similar projects.

Steve Jackson – Head of Global FPSO Market for Sulzer, comments: “Our expertise is widely recognized by this market where our pumps are renowned for delivering high-quality, robust products. The latest FPSO is designed to produce 250’000 barrels of oil per day, with an associated gas treatment capacity of 450 million cubic feet per day and a water injection capacity of 300’000 barrels per day. Operating in water around 1’800 meters deep, the new vessel will have a storage capacity of around 2 million barrels of crude oil.”