Fuel Additives Help Transocean Rigs Reduce Emissions

When it comes to reducing emissions and optimizing fuel consumption, the incremental changes we make—large or small—add up. Case in point? Fuel additives. Innovation Marketing Manager Diego Reixach recently sat down for a Q&A session on Transocean’s experience with fuel additives and how they’ve had a positive impact on fuel efficiency and emissions reduction offshore…

When did Transocean rigs start using the additives?

It started with a lot of research. We wanted to know if there was a product available that we could deploy to our rigs immediately that would optimize fuel consumption without the need for significant rig modification. Eventually, we selected NanO2 from PurifyFuel, and we tested it on one of our drilling rigs in 2021. After two weeks of testing, the results were very positive—we found that fuel consumption was reduced when using the product, which not only means lower emissions, but also cost savings for our customers. We are now expanding the use of the additive to more of our active fleet.  A win-win.

How do the additives get deployed on the rigs?

There are different ways to do it. As we are deploying this technology, the initial method is for the additive to be simply measured and poured into the into the rig’s fuel storage tank to achieve the target dilution ratio, and then the treated fuel is distributed to the engine via the existing fuel system. The additive remains in suspension without the need for mechanical agitation and doesn’t degrade or separate, so from the moment the fuel is treated, it is ready for use. Moving forward, we are automating the process using an inline dosing system which enhances accuracy and consistency and eliminates manual handling.

What makes fuel additives a good option for customers looking to reduce emissions?

First and foremost, fuel additives are easy to use and cost effective—it doesn’t require a large up-front investment to deploy them. A lot of other technologies that reduce fuel consumption and emissions require substantial modifications to existing equipment, which can be costly. That’s simply not the case with additives. They’re a readily available, simple to use and enable rigs to operate in a more sustainable and cost-effective way.