In 2022, Baker Hughes Masoneilan won a critical API control valve package for the Mero-3 offshore FPSO project. Shipped in Jan 2023, these severe service valves will control a wide range of onboard processes ranging from high-pressure water injection to high-pressure gas manifold management.
The order includes forged duplex stainless steel valves that are API-6A compliant and capable of working pressures up to 15,000 psi. Embedded advanced technology includes industry-proven Baker Hughes patented, high-pressure bolted-joint seals, up to 10-stage high-pressure valve trim, Masoneilan L17 low emissions stem packing, and industry-leading Masoneilan SVI-3 digital positioners with advanced diagnostics. All valves were designed, manufactured, and tested with successful first pass yield in the Conde, France facility where Baker Hughes maintains their API-6A Center of Excellence for offshore control valve products.
All valves will be ship mounted on the Mero-3 dedicated FPSO vessel Marechal Duque de Caxias built by MISC Malaysia, with production expected in 2024. Mero-3 is the third of four Mero sectors in the Santos Basin offshore of Rio de Janeiro, managed by Petrobras, Shell, Total, and other partners, estimated to contain 3-4 billion barrels of oil. The Mero field was discovered in 2010, and Mero-3 includes 15 wells in 2200 meters of water and is expected to process 180,000 barrels of oil and 12MM cubic meters of gas per day.
