Improving efficiency

David Baker explains how to optimise plant efficiency and reduce costs while meeting safety targets and environmental regulations in the turbomachinery sector.

O&G. How are you helping companies tackle the main challenges facing oil and gas companies in the turbomachinery sector?
David Baker. The main problems facing oil and gas companies are likely to relate to availability of project finance and the reduction in income due to reduced oil prices.  For these issues there is little that we, as a turbomachinery supplier, can do.  However, where there is much obsolete equipment that would previously have been replaced with new, Elliott can provide the alternative of modernising and upgrading both the existing Elliott and non-Elliott equipment to present day standards at vastly reduced installed cost.

O&G. What is your advice for oil and gas companies looking to optimize plant efficiency?
DB. Optimizing plant efficiency is about several key factors: equipment reliability; extending time between plant shutdowns for overhaul; and, reducing the utility losses by improving equipment efficiencies to present day standards. In all of these areas, Elliott has a huge amount of experience and expertise with both our own equipment and non-Elliott equipment. Current design standards are to be able to provide equipment that is capable of operating for five years continuously between overhaul.

O&G. Even in more remote locations, the onus is on improving productivity and reducing costs while meeting safety targets and environmental regulations. How can your technology help companies achieve their goals?
DB. Elliott is very active in meeting the highest quality and HSE standards in all aspects of our work. All Elliott equipment is supplied on the basis of both long established specifications and latest design techniques. Prior to delivery, an extensive testing program ensures that the equipment will perform in full accordance with the expected requirements. Elliott also brings considerable expertise in the way of site and technical support services to ensure that the equipment is installed, operated and maintained in a safe and reliable manner. Making early use of Elliott’s expertise, during the planning of turbomachinery installation can reduce the installation period, which results in both large cost savings and earlier commissioning. One example was, the RasGas 1 LNG plant where early start-up permitted the supply of LNG cargo ahead of schedule providing an unexpected but welcome revenue stream of over $10 million.

O&G. Can you give an example of a recent project in which you have been involved – what were the challenges and how did your solution address these?
DB. Elliott supplied two large gas turbine driven propane refrigeration compressors for a customer in the Middle East. Several years after start-up, this customer had to change hot parts on the gas turbine according to a pre-determined fixed schedule. The customer consulted Elliott to see if upgrading these compressors would remove the plant bottleneck. By means of increased efficiency and making use of the excess power from the gas turbine, the project was shown to be very attractive and a contract was negotiated. Engineering work was done in the US and complete new compressor internals were manufactured in Japan. Delivery was just in time for the Elliott crew who had been mobilised at site. 

For our customer and Elliott this project was deemed to be a complete success.

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