LA Turbine commissions first ARES AMB turboexpander-compressor at New Bakken Shale NGL plant

L.A. Turbine (LAT) today announced the commissioning of its first ARES Active Magnetic Bearing (AMB) Turboexpander-Compressor within a newly established natural gas liquid (NGL) processing plant in the Bakken Shale Play of North Dakota. The official machine start-up and gas flow occurred on October 29. Designed for a plant flow rate of 200MMSCFD, the ARES AMB Turboexpander-Compressor machine features the industry’s first skidmounted AMB controller and PLC design.

L.A. Turbine will continue to share turboexpander and AMB controller performance data updates from the NGL installation site in the coming months. The USA designed, engineered and built ARES AMB turboexpander is the result of a partnership between L.A. Turbine and Waukesha Magnetic Bearings. Until now, AMB controllers had to be installed in a building away from the skid installation site.

With this new AMB controller technology,engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) companies have greater flexibility with the plant site location and layout, capital costs are significantly less, and the machine can be delivered in a shorter time frame.