During the past 20 years, driven by the national economical and political pressures caused by the several petroleum crisis of the 70s and 80s, Petrobras has had to innovate in order to increase the Brazilian oil output. The major problem was that the large Brazilian oil reservoirs were all located offshore in water considered too deep, at that time. The water depth was 120m, the distance to shore was more than 100 km, and the estimated production rate was around 7 times higher than in the Brazil Northeast platforms. The adopted solution was based on the international technology available, that is, using fixed platforms. That was certainly a tremendous change in what has been done before, and, certainly, it was the first step to a new era of production facilities. The use of conventional technology would demand both a long lead time to the first barrel and the resources were not compatible with the urge of cutting down the oil import, and to the delicate country foreign cash flow balance. Petrobras had to dare trying new concepts using national technology in its own production facilities as a huge R&D lab. Examples of new production systems, equipment, process, procedures and approaches tried in Campos Basin is given throughout this paper. Past successes and failures that led to the currently used technology, as well as the more recently planned prototype testing programs are presented.
The 1973 world oil crisis brought a tremendous economical impact on most countries, especially on those with strong dependence on imported oil. This led to the increase in investment on oil and gas exploration and production worldwide, including the search of new technology for producing fields located in hostile environment.
The first oil discovery in the Camps Basin, in Brazil. occurred in 1974, just in the middle of the economical chaos created by the crisis, worsened by the country's unfavorable external payment balance. Bringing the newly discovered prolific oil province on to production, as fast and at the lowest cost as possible, became a key issue for Petrobras. The increased throughput would help reducing the burden of Brazil to manage its increasing external debts. The oil import was responsible, at that time, for a significant portion of the Brazilian payment unbalance.
The country had to reduce its oil consumption and, at the same time, increase its oil production. The reduction would come with the introduction of alcohol fueled automobile, and the use of other alternative energy sources, while the increase would mainly come through the Camps Basin offshore development.
The problem was to produce in conditions never experienced before. The Garoupa and Enchova Fields, the first ones in the Basin, located in 120 m depth, were already considered in deep waters, at the time.
