Dr. Reza Agahi - Atlas Copco Gas and Process
Transcription
Dr. Reza Agahi - Atlas Copco Gas and Process
NEWS FOR CUSTOMERS OF THE GAS AND PROCESS DIVISION - ISSUE 1 / 2010 VISITING BP GELSENKIRCHEN 4 • INTERVIEW: INSIDE THE TECHNOLOGY 8 • BETTER CITY. BETTER LIFE 13 • TRADE SHOW PREVIEW 14 • EDITORIAL CONTENT Page 04 ENSURING A CLEAN PROCESS G&P Stories takes you inside olefin plant Page Introducing Sustainable Productivity This issue of G&P Stories introduces the new Atlas Copco Gas and Process brand promise: “Sustainable Productivity.” We feel that it best reflects our commitment to deliver reliable, lasting results for our customers, with responsible use of resources; human, natural, and capital. For some years already, we have been driving a number of key technologies that help reduce carbon dioxide emissions, enhance energy efficiency, and generate energy from alternative resources. I am proud to say that we have already achieved an innovative lead by working on ground-breaking projects in the alternative energy industry and the Energy Recovery field, gaining invaluable experience in the process. 8 INSIDE THE TECHNOLOGY An interview with Reza Agahi on geothermal Page 13 BETTER CITY, BETTER LIFE Atlas Copco at Expo in Shanghai Page 14 TRADE SHOW PREVIEW 2010 Visit us at fairs around the globe This issue of G&P Stories will highlight some success stories, such as BP Gelsenkirchen, whose olefin plant has performed outstandingly thanks to our turbocompressors and expert service – for almost two decades. Welcome to this issue, and welcome to the future of sustainable productivity. Publication Data, Gas and Process Division, Atlas Copco Energas GmbH Schlehenweg 15, 50999 Cologne, Germany Phone: +49 2236 96 50 0, Telefax: +49 2236 96 50 899, atlascopco.energas@de.atlascopco.com, www.atlascopco-gap.com Best regards, Editor-in-Chief: Petra Jacob, Phone: +49 2236 96 50 750 Published by Threeview GmbH for Atlas Copco Energas GmbH Additional photography credits: Hans Herbig Harald Dany All data are without warranty. No guarantee is given for the correctness of the information contained in this newsletter. Articles may be reprinted free of charge on condition that a copy of the publication is forwarded to and approved by the publisher (Atlas Copco Energas GmbH). Reproduction of photographs only with written agreement of the communications agency /publisher. 2 | EDITORIAL I am One of the Atlas Copco Faces Ann-Kathrin Heinemann, who works in HR at Gas and Process, is an Atlas Copco face – one of several hundred that we included in a photo shoot as part of the new „ brand promise Committed to Sustainable Productivity.“ Heinemann enjoyed the „ shoot in March at our Cologne plant and values the new brand: It is a very authentic and credible way of showing what we are all about as a company. Atlas Copco is highly diverse in terms of its, people, talents, but also products and markets. The new brand brings that out well.“ | 3 FEATURE Klemens Rickert, BP Gelsenkirchen 4 | FEATURE ENSURING A CLEAN PROCESS Refinery operations require a complex interplay of machinery to run smoothly and reliably. At one of the largest petrochemical plants in Europe, the Scholven (Germany) facility operated by Atlas Copco Gas and Process customer BP Gelsenkirchen, two turbocompressors have been ensuring a smooth and clean process for almost two decades now – in very different applications. Taking the bird’s eye view from an old mining heap, the petrochemical facility operated by German BP subsidiary, BP Gelsenkirchen in Scholven (Germany) stretches across 250 hectares of countryside like a city in its own right. With crude oil as the starting point, the site’s enormous refinery churns out more than 2 million tons of gasoline and 3 million tons of diesel fuel per year, sold at the 2,500 gas stations operated by BP in Germany under the Aral brand. Moving in closer, the massive production plants for petrochemicals appear, towering over the rest of the industrial complex with their steaming chimneys. The plants are part of Germany’s largest system for producing olefins – mainly ethylene and propylene – as raw materials for plastics. Scholven alone produces more than 1 million tons of ethylene and over 550,000 tons of propylene every year, delivered directly to customers in the area (or even on site) and via the European ethylene pipeline. “This site is one of the very few that can handle and produce practically everything,” Rickert says about Scholven, a place he has come to know inside out over the past three decades. “You put crude oil into the process – and you get various products out, along the entire value chain.” Along these lines, Olefins are produced from Naphtha, a side product of Scholven’s crude oil refinery. Olefin production was added in the early 1960s to make full use of crude oil and respond to the growing international demand for plastics. Outstanding Reliability Klemens Rickert has been with the company for more than 30 years. In 1996, after some time in another department, he returned to his true passion – machinery. Entering one of the plants, namely the Olefin 4 plant added during the petrochemical market boom of 1991, we are greeted by Klemens Rickert. Having seen many machines during his career, Rickert says the most reliable units at Olefin 4 include two Atlas Copco Gas and Process compressors that have served on the periphery of the olefin production process from day one; an H air compressor and a GT process gas compressor. Rickert is the man in charge of the Machine and Pump Shop at Olefin 4. Together with his colleagues, Rickert is responsible for more than 100 pieces of equipment at Olefin 4. “These machines are very reliable. They actually stand out by virtue of never drawing attention to themselves,” Rickert says with a smile. Equipment that helps make Scholven go round. | 5 FEATURE Technical Profile This three-stage H-Series air compressor is used in a pipeline-cleaning application in a refinery. Inlet Pressure: 0.99 bar (a) Outlet Pressure: 10.50 bar (a) Flow Volume: 8,000 m3/h Driver Power: 1,050 kW This stamp of approval is a hard-earned one, especially considering that olefin production on an industrial scale is an intense, high-temperature process. Naphtha as the so-called “feedstock” is cooked – or “cracked” as the industry calls it – at around 850°C in a furnace. “The process leaves behind coke, which settles on the insides of the pipelines as residue,” Rickert explains. 6 furnaces at Olefin 4 require gas from a pipeline during their start-up and shutdown stages. The GT compressor helps adjust pressure levels, and as of recently, it also serves to exchange raw process gas between Olefin 4 and the adjacent Olefin 3 plant at about 4 bar outlet pressure. The Ultimate Stamp of Approval Enter the Atlas Copco H compressor: It feeds air at pressures of up to 10bar into the pipelines during the cleaning process, when coke residue is burned off at regular intervals to ensure clean operations. Asked about the relationship with Atlas Copco Gas and Process, Rickert recalls a positive experience he made in 1998: At the time, BP Gelsenkirchen called on Atlas Copco Gas and Process to perform a revision of the H compressor at Scholven. On the other side of the facility, an Atlas Copco GT compressor is responsible for feeding combustion gas into the furnaces. Although olefin cracking by itself releases enough flammable gas to keep the reaction going, the eight cracking Much to Rickert’s surprise, he received a personal invitation to company headquarters in Cologne, where company specialists had disassembled the entire processor to show directly what needed to be done. FEATURE “Sure, you can always look at photos,” Rickert says. “But this approach, seeing it first hand, is definitely better.” True to Atlas Copco’s customer promise of constant interaction and innovation, the experts presented a very clear vision of what needed to be done, including detailed information on costs and timelines. “And sure enough, they followed through and got the job done.” Throughout the years, the partnership with Atlas Copco has been running much like the compressors at Scholven: “The company is very well organized, things run much more smoothly as they do with other suppliers,” Rickert says. Coming from a man who has seen hundreds of machines throughout a long career in the petrochemical business, this is arguably the ultimate stamp of approval. About BP Gelsenkirchen The Scholven facility, together with plants in nearby Horst, is operated by BP Gelsenkirchen GmbH. Assets in the company belong to Ruhr Oel GmbH, a joint venture with equal parts ownership between BP and the Venezuelan stateowned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela. Overall, BP controls the second-largest refinery system in Germany with a crude oil distillation capacity of 27.4 million tons per year, almost a quarter of the country’s total refining capacity. Ruhr Oel’s petrochemicals plants, including the largest olefin plant system in Germany, have a joint production capacity of 4.8 million tons a year. Internationally, the BP Group reported $361 billion in sales and other operating revenues and employed 92,000 people in 2008. | 7 CUSTOMERS IN FOCUS „ WE WILL CONTINUE TO ADVANCE „ OUR GEOTHERMAL TECHNOLOGY Geothermal energy generation is playing an increasing role in the energy mix of the future. G&P Stories talked to Dr. Reza Agahi, Gas and Process Marketing Manager North America – and resident geothermal energy expert – about Atlas Copco’s position in this promising growth market. A geothermal expert: Reza Agahi 8 G&P Stories: Dr. Agahi, environment-friendly technologies and sustainability are very “trendy” and fashionable topics right now. But really, how attractive are they from an economic/market perspective? There is not one single answer to this question. Different countries and governments follow different approaches, while their level of commitment to environmentallyv-friendly technologies varies. As a result, these technologies are economical and marketable in some areas while in other areas they are not. But the trend is definitely increasing and more and more countries are jumping on this bandwagon because it makes a lot of sense. Why does it make sense for them to jump on the geothermal bandwagon? I believe this question could be considered from two perspectives: From a government’s point of view, geothermal energy is renewable and thereby counts towards the target of meeting an electrical energy mix. For instance, some countries have approved electrical energy mixes that should produce 30% from renewable sources by the year 2020. Secondly, for investors geothermal energy is renewable, base load, and hence qualifies for various incentives depending on the country where the plant is installed. The latter makes such an investment more attractive in terms of return on investment. The future potential for geothermal energy is enormous: The worldwide installed capacity of the geothermal power industry could grow 16-fold over the next 20 years, according to the International Geothermal Association. What steps is Atlas Copco taking to play a part in this growth? As a company that’s very innovative by nature and has customer focus as a value, we will continue to advance our technologies through strategic partnerships with leading companies. Today, Atlas Copco is already a major player in the geothermal market in many areas. We have partnered up with engineering companies that specialize in Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) technology. We have developed turboexpanders with integral gearbox designs for higher power generation and flow, up to 25 MW per stage. And we are proactively exploring cooperation with energy companies around the world, supported by a strong list of milestone projects. How does energy recovery from geothermal resources relate to the new Atlas Copco brand promise “Sustainable Productivity”? When it comes to geothermal power plants, availability is a big factor. A power plant is categorized as “base load” if it is available 80% of the time or more. We at Atlas Copco have advanced our solutions for geothermal power plants that feature binary cycle technology to 95% and higher availability, offering continuous and sustainable productivity to our customers. I would call that “sustainable.” INSIDE THE TECHNOLOGY the turboexpander extracts energy from the vapor to drive an electric generator. The cooled brine returns back into the ground, while the working fluid remains within its closed cycle to be recirculated again. Atlas Copco is one of the only suppliers that can provide customized solutions for both the Kalina Cycle and the ORC. How important are these two technologies for the future of the geothermal energy market? Speaking from a global perspective, medium-temperature geothermal resources at 140°C and above that are configured with the ORC can be considered as “low-hanging fruits.” These resources are easy to unlock and will be explored first wherever they are available. The Kalina Cycle is more suited for lower temperature geothermal resources at 130°C and below. Some regions of the world are not blessed with medium or high temperature geothermal resources and need to leverage low-temperature resources where the Kalina Cycle may be applied. ”WE CAN OFFER EXPANDER DESIGN FOR 25 MW PER STAGE.” Speaking of binary cycle technology, the ORC and Kalina Cycle unlock energy generation from low- to mid-temperature geothermal reservoirs. Could you outline briefly the working principle behind these technologies? In binary cycle power plants, the hot geothermal fluid, or “brine,” is used indirectly for energy generation. Because it is not hot enough by itself, the geothermal fluid is used to boil a “working fluid” with a low boiling point. This working fluid, for example isobutene, is contained in a separate cycle, where it evaporates and 10 | As a solutions provider focussed on customer and market needs, Atlas Copco has developed the necessary expertise to customize energy recovery solutions utilizing the ORC, Kalina, or any other cycle, with a suitable working fluid. Atlas Copco geothermal solutions offer turboexpander stages with up to 25,000 kW power. What are some of the technological advantages of Atlas Copco turbines over the competition? Our Atlas Copco radial inflow expanders offer several advantages over the competition. Firstly, no other vendor can offer an expander design for 25 MW per stage. Secondly, Atlas Copco turbo expanders are supplied with variable inlet guide vanes, or IGVs. Variable IGVs can direct the flow of working fluid into the expander wheel at an optimal direction. and maintain the inlet pressure relatively constant. Thereby they can maintain high efficiency and performance over a wide range of process variations, including temperature changes in the geothermal resource or environment including ambient temperature. INSIDE THE TECHNOLOGY For customers who are in the process of designing a geothermal plant, there is a choice between using axial turbines and radial turbines in geothermal power plants. What are the advantages of both solutions, respectively, and the benefit for the customer? Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, isn’t it? Our radial expanders can be equipped with variable inlet guide vanes, so they can tolerate really high-pressure ratios and cope better with resource, process and ambient variations. Axial turbines, on the other hand, can operate at lower speeds and thereby directly drive a generator. Gazing into the crystal ball a bit, what can customers in the geothermal market expect from Atlas Copco Gas and Process over the next few years, both as a partner and, generally, as market innovator? Larger turboexpander trains will provide the customers with economy of scales, while reducing the capital investment per installed KW. Customers of Atlas Copco Gas and Process are expecting us to make progress on two fronts: ORC engineering and turboexpander trains that could handle more flow and higher power per stage. Optimization of Organic Rankine cycle engineering will improve the cycle efficiency and deliver more output power from a geothermal plant. Variable Inlet Guide Vane Turboexpander efficiency in relation to head. | 11 NEWS Atlas Copco Wins Large-scale NGL Order in Middle East Demand for natural gas solutions is soaring in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and so is demand for Atlas Copco turbomachinery. In February 2010, Atlas Copco received a large-scale order for turboexpanders, to be delivered to Abu Dhabi in May 2011. Remodeling at Cologne Headquarters on Schedule Construction crews are still roaming the Gas and Process Division headquarters in Cologne, Germany. But as the dust settles, the impressive pace of progress becomes clear, with new facilities nearing completion as we speak. Range extension for the run-out measurement unit is on the way, with the groundwork completed in early 2010. The actual machine was delivered and installed in March. The new run-out measurement features test rotors up to 2m in diameter and 8 tons weight, at a maximum bearing clearance of 2m. The machine for spinning large impellers – a cornerstone of the division’s next generation machine offering – will be delivered in June, with ground works already underway. The facility will be able to handle test impellers up to 2m in diameter, at maximum weight of 3.5 tons and engine speeds up to 15,000 rpm. Ground works for the new highspeed balancing machine have also started, so the entire effort is well on schedule. Quick project background: Atlas Copco Gas and Process is investing more than MEUR38 into state-of-the-art production machinery, new buildings and improved infrastructure. Ultimately, this will bring customers greater product quality, more precision, and shorter delivery times. 12 The turboexpanders will be used in four natural gas liquids (NGL) processing trains at the Habshan 5 Process Plant, currently under construction in an inland desert area 150 kilometer southwest of Abu Dhabi. The new plant is an addition to the existing Habshan natural gas processing facility. This multi-million dollar order was won by Atlas Copco Mafi-Trench. The California-based company, which has been part of Gas and Process since 2007, has been delivering turboexpanders to the Habshan facility for more than 25 years. “Here’s another example of how the acquisition of Mafi-Trench has yielded synergies – with the customers and with the market. By adding Mafi-Trench’s advanced natural gas applications to our value-added chain, we have become much stronger worldwide, also in special applications like the NGL processing performed at Habshan,” said Dré Schmitz, President of Atlas Copco Gas and Process. Commitment from Day One The company to install the very first set of turboexpanders at Habshan was actually Mafi-Trench. Successfully commissioned in 1984, they are now in operation for over 26 years. In 2001, Mafi-Trench added another expander train, still running with no need for an overhaul even after over 75,000 operating hours. The new set of turboexpanders, featuring active magnetic bearings, is used in the final steps of natural gas liquefaction: Removal of natural gas liquids (NGL) such as ethane, propane and butane through a cryogenic low temperature distillation process. Expected to start operations in 2013, Habshan 5 will process 1 billion cubic feet of raw gas per day– doubling Habshan’s overall capacity to 2 bcf/d – while yielding 12,000 t/d of marketready NGL. Qatar Fujairah Taweelah Habshan United Arab Emirates Oman NEWS Better City, Better Life: Atlas Copco at Expo in Shanghai The international spotlight will be on Shanghai for the World Expo until October 31, 2010. In line with the Expo’s motto “Better City, Better Life,” Atlas Copco will be showcasing our sustainable productivity solutions as Official Partner of the Swedish pavilion at the Expo. On a total 5.28 square kilometers of World Expo grounds on both sides of the Huangpu River, exhibitors from over 200 countries will present the future of urban living and tomorrow’s clean energy technologies. True to the sustainable outlook, the modern 3,000 square meters Swedish pavilion is designed to be re-used after the World Expo closes in October 2010. The organizers expect more than 70 million visitors – the largest number in the entire history of world fairs since the first World Expo in London, held in 1851. A Strong Market Presence Sweden – Spirit of Innovation As one of the official partners of the Swedish exhibit at Expo, Atlas Copco also has shown a strong presence at the show inside the VIP Area of the country’s pavillion. In early May, Atlas Copco offered a taste of Swedish hospitality to customers, employees and other stakeholders. Atlas Copco’s core values of Interaction, Commitment, and Innovation closely match the Swedish theme for Expo 2010: Innovation, Sustainability, and Communication, or simply stated: “Sweden – Spirit of Innovation.” For direct support on Shanghai’s “road to the World Expo,” a fleet of Atlas Copco portable compressors and generators had been visible on the roads leading into Shanghai months before the event, as the city upgraded its highways and other infrastructure with Atlas Copco Portable Air as a major contractor. With our strong presence on the Chinese market, the World Expo is practically a “home game” for the Gas and Process division. Expanding our presence, construction on a new production facility for turbomachinery near Shanghai started in December 2009 at a total investment of more than MSEK 100 (more than 10 MEUR). | 13 TECHNICAL PART 4-7 October 2010 · Houston, USA The HoustonTurbo Show: Hello inTexas I am Nasser Sadeghzadeh, Business Manager at Gas and Process Division, and want to invite you to our booth in Houston. We want to present to you our offering for gas and air compressors, and our expander compressor solutions (10 kW to 25 MW). They are used in FGB, gas processing, C/PC, LNG and energy recovery, respectively. In Houston, we will be at Booth #439. October 24-27, 2010 · Sacramento, United States Geothermal Energy Expo®: See you in California Greetings, I am Reza Agahi and look forward sharing with you insight into Atlas Copco’s premier offering for the geothermal market, most notably for the Organic Rankine Cycle. See you next fall at the GEA Geothermal Energy Expo® and the GRC Annual Meeting. TECHNICAL PART Trade Show Preview 2010 As a company that’s very close to its customers, we always want to find places and venues to meet with you. Trade shows are great places for that. Here we want to tell and you where in the world we will be for the rest of 2010, what you can expect, and we certainly want to cordially invite you to our booths in Sacramento, Singapore and Houston. 2-4 November 2010 · Singapore Power Gen Asia: Welcome to Singapore During our first-ever participation at Power Gen Asia, we will give you a firsthand look at our renewable energy portfolio, most notably our solutions for geo-thermal applications. The show will take place at Marina Sands Bay Resort, we will be at Booth C1. See you in Singapore! Gas and Process Division Our points of contact worldwide Headquarters Regional Offices Customer Centers Atlas Copco Energas GmbH Germany Alpine Schlehenweg 15 Ralf Kiefer (North) Peter von Graffenried Sami Tabaza 50999 Cologne, Germany Phone: +49 2227 90 99 920 Phone: +41 61 731 37 00 Phone: +971 5 044 38 117 Phone: +49 2236 96 50 0 Fax +49 2227 90 99 922 Fax: +41 61 733 94 40 Fax: +971 4 88 61 885 Fax: +49 2236 96 50 899 ralf.kiefer@de.atlascopco.com peter.von.graffenried@ch.atlascopco.com sami.tabaza@bh.atlascopco.com Jörg Wieczorek (South) Benelux Nordic Phone: +49 89 74 99 49 70 Jan Hop Fax: +49 89 74 99 49 80 Phone: +31 33 299 95 05 Phone: +358 8 51 67 64 Fax: +31 33 299 95 06 Fax: +358 8 51 58 24 Middle East/North Africa atlascopco.energas@de.atlascopco.com Europe Thomas Bierwirth (Energas) Phone: +49 2236 96 50 658 Fax: +49 2236 96 50 899 thomas.bierwirth@de.atlascopco.com The Americas Nasser Sadeghzadeh (Comptec) Phone: +1 518 765 58 38 Fax: +1 518 765 33 57 nasser.sadeghzadeh@us.atlascopco.com Randy Dirlam (Mafi-Trench) Phone: +1 805 928 57 57 ext. 4139 Fax: +1 805 925 38 61 randy.dirlam@us.atlascopco.com Far East Sander van Spijk (Shanghai) Phone: +86 21 220 848 58 Fax: +86 21 621 519 63 sander.van.spijk@cn.atlascopco.com India S.S. Vasan (Pune) Phone: +91 20 39 85 23 09 Fax: +91 20 27 14 59 48 ss.vasan@in.atlascopco.com joerg.wieczorek@de.atlascopco.com jan.hop@nl.atlascopco.com heikki.alanko@fi.atlascopco.com Tim Shaw (Southwest) Brazil Russia Phone: +1 281 216 60 10 Roberto G. Becker Peter Kraus Fax: +1 281 984 74 63 Phone: +55 11 34 78 87 11 Phone: +7 495 933 55 50 ext. 15 99 Fax: +55 11 41 95 70 90 Fax: +7 495 933 12 50 United States tim.shaw@us.atlascopco.com roberto.g.becker@br.atlascopco.com peter.kraus@de.atlascopco.com France South Africa Tushar Patel (Southeast) Phone: +1 403 473 00 80 tushar.patel@ca.atlascopco.com Patrick Coupel Wayne Jacobs Phone: +33 1 39 09 31 60 Phone: +27 11 821 90 00 John Peranteaux (West Coast / Fax: +33 1 39 09 30 51 Fax: +27 11 388 32 64 Western Canada) patrick.coupel@fr.atlascopco.com wayne.jacobs@za.atlascopco.com Great Britain South Korea Ian Mather SeungHoon Yang Phone: +1 805 928 57 57 ext. 4125 Fax: +1 805 925 38 61 john.peranteaux@us.atlascopco.com Phone: +44 1442 22 23 35 Phone: +82 2 21 89 40 80 Bruce Edstrand (North Central / Northeast) Fax: +44 2074 92 37 30 Fax: +82 2 522 19 79 Phone: ian.mather@uk.atlascopco.com shyang@kr.atlascopco.com Italy Southeast Asia/Oceania +1 847 726 98 66 bruce.edstrand@us.atlascopco.com Bart Woodmansee (Northeast / Gianfranco Marinelli Ulrich Schmitz Eastern Canada) Phone: +39 02 61 79 94 50 Phone: +65 62 10 80 44 Phone: +1 860 477 02 96 Fax: +39 02 66 01 18 90 Fax: +65 68 62 56 28 Fax: +1 860 477 04 61 gianfranco.marinelli@it.atlascopco.com ulrich.schmitz@sg.atlascopco.com Japan Spain Michael Shafer Rafael Cañete Nick He (Hangzhou) Phone: +81 3 57 65 70 39 Phone: +34 91 627 91 00 Phone: +86 57 12 80 02 077 Fax: +81 3 57 65 31 97 Fax: +34 91 627 91 62 Fax: +86 57 12 80 02 070 michael.shafer@jp.atlascopco.com B00/004/20/0410 Application Centers Heikki Alanko bart.woodmansee@us.atlascopco.com China nick.he@cn.atlascopco.com Yi-Fu (Jerry) Zhang (Beijing) Phone: +86 10 65 28 05 17 Fax: +86 10 65 28 05 25 jerry.zhang@cn.atlascopco.com rafael.canete@es.atlascopco.com © Atlas Copco 07/2010 Printed in Germany. www.atlascopco-gap.com
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