GE Power Systems Oil & Gas

Nuovo Pignone

AXIAL and CENTRIFUGAL COMPRESSORS for LNG SERVICE

2001 Nuovo Pignone S.p.A All rights reserved.

LNG

Large LNG Plants require turbocompressors with large steam or gas turbine drivers for refrigeration service. Nuovo Pignone has the most extensive experience covering all design, manufacturing, testing and operational aspects of this very challenging application. In fact, Nuovo Pignone has supplied the centrifugal and axial compressors and associated gas turbine drivers for most of the recent LNG Plants (Woodside, MNLG Dua and TIGA, Qatargas, ALNG Trinidad, Oman LNG, Nigeria LNG). Nuovo Pignone can supply the large compressors for Propane, Mixed Refrigerant or other refrigerant gases required by the specific LNG process.

7.7 MM T/y LNG Dua plant in Bintulu, Sarawak

Propane

This service is usually provided by one or two compressor casings each driven by a gas or steam turbine. Due to the unique characteristics of this refrigerant, this duty represents, along with natural gas reinjection, the most demanding application for industrial turbomachines. Low temperatures and a high molecular weight combined with side streams of significant capacity, require a very precise fluid dynamic design of the gas path and particular attention to rotor dynamics.
3MCL 1004 propane centrifugal compressors driven by MS 6001 B gas turbine (Bintulu plant)

Mixed Refrigerant

The duty of these machines, which have to handle large capacities at low operating temperature, requires the solution of many technical manufacturing and assembly issues. For large plants the use of axial compressors provides efficiency and operational advantages. This solution was adopted for the first time in the Bintulu plant using Nuovo Pignone worldclass advanced technology. Careful design of rotor and stator blading, accurate analysis of start-up procedures and precise evaluation of off-design operating conditions were key to successful implementation.
Mixed refrigerant train AN 200 axial compressor and 2BCL 806 centrifugal compressor, driven by gas turbine MS 7001 E-A (Bintulu plant)

Methane Ethylene

This service is usually met by one compressor casing, driven by a gas or steam turbine. Particular attention has to be given to rotor dynamics, due to the high pressure ratio and consequent large number of impellers generally associated with this refrigerant.

2MCL 1006 centrifugal compressor (Trinidad plant)

In this type of service the compressor is required to develop a very high pressure ratio which is generally obtained with a three casing train. The last is a barrel type compressor while the first and the second are horizontally split for easier maintenance. These machines generally do not present unusual challenges other than those normally related to trains of several large units.

Ethylene compressor

All units supplied for LNG applications are generally full load tested prior to shipment.This is done because of the criticality of the rotating equipment in the liquefaction chain. Nuovo Pignone full load testing facilities at the Florence and Massa plants have proven ability to string test complete 80 MW trains (including electric motor helper), allowing us to reproduce plant operating conditions and to fully verify both the performance and mechanical behavior of the units. The Florence and Massa plants are also suitable to perform full load testing on large electric motor driven compressors.
Mixed refrigerant centrifugal compressors on test bed

Full Load Test

GE Power Systems Oil & Gas

Nuovo Pignone S.p.A. Via Felice Matteucci, 2 50127 Florence - Italy Tel. +39-055-423211 Fax +39-055-4232800 e-mail: info.geoil&gas@np.ge.com www.gepower.com/geoilandgas
Control room

COMK/MARK 787/II - Studio Tre Fasi - 4-2001 2001 Nuovo Pignone S.p.A. all rights reserved

LNG turbocompressor during full load test at Massa plant