Industry News

MAN digest

MAN Diesel & Turbo is equipping gas turbines (GT) with 3D printed metal components. For example, 3D printed guide vane segments have been incorporated into its MGT6100 GT production line. The company is now investing in a center for 3D printing at its turbomachinery works in Oberhausen, Germany. The plan is to extend the benefits of this technology to further components and products such as compressor impellers and fuel nozzles.

SSAB, a Swedish manufacturer of steel products, has placed an order with MAN Diesel & Turbo for its latest MAX1 axial compressor technology. For the air separation industry, MAN’s AIRMAX includes a main air compressor and a booster compressor. Frame sizes have power requirements of 50 MW to 140 MW and can achieve combined flow rates ranging from 558,000 m3/hr to 1.5 million.

Now MAN is offering this technology optimized for iron and steel and the fertilizer industry. This has been achieved by combining compression technology of modern GTs with industrial large-volume compressors. The result is lower power consumption and robustness across the operating range. Ambient temperatures range from -40° to +30°C. With blast furnace compression asking for a wide operating range, this is supported through quick reaction times and high compressor availability. Commissioning will take place in the second quarter of 2018.

MAN will also deliver two compressor trains to Nigerian Dangote Oil Refining for a refinery in Lagos. Dangote is currently building Africa’s largest refinery in the Lekki Free Trade Zone of Lagos, investing a total of around $12 billion. The machinery trains consist of an axial compressor driven by a 30 MW steam turbine (ST). Delivery will take place in 2018, while commissioning of the whole refinery is planned for 2019.

Siemens SGT-A65 TR (former Industrial Trent 60)

Siemens digest

Siemens has secured orders to supply a four turnkey power plants in Argentina. Six SGT-A65 TR (former Industrial Trent 60) GTs will form the heart of two plants in the cities of Luján and Matheu in eastern Argentina.

Siemens has also been awarded a contract to supply six SGT-800 GTs for two plants in in the cities of San Pedro and Zarate. Canadian private equity companies Stoneway Capital and Araucaria Energy will operate the plants as independent power producers (IPPs). Siemens has signed long-term service agreements (LTSAs) for the four sites. With a capacity of 127 MW, the plant in Luján will be fitted with two SGT-A65 TR GTs and with two SGen5- 100A-series electrical generators. The four model SGT-A65 TR turbines destined for Matheu will provide 254 MW. The Las Palmas site will have four SGT-800 GTs with an electrical generating capacity of 202 MW. The other two SGT-800 GTs for San Pedro will generate 104 MW. Commissioning for the four sites is scheduled for the end of 2017. All the sites have the option to be retrofitted as combined cycle power plants (CCPPs).

Siemens has also received an order for a CCPP at King’s Lynn power station in Norfolk, UK, owned by Centrica. The gas-fired power plant will consist of one unit in a single-shaft configuration and deliver 380 MW. The agreement includes installation and an LTSA, as well as the modernization of control systems. The scope of supply encompasses the replacement of the existing V94.3 GT with an SGT5-4000F GT. The existing generator and ST will be refurbished. Centrica will refurbish the heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) and parts of the Balance of Plant.

Siemens has completed an overhaul project for two SGT5-4000F GTs at Sohar 2 and Barka 3 CCPPs in Oman. The company also has finalized major outage inspection services for the Ansaldo AE94.2 gas turbine at the Barka 2 power plant. The three facilities are operated by Suez-Tractebel Operation and Maintenance Oman LLC. Siemens commissioned the two plants in 2012 in simple-cycle mode. Following steam turbine add-ons, both plants commenced operation in combined-cycle configuration in 2013 with a total capacity of 1.5 GW.

Siemens Digital Asset Optimization (SDAO) services is working with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) to improve DEWA’s power plant thermal efficiency, provide cost-effective solutions for performance optimization, manage costs and reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

SDAO digitally monitors on-site unit performance and data analytics to target a specific issue, such as age-related degradation. Siemens is also developing a new controller for the SGT5-4000F GT.

Ten SGT5-4000Fs at DEWA’s L2- station and M-station have been monitored over the past several months. The initial project will be completed by September 2017.

Siemens has received an order to deliver an industrial steam turbine package to expand the Az Zour South 3 to become a CCPP. The plant is located in Kuwait. The expansion will increase the plant’s capacity by 263 MW without using any additional gas. The plant is expected to go into operation in mid-2019.

Siemens is building Global Service Operations Centre at Teal Park, Lincoln, UK. Opening is scheduled for January 2018.

Toshiba digest

Toshiba has won an order to supply two 1,000 MW ultra-supercritical STs, main transformers and related equipment, and a 500kV gas insulated switchgear for Tanjung Jati B coal-fired power plant Unit 5 & 6 expansion project in the Republic of Indonesia. Toshiba will deliver equipment to the project site in 2019. The plant will commence commercial operation in 2021 Toshiba and Ormat Technologies announced that the first unit of the Sarulla geothermal power plant in North Sumatra has commenced commercial operation. The 110 MW power plant is operated by Sarulla Operations. Toshiba supplied the geothermal STs and generators while Ormat provided the conceptual design of the power plant and supplied its Ormat Energy Converter, which serve as the condensing units for the STs and use the separated brine for maximum resource exploitation and maximum power output.

Sulzer-ABB deal

Sulzer will provide the UK market with maintenance and repair services for ABB medium and high voltage motors and generators. The agreement provides ABB customers with access to Sulzer’s service centers in Birmingham and Falkirk. Sulzer will provide inspection, remedial work, modifications, repairs and rewinds of ABB’s large machines rated at 6.6 kV and above. All repairs will be completed to ABB approved standards using original spare parts.

SoftInWay collaboration

The University of Leicester, UK, is leveraging SoftInWay’s turbomachinery design, analysis and optimization software. Aspiring engineers can use AxCYCLE to gain the practical skills needed to prepare for entry into the workplace. This software provides users with the ability to design, analyze and optimize different thermodynamic cycles via thermodynamic simulation and heat balance calculations.

CO2 capture

TMEIC has supplied motors and drives for a CO2 underground capture project in Victoria, Texas. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Compressor supplied technology, design, procurement, construction, and compression equipment to the WA Parish coal-fueled power plant in Texas, where CO2 is separated from a portion of the flue gasses that previously would have been emitted into the atmosphere. The carbon capture (sequester) project is owned by Petra Nova, a joint venture with NRG Energy, the power plant owner, and JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration.

Using a large TMEIC 28,700 hp Synchronous motor with 13.8 kV Soft Starter system based on TMdrive-MVG2 voltage source inverter, the captured CO2 gas is compressed in the world’s largest integrally geared CO2 compressor and sent through an 80-mile pipeline to the West Ranch oil field near Victoria, Texas, where the pressurized CO2 and water are injected more than mile down into the oil wells to enhance the oil recovery (EOR).

3D printing upsurge

Some 97 manufacturers produced and sold 3D printing systems (also known as additive manufacturing or AM) in 2016, per a 2017 report from Wohlers Services. This is up from 62 companies in 2015 and 49 in 2014. The industry grew by 17.4% in 2016, down from 25.9% the year before. Results are compiled from 100 service providers, 61 industrial system manufacturers, and 19 producers of third-party materials and low-cost desktop 3D printers. While polymer-based 3D printers have dominated for years, almost half of all providers now run systems that produce metal parts. Gas turbine OEMs, for example, are now producing hot section components using 3D printing.

Ansaldo in Russia

Ansaldo Energia has been awarded a five-year Long Term Service Agreement (LTSA) for the Yuzhnouralskaya GRES CCPP, about 100 kms from Chelyabinsk, Russia. Commissioned in November 2014, the 430 MW plant has two Siemens SGT5-4000F GTs, two Siemens SGEN5-2000H generators and two Siemens SST5-3000 STs in a one-on-one single shaft configuration. The maintenance agreement covers all this equipment.

Another 5-year LTSA was recently awarded to Ansaldo Energia by OAO Fortum for its Tyumen CHP-1 CCPP in Western Siberia. The combined heat and power (CHP) plant has one Siemens SGT-1000F (V64.3A) and one Ansaldo Energia AE64.3A GT.

MHPS digest

Iberdrola and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) signed an agreement for two M501J GTs, an ST, a spare GT rotor and an LTSA for the El Carmen CCPP in Nuevo León, Mexico. In total, MHPS has 21 J-series GTs in operation globally, 47 ordered and 85 technically selected. The order for the 850 MW CCPP is scheduled for delivery in 2018 with commercial operation expected in September 2019.

Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA) has successfully completed the first fire of its new 495 MW CCPP at the Grand River Energy Center in Oklahoma. The plant is equipped with an MHPS M501J turbine. Full speed, no-load tests were conducted and the unit was synchronized to the grid and produced its first electricity. The turbine is the first J-Series to be built at the Savannah Machinery Works in Savannah, Georgia. GRDA also signed an LTSA.

Doosan Škoda Power digest

Doosan Škoda Power has been awarded a contract to supply an ST for the expansion of Block 2 at the Grati power plant (East Java). This converts its gas cycle into a combined cycle. The steam turbine for this project is a single-casing 195 MW turbine. Doosan won an earlier tender to supply a 198 MW steam turbine for Block 3 at the Grati plant.

Kobe Steel test facility

Kobe Steel’s Machinery Business has opened a 40 MW test facility for large-capacity nonstandard compressors at its Takasago Works in western Japan. Construction of the 8-billion-yen facility ($72.66 million) began in February 2015. Nonstandard compressors are used to compress process gas and for reaction applications in petroleum refineries, chemical plants, power plants and steelworks. Kobe Steel had developed large-capacity compressors in the 40 MW class, but lacked a place to conduct performance tests. The new test facility is capable of handling nonstandard compressors with variable-speed motors of 40 MW.

Indian commissioning

India’s Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has been commissioned to install a 150 MW GT for Bangladesh Power Development Board’s 225 MW dual fuel CCPP in the Chittagong district. Meanwhile L&T’s second 280 MW gas turbine has been commissioned on North West Power Generation’s 360 MW CCPP project in the Kushtia district. Once operational, the two power facilities are expected to generate around 635 MW of electricity. The scope of the EPC contract is comprised of design, engineering, supply, installation and commissioning. In addition, L&T is working as an EPC subcontractor for another 400 MW plant in the Sylhet district, which is expected to be operational by 2019.

Air compressor report

The global air compressor market is estimated to reach $36.2 Billion by 2021, according to a recent report by Research Nester. The market is projected to register annual growth of 4.1% until 2023, globally. Oil free air compressors are expected to be the fastest growing segment due to cost-effectiveness, less noise generation and high efficiency. In Asia-Pacific region, the rapid expansion in power generation and oil & gas is projected to escalate demand. Further, rising adoption of advanced air compressors coupled with growing economies in the region are having a positive impact on growth.

Monitoring Egyptian turbines

Meggitt has partnered with Siemens to provide its VibroSight 3 software and VM600 machinery monitoring systems for a megaproject to supply 45 million Egyptians with electricity. Meggitt’s solution monitors the combustion dynamics and vibration in the turbines of the three 4.8 gigawatt CCPPs that Siemens is building. This enables operators to monitor machinery health, flag critical events and make the decisions necessary to protect machinery and reduce operating costs.

The combustion monitoring part of the systems is integrated into closed-loop control. VibroSight is a software platform for configuring, operating and managing VM600 machinery monitoring systems that can also integrate other system data.

GE digest

GE has delivered the first of the two units of the LM6000 Hybrid Electric Gas Turbine (Hybrid EGT) to Southern California Edison. The plant at Norwalk, California, will be a pioneer in integrating a peaking gas turbine with a 10 MW battery. The Hybrid EGT supports SCE’s increasing renewable energy capacity by providing quick start, fast ramping capabilities when needed. It integrates a 10 MW, 4.3 MWh battery energy storage system capable of immediately providing power with GE’s 50 MW LM6000 aeroderivative. At the heart of the Hybrid EGT is a control system which blends output between the battery and the GT. The battery provides enough time for the GT to reach full power. This helps to cut standby operation, saving fuel and cutting emissions. In addition, demineralized water consumption will be reduced by approximately 45%.

GE Oil & Gas has opened a new facility in Takoradi Port, Ghana. The primary service center for deep-water offshore projects, it has an indoor test area and 4,000 square meters of storage. This new infrastructure is already supporting the installation for ENI’s Offshore Cape Three Points project for which GE Oil & Gas is supplying subsea and turbomachinery equipment.

GE announced an order from Competitive Power Ventures (CPV) Fairview Energy Center for two 7HA GTs and an engineered equipment package to power a CCPP in Jackson Township, PA. CPV Fairview is expected to add 1,050 MW to the grid. It will use GE’s 7HA.02 GTs, an ST, generators and additional controls equipment.

U.S. LNG exports

When Al Khuwair, a Qmax LNG ship, docked at Sabine Pass terminal in Jefferson County, TX in 2010 to pump in LNG, few would have thought the same terminal would become an LNG export facility. Recently, the U.S. Department of Energy announced it has signed an order authorizing Golden Pass Products LLC (Golden Pass) to export domestically produced liquefied natural gas (LNG) to countries that do not have a free trade agreement (FTA) with the U.S. Golden GE LM6000 Hybrid Electric Gas Turbine Pass is authorized to export LNG up to the equivalent of 2.21 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas to any non-FTA country not prohibited by U.S. law or policy.

The project to operationalize six LNG trains at nearby Sabine Pass is underway. The export capacity of Sabine Pass stands at 4.5 mtpa and when completed the six trains will produce 27 mtpa, roughly 10% of global production. With the dramatic increase in domestic natural gas production, the U.S. is transitioning to become a net exporter of natural gas. The Department of Energy has authorized a total of 19.2 Bcf/d of natural gas exports to non-FTA countries from planned facilities in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, and Maryland. These projects, if built, would position the U.S. to be the dominant LNG exporter in the world. Qatar presently has a capacity of slightly over 10 Bcf/d. Australia’s capacity is at 6 Bcf/d.

Dry air injection

Powerphase and PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), the state power company of Indonesia, have signed an agreement for a phased implementation of Turbophase Dry Air Injection, beginning with a feasibility study and including two 50 MW projects (approx 18 modules), followed by a full implementation of 2 GW of additional power (approx 350 modules). The roll-out of the Turbophase system will use technology such as engines from Caterpillar, control systems from GE, instrumentation from Emerson and valves from Bray.

Solar Turbines and Valmet agreement

Solar Turbines and Valmet have agreed to further develop integrated GT cogeneration systems for the tissue industry. The target of the joint development of the energy-optimizing systems is to contribute to the reduction of tissue mills’ production costs and improve the energy efficiency of the production process. Since the 1990s, both companies have been working on the integration between GTs and hood air systems for the tissue drying process.

Predix installations

GE’s Predix asset performance management (APM) software will be installed on 13 GE turbines at six gas-fired plants belonging to Invenergy in the U.S. with a combined operating capacity of 3,159 MW. The APM solution will help plant O&M technicians more accurately predict and diagnose equipment failures before they occur to avoid unplanned outages. It also enables intelligent asset strategies balancing cost reductions, better reliability and risk management.

Invenergy initiated its digital initiative with GE in 2015, with a pilot project designed to test early detection of equipment or system failures using machine data sensors, predictive analytics and process optimizations. During the test, the companies detected a turbine journal bearing issue with early stage vibration. If undetected, that issue could have damaged the turbine and resulted in an unplanned outage during peak periods of plant operation. Invenergy was able to take corrective actions to fix the issue until the full equipment health could be examined more closely during the scheduled maintenance window.

Dresser-Rand order

The Dresser-Rand business, part of Siemens Power and Gas Division, received an order from BP to provide rotating equipment for the Mad Dog 2 project in Gulf of Mexico. The scope of supply comprises two Datum compressor trains driven by Siemens electric motors for export gas service. The equipment is scheduled to ship in 2018, with oil production from the platform expected to begin late in 2021.

The Mad Dog field was discovered in 1998 and started production in 2005. Mad Dog 2 will be a new floating production platform with the capacity to produce up to 140,000 BOPD from up to 14 production wells. The Dresser-Rand business will supply two low-pressure D6A4S and two high-pressure D6R9B compressors. Each compressor train will be driven by a Siemens electric motor and includes a variable speed gearbox.