“Our know-how was made for

challenging times. Together we can do great things.”

Jacques Melman, Managing Director, with Frames since 1991

FPSO

“FPSOs operate in every corner of the globe, but one thing is the same

across the board: production is becoming increasingly challenging.

Especially in the difficult economic climate we are facing today.

Frames is one of the largest oil and gas solutions providers in the

world. With more than 90 FPSO projects worldwide, we have all the

necessary technology in house for your project, from compact

packages to complete topside modules.

For us and for our clients, it’s necessary to work efficiently and reduce

costs. This is a constant process between technical engineers and

project managers, on both sides. We’re committed to make it work,

now and in the future. For this reason we wrote this white paper on

ways to increase efficiency in production and design of FPSO

topside packages.”

Jacques Melman, Managing Director Frames

Table of Contents

The Situation and the Challenge

• by Subject

• Optimization

• Integration Means Better Design

• Customizing Specifications Without

Compromising

• Staying Safe and Efficient with

New Technology

• Project Management

• Conversion

• Modification

• Reducing Costs in Topside Packages

Russia

Europe

Africa

Brazil

Australia

China

Malaysia

Vietnam

Gulf of Mexico

Frames’ FPSO projects worldwide. Find out more about our FPSO projects.

2 A Family of Oil & Gas Solutions

Efficient Design and Production of FPSO Topside Packages

The Situation and the Challenge

In the last two years, most economies have continued their growth.

For several reasons, oil prices, however, have continued to fall.

This has created a challenge for the Floating Production Storage and

Offloading (FPSO) market and the oil and gas market in general.

New onshore discoveries are at a historic low, and recent technological

advances have enabled offshore exploration into unprecedented

depths. Thus oil and gas companies are moving into new and

increasingly harsh and remote environments to meet the world’s

growing demand for energy. Production in deepwater and ultra-

deepwater has gained the spotlight in the industry. Often the regions

that represent the richest areas of energy resource are also the most

challenging for production.

Their weather conditions and limited transportation

access require more specially designed equipment

for FPSO vessels. Due to the market trends,

however, it is essential to reduce the cost of FPSO

topside packages and increase efficiency.

Skarv FPSO, Courtesy BP

Optimization

Low oil prices are not entirely bad. They drive oil companies, FPSO

contractors, EPCs and equipment providers to refine and improve

technologies, work more efficiently and optimize processes.

Integration Means Better Design

The power of integration lies within the optimization of topside

process packages. Taking control of the complete process and

designing the individual packages as a function of that control will

create improved capabilities, ease of operation, a reliable operating

window, a smaller footprint, lighter designs and faster delivery.

A company that can combine a broad portfolio with a thorough

understanding of gas, oil and water processes can create

synchronization and flexibility between and inside the different

topside packages on an FPSO.

“You don’t buy a car and

ask for the fuel gauge to be

switched over to the other side

of it, and yet that has been the

kind of preferential non-value-

added requests we’ve been

asking of our suppliers.”

Ian Cummins, CEO, BP

4 A Family of Oil & Gas Solutions

Customizing specifications without

compromising

Through time, prescriptive specifications became a restraining demand

on projects in the oil and gas industry. Imposing generic specifications

to specific individual projects leads to unnecessary complications, with

a risk of oversized, overqualified and expensive solutions. Even more

importantly, risk exposure may actually increase, as extra specifica-

tions dilute focus and introduce needless complexity.

A partnership with the solutions provider in the

early stages of the project is essential. With their

unique knowledge base, the solutions provider can

design the right package based on the process and

functional specifications. This also avoids

compromising the functionality, quality, and safety

of the operation.

Solutions

Staying Safe and Efficient with

New Technology

The oil and gas industry has been evolving rapidly

since 1859, when Edwin Drake drilled an oil well

using a cable system. Research and development

have given rise to sophisticated tools and equip-

ment that enable safe, effective exploration and

production. To continually meet the world’s growing

energy needs, research and development have

enabled all aspects of the industry.

Simulation of wave motion with the use of

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has been an

important development in the FPSO market. This

enabled designing more compact and efficient

separation and other oil and gas treatment pack-

ages. To remain efficient and ensure optimization

in the future, adding new technology to the

portfolio is a must.

Flexible, Compact and

Efficient Separation

During production, water and sand are produced together with the oil

and gas. There are a number of techniques available for separating

these phases. The obvious choice would be a conventional 2 or

3-phase separator. However, this type of separator takes up a large

amount of precious space.

Frames has the solution in the form of its newest and most compact

(inline) technology: the SwirlSep. Unlike competitive technologies, the

patented SwirlSep can be modified remotely and has an extremely

large working range, which makes it easily adjustable to changing well

conditions. Field test at the NAM (Shell/ExxonMobil) in October 2014

proved high separation efficiency and ease of operation. Furthermore,

the motions of an FPSO have no influence on the performance of this

separator. By using a more all-in-one compact separating technique

like SwirlSep, it is possible to reduce costly plot size up to 75 percent.

Find out more about our separation solutions.

Case

3-D rendition of the SwirlSep

6 A Family of Oil & Gas Solutions

Kraken FPSO: Optimization

and Integration

The Kraken oil field, discovered in 1985, is one of the biggest subsea

heavy-oil-field projects under development in the UK sector of the

North Sea. The operator of the field is EnQuest, and they are expecting

first oil in 2017. The Bumi Armada Kraken FPSO, which has a storage

capacity of 600,000 barrels, will process and store crude oil before

offloading it to a shuttle tanker.

Frames provided the produced water treatment skids, slop water

treatment skid, electrostatic coalescers and heat exchangers for the

project. One of the keys to our success was our early involvement

during the FEED phase to optimize the produced water treatment

system in close cooperation with Bumi Armada.

We optimized the produced water treatment skid in

a number of ways. With the integration of two skids

into one module, we reduced the plot by about 15

percent. Our understanding of mechanical

engineering principles led us to suggest adding a

sub-deck and incorporating the equipment into one

module. We also substituted our alternative process

design for the original one, using desanding

cyclones instead of membrane filtration, leading to

a high-performance, compact and cost-efficient

solution.

Find out more about our produced water treatment packages.

Kraken FPSO Produced Water Treatment Skid

Case

Project Management

Studies shows that the majority of oil and gas

projects are facing delays or cost escalations.

Effective project management is one of the defining

factors in reducing costs and controlling deadlines.

It requires the precise coordination of a wide range

of tasks and also guides professionals working

together toward delivering the best outcomes.

In principle, solutions providers need to build wherever the customer

wants them to build. Knowledgeable teams of all disciplines work in

place, overseen by a project manager who is the single point of

contact. This way, the project manager stays in control during the

whole project and can serve as a predictable partner for their clients

worldwide. Access to local offices is an added value for global business

players, providing the flexibility of a small, local operation. Operating

this way, solutions providers can raise the various technologies

in-house, over otherwise restricting boundaries.

Replicantes FPSO P-66, Courtesy Agência Petrobras

8 A Family of Oil & Gas Solutions

Replicantes: Successful Project

Management and Worldwide Presence

Petrobras is finalizing six identical FPSOs that will operate in the

Santos Basin, off the Brazilian coast. The project is also referred to as

Replicantes. Frames provided the molecular sieve gas dehydration unit,

the topside and subsea HPUs, the produced water treatment systems

and chemical injection systems for the modules. We worked in

coordinated multidisciplinary teams that have experience in delivering

single packages as well as integrated solutions such as the total FPSO

topside. Our office in Rio de Janeiro stayed in control and effectively

coordinated project planning, risk and change management.

In this project, we recognized that our local presence increased the

decisiveness of all parties involved. The partnership between Frames,

our local fabricator, EBSE, and the contractors proved to be essential

for equipping the modules to comply with all the local requirements.

The dialogue between the companies was always effective, and we

worked together closely whenever challenges arose, from the engineer-

ing phase to the development of the designs and through the

execution of the work.

“We are seeing a number of

operators trying to engage at

a much earlier stage with

contractors like us…and for

me that’s a really good

opportunity to change the

face of the industry.”

Burno Chabas, CEO, SBM

Find out more about our chemical injection systems.

Case

Replicantes FPSO’s Chemical Injection Skid

Conversion

As one of the biggest challenge for the coming years will be to deliver

cost-effective projects, conversion hulls will more often become the

only economically viable option. When it comes to conversion, a

thorough familiarity with all of the critical processes is crucial.

In addition to designing process topside, a key challenge lies in creat-

ing the optimal combination of reusing, modifying or replacement by

new equipment. This requires substantial know-how and a long-term

vision to keep overall cost competitiveness without compromising

the result.

Modification

Analyzing the topside of critical equipment and

debottlenecking where necessary results in a

cost-effective alternative to new built, useful

for re-deployment of FPSOs.

By modifying topside process equipment the FPSO

can be altered to meet a longer lifespan or become

better equipped to cope with changing field

requirements. Upgrading and retrofitting existing

equipment offers a strategic solution to realize fast

track projects against lower investments.

N’Goma FPSO, Courtesy SBM

10 A Family of Oil & Gas Solutions

Petrojarl: Partnership

and Shared Responsibility

in Conversion

The Petrojarl I is a Teekay Petrojarl–managed FPSO, built in 1986,

that has been active in the North Sea. It will be redeployed for the

Atlanta Field in Brazil.

In this project, the teams of Damen Shiprepair Rotterdam, Nevesbu

and Frames are working in close cooperation throughout the entire

project.

Case

Petrojarl FPSO

Léon van Bossum, Marketing and Sales Director, Frames

“Together with our partners we

have created a new approach

to the FPSO conversion market.”

That is why we are able to act quickly when

design changes are needed, with minimal

impact on the process design, project duration

and costs. The investment in partnerships,

cooperation from an early phase and shared

responsibilities, will result in an optimized

module process and layout designs,

lower module weights and fewer design

uncertainties. In the end this will lead to capital

and operational expenditure reduction for

the end client.

Find out more about our integrated solutions.

FRA1509W1

frames-group.comAbout Frames

At Frames we provide the vital link between well and pipeline.

We design, deliver and construct separation, treatment and control

and monitoring systems as well as total plant solutions and modules

for the international oil and gas market. Our people work directly,

one-on-one, with each client for the best results. Sharp. Together.

Committed.

Reducing Costs in Topside Packages

Here are some simple ways to cut costs.

• Approach contractors as partners.

• Maintain single point contact to avoid communication noise

and delay.

• Share your know-how to improve technology and results.

• Invest in new technologies to reduce plot space, weight

and the need for maintenance.

• Design topside packages as one integrated process.

• Customize the specifications to get the optimal design,

taking into account functionality, quality and safety.

• For conversion, find the optimal balance between re-use,

modification and new build with support of skilled contractors.

Contact

For more information about FPSO topside packages, contact:

Marjan Dekker m.dekker@frames-group.com +31 880 033352 or

Felipe Santiago f.santiago@frames-group.com +31 172 504956

Learn More

Read all our white papers at frames-group.com/together.