Packaging gas turbines for -20C environments

Centrax Gas Turbines will install and commission 17 generating set packages in three major Russian fields gearing this year. Twelve of the packages, each comprising a single 5.2MW Rolls-Royce 501 unit, are being installed for the Ust Teguss field in the Tyumen region, on the West Siberian Plain some 1600km east of Moscow. Here their total generating capacity of 62.4MW will meet the facility’s growing energy demands.

(A centrax installation in Siberia) 

At the same time five Centrax CX501-KB7 packages are set to equip the Verhnekolikieganskoe facility near Rostovskaya in the south-west of Russia, where they will supply 24MW of power. As at Ust Teguss, a major factor in the choice of Centrax packages is their operational flexibility and their ability to operate on associated gas with variable fuel quality.

Both facilities are owned by TNK-BP, for which Centrax has already supplied a fleet of 14 units operating at existing sites throughout Russia.

Meanwhile Centrax has also won a contract to supply two gas turbine packages to the South-Oshkoye oil field in Russia’s Komi Republic in north-western Russia, some 800km north-east of Moscow. Here, where Centrax is working closely with St Petersburg-based Zvezda Energetika, the UK Company’s ability to deliver the first unit within just four months was the prime factor in its success, helping the customer minimise its exposure to penalties incurred by flaring associated gas during 2013.

“In the KomiRepublic average mid-winter temperatures drop to around –20C, with an all-time low recorded at –58.1C,” he reports. “In the Tyumen region the average temperature over the whole year is only around 1.3C, with continuous below-freezing conditions for much of the winter. Where conditions are as tough as this the proven reliability of the KB7 and its maintainability are key drivers behind our accelerating success in Russia. The engine’s relative simplicity, with single-shaft construction, makes it eminently suitable for service throughout the Russian Federation and the CIS.

“We have also developed a standardised design of package for cold-temperature environments, incorporating special features such as additional space-heaters and a temperature-regulated control panel shelter. These allow the equipment to be installed outdoors and to be maintained properly at these ambient conditions without the need for a special building, significantly reducing the overall project cost for our customers.”

The 501KB7 gas turbine’s light weight, at less than one tonne, means it can be delivered by road or helicopter to any land base worldwide, however remote. The modular design and build of Centrax packages ensures quick and convenient installation, commissioning and maintenance.