Kompressorny Complex’s Superchargers Transport Gas from Zapolyarnoe Field

• More by Author
• Comments
• Send to a Friend
• Print

Share it!

Kompressorny Complex’s Superchargers Transport Gas from Zapolyarnoe Field

The Kompressorny Komplex engineering company shipped a batch of seven Class 398 superchargers to Prutazovsky compressor station – the main station, which receives gas directly from Zapolyarny oil field. The superchargers were manufactured specifically for operation at the Purtazovsky compressor station and designed to transport natural gas along gas-main pipelines.
Type 398-26-1L and 398-26-1LSM superchargers manufactured by Kompressorny Komplex specifically for the Purtazovsky compressor station have uniform air-gas channels designed for nominal parameters with the compression rate of 1.7. At the same time, the compression rates at the line superchargers of the same station do not exceed 1.5.
The first three shops of the Purtazovsky compressor station were equipped with the units having the power of 16 MW. The 398-26-1L superchargers of these units are conventional ones, with oil bearings and oil seals. Compressor equipment for Shop 4 was agreed to include superchargers with magnetic bearings (MB) and dry gas-dynamic seals (DGS). Designs with magnetic rotor suspensions and DGS are up-to-date direction in the development of compressor equipment. Such compressors are widely employed by various industries. For example, Gazprom’s subsidiaries use them for gas transportation purposes.
“Dry” compressor machines have a number of significant advantages. Thus, there is no auxiliary equipment set in the units delivered. This auxiliary equipment provide for the operation of oil machines, which generally include the following: an oil box, pumps (main and start-up ones), oil accumulators, regulating devices, float chambers, gas-separators, filters, oil coolers and oil pipelines with valves. Moreover, electric power of 120 kW is spent to ensure operation of supercharger oil systems. Magnetic suspension of the supercharger consumes only 5 kW.
Also, when operating machines using oil lubricants and seals, entrainment of oil into gas pipeline and vaporation are inevitable. This comprises the so-called irretrievable losses of oil, the permissible value of which is 0.3 kg/machine-hour.  The presence of the mentioned losses calls for periodical refilling unit with oil after 700 hours of operation.
Another advantage of compressors with MB and DGS is the absence of mechanical losses, which amount to approximately 2 percent of power demand in superchargers under comparison due to friction couple availability.
The design of “dry” 398-26-1LSM superchargers     delivered to the Purtazovsky compressor station has certain distinctive features as compared to similar designs of line station superchargers. The  principal feature is a reinforced axial bearing used due to high compression rate. This axial bearing is designed to withstand the axial load of 7 tons. In consequence, the axial bearing is 90 mm long, as opposed to 62 mm with the supercharger magnets at line compressor stations. It is due to the same reason that an axial emergency bearing of dual design is employed instead of a single one. The above-mentioned design features ensure dependable and trouble-free operation of a supercharger within the wide range of gas compression parameters. These features make it possible to use the superchargers at the main compressor station.

Magikrot Performs Hydro-mechanical Cleaning of Oil Stills’ Soaking Sections
The method of mechanical cleaning with the help of a plastic scraper is known outside Russia and is widely applied by many companies all over the world to solve the problem of decoking and remove nonorganic deposits from the inner surface of the soaking section pipes in the refining and petrochemical furnaces. Foundation for this method was laid by the Canadian inventors, when they were searching for a highly effective method of decoking, alternative to the steam-and-air burning-off.
MAGIKROT (the ëTK-EURO Group) is the only company experienced in introduction of this technology in the Russian market. Main advantages of application of the pipe mechanical cleaning method at petroleum refineries and petrochemical plants include:

high efficiency of this method of cleaning;
considerable reduction of operation time (more than twice compared to the steam-and-air burning);
operations safety;
significant saving of petroleum refinery’s energy resources in the course of cleaning;
the cleaning technology is safe for pipes and causes no damage;
application of this method ensures removal of foreign objects from the furnace sections, which could have been left by builders and mounters during assembly operations, and which cannot be removed by common cleaning methods;
possibility to add ultrasonic diagnostics to mechanical cleaning operations;
the technology is environmentally safe.

Coil pipe cleaning is done by passing of a testing sponge scraper and after that a cleaning scraper inside the pipes. Geometry of the stud pattern on the scraper surface is of great importance for scraper application. For the purpose of safe operation and achievement of the maximum effectiveness of operations, special scrapers for various stages of cleaning process were designed.
The results of computer tests of the rate of flow in the pipe before and after cleaning show increase of flow passability particularly in the given furnace:   1 – 53.7 percent; 2 – 59.9 percent; 3 – 68.4 percent; 4 – 43.3 percent.
Hydro-mechanical cleaning makes it possible to restore the design throughput capacity of furnaces, often during the first cleaning to remove mechanical obstructions –fitting and pipe debris which, as a rule, remain there during the primary assembly.
Prevention or reduction of plugging of the pipes of convection and radiant furnace coils by the deposits makes it possible to significantly increase the efficiency of furnaces for hydrocarbon feedstock processing by means of increasing their feedstock throughput capacity, by performing the process of the feedstock heating at the optimal temperature and pressure;  this results in bigger yield of end products.
This cleaning technology has been successfully applied by the world petroleum refineries and petrochemical plants in order to improve reliability of the furnace operation, increase the overhaul life, optimize maintenance costs.
Main areas of operation of MAGIKROT at the plants of the petrochemical, oil- refining and chemical sectors in Russia and CIS countries in the period of maintenance shutdown of the plants include:
hydro-mechanical cleaning of soaking sections of oil stills;
ultrasonic diagnostic of soaking sections of oil stills and technical pipelines, which makes it possible to detect, localize and assess pipe damages, such as corrosion (both internal and external), erosion (internal and external), bulging, pitting corrosion, swelling (caused by flame), creep phenomenon, ovality;
pressurized hydraulic cleaning of transfer, feed pipelines, heat-exchanging equipment, tanks, vessels, etc.
The Butler Unit Provides an Efficient Aalternative to welding
Increasing pipeline system dependability is among one of the most crucial issues for oil companies. At the same time, equally important is reducing pipeline construction time without losing quality. This is especially true in case of production areas located in the regions, where short summers, boggy grounds and permafrost restrict construction time. As a solution for the above problems, the Service TT company offers a service enabling fast pipeline construction using a unique method, which employs a Butler unit. Property of Service TT, this unit uses a mechanical pipe joint system SURE-LOCK (taper-and-bell joint). 

The Butler mechanical pipe joint system (SURE-LOCK) is employed worldwide. SURE-LOCK method invented by a U.S. engineer Major Butler in 1970s is quite a novelty for Perm region.
The Butler method is unique in enabling to join pipes mechanically, withoug welding. The long-time experience in using this technology proved mechanical pipe joining to be as dependable as conventional welding.
The SURE-LOCK mechanical pipe joint systems and BULLS-EYE pipe-calibration systems are approved by Rostekhnadzor (Safety and Technical Supervision Committee) to be used in pipeline construction on the Russian Federation territory.

The Butler technology offers:
the possibility to speed up pipeline construction by five to eight times.
cost effectiveness.
ecological cleanness and safety of construction process;
possibility to build in any weather conditions;
possibility to reduce personnel engaged in laying the  pipeline.

This technology is based on pressing one of the pre-manufactured (taper-bell) pipes into another. Prior to joining, Butler epoxy-resin based sealant is placed on the taper zone on the outside of the tapered pipe end and inside the bell.
Epoxy sealant does not affect the joint strength and used only to ensure 100-percent corrosive resistant joint seal. It also creates corrosion-resistant environment inside the joint, which is of paramount importance when joining pipes with internal coating. At the ends of steel loops aluminum protectors can be installed to protect a pipe against electrochemical corrosion.
As a result, a quality joint is produced that makes ultrasonic and X-ray inspections unnecessary. Mechanical taper-and-bell pipe joints that were made using Butler method are subject to 100 percent  functional inspection of technological parameters for pipe preparation and joining modes, as well as to 100 percent visual inspection and destructive control after every 200 joints.
On introducing this method, the mechanical joints have been repeatedly tested both by independent laboratories and directly by the equipment users. The experience of Butler Tech International proves the joint faults to be 0.0001 percent.
In case of this method,  steel pipes  with internal and external insulation are used.  The pipe coating remains intact, and that is especially important for the purpose of corrosion preventing. Together, these features make the pipeline operation very efficient and reliable. 
At present, Service TT has a resource potential sufficient to build nearly 100 kilometers of pipeline a year using the Butler method.
This new technology appears to be interesting for many oil and gas majors. Today, Butler fast construction method is used to build oil pipelines on LUKOIL-Komi’s and LUKOIL-Perm’s sites. Also, it is planned to build pipelines and field facilities for well clusters of TNK-Nyagan.

New World Record Set for Autonomous Pipeline Tracking Using a Two-man-portable AUV
SeeByte, a cutting edge software solutions company, recently carried out inshore operations using its innovative AutoTracker control software in the St. Margaret’s Hope area, Orkney, to test low-logistics autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to survey and inspect subsea pipelines. 
The BP-sponsored trials successfully demonstrated the integration of the AutoTracker software to two-man-portable AUVs which are pre-programmed on the surface to carry out specific missions underwater, navigating using sonar and other sensors. Two-man-portable AUVs can be launched from vessels or shore by two personnel without the need for specialist cranes or lifting equipment.  SeeByte was able to demonstrate greater flexibility and significant cost savings over current inspection technologies because the AUVs operated without the need for umbilical connections to a dedicated surface support vessel and could be launched from vessels of convenience or the shore. The operations ran along Talisman’s oil pipeline running along Water Sound. The distance covered by the inspection in the longest uninterrupted line was 10 kilometers, which is a new world record for a two-man-portable AUV.
SeeByte developed the Autotracker module as part of the SeeTrack Offshore family. The Autotracker module paints a picture of the seabed and interprets that picture so that it can instruct the AUV to maintain a constant offset from the pipeline. The module is capable of accurately tracking a single pipeline amongst multiple pipelines and on varied terrains. In addition, Autotracker includes advanced search routines that enable it to recover the pipeline track after an unexpected pipeline burial. SeeByte Ltd had successfully completed a pipeline inspection in 2006 using a larger AUV and SeeByte’s its SeeTrack Offshore system with its Autotracker module to inspect subsea pipelines running from Sullom Voe to the Clair and Magnus fields. The world record has been set using smaller AUVs that require much lower logistics.

Specialist Scanner Boosts Sonomatic’s Subsea Support
Inspection technologies market leader Sonomatic has launched a new scanner for measuring the shape and dimension of subsea structures.
The revolutionary Ovality Scanner uses pulse echo technology, deploying two probes driven by Sonomatic’s Microplus II digital ultrasonic system. The probes are located at an equal distance apart around the pipe’s circumference and mounted on Sonomatic’s Nautilus manipulator – a motorised, dual-axis scanner – via a rigid 230º ring attached to a frame. This in turn is connected to the topside digital ultrasonic processor.
The entire system is pressure-rated to a depth of 250 meters and while initially predominantly diver-deployed it is already being integrated into Sonomatic’s ROV systems.
Bespoke software allows the collected data to be presented in a “polar plot” which compares the pipe’s surface against the scanner ring to automatically calculate the maximum/minimum diameters and ovality. Wall thickness can be measured at the same time to establish the dimensions of the remaining wall at each location and all the data is presented in B/C/D colour-quantised formats.
Sonomatic Operations and Business Development Manager Zach McCann said: “The Ovality Scanner was originally designed to conform to tolerances that would allow for the later application of a ‘hot tap support sleeve’. However, we quickly realised that this equipment has the potential for much wider applications.”
The scanner enables:
determining clamp sizes for repairs;
measuring dents following pipe damage;
analysing a component’s shape to establish its effect on load resistance.

Zac McCann added that the ovality scanner performed impressively during trials and proved its worth in the field.
“We are confident that this new technology will prove invaluable across a range of applications involving assessing critical subsea structures,”  McCann concluded. 

Elena Zhuk is the Technology Editor for Oil&Gas Eurasia.

Share it!

• More by Author
• Comments
• Send to a Friend
• Print