Ivanhoe, SBM join forces on FPSO technology

Process pact: Deal agreed on HTL, seen here at Texas test facility

Ivanhoe Energy

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Bill Lehane

 20 March 2013 12:38 GMT

Canada’s Ivanhoe Energy and floating specialist SBM Offshore have formed a global strategic alliance on equipping floating production storage and offloading (FPSOs) vessels with heavy-oil upgrading facilities.

Dubbed floating production, upgrading, storage and offloading vessels (FPUSOs), the units would join Ivanhoe Energy’s proprietary heavy-to-light (HTL) process with the Dutch contractor’s floating vessels.

Ivanhoe Energy chief technology officer Michael Silverman said that the two companies had been working on the concept for the past two years.

The pair and AMEC Engineering have created a concept design for an FPUSO that would be capable of upgrading up to 60,000 barrels per day.

The HTL process aims to offer an economical way to upgrade offshore heavy oil resources by reducing the viscosity of the crude to raise its sale value…

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