Circular decommissioning strategies for current and future FPSO platforms

• Grant number: 25/19794-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: November 01, 2025
• End date: October 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Production Engineering - Product Engineering
• Agreement: BG E&P Brasil (Shell Group)
• Principal Investigator: Gilberto Francisco Martha de Souza
• Grantee: Lucas Fonseca Guimarães
• Host Institution: Escola Politécnica (EP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Company: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Politécnica (EP)
• Associated research grant: 22/03698-8 - OTIC Offshore Technology Innovation Centre, AP.PCPE

Abstract

CIRCULAR DECOMMISSIONING STRATEGIES FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE FPSO PLATFORMSAbstract: The project aims to develop an offshore circularity index based on an environmental and social Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of FPSO (Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading) platforms. Specifically, the LCA will be carried out on the Espírito Santo FPSO unit, a pilot project for the circular decommissioning of these platforms. The analysis will be based on the platform's inventory, considering the topside, subsea and reverse decommissioning logistics. Specialized software, such as SimaPro, will be used to conduct the LCA. In addition, the circularity index designed and calculated will be suitable for evaluating this character in offshore platform decommissioning processes, supporting future industry decisions. To develop the index, several circularity indicators are to be assessed, using approaches such as Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). The index will primarily prioritize material and environmental qualities, but may also consider other domains in the future. This research will be key to supporting other project packages, which will involve the development of a virtual model to explore different decommissioning alternatives (with simulation and gamification) and a circular design structure. The system will be applied to Shell FPSO Espírito Santo platform.The fellow will work within the Offshore Technology Innovation Center (OTIC), an Engineering Research Center (ERC) supported by FAPESP in partnership with the Shell Group and based at Poli-USP.