OTC-25710-MS

Brazilian Pre-Salt: An Impressive Journey from Plans and Challenges to

Concrete Results
Carlos Tadeu da Costa Fraga, Antonio Carlos Capeleiro Pinto, Celso Cesar Moreira Branco,
Jorge Oscar de Sant´Anna Pizarro, and Cezar Augusto da Silva Paulo, PETROBRAS

Copyright 2015, Offshore Technology Conference

This paper was prepared for presentation at the Offshore Technology Conference held in Houston, Texas, USA, 4 –7 May 2015.

This paper was selected for presentation by an OTC program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents
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Abstract
In the early 2000s the context of the pre-salt formations was conceptual geological models of possible oil
bearing reservoirs underneath a thick salt layer, many technical challenges, uncertainties and risks. Past
only eight years from first discovery (2006), there are nine production systems, FPSOs, in operation,
reaching an average oil rate of more than 700 thousand barrels per day and a cumulative production
greater than 400 million barrels of oil, through 34 production wells. To optimize recovery, the first
desulfated sea water and gas injectors were started. But these impressive numbers cannot be taken from
granted: although nature has revealed prolific reservoirs, much experience, talent, planning and perse-
verance were necessary.
The first articles addressing the pre-salt fields had a focus on the technical challenges faced on first
years: the heterogeneous nature of the microbial carbonate reservoir, the 2,000 m salt layer and drilling
concerns associated, the variable CO2 content and compositional grading in the reservoir fluids, flow
assurance issues and special demands concerning subsea engineering, well construction and processing
plant. The main drivers and development strategies were also established: staged development, based on
extended well tests (EWTs), multi well production pilots and definitive systems prioritizing the standard-
ization of well projects and production systems. Now, challenges and plans are rewarding the efforts, as
depicted by the concrete production numbers achieved to date.
In this text, a historical perspective of the pre-salt exploration and development is presented, empha-
sizing the previous unknowns and uncertainties and how they were treated in order to attain the results.
As we still have a lot to learn, since we are just on the beginning of the development of this extraordinary
petroleum province, a look to the future and the present efforts on optimization are also commented.

Introduction
The discovery of giant oil accumulations in ultra-deep waters off Brazil´s southeast coast, underneath a
thick layer of salt, opened new frontiers to the Brazilian petroleum industry. The main events of this
journey and how ideas and concepts turned into reality are briefly described herein.
The area known as the Santos Basin pre-salt Cluster (SBPSC) is located in ultra-deep waters, between
1,900 and 2,400 m, approximately 290 km offshore the Rio de Janeiro Coast, Southeast Brazil. The
2 OTC-25710-MS

SBPSC represents a prominent regional feature covered by a continuous evaporitic sequence, thicker than
2,000 meters. The pre-salt targets comprise a thick carbonate section in depths ranging from 5,000 to
6,500 meters. The Basin was formed when South America separated from Africa as the South Atlantic
began to open (Carminati et al, 2008, 2009). During the Cretaceous breakup of Gondwana, the deposi-
tional processes created source, reservoir and seal layers necessary to successfully create a viable
petroleum system (Beasley et al). The reservoirs are composed of carbonate rocks associated to organic
origin: they were the result of mechanisms of trapping, biding and cementation of sedimentary grains by
microorganisms, especially cyano bacterias (blue-green algae), creating structures known as stromatolites.
These processes were triggered during the separation of South America and Africa at approximately 120
million years (Aptian age): a rift (crack) nearly parallel to the present Brazilian coast was initially filled
with sedimentary rocks, sand, clays and igneous; over time these previous sediments were overlain by the
organic carbonates. The onset of salt deposition closes the carbonate formation phase; the thick salt layer
is the sealing rock for the reservoirs. It is important to highlight that these reservoirs have no analogues
throughout the world, none of them in ultra-deep water (Moczydlower et al). Carminatti et al. described
the exploratory efforts that led to its discovery. With the results obtained a paradigm was broken, pointing
for the great potential of carbonate rocks in the deep/ultra-deep waters in the Brazilian Continental
Margin. Nevertheless, new exploratory models and production technologies were necessary to overcome
the development challenges identified at that time, as will be discussed. Figure 1 shows the main pre-salt
blocks of the Santos and Campos Basin.

Figure 1—Pre-Salt Cluster Areas in the Santos and Campos Basin, Brazil.

In 2000-2001, as the Operator of different consortia, Petrobras obtained, through bid processes, the
concession to explore several blocks in the Santos basin area. Seismic acquisition program and interpre-
OTC-25710-MS 3

tation studies were then conducted to support the exploratory programs. The first location, known as Parati
(1-RJS-617), in BM-S-10, was approved in March, 2004. The existence of source rocks with similar
characteristics of those found in the Campos basin was speculated through geochemical correlations, but
there was significant uncertainty regarding the maturation, migration and volumes that could have been
generated and trapped. Despite of these uncertainties, the most important risks associated to the locations
were related to the existence and quality of the reservoirs.
The Parati location intended to test the stratigraphic traps in multiple objectives in the post-salt section
and, additionally, to test a structural high in the pre-salt. Sandstone reservoirs above the salt were found
with water and the decision was to go ahead and deepen the well. Lastly, in April 2006, gas condensate
was found in reservoirs of the pre-salt confirming the presence of a petroleum system in the area and
stimulating the drilling of additional locations.
The following exploratory well (1-RJS-628) was drilled in the BM-S-11 block, located in the central
portion of the Santos Basin. Petrobras is the Operator with 65% of work interest in the block while BG
E&P Brazil holds 25% and Galp Energia holds 10%. The well was designed to test the carbonate section
of an Aptian age reservoir and resulted in the Tupi discovery, in July 2006. It found light, good quality
oil (28° API) in microbial carbonate rocks, named SAG and Rift reservoirs.
Several other exploratory wells then followed, not only in BM-S-11 block but also in other blocks of
the SBPSC. Discoveries were made in all blocks operated by Petrobras: BM-S-08 (1-SPS-52, Bem-Te-
Vi), BM-S-09 (1-SPS-50, Carioca and 1-SPS-55, Guará), BM-S-10 (1-RJS-617, Parati), BM-S-11
(1-RJS-628, Tupi and 1-RJS-656, Iara), BM-S-21 (1-SPS-51, Caramba) and BM-S-24 (1-RJS-652,
Júpiter), resulting in a significant exploratory success rate. At the same time, additional wells were
successfully drilled in Campos Basin in stratigraphic analogue locations beneath the salt. These wells were
responsible for the Caxaréu discovery (ESS-172) and the 1st pre-salt oil production from the ESS-103A
well for the P-34 platform in Jubarte field, in 2008.
As these reservoirs were located in a completely new frontier, several geo-engineering and techno-
logical challenges were identified at first: ultra-deep waters, presence of CO2 in the associated gas, flow
assurance issues, drilling through thick salt layers, etc. Due to these facts and also to the giant proportions
of the province (see figure 2), comprehensive plans to acquire static and dynamic information were
designed and implemented. Indeed, the goal was to acquire not only geological information from
delimitation wells but also, and foremost, dynamical data that would support the definition of robust
development plans. The development strategy took into account production systems with flexibility to
work in different scenarios, which will be revealed along the development. To anticipate dynamic
information that would be used to optimize the design of the production systems and the oil recovery
strategies, Petrobras and its co-ventures decided to start with extended well tests (EWTs) and Pilot
systems. Nakano et al. and Formigli et al. describes with additional details the planning phase of this
strategy as implemented in the Lula field, formerly known as Tupi area.
4 OTC-25710-MS

Figure 2—Comparison of pre-salt exploratory and production area to the US GoM blocks.

The dynamic appraisal proved essential to assess reservoir connectivity, evaluate stimulation methods,
support reservoir characterization studies and define aspects related to flow in subsea lines and the
management of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the associated gas. This strategy was paramount to support the
fast track development that would follow the appraisal phase. The development projects that came on
stream, responsible for the outstanding marks shown along this article, were designed taking in account
previous knowledge of the dynamical performance of these reservoirs.
Since the beginning of the design of the first Production Pilot, in Tupi, Petrobras and its partners
considered, as a premise for the SBPSC development, not to emit the CO2 to be produced with the solution
gas. To achieve this goal when needed, the processing plants were designed with a complex separation
system, which removes the CO2 from the HC gas. The CO2 stream is compressed to a high pressure and
reinjected in the producing reservoir. In 2010, Sampaio et al. described the first studies to define
alternatives for the geological storage of the CO2 to be produced from the pre-salt reservoirs of the Santos
Basin.
Later on, in 2012, Pizarro and Branco pointed out the advantages of using this CO2 gas rich phase as
an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) process. They also showed first results from the Lula Pilot project, where
a miscible gas with high CO2 content is being injected alternating with water (WAG) to test the feasibility
of this method in this challenging scenario. To make possible the eventual extension to field scale,
Petrobras and its partners decided to provide flexibility to the production system since the project’s
conceptual phase. Indeed, early stage planning of EOR processes is important for ultra-deep offshore
fields, otherwise it will be quite difficult to implement, due to the constraints to make changes in a
Production Unit with ongoing operation.
The results collected to date described on the following sections confirm the adequacy of the strategy
to install EWT and Pilot projects before the deployment of larger scale systems, as is Petrobras practice
in its projects in deep waters. Based on the data already obtained, it has been possible to implement
technical modifications to the original scope, still in the design phase, optimizing the projects.
OTC-25710-MS 5

Pre-salt development challenges and drivers

As comprehensively discussed in previous papers (Moczydlower et al, Pizarro and Branco, Fraga et al.),
the pre-salt fields posed many challenging aspects both in terms of location – ultra deep water and distance
to shore – as well as concerning the reservoir and fluid properties. The main characteristics of the pre-salt
areas which brought special concerns for the development projects are illustrated in figure 3.

Figure 3—Summary of main pre-salt technical and logistic challenges

Putting the above figure in words, it could be described as:

● Water depths in the range of 2000 to 2300m; distance to shore around 300km in an area without
previous infra structure.
● Exploratory areas spreading over an area of 149,000 km2.
● Reservoirs overlaid by a variable thickness salt layer, reaching 2,000m in some areas. Besides the
drilling difficulties the variable salt layer also posed problems for seismic illumination of the
reservoirs.
● Reservoir rock composed of microbial and chemical carbonate construction, very heterogeneous
by its own origin and subjected to internal (at the pore scale) alterations due to diagenesis.
● Reservoir containing some higher scale heterogeneities representend by vertical barriers, sealing
faults and facies variations which may create reservoir connectivity constraints.
● Oil (API gravities from 28 to 32 and gas-oil ratio between 200 and 350 m3/m3) with variable
contents of CO2 in the gas phase (for instance, between 1 and 20% in Lula field).
● Flow assurance constraints of a waxy oil flowing through subsea flowlines, at very low
temperatures.
This unique combination of technical and logistical challenges created the opportunity for the
development of new solutions and technologies, many of them will be detailed in other papers to be
presented in OTC 2015. For the purpose of highlighting main production results of the so far implemented
projects, an overview of the main drivers which served as basis for the development of the prolific pre-salt
fields are commented below.
6 OTC-25710-MS

HSE
An important HSE driver that affected all other disciplines was the strategic decision made by the
companies composing the different consortia with interests in Santos Basin pre-salt area of not venting the
CO2 originally present in the hydrocarbons. To comply with this decision, a solution based on compact
membranes systems was developed for the filtration of the produced gas. It allowed the first CO2
separation from associated natural gas in ultra-deep water (2,220 m) associated with CO2 re-injection into
producing reservoirs. As a consequence, the drainage plans adopted the water alternating gas (WAG) as
a possible recovery mechanism, taking advantage of the CO2 content present in the produced gas. In fact
WAG act more as a reservoir management strategy than an enhanced oil recovery mechanism, due to the
relatively low amount of CO2. Only if all the produced gas is reinjected, the gas-water injection rates in
reservoir condition would be close to the optimum 1:1 ratio,
Reservoir characterization and development
As mentioned in the introduction, proper static and dynamic characterization of the microbial carbonate
reservoir was a primary driver. A comprehensive program was established in terms of appraisal,
comprising well drilling, core extraction and special core analysis as well as a complete well logging.
Special attention was put on dynamic modeling by means of transient well testing and extended well tests
(see Moczydlower et al, Pizarro and Branco for more details). High density seismic acquisition was shot
in an area of 21,700 km2 (world record at the time). Fluids characterization also received much attention
both in terms of their reservoir (PVT) and flow assurance properties.
Materials
A consequence of the presence of contaminants in the produced fluids was the necessity of a careful
definition of the materials to be used in well tubulars, flowlines and risers and in the processing plants.
In response an extensive laboratory study was launched in Petrobras Research Center aiming to test
different alloys in order to select the materials (metallic and elastomeric) able to withstand the high
pressures and aggressive environment. A qualification program for flexible risers and subsea flow lines
was also perfomed, in cooperation with the industry.
Topsides facilities
One important assumption made for the pre-salt stationary production units was the use of VLCCs hulls
and maximum electric energy generation of 4 x 25MW. The separation and reinjection of CO2 in the
reservoir for purposes of disposal and enhanced oil recovery was taken as a primary driver for all the
pre-salt projects. The technology chosen for separation was permeation through membranes, once it was
the only one process identified able to handle a wide range of CO 2concentrations in different fields or
in the same field, throughout the productive life. Under these main assumptions the processing plant
design intends to optimize the following variables: oil, total liquid and gas processing capacities, water
injection capacity and produced water treatment to allow its disposal respecting the strict Brazilian rules
and the safety requirements.
Well construction
The complex scenario depicted in figure 3 and described in the introduction induced the adoption of the
following drivers (Fraga et al): a policy of integrated planning and integrated teams was established for
well construction, aiming standardization and cost reduction; accelerated training for young professionals,
experience share and coaching; adoption of 5th and 6th generation rigs with capabilities enhancement
(hook load, tanks and torque), offline operations (dual derrick, dual activity, auxiliary table), rig
automation; attempt to use specialized vessels (for top hole drilling, for reservoir drilling whenever
managed pressure drilling is necessary, for well completion); keep track and implement a learning curve
approach in the well design and construction; monitoring operations by real time use of data – RTSC;
search for continuous improved efficiency in acidizing of wells for optimum productivity or injectivity
OTC-25710-MS 7

(pre-salt reservoirs are made of carbonates); implementation of smart wells for enhancement of reservoir
management during production phases; HSE was taken as essential input for planning the operations.

Flow assurance and subsea engineering

An extensive program of downhole fluid sampling and laboratory experiments was established aiming to
identify critical aspects of flow assurance, such as wax, gelation, hydrates, asphaltenes and inorganic
scale. Besides evaluating the risks at the lab scale mitigation measures were taken as adequate thermal
insulation of risers and pipelines, flexibility in platforms to displace the oil content in flowlines by diesel
during shut downs and implementation of downhole chemical injection systems (for scale and asphaltene
inhibitors, H2S scavenger when necessary). In terms of gathering systems the drivers were to to provide
flexibility in order to allow possible changes in drainage plans as new reservoir data were acquired.

Mega projects management

The main driver was to assure that the main uncertainties were known and mitigated at project sanction,
as well pursuing strategies for CAPEX reduction, on-time long lead items delivery and local content
accomplishment, among others. Integration of disciplines and the flexibility were fundamental to achieve
these goals. More details on this aspect are discussed in paper OTC-25896 “Developing Mega Projects
Simultaneously: The Brazilian Pre-Salt Case”.

Projects already on stream

The development of Santos Basin Pre-Salt cluster comprised, among others, the following steps:
● Drilling, logging and well tests of wildcat and appraisal wells in all exploratory blocks;
● Drilling, logging, coring and well tests of reservoir data acquisition wells in each area candidate
for a future production system;
● Dynamic appraisal through Extended Well Tests, see figure 4, in most of the areas where a
production system could be deployed, such as:
8 OTC-25710-MS

Figure 4 —FPSOs for Extended Well Tests

ⴰ Lula Field: Tupi Pilot area, Lula Nordeste, Lula Sul, Lula Central, Iracema Sul. Three
additional EWTs will be done by connecting wells to the FPSO already operating in Lula.
ⴰ Sapinhoá Field: Sapinhoá Pilot and Sapinhoá Norte.
ⴰ Iara: Iara Oeste area.
ⴰ Lapa: Carioca Nordeste area.
● A production Pilot in Lula Field started production in October, 2010 with FPSO Cidade de Angra
dos Reis.
● A production Pilot in Sapinhoá started production in January, 2013, with FPSO Cidade de São
Paulo.
● A production Pilot in Lula Nordeste production in June, 2013, with FPSO Cidade de Paraty.

The definitive system of Lula – Iracema Sul started production in October, 2014. The definitive system
of Sapinhoá Norte started production in November, 2014.
The oil processing capacity already installed in the Pre-Salt Cluster is 640 k bbl/d, as shown in the table
below:
OTC-25710-MS 9

Oil Processing Gas Processing Number of

Area Capacity (k bbl/d) Capacity (k m3/d) wellsconnected Gathering System

Lula Pilot-Oct/10 100 5.000 5Pr. ⫹ 2WAGinj. ⫹ Flexible lines and risers
1Ginj. ⫹ 1Winj.
Lula Nordeste Pilot – 120 5.000 5Pr. ⫹ 1WAGinj. ⫹ Flexible lines and rigid
Jan/13 1Ginj. ⫹ 1Winj. risers connected to
Buoy Supporting
Risers (BSRs)
Sapinhoá Pilot – Jun/13 120 5.000 4Pr. ⫹ 1WAGinj. ⫹ Flexible lines and rigid
1Ginj. risers connected to
Buoy Supporting
Risers (BSRs)
Lula-Iracema Sul – Oct/14 150 8.000 2Pr. ⫹ 1Ginj. Flexible lines and risers
Sapinhoá Norte – Nov14 150 6.000 1Pr. ⫹ 1Ginj. Rigid Risers in lazy wave
and Flexible risers and
lines

The Cidade de Angra dos Reis FPSO (Lula Pilot), figure 5, is nowadays producing 100 k bbl/d, with
5 producers, 1 WAG injectors wells, 1 water injector and 1 gas injection well.

Figure 5—Cidade de Angra dos Reis FPSO – Lula Pilot

The Cidade de Paraty FPSO (Lula Nordeste Pilot), see figure 6, is producing 120 k bbl/d, with 5
producers, 1 WAG injector and 1 gas injection well.
10 OTC-25710-MS

Figure 6 —Cidade de Paraty FPSO – Lula Northeast Pilot

The Cidade de São Paulo (Sapinhoá Pilot) FPSO, figure 7, is producing 120 k bbl/d, with 4 producers,
1 WAG injector and 1 gas injection well.

Figure 7—Cidade de São Paulo FPSO – Sapinhoá Pilot

The Cidade de Mangaratiba FPSO (Lula – Iracema Sul), figure 8, is being commissioned, with just 1
producer and 1 gas injector already connected.
OTC-25710-MS 11

Figure 8 —Cidade de Mangaratiba FPSO – Lula Iracema-Sul

The Cidade de Ilhabela FPSO (Sapinhoá Norte), figure 9, is being commissioned, with just 1 producer
and 1 gas injector already connected.

Figure 9 —Cidade de Ilhabela FPSO – Sapinhoá Norte

Besides these Santos Basin units, there are six production platforms on stream with producing wells
from pre-salt in the Campos Basin. Most of them were already installed in the area and as there was some
spare capacity it was possible to interconnect new wells drilled on pre-salt to the same infra structure
already in place very quickly. The units which produce both from post-salt and pre-salt layers are:
● P-48 in Barracuda-Caratinga field;
● P-53 in Marlim Leste field;
● FPSO Cidade de Niterói in Marlim Leste field;
● FPSO Capixaba in Baleia Franca field;
● P-58 in Parque das Baleias area, on stream since March 2014.
12 OTC-25710-MS

In addition, FPSO Cidade de Anchieta is on stream since September 2012 in Baleia Azul field, and it
is the only exclusive pre-salt production system in Campos Basin.
Current production (December, 2014) of pre-salt layer is over 700 kbpd. As depicted in figure 10, the
rate from Santos Basin pre-salt is about 430 k bbl/d. The first three FPSOs on stream in this area are
producing in their full processing capacity. The Sapinhoá Norte and Lula-Iracema Sul FPSOs are being
commissioned.

Figure 10 —Current (December, 2014) oil production of pre-salt reservoirs in Santos and Campos Basins

Besides the previously mentioned, the following projects are planned to start production in the next
years:

Oil Processing Gas Processing

Area Capacity (k bbl/d) Capacity (k m3/d)

Lula – Iracema 150 8,000

Norte – 2015
Lula Alto - 2016 150 6,000
Lula Central - 2016 150 6,000
Lula Sul - 2016 150 6,000
Lula Norte - 2016 150 6,000
Lapa – 2016 100 4,000
Buzios-I 150 7,000
Buzios-II 150 7,000
...

The “firsts” in pre-salt projects

The concrete production results presented in the previous item counted on some innovative technologies
deployed specifically for pre-salt projects. A list of these “firsts” is briefly shown below, they are
described in details in accompanying papers to be presented in OTC 2015 (OTC-25712-MS, OTC-25888-
OTC-25710-MS 13

MS, OTC-25773-MS, OTC-25691-MS, OTC-25896-MS); it would be out of the scope of the present
paper to get into details of them.
● First deployment of Buoy Supporting Risers (BSR) in Sapinhoá and Lula NE pilots. The concept
allows the usage of free hanging Steel Catenary Risers (SCR) with ship shaped units, such as
FPSOs, even in severe meteocean conditions. The SCRs can be installed before FPSO arrival,
which can help production ramp up.
● First Steel Catenary Risers with lined pipes: 60 km already installed by reel lay method in
Sapinhoá and Lula Nordeste. Special procedures and qualification tests were developed to allow
the usage of lined pipes for dynamic riser sections and also to lay this clad pipe alternative using
the reel lay method.
● Deepest Steel Lazy Wave Riser (7,021 ft WD): the SLWR will be installed until 1Q 2015 in 2,140
m (7,021 ft) water depth. It will be the first connected to a spread moored FPSO and the first totally
composed of lined pipes and metallurgically clad pipes.
● Deepest flexible risers (7,283 ft WD): 35 flexible risers – approximately 100 km–were already in
operation by July 2014 in the ultra-deep waters of Santos Basin to produce fluids with contam-
inants (CO2 e H2S).
● First application of flexible risers with integrated tensile armor wire monitoring system: Moni-
toring system based on optical fibers attached to the tensile armor wires, in Iracema Sul and
Sapinhoá. It applies the “early warning” concept to detect wire breakage, allowing preventive
actions to be taken and avoiding its evolution into a possible pipe failure and will be fully
commissioned by mid 2015.
● Water depth record (6,900 ft) for a subsea well drilled with pressurized Mud-Cap Drilling: Lula-19
well was drilled with this technology by a dynamic positioning floating rig in a scenario
characterized by massive losses of circulation, where the use of conventional approaches has been
unsuccessful. PMCD is an enabler technology to this scenario.
● First intensive use of Intelligent Completion in ultra-deep water satellite wells in a scenario with
high potential for carbonate scaling: has already installed this system in 12 wells of Lula, Lula
Nordeste, Lula Norte, Sapinhoá and Sapinhoá Norte at total well depths exceeding 4,800 m
(15,748 ft) and water depths of up to 2,200 m (7,218 ft).
● First CO2 separation from associated natural gas in an ultra-deep water environment with CO2
re-injection into producing reservoirs: Since April 2011, the FPSO Cidade de Angra dos Reis is
separating and re-injecting CO2. Up to 2014, this FPSO and FPSOs Cidade de São Paulo and
Cidade de Paraty were responsible for the separation and re-injection of 1 million tons of CO2
avoiding its emission to atmosphere. The technology of permeation through membranes allowed
the separation of a wide range of concentrations of CO2 produced in large volumes. This
technology allows the production of oil and gas with the reduction of emissions of greenhouse
gases into the atmosphere.
● Deepest offshore well (7,283 ft WD) injecting gas with CO2: In Lula Pilot Project, the CO2
injected gas content can reach 85%. Besides the benefits to the environment, this technique
provides conditions to store the produced CO2 in subsurface and use it to improve the oil recovery.
● First use of Water Alternating Gas injection method in ultra-deep water: The test, being performed
on the Lula Pilot System, has been on-stream since June 2013 with no major operational or
reservoir concerns. The main advantages are optimized reservoir management and increase the oil
recovery factor.
● World records in 3D seismic technology: Petrobras and partners have acquired 23,100 km2 (8,919
square miles) of 3D seismic in the exploration phase of Santos Basin in 2001. These data allowed
the discovery of the Brazilian pre-salt province comprising 149,000km2 (57,529 square miles).
14 OTC-25710-MS

Following, from 2008 to 2013, to improve reservoir characterization, Petrobras and partners set a
new world record of high-density 3D seismic acquisition and processing with 21.750 km2 (8,400
square milles), covering the pre-salt oilfields of Sapinhoá, Lapa, Lula, Búzios, areas of Iara and
Júpiter. This high resolution data allowed us to select locations for high productivity wells during
the D&P phase, with each of them currently producing between 20,000 to 35,000 bbl/d.

Conclusions
Although the complexity envisaged in the first years current results of Brazilian pre-salt projects, prove
that most of the challenges were overcome. In December, 2014, production reached 430,000 bopd only
in Santos Basin Pre-Salt and 700,000 bopd in the whole pre-salt layer.
The achievement of these results, especially the production of 430,000 bopd in the Santos Basin, as
well as the forecasted production and recovery of the pre-salt reservoirs, were possible due to the
following factors: (i) huge investments in static and dynamic appraisal, to reduce uncertainties and
mitigate risks; (ii) fast-track deployment of an EWT and a Production Pilot in Lula Field, which provided
valious information for the whole pre-salt development; (iii) development projects considering flexibility
for changes in the well pattern, WAG recovery strategy, intelligent well completion, among others; (iv)
intensive use of new technology, in all disciplines; (v) rigorous fulfillment of HSE, considering safety as
the major priority in operation; (vi) support of partners; (vii) support of service companies and suppliers
and last but not least, (viii) extreme commitment and technical excellence of Petrobras´ technical teams,
in all disciplinary areas, since the early design phase till operation in the fields.

Acknowledgements
The authors would like to express their appreciation to Petrobras and its partners on BMS-11 and BMS-9
pre-salt blocks, BG E&P Brasil, Petrogal Brasil and RepsolSinopec Brasil, due to the permission to
publish this paper. They also acknowledge the support from Michelle Sampaio, Tamires Alcoforado and
Daniel Leite Lima for the revision and technical contributions.

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