Flow Assurance in Buzios Field: Key Challenges and Implemented Solutions

Abstract

This article's goal is to present some of the main flow assurance challenges faced by PETROBRAS in the Buzios oil field, from its early design stages to full operation, up to this day. These challenges include: hydrate formation in WAG (Water Alternating Gas) operations; reliability of the chemical injection system to prevent scale deposition; increasing GLR (Gas Liquid Ratio) management and operations with extremely high flowrates. Flow assurance experience amassed in Buzios and in other pre-salt oil fields, regarding all these presented issues, is particularly relevant for the development of future projects with similar characteristics, such as high liquid flow rate, high CO2 content and high scaling potential.