Five compressor trains have now been flown on three Russian Antonov transport aircraft to Singapore. The order comprises three gas-turbine-driven and two motor-driven compressor trains for use on an FPSO (floating, production, storage and off-loading) vessel. These special vessels are used in ultra-deep waters – approx. 1,500 m in this case – instead of the oil production platforms that are normally used.

The customer was Prosafe Production Services Pte Ltd, Singapore, one of the world’s foremost builders and operators of FPSO vessels. At present the tanker “Cidade de Sao Mateus” is being converted in Singapore for the Brazilian oil and gas producer Petrobras. This entails installing the compressor trains manufactured and tested by MAN Turbo in Switzerland. Petrobras has what is currently the largest FPSO fleet in the world. The vessel will be stationed and operated in the Golfinho field (Espirito Santo Basin) off the south-east coast of Brazil, and production is scheduled to come onstream in the fourth quarter of 2008.

With a gas compression capacity of 9,500,000 Nm3 per day, an oil production capacity of 35,000 barrels per day and storage capacity for 700,000 barrels of oil, the FPSO Cidade de Sao Mateus will be one of the biggest FPSO vessels in existence.

The order comprises two intermediate-pressure and three high-pressure trains with a drive capacity of 3.5 and 15 MW per train respectively, including the oil supply system, gearing, motors, control system and commissioning. The volume flow rate of the intermediate-pressure compressors is roughly 129,000 m3/h and of the high-pressure compressors around 38,000 m3/h. The three high-pressure trains (3x33%) and the two redundant intermediate-pressure trains (2x100%) are to be used for gas export.