ESD Simulation Training and ExplainMedia have created a brand new online course, Centrifugal Compressor Training. This course is an affordable way to access ESD’s centrifugal compressor video at the low price of USD $149. The course undertakes an in-depth analysis on centrifugal compressors, which includes topics from how they are made to how to operate them. The course contains readings, video modules, and quizzes which all help enhance learning when compared to a text-based course.
Centrifugal Compressor Training focuses on four main topics:
After controversy surrounding the construction and startup of Enbridge’s Weymouth compressor station, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has granted Enbridge’s request to startup the station on October 1st.
Enbridge put in their request on September 16th, five days after a gasket failure that caused large vent of gas and an emergency shutdown. The failure caused a stir in the community, as the compressor station has been a point of contention between some members of the community and Enbridge. Although Enbridge has repeatedly assured the safety of the station, many locals and environments still hold concerns over the operation of the facility.
With the station being authorized for service, it will soon help transport natural gas as a part of Enbridge’s Atlantic Bridge pipeline. The pipeline currently carries gas from New Jersey to Massachusetts and has been in service since the fall of 2019. The compressor station will allow Maine and Atlantic Canada to receive natural gas as well.
Nigeria LNG (NLNG) selected Siemens Energy to provide a cryogenic boil-off gas (BOG) compression train for its Bonny Island plant. The solution will play a key role in providing additional BOG handling capability and spares for the existing system.
The new BOG compression train will be driven by a high-efficiency electric motor and includes two Siemens Energy centrifugal compressors.
Located in Finima, Nigeria, the Bonny Island plant has been in operation since 1999. Siemens’ partnership with NLNG and the Bonny Island project can be traced back over two decades when the plant was first commissioned.
“With more than 20 years of safe and reliable production, the NLNG Bonny Island plant is a staple facility in the global LNG industry,” said Arja Talakar, Senior Vice President, Industrial Applications Products for Siemens Energy. “NLNG’s selection of our cryogenic BOG compression technology is a testament not only to the reliability and performance of our existing equipment at the plant but also to our focused service and ability to meet local content requirements through our in-country presence. The new BOG compression train will contribute to NLNG’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in a highly sustainable manner.”
The order further establishes Siemens Energy’s leading role in LNG boil-off gas compression. The company has a fleet of cryogenic BOG compressors that have accumulated more than 4.2 million hours in service.
“Because of current restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, all discussions between Siemens Energy and NLNG were conducted remotely via virtual meetings,” said Matthew Russell, Head of LNG Industrial Applications Products for Siemens Energy. “In the end, proactive planning, perseverance, and the long-standing relationship between the companies facilitated seamless communication and smooth negotiations virtually.”
Manufacturing, testing, and packaging of the compression train will take place in Duisburg, Germany, with a Free on Board delivery slated for Q4 of 2021.
For further information on Siemens Gas and Power, please see www.siemens.com/energy
For further information on boil-off gas compressors, please see https://sie.ag/2mnUNac
In a letter to Enbridge’s President and CEO Al Monaco, Senators Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren asked for activities at the Weymouth compressor station to be halted. This follows a failure at the station a weak prior, that caused 265,000 cubic feet of natural gas to be vented at ground level and an emergency shutdown.
The letter urges Enbridge to thoroughly investigate the cause of the failure before opening the station, which it had planned to do on October 1st. The release of the gas was due to testing during preparation for the opening of the station.
The accidental gas leak fueled pre-existing concerns surrounding the compressor station, and has made residents and government wary of the situation. The gas released was equivalent to the average daily natural gas consumption in nearly 1500 homes, which caused concern that this amount of gas could be ignited by a spark from a passing vehicle. With Weymouth being a densely populated region of 3100 people per square mile, any sort of dangers could potentially put many people at risk.
Enbridge insists that the station is ready for operations hopes to have the station running by October 1st.
Alpharetta, GA, August 20, 2020 –(PR.com)– Vericor Power Systems (“Vericor”) announced that they recently signed a strategic alliance with Atlas Copco Gas and Process (Atlas Copco) to power integrally geared centrifugal compressors and Companders™ with Vericor gas-driven turbines.
The combination of these efficient, reliable and well proven technologies enable customers around the world to benefit from a compact and cost effective solution.
Designed to handle the most demanding process requirements in remote areas, the Vericor gas turbine powered GT-series compressor from Atlas Copco Gas and Process offers lower CAPEX costs, shorter installation times during commissioning, and lower OPEX costs throughout the machine’s lifecycle. Featuring integrally geared technology, it’s designed to operate in extended service intervals with minimal manpower requirements, while providing lower energy costs than conventional compressor technology.
Vericor, a leader in gas turbine technology with presence in military marine, industrial and oil & gas sectors, produces gas turbines designed to operate reliably where few others could survive. The compact 5,000 HP ASE50B turbine provides continuous power to the Atlas Copco GT series integrally geared centrifugal compressor, minimizing maintenance downtime and optimizing cost efficiency, safety and environmental friendliness.
Vericor gas turbines are extremely compact and reliable, and require low maintenance over their extended operating life. The modular construction of these gas turbines makes scheduled maintenance activities fast and easy and their cold end drive design and fuel flexibility make them ideal for compression applications.
Richard Clinton, Vericor’s CEO, and Umberto Marseglia, Vericor’s CMO thanks Atlas Copco Gas and Process and our customers for the trust in Vericor Power Systems.
About Vericor:
Vericor is a leading OEM that manufactures, sells and supports aero-derivative gas turbines for marine propulsion, mechanical drive and power generation applications including high speed military and civilian ships, industrial pumping, compressor or electric generation applications and oil field applications.
For more information about Vericor visit www.vericor.com
Contact Information:
Vericor Power Systems
Umberto Marseglia
281-813-4500
Contact
www.vericor.com
More and more is expected of our compressor packages. Wide speed ranges, large variations in pressures and flow, varying gas compositions and multiple unloading schemes all present challenges to a proper torsional design of a system where the operating envelope is stretched to encompass numerous operating scenarios.
This paper presents methods to meet some of these challenges and reasons to establish boundaries for the design of reciprocating gas packages.
Using the “GMRC Recommended Practice for Control of Torsional Vibrations in Direct-Driven Separable Reciprocating Compressors,” the paper discusses how to thoroughly define the expected operating envelope to achieve the widest possible operating range.
The limits of typical design options, as well as various alternatives to avoid torsional vibration problems, are illustrated with three case studies.
Read the technical paper here:
Torsional challenges – GMC 2019
This paper was written by Alasdair Robinson, BSc, PEng, of Wood for the GMRC Gas Machinery Conference 2019.
Wood has created a calculator to help control pipe pulsation in reciprocating gas compressor systems by finding what pipe lengths to avoid. The tool will aid those who are attempting to control pulsation without resorting to additional controls. Having the correct pipe lengths will save the project time and money.
Follow the steps to find which pipe lengths to avoid, but be aware that Wood states that this tool is for educational purposes only.
Access the calculator here:
Pipe Lengths to Avoid Calculator
Wood also has many other tools and calculators on their website that operators and engineers could make use of.
A sound foundation is a key factor in a successful reciprocating compressor application. Conventional concrete block foundations provide a reliable design, but the cost can be significant. Driven pile and helical or screw pile foundations are good alternatives that have been used successfully, even for very large reciprocating compressor packages. A pile foundation has the advantage of lower costs and shorter installation time compared to concrete block foundations.
The pile foundation design must consider static loads, which is a well-understood requirement. Reciprocating compressors also generate dynamic forces as part of their normal operation, which must be considered in the pile foundation design along with the static loads.
A dynamic analysis of pile foundations requires specific approaches and practices, and the package design must include special considerations when a pile foundation is used. There are also some differences between driven pile and helical pile foundations that must be considered.
This paper outlines the general design practices for driven and helical pile foundations for reciprocating compressors. The advantages and disadvantages of pile foundations and concrete block foundations are discussed. Case studies for reciprocating compressor packages are presented to demonstrate the use of pile foundations and the need for a dynamic foundation analysis.
Read the technical paper here:
Reciprocating compressor foundation design with steel piles – GMC 2019
This paper was written by Kelly Eberle, BSc, PEng, of Wood for the GMRC Gas Machinery Conference 2019.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to effect face-to-face interactions, ESD Simulation Training has decided to keep their courses online through the end of September. In class courses pose a significant threat to the spread of the virus, so the only way to continue operation of these simulation courses is to run them online.
ESD is temporarily offering a discount for those looking to sign up for an online course. Currently all courses will be online until the end of September, so anyone looking to sign up within the next couple months will be able to take advantage of this deal.
Though there has been some resistance to the move online, most delegates have reacted positively because of the ease of access and quality of the courses. Course-takers have commonly reported that there is little difference from an in-class course, with one delegate stating “doing this course from home was excellent, I did not feel disadvantaged by not having a classroom environment”. With many similar reports, it seems that the online classes do not suffer from losses in quality or communication.
The courses can be viewed on the training calendar, and the discount can be accessed by using the code 189 at checkout.
As a consequence of the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, POWERGEN International and DISTRIBUTECH International, will be postponed to March 30-April 1, 2021. In light of both governmental direction and general public health advisories delivering POWERGEN International and DISTRIBUTECH International will not be possible at this time with the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the government issued guidelines for large gatherings.
“This has been a difficult decision but the health and safety of our attendees, exhibitors, speakers, employees and the wider public is of paramount importance to us. We must comply with the strict public health guidelines and directives. Unfortunately, the implementation of these government regulations make it impractical to run a large scale event. We have also reached out to our power generation and transmission & distribution communities and listened to their input around uncertainty and concerns for gathering this coming winter. We are confident that postponing POWERGEN International and DISRTIBUTECH International to spring 2021 will ensure a successful and safe delivery of the events,” said Desiree Hanson, Executive Vice President, Clarion Events.
The postponed events will open further opportunity for helping energy professionals navigate through the complex energy transition by conveniently co-locating POWERGEN International, the world’s largest power generation event, with DISTRIBUTECH International, the leading annual transmission & distribution event. The co-location will result in bringing the energy industry together for these two powerhouse events happening next to each other, under one roof. While these events will remain separate, holding them alongside each other will allow attendees to conveniently access both exhibition halls and educational offerings. In addition, it will provide further opportunities to connect these two audiences for networking, bringing them together to shape the future of energy and experience the energy movement.
As previously announced POWERGEN International 2021 will also be home to the newly created Leadership Summit. The two-and-a-half-day executive level summit will address the challenges facing the power generation and transmission & distribution sectors. Speakers and panelists will represent utilities, EPCs, OEMs, regulators, investors and more. They will discuss the industry’s ambitious journey to 2050, in which historically central station-based generation represents a smaller percentage of capacity, as it’s joined by renewable energy and other forms of distributed generation, including energy storage. Experts across the ecosystem, seeking solutions to prominent challenges in pursuit of a balanced and sustainable energy mix, will have the opportunity to contribute their thoughts in high-level debates with domestic and international peers.
Between now and March, POWERGEN International and DISTRIBUTECH International, in partnership with their media partners Power Engineering and POWERGRID International, will launch two new platforms to provide timely and informative content year-round, the POWERGEN+ Series and DISTRIBUTECH+ Series. These live Series will bring together the energy community through virtual experiences for those looking for perspective and discussion on current and future issues affecting the generation and transmission & distribution markets. “While we believe in the power of face-to-face events and what they deliver; our focus is on what our customers need now, as well as in the future, and how we can deliver experiences to best meet those needs. Our team is talking with our customers and working on a variety of opportunities that will meet the needs of power industry professionals engaged in each of the energy markets we serve. These opportunities include virtual experiences, timely content and educational sessions, peer-to-peer networking, vendor product and service demonstrations and matchmaking assistance between decision-makers and sellers,” said Hanson. Additional information on the POWERGEN+ Series can be found here. Additional information on the DISTRIBUTECH+ Series can be found at here.
“Given the uncertainties we all face due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this move, and the alignment of POWERGEN with DISTRIBUTECH, makes great sense,” said Lisa Johnson, CEO of Seminole Electric Cooperative, based in Tampa, Florida. “I look forward to the broad and robust participation these events are known for across our industry, as well as our discussion centered on ‘Destination 2050’.”
“POWERGEN has been and continues to be an important event for power producers,” said Thomas Reed, project director of the Seminole combined-cycle facility for Seminole Electric Cooperative and a member of the POWERGEN International advisory committee. “I support the decision to move POWERGEN to the spring to give ourselves the time we need to properly address the COVID-19 pandemic. Keeping our employees safe and healthy is critical to our operations and we appreciate that POWERGEN recognized this and has adjusted the dates accordingly.”
“POWERGEN will always be a premier event for the power industry and must be sensitive to the COVID-19 concerns of attendees, speakers and vendors,” said Duke Energy senior engineering technologist and POWERGEN advisory member, Jeffrey Sullivan. “POWERGEN is setting a standard to act responsibly in ensuring the health and safety of the power industry family. The move to spring really helps the industry overcome the conflicts of traveling and participating with still many unknowns and uncertainties through the end of 2020.”
“AES supports the decision to move POWERGEN to the spring,” said Ron Rodrique, Alamitos Energy Center site manager for AES Corp. and also a member of the POWERGEN International advisory board. “This will allow us to continue our steps toward the phased re-entry approach within our businesses and will hopefully allow for better safety measures while traveling and not exposing our people to the current concerns related to COVID-19.”
The POWERGEN International and DISTRIBUTECH International teams will continue to be in touch with all exhibitors, sponsors and attendees to answer any questions. There will be further communication to these groups over the coming days and weeks to facilitate a smooth transition and prepare for the co-location of POWERGEN International and DISTRIBUTECH International.
