19 compressors bound for Saudi Aramco industrial gas plant

Siemens will supply six model STC-GV nitrogen compressors, seven model STC-GV main air compressors, and six STC-GV booster air compressors to a Saudi Aramco industrial gas complex in Jazan Economic City (JEC), Saudi Arabia. The first compressor units have been successfully tested at the Siemens Mega Test Center in Duisburg, Germany. According to Siemens, the first-stage impeller, with a diameter of 6 ft. (1.8 m), is the largest installed on an integrally geared compressor rotor.

Saudi Aramco is constructing an oil refinery and a 2.4 GW Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power station in JEC. The power station will be fueled with heavy residuals off the new refinery. The IGCC will supply power, steam, hydrogen, and water to the refinery as well as power to the JEC and national grid.

The Jazan Air Separation Unit (ASU) facility dedicated to the Jazan Refinery Complex Project will supply 20,000 tons of oxygen and 56,000 tons of nitrogen per day to Saudi Aramco. The oxygen will principally be supplied to the new IGCC power plant, while the nitrogen will be used both at the IGCC plant and at the refinery, principally for inerting operations.

The project is being developed as six parallel ASU trains, with back up liquid storage and vaporization systems. Each ASU train has a main air compressor, front-end cooling and purification, booster air compressor, manifolded heat exchanger cores, distillation columns, product compressor, plus other ancillary equipment. All six ASU trains share the product storage and back-up supply systems. High-pressure gas oxygen (HP GOX), low-pressure gas oxygen (LP GOX), and low-pressure gas nitrogen (LP GAN) are all produced directly off the ASU itself, whereas medium-pressure gas nitrogen (MP GAN) is compressed by a product nitrogen compressor to achieve pipeline pressure. High-pressure gas nitrogen (HP GAN) is supplied from the back up storage as required by Saudi Aramco.

The complex will be owned and operated by Jazan Gas Projects Company, a joint venture owned 75% by ACWA Holding and 25% by Air Products PLC, and will deliver oxygen and nitrogen to the Saudi Aramco facilities under a long term supply contract with Saudi Aramco.

The Jazan Refinery Complex Project is expected to begin operations in 2018.