Avantair technology to cool generators located on the FPSO Almirante Barroso MV32
The offshore oil and gas industry uses FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading) to produce and process hydrocarbons, and to store oil. Today, there are about 180 FPSOs around the world’s oceans. Sterling Thermal Technology is a recognised technology provider with more than 100 Avantair supplied to FPSOs, about 40% of these for the Brazilian region. Our Avantair sophisticated technology is based on advanced air to air coolers using the heat pipe technology, which offers excellent value with superior heat transfer performance and space-saving design, precisely what our customers need. With our bespoke engineering capabilities, we design and engineer each specific unit to deliver maximum performance and efficiency to suit changing specifications.
The FPSO Almirante Barroso MV32 will be the 5th FPSO deployed at the Búzios field, a sizeable ultra-deep-water oil field located about 140 miles (230 km) off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Owned and operated by Modec for Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras), it is expected to start operations in 2022.
Sterling Thermal Technology has a long successful history with MODEC: we have been the technology provider of choice with our Avantair generator coolers. In this instance, the generators are manufactured and delivered by WEG, an industry-leading provider of electrical machinery with more than 30.000 employees with operations in 100 countries. After six months of collaboration between the engineering teams to find the best solution, we have been awarded the contract and successfully delivered the Avantair coolers.
Fraser Kuen, the Sterling TT’s Application Engineer who worked on the project, confirmed that “Avantair is designed for compact and self-contained installations where space restriction requirements are at a premium. Avantair is an ideal solution for multiple generator setup in many space-limited applications, especially FPSOs”.