Baker Hughes Flexible Pipe Systems Support Brazilian Pre-Salt Field Development

Baker Hughes will deliver 77 km of flexible pipe systems for deployment at the Petrobras-operated Brazilian pre-salt fields per an agreement signed in mid-October 2024—specifically, the Búzios, Libra, Berbigão, Sururu, and Sépia fields. The contract, with delivery beginning mid-2026, includes:

• risers and flowlines for hydrocarbon production and related gas and water injection
• support for equipment storage, maintenance, and installation

Baker Hughes’ plant in Niteroi, Brazil will manufacture the flexible pipe systems.

“Brazil’s Santos Basin contains potential to help power Latin America into the future,” said Amerino Gatti, Executive Vice President, Oilfield Services & Equipment at Baker Hughes. “Operating in deep waters with high CO₂ concentrations presents unique challenges. Baker Hughes’ combination of subsea technology and engineering, expertise in offshore operations, and experience in the region will assist Petrobras to unlock and develop this potential, delivering these resources safely and efficiently.”

The systems will manage stress-induced corrosion cracking from CO₂, which often occurs as gas is reinjected into wells to reduce flaring and enhance oil recovery. Pre-salt fields with high CO₂ concentrations can cause corrosion cracking, but Baker Hughes’ flexible pipe system mitigates the issue. On Petrobras’ side, the company will limit operations-based CO₂ emissions and leverage CO₂ storage to produce low-carbon barrels.

Close-up rendering of flexible pipe system; image credit: Baker Hughes

Baker Hughes + Petrobras

The companies worked together throughout 2024, including Q3 contracts for 69.1 km of flexible pipe systems and associated services, integrated well construction services in the Buzios field, and integrated solutions for plug and abandonment in Petrobras’ pre- and post-salt fields.

Baker Hughes News

Earlier this month, Baker Hughes was awarded a contract to supply centrifugal and electrical-driven integrated compressor line (ICL) compressors to for TotalEnergies’ Kaminho floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) project in Angola. Kaminho is an all-electric, deepwater project in the Kwanza basin. It comprises the conversion of a very large crude carrier to a FPSO unit. Production start-up is set for 2028 and is expected to reach production of 70,000 barrels of oil a day.Baker Hughes’ ICL technology is said to minimize emissions, eliminate routine flaring, and reinject associated gas into the reservoir for storage.

Also in October, the Dubai Petroleum Establishment (DPE), on behalf of the Dubai Supply Authority, submitted a large-scale order of ICL units with Baker Hughes. These units will enhance energy supply reliability and support local decarbonization efforts. DPE has already been operating three ICL units since 2020 with zero seal leakages and minimal downtime required for maintenance. The recent award from DPE follows awards for varying project applications across Italy, Germany, Argentina, and the United States.

The 10 ICL units—five for gas storage and five for dual-use injection boosting or gas export to the current gas distribution network—will be installed at the Margham gas storage facility in Dubai, increasing its capacity. By utilizing ICL technology, the project will establish a high-reliability system with reduced emissions. The project will also provide stability to Dubai’s energy supply by supporting the system’s ability to alternate between natural gas and solar power.