ABB will supply electrical equipment and automation solutions to Singapore-based Seatrium for two new FPSOs under construction for client Petrobras.
The 225,000 bbl/d P-84 and P-85 platforms will operate at the Atapu and Sépia fields, 200 km offshore Rio de Janeiro in the presalt Santos Basin offshore Brazil.
ABB’s brief covers design and construction of the electrical equipment for the topsides and hulls, along with the electrical substation automation and eHouses.
Petrobras plans to use the ABB Ability System 800xA and IEC 61850 technologies for substation automation, which is said to provide interoperability between intelligent electrical devices with benefits such as improved operational efficiency and system reliability.
Both vessels will also feature an all-electric concept, with electrically driven compressors and motors to deliver a power generation capacity of 165 MW.
The project will be the first offshore application of ABB’s three Is-limiter configuration that the company claims will help ensure effective management of short circuits, which is critical because of the FPSOs’ high-power capacity. Is-limiters are devices that act speedily to prevent damage to electrical components and reduce mechanical and thermal stress by limiting the short-circuit current before it reaches its peak value.
The systems for the FPSO topsides will be contained within an eHouse, a prefabricated substation designed to house medium-voltage and low-voltage switchgear, other power equipment and automation cabinets.
ABB’s factory in Sorocaba, 85 km west of São Paulo, will manufacture the UniGear ZS1 switchboard.
The eHouses should both be delivered by 2027.
Moreover, earlier this week, Veolia announced that it secured a multi-million-dollar contract from Seatrium to provide advanced seawater desalination solutions for Petrobras’ P84 and P85 FPSOs.
