COMPRESSOR DRIVE

Reciprocating compressor drive

Gas engines as compressor drive on North Sea platform

In 2013 S&L has been awarded to deliver two 16-cylinder VHP engines for the GDF-Suez (today: Neptune Energy) platform E17a in the North Sea. This production platform is located about 160 km north-west from den Helder, just outside of the Dutch North Sea sector. Here, extracted field gas is cleaned and dried before it is supplied to the gas pipeline. Before, two compressor sets do the job, driven by Caterpillar lean burn engines running on field gas.

The new Dutch Emission Legislation (BEMS), valid for new installations from 2010 and binding for all stationary gas engine plants from 2017, gave the impetus for the complete modernization of the platform compressor system. In general, lean-burn engines are not able to meet the stringent NOx levels (100mg/m³N) without installing a complex SCR technology. The logistical efforts for urea supply and disposal on a platform dropped this alternative very early. An overhaul of the lean burn engines was no longer useful in this context. Besides the new compressors, the revamping does also include two new stoichiometric gas engines. With their controlled catalytic converter (3-Way-Catalyst) these engines are capable to meet these stringent NOx emission limits.

The Dutch packager ConPackSys B.V. was entrusted with the construction of the new compressor package incorporating two compressor units on a common framework and they their selves placed the order about two engines at S&L. Deliver and commissioning took place in 2014.

Key facts:
Compressor:
Ariel JGD/4
Range of speeds:
750-1000 U/min
Gas engine:
Waukesha P9390GSI
Power:
1100 kW @ 920U/min
Emissions:
Ultra-Low (100 mg/m³N)

Gas engines as compressor drive on North Sea platform
Gas engines as compressor drive on North Sea platform

Q8-terminal, Wintershall-NL

At the Wintershall shore base near Ijmuiden / NL the offshore collected North-Sea gas is cleaned, compressed and fed into the Dutch pipeline system. In terminal Q8 a Waukesha 16V275GL+ is driving an Ariel gas compressor, type KBZ/6 for this purpose. At a constant speed of 1000 rpm the gas compressor is boosting about 32.000 m³ natural gas per hour with a mechanical power demand of 3,6 MW. This installation was commissioned in December 2012. Since that time it runs continuously without any redundancy. Maintenance is provided by our certified specialists from S&L Energie-Projekte B.V., Geldermalsen, NL.

Q8-terminal, Wintershall-NL

Compressor station Odolanow (Poland)

1 x 12V-AT27GL with 2,500 kW power at 1,000 RPM.

At the Odolanow compressor station, the Polish crude oil and natural gas company PGNiG operates several compressors powered by Waukesha gas engines. In 2005, S&L delivered and installed a 12-cylinder AT27GL engine for use with an Ariel reciprocating compressor.

Compressor station Odolanow (Poland)