Insights v10.1 - Dresser-Rand | DATUM Compressors

Transcription

insights
A PUBLICATION OF DRESSER-RAND
Editorial Statement:
®
“insights” is a periodical publication of
Dresser-Rand. Its editorial mission is to
inform our readership in the areas of
energy industries, as well as business
and world affairs that have an impact on
our mutual concerns. Comments,
inquiries and suggestions should be
directed to:
Janet Ofano
Communications Coordinator
DRESSER-RAND
insights Editorial Office
Paul Clark Drive
Olean, New York 14760 USA
Phone: (716) 375-3000
FAX: (716) 375-3178
insights
VOLUME 10, NO. 1
Featured in this issue of insights:
Candid Visions: Safety – The Goal Is Zero
Dresser-Rand Introduces Integrated Compression SystemTM For Onshore And Offshore Projects,
Including Sub-Sea
D-R Succeeds With Applied DATUM Technology For Major U.S. Refinery In Record Time
© Copyright 2007 Dresser-Rand
insights
VOLUME 10, NO. 1
CONTENTS
1
Dresser-Rand’s Peter Taschner details the company’s commitment to safety.
4
Dresser-Rand Introduces Integrated Compression System For Onshore And Offshore Projects, Including Sub-Sea
The new concept provides a complete compression system solution in a compact package.
6
Dresser-Rand Test Capabilities Prepared For Every Challenge
Dresser-Rand continues to expand and enhance its global equipment test capabilities.
9
CIRS Continues To Improve Client Relations Around the World
The rapid response system is designed to continually increase client satisfaction.
behaviors are identified
and steps are taken to
eliminate those behaviors.
By using behavioral
auditing techniques, many
unsafe behaviors that could
result in injuries and
accidents have been
eliminated by
D-R employees.
10 Dresser-Rand Keeping It Cool – And Safe
D-R’s complete line of COPPUS portable ventilators helps clients keep their operations safe.
12 Engineer’s Notebook: Curtis Stage Nozzle/Rotor Aerodynamic Interaction and the Effect on Stage Performance
Presented at IGTI Turbo Expo 2006 in Barcelona, Spain.
16 Dresser-Rand Succeeds With Applied DATUM® Technology For Major U.S. Refinery In Record Time
Rapid upgrade solution to another OEM’s equipment provides increased performance.
19 Global Visions:
Dresser-Rand Equipment Powers Australia’s BassGas Project
D-R Training Programs Address Global Need
COVER PHOTO: Sydney, Australia -- Australia's southeastern States receive vital, clean energy
from Origin Energy's BassGas Project offshore platform. (See article on page 19.)
This document may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of U.S. securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements
relating to the Company's plans, objectives, goals, strategies and future events and financial performance. The words "anticipates," "believes," "expects," "intends," and similar expressions identify such forward-looking statements. Although the Company
believes such statements are based on reasonable assumptions, these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous
factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those stated,
and no assurance can be given with respect thereto. These and other risks are discussed in greater detail in the Company's filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forwardlooking statements.
Peter Taschner
Safety: The Goal is Zero
Editor’s Note: This installment
of Candid Visions is an
interview with Peter Taschner,
Dresser-Rand’s former chief
safety officer for company
operations worldwide.
Taschner accepted the
position of director of operations for Olean Operations in
October, 2006 but maintained
his role as chief safety officer
until March, 2007 when
Joseph (Joe) Megginson was
named chief safety officer,
worldwide for Dresser-Rand.
Megginson is located in D-R's
Houston, Texas offices.
Many of us may take safety
for granted when we go to
work each day. But Peter
Taschner, Dresser-Rand’s
former chief safety officer,
does not take safety lightly.
He recognizes that safety is
something every employee
needs to focus on every day.
Taschner’s goal for incidents
and injuries among
employees at Dresser-Rand
locations and on clients’
sites is zero. “The secret to
operating injury- and
incident-free is to eliminate
unsafe behaviors,” Taschner
emphasizes. Using many
short behavioral audits, risk
At the core of the
company’s safety program
is the D-R Health, Safety
and Environment (HSE)
Management System. The
system comprises four
principles: (1) all injuries
and incidents are
preventable; (2) staying
injury free is the responsibility of all employees; (3)
employees must be
thoroughly trained and
involved in safety matters;
and (4) “good safety is
good business.”
Research shows that, for
the most part, injuries result
from unsafe behaviors.
Because most safety
programs focus on conditions to improve safety, they
struggle to see results.
At Dresser-Rand, the focus
is on eliminating unsafe
behaviors. HSE improvement is a continuous
process. Based on annual
safety assessments made
at various sites, objectives
are set and plans to
achieve them are established. Employees are then
trained, and the plans are
implemented. Sustained
improvements are intended
to be achieved as a result
of these efforts.
Dresser-Rand manages the
HSE system the same way it
manages other aspects of
its business. The HSE
system is given the same
priority as cost, quality,
productivity, on-time
delivery and employee
relations. Potential safety
problems are viewed as
opportunities for improvement. Good safety
communications result in all
employees understanding
the goals, objectives, plans,
performances and current
safety issues.
The editor of insights spoke
to Taschner about his role
as Dresser-Rand’s chief
safety officer and how the
position contributes to the
success of the company.
insights: Why is DresserRand's safety program so
important to D-R clients?
Taschner: Dresser-Rand’s
safety program shows our
Continued on page 3
For information about Dresser-Rand, visit our website at www.dresser-rand.com.
1
insights
VOLUME 10, NO. 1
CONTENTS
1
Dresser-Rand’s Peter Taschner details the company’s commitment to safety.
4
Dresser-Rand Introduces Integrated Compression System For Onshore And Offshore Projects, Including Sub-Sea
The new concept provides a complete compression system solution in a compact package.
6
Dresser-Rand Test Capabilities Prepared For Every Challenge
Dresser-Rand continues to expand and enhance its global equipment test capabilities.
9
CIRS Continues To Improve Client Relations Around the World
The rapid response system is designed to continually increase client satisfaction.
behaviors are identified
and steps are taken to
eliminate those behaviors.
By using behavioral
auditing techniques, many
unsafe behaviors that could
result in injuries and
accidents have been
eliminated by
D-R employees.
10 Dresser-Rand Keeping It Cool – And Safe
D-R’s complete line of COPPUS portable ventilators helps clients keep their operations safe.
12 Engineer’s Notebook: Curtis Stage Nozzle/Rotor Aerodynamic Interaction and the Effect on Stage Performance
Presented at IGTI Turbo Expo 2006 in Barcelona, Spain.
16 Dresser-Rand Succeeds With Applied DATUM® Technology For Major U.S. Refinery In Record Time
Rapid upgrade solution to another OEM’s equipment provides increased performance.
19 Global Visions:
Dresser-Rand Equipment Powers Australia’s BassGas Project
D-R Training Programs Address Global Need
COVER PHOTO: Sydney, Australia -- Australia's southeastern States receive vital, clean energy
from Origin Energy's BassGas Project offshore platform. (See article on page 19.)
This document may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of U.S. securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements
relating to the Company's plans, objectives, goals, strategies and future events and financial performance. The words "anticipates," "believes," "expects," "intends," and similar expressions identify such forward-looking statements. Although the Company
believes such statements are based on reasonable assumptions, these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous
factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those stated,
and no assurance can be given with respect thereto. These and other risks are discussed in greater detail in the Company's filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forwardlooking statements.
Peter Taschner
Editor’s Note: This installment
of Candid Visions is an
interview with Peter Taschner,
Dresser-Rand’s former chief
safety officer for company
operations worldwide.
Taschner accepted the
position of director of operations for Olean Operations in
October, 2006 but maintained
his role as chief safety officer
until March, 2007 when
Joseph (Joe) Megginson was
named chief safety officer,
worldwide for Dresser-Rand.
Megginson is located in D-R's
Houston, Texas offices.
Many of us may take safety
for granted when we go to
work each day. But Peter
Taschner, Dresser-Rand’s
former chief safety officer,
does not take safety lightly.
He recognizes that safety is
something every employee
needs to focus on every day.
Taschner’s goal for incidents
and injuries among
employees at Dresser-Rand
locations and on clients’
sites is zero. “The secret to
operating injury- and
incident-free is to eliminate
unsafe behaviors,” Taschner
emphasizes. Using many
short behavioral audits, risk
At the core of the
company’s safety program
is the D-R Health, Safety
and Environment (HSE)
Management System. The
system comprises four
principles: (1) all injuries
and incidents are
preventable; (2) staying
injury free is the responsibility of all employees; (3)
employees must be
thoroughly trained and
involved in safety matters;
and (4) “good safety is
good business.”
Research shows that, for
the most part, injuries result
from unsafe behaviors.
Because most safety
programs focus on conditions to improve safety, they
struggle to see results.
At Dresser-Rand, the focus
is on eliminating unsafe
behaviors. HSE improvement is a continuous
process. Based on annual
safety assessments made
at various sites, objectives
are set and plans to
achieve them are established. Employees are then
trained, and the plans are
implemented. Sustained
improvements are intended
to be achieved as a result
of these efforts.
Dresser-Rand manages the
HSE system the same way it
manages other aspects of
its business. The HSE
system is given the same
priority as cost, quality,
productivity, on-time
delivery and employee
relations. Potential safety
problems are viewed as
opportunities for improvement. Good safety
communications result in all
employees understanding
the goals, objectives, plans,
performances and current
safety issues.
The editor of insights spoke
to Taschner about his role
as Dresser-Rand’s chief
safety officer and how the
position contributes to the
success of the company.
insights: Why is DresserRand's safety program so
important to D-R clients?
Taschner: Dresser-Rand’s
safety program shows our
Continued on page 3
For information about Dresser-Rand, visit our website at www.dresser-rand.com.
1
Continued from page 1
Meet Peter Taschner
Peter Taschner is Dresser-Rand’s former chief
safety officer for company operations worldwide.
He joined the company in January 2005 after
spending more than 20 years with DuPont in a
variety of positions.
Taschner has a Bachelor of Science degree in
electrical engineering and an MBA from Lehigh
University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He and
his wife, Terri, are parents of five children
ranging in age from eight to 17.
Taschner recognizes that the biggest challenge
in this position is convincing co-workers that
zero injuries and incidents is an achievable
goal.
“Safety improves as individuals realize that all
injuries and incidents can be prevented.
Watching as my co-workers gain an understanding of how they can achieve greatness in
their safety performance is the most rewarding
part of my job.”
clients that a company that
has the operating discipline
to have a great safety
record will have that same
operating discipline in all
other aspects of its business, for example quality,
on-time delivery, costs, etc.
Clients want to see a good
corporate safety record,
because they use it to
measure the overall abilities
of a company. We also
directly affect the client's
own safety performance
when we are working at
their sites.
insights: How does the
Dresser-Rand safety
program work in unison with
D-R clients?
Taschner: We participate
with client safety programs
while working within the
structure of our own HSE
management system. If we
come upon other effective
safety programs – at a
client’s site, for example –
we can integrate them into
our own HSE management
system.
insights: What actions has
D-R taken to improve
safety?
Taschner: We have instituted a comprehensive
safety management system
that comprises 12 essential
2
elements. Line managers
are accountable and
responsible for the safety of
their employees, and a
safety committee structure is
in place to support those
managers. A behavioral
auditing element empowers
all supervisors and
managers to look for unsafe
behaviors and seek
employees’ cooperation in
eliminating them. By
gaining employees’ commitment to change one or two
things they are doing that
may lead to an injury, we
make the workplace safer
with each audit. Since it is
likely that the employee
performs the same behavior
several times each workday,
we eliminate hundreds or
thousands of unsafe behaviors with each audit. The
incident investigation
element forces us to determine the root cause of each
incident and put corrective
measures in place to ensure
that similar incidents will not
happen again.
insights: Are the objectives
of this program being
realized?
Taschner: Absolutely.
Significant improvement has
been achieved at the Olean,
New York and Le Havre,
France facilities, for
example. The Olean facility
had 22 injuries in the first
10 months of 2005 for a
total recordable rate of 2.9.
The Olean facility started a
program focused on
eliminating unsafe behavior
in 2005. Since October
2005 Olean has achieved a
The same effort was
undertaken in Le Havre,
where employees had 14
injuries in the first nine
months of 2005 for a total
recordable rate of 3.0.
Since September 2005, the
Le Havre facility has
achieved a total recordable
rate of 1.1.
insights: What are D-R’s
target goals for safety and
what challenges lie ahead
in reaching these goals?
Taschner: The goal is
zero incidents. A single
incident can be as minor as
coffee spilled on the floor of
a work area. This is a longrange goal that will not be
reached immediately. But it
can be achieved as we
continuously improve in all
12 elements of the safety
management system. The
total recordable case rate
(TRCR) objective for 2007
is to achieve 0.8 or better.
This means that to achieve
our goal, we can have a
maximum of one injury for
every 125 employees
during the course of the
year. In 2006, our TRCR
was 1.6.
insights: How does safety
fit into D-R’s long-term
company goals?
Taschner: Safety is critical to
the long-term success of
Dresser-Rand for two
reasons. First and foremost,
our employees are our most
valuable resource and we
want them to return home
safely in the same condition
they came to work.
Secondly, our clients demand
outstanding safety performance. A good company
safety record is a competitive
advantage. Companies that
do not take safety seriously
or do not work to improve
their safety performance will
lose their competitive
advantage and will not stand
the test of time. ■
"Companies that do not take safety
seriously or do not work to improve
their safety performance will lose their
competitive advantage and will not
stand the test of time."
— Peter Taschner
3
Meet Peter Taschner
Peter Taschner is Dresser-Rand’s former chief
safety officer for company operations worldwide.
He joined the company in January 2005 after
spending more than 20 years with DuPont in a
variety of positions.
Taschner has a Bachelor of Science degree in
electrical engineering and an MBA from Lehigh
University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He and
his wife, Terri, are parents of five children
ranging in age from eight to 17.
Taschner recognizes that the biggest challenge
in this position is convincing co-workers that
zero injuries and incidents is an achievable
goal.
“Safety improves as individuals realize that all
injuries and incidents can be prevented.
Watching as my co-workers gain an understanding of how they can achieve greatness in
their safety performance is the most rewarding
part of my job.”
clients that a company that
has the operating discipline
to have a great safety
record will have that same
operating discipline in all
other aspects of its business, for example quality,
on-time delivery, costs, etc.
Clients want to see a good
corporate safety record,
because they use it to
measure the overall abilities
of a company. We also
directly affect the client's
own safety performance
when we are working at
their sites.
insights: How does the
Dresser-Rand safety
program work in unison with
D-R clients?
Taschner: We participate
with client safety programs
while working within the
structure of our own HSE
management system. If we
come upon other effective
safety programs – at a
client’s site, for example –
we can integrate them into
our own HSE management
system.
insights: What actions has
D-R taken to improve
safety?
Taschner: We have instituted a comprehensive
safety management system
that comprises 12 essential
2
elements. Line managers
are accountable and
responsible for the safety of
their employees, and a
safety committee structure is
in place to support those
managers. A behavioral
auditing element empowers
all supervisors and
managers to look for unsafe
behaviors and seek
employees’ cooperation in
eliminating them. By
gaining employees’ commitment to change one or two
things they are doing that
may lead to an injury, we
make the workplace safer
with each audit. Since it is
likely that the employee
performs the same behavior
several times each workday,
we eliminate hundreds or
thousands of unsafe behaviors with each audit. The
incident investigation
element forces us to determine the root cause of each
incident and put corrective
measures in place to ensure
that similar incidents will not
happen again.
insights: Are the objectives
of this program being
realized?
Taschner: Absolutely.
Significant improvement has
been achieved at the Olean,
New York and Le Havre,
France facilities, for
example. The Olean facility
had 22 injuries in the first
10 months of 2005 for a
The Olean facility started a
program focused on
eliminating unsafe behavior
in 2005. Since October
2005 Olean has achieved a
The same effort was
undertaken in Le Havre,
where employees had 14
injuries in the first nine
months of 2005 for a total
recordable rate of 3.0.
Since September 2005, the
Le Havre facility has
achieved a total recordable
rate of 1.1.
insights: What are D-R’s
target goals for safety and
what challenges lie ahead
in reaching these goals?
Taschner: The goal is
zero incidents. A single
incident can be as minor as
coffee spilled on the floor of
a work area. This is a longrange goal that will not be
reached immediately. But it
can be achieved as we
continuously improve in all
12 elements of the safety
management system. The
total recordable case rate
(TRCR) objective for 2007
is to achieve 0.8 or better.
This means that to achieve
our goal, we can have a
maximum of one injury for
every 125 employees
during the course of the
year. In 2006, our TRCR
was 1.6.
insights: How does safety
fit into D-R’s long-term
company goals?
Taschner: Safety is critical to
the long-term success of
Dresser-Rand for two
reasons. First and foremost,
our employees are our most
valuable resource and we
want them to return home
safely in the same condition
they came to work.
Secondly, our clients demand
outstanding safety performance. A good company
safety record is a competitive
advantage. Companies that
do not take safety seriously
or do not work to improve
their safety performance will
lose their competitive
advantage and will not stand
the test of time. ■
"Companies that do not take safety
seriously or do not work to improve
their safety performance will lose their
competitive advantage and will not
stand the test of time."
— Peter Taschner
3
Dresser-Rand Introduces Integrated
Compression SystemTM for Onshore and
Offshore Projects, including Sub-Sea
In a major advance in
centrifugal compressor
technology, Dresser-Rand
Company has announced it
is developing a fully
Integrated Compression
System (ICSTM) engineered to
provide an efficient, compact
solution to compression
system design.
The Dresser-Rand ICS uses
as a platform high-efficiency
DATUM‚ centrifugal
compressor technology
driven by a high-speed,
close-coupled motor, with an
integrated rotary gas-liquid
separation unit, packaged
with process gas coolers in a
single module. It provides a
complete compression
system that can be applied
to all markets – upstream,
midstream and downstream with the smallest footprint,
reduced weight and at the
lowest total installed cost.
“Traditional compression
modules typically are very
large and heavy structures,
require lengthy production
time, and are expensive,”
said Jesus Pacheco, vice
president of Client Services
at Dresser-Rand. “With this
integrated approach, the
total footprint of a conventional module can be
reduced by up to 65 percent
while its weight can be
halved by a Dresser-Rand
ICS compression module.
It’s smaller, it’s lighter, and it
can be produced in less
4
time. The performance of
D-R’s ICS, incorporating
DATUM compressor and
rotary separation technologies will be competitive to
the overall performance of
traditional systems when the
suction scrubber and inlet
piping losses are taken into
account. This translates into
a cost-effective solution that
can add real value to our
clients’ capital projects and
operations throughout the life
of the equipment.”
Dresser-Rand’s DATUM
technology was first introduced to the industry in
September 1995 at the 24th
Turbomachinery Symposium.
Dresser-Rand’s DATUM line
of centrifugal compressors
sets the standard for
modular design and highefficiency performance.
DATUM units dramatically
improved the serviceability of
centrifugal compressors,
resulting in reduced down
time and lower life-cycle
costs. To date, more than
500 DATUM units have been
sold to clients in more than
40 countries for virtually
every type of critical gas
compression application.
Driving the DATUM
compressor line with a highspeed, close-coupled motor
ensures a compact design
that is environmentally
friendly and cost-effective.
Completely Integrated
Separator Technology
The ICS’ ability to effectively
handle any dry or wet gas
application is made possible
by the integration of
advanced rotary separation
technology within the
compressor. This technology
was developed by
Multiphase Power and
Technologies, a joint venture
company created in 1998
between Dresser-Rand and
Aker Kvaerner. The joint
venture brought together
D-R's experience in
designing and manufacturing
durable and reliable rotating
machinery with Kvaerner
Process Systems' expertise
in separation technology.
In 2005, Dresser-Rand
acquired full ownership in
Technologies. Following the
acquisition, Vincent R. Volpe,
Jr., Dresser-Rand’s president
and CEO, stated that the
move “…reinforces DresserRand’s ‘Total Solutions’
approach, designed to offer
clients significant value, and
complements our existing
technologies in the global oil
and gas industries.” That
statement has proved itself
with the development of
Dresser-Rand’s ICS system,
according to Pacheco.
Dresser-Rand’s rotary
separation technologies
(RST) provide an efficient
and compact method of gasliquid separation that uses
centrifugal forces to separate
gas, oil and water and
remove solids from the flow.
The separation process
protects down-line
machinery from potential
damage by reducing oil
content in a single process
at the wellhead manifold
“With this integrated approach,
the total footprint
of a conventional
module can be
reduced by up to
65 percent while
its weight can be
halved by a
Dresser-Rand ICS
compression
module.”
— Jesus Pacheco,
vice president of
Client Services at
Dresser-Rand
allowing produced water to
be disposed in an environmentally sound manner. An
in-line, rotary separator
(IRIS®) has also been
developed for and successfully applied in applications
that require the separation
of liquids from a gas stream.
This separation technology
achieves equal or better
efficiencies than gravitybased systems while being
significantly more compact.
“Oil and gas producers are
able to take advantage of
these advances in technology to effectively reduce
the overall size of production facilities, platforms and
sub-sea modules,” said
Julian Smith, director of
Business Development at
Dresser-Rand, who heads
up the company’s Separator
Strategic Business Unit.
"Downtime and potential
production losses are
reduced because the
equipment is protected from
liquids and particles in the
pipelines by the separators.”
Uniquely Suited for Subsea Applications
A key attribute of DresserRand’s ICS is that it turns
“compressors” into compact
“compression systems.” We
believe this attribute would
make it uniquely suited for
the developing sub-sea
applications. Because the
compressor, motor, separa-
tion system and gas coolers
are contained within the same
process module, it can be
installed as a single, compact
unit and eliminates the need
for large, stand-alone
separators. The reduced
weight and smaller footprint
make it very attractive when
compared to traditional
compressor-only technologies as well as being easier
to transport, install and
retrieve.
"DATUM compression
technology has proved it can
provide high efficiency with
maximum reliability thereby
reducing life-cycle costs,”
Pacheco stated. “Combined
with other Dresser-Rand
technologies, such as the
RST, we can offer much more
than just a compressor. ICS
is a complete compression
system in a compact, costeffective package. As
opportunities for sub-sea
compression emerge, we
expect the Dresser-Rand ICS
system to offer the best
solutions and provide real
value to our clients operating
in seabed production.■
The Dresser-Rand ICS uses as a platform high-efficiency DATUM‚ centrifugal compressor technology driven by a high-speed,
close-coupled motor, with an integrated rotary gas-liquid separation unit, packaged with process gas coolers in a single module.
5
Dresser-Rand Introduces Integrated
Compression SystemTM for Onshore and
Offshore Projects, including Sub-Sea
In a major advance in
technology, Dresser-Rand
Company has announced it
is developing a fully
Integrated Compression
System (ICSTM) engineered to
provide an efficient, compact
solution to compression
system design.
The Dresser-Rand ICS uses
as a platform high-efficiency
DATUM‚ centrifugal
compressor technology
driven by a high-speed,
close-coupled motor, with an
integrated rotary gas-liquid
separation unit, packaged
with process gas coolers in a
single module. It provides a
complete compression
system that can be applied
to all markets – upstream,
midstream and downstream with the smallest footprint,
reduced weight and at the
lowest total installed cost.
“Traditional compression
modules typically are very
large and heavy structures,
require lengthy production
time, and are expensive,”
said Jesus Pacheco, vice
president of Client Services
at Dresser-Rand. “With this
integrated approach, the
total footprint of a conventional module can be
reduced by up to 65 percent
while its weight can be
halved by a Dresser-Rand
ICS compression module.
It’s smaller, it’s lighter, and it
can be produced in less
4
time. The performance of
D-R’s ICS, incorporating
DATUM compressor and
rotary separation technologies will be competitive to
the overall performance of
traditional systems when the
suction scrubber and inlet
piping losses are taken into
account. This translates into
a cost-effective solution that
can add real value to our
clients’ capital projects and
operations throughout the life
of the equipment.”
Dresser-Rand’s DATUM
technology was first introduced to the industry in
September 1995 at the 24th
Turbomachinery Symposium.
Dresser-Rand’s DATUM line
of centrifugal compressors
sets the standard for
modular design and highefficiency performance.
DATUM units dramatically
improved the serviceability of
centrifugal compressors,
resulting in reduced down
time and lower life-cycle
costs. To date, more than
500 DATUM units have been
sold to clients in more than
40 countries for virtually
every type of critical gas
compression application.
Driving the DATUM
compressor line with a highspeed, close-coupled motor
ensures a compact design
that is environmentally
friendly and cost-effective.
Completely Integrated
Separator Technology
The ICS’ ability to effectively
handle any dry or wet gas
application is made possible
by the integration of
advanced rotary separation
technology within the
compressor. This technology
was developed by
Technologies, a joint venture
company created in 1998
between Dresser-Rand and
Aker Kvaerner. The joint
venture brought together
D-R's experience in
designing and manufacturing
durable and reliable rotating
machinery with Kvaerner
Process Systems' expertise
in separation technology.
acquired full ownership in
Technologies. Following the
acquisition, Vincent R. Volpe,
Jr., Dresser-Rand’s president
and CEO, stated that the
move “…reinforces DresserRand’s ‘Total Solutions’
approach, designed to offer
clients significant value, and
complements our existing
technologies in the global oil
and gas industries.” That
statement has proved itself
with the development of
Dresser-Rand’s ICS system,
according to Pacheco.
Dresser-Rand’s rotary
separation technologies
(RST) provide an efficient
and compact method of gasliquid separation that uses
centrifugal forces to separate
gas, oil and water and
remove solids from the flow.
The separation process
protects down-line
machinery from potential
damage by reducing oil
content in a single process
at the wellhead manifold
“With this integrated approach,
the total footprint
of a conventional
module can be
reduced by up to
65 percent while
its weight can be
halved by a
Dresser-Rand ICS
compression
module.”
— Jesus Pacheco,
vice president of
Client Services at
Dresser-Rand
allowing produced water to
be disposed in an environmentally sound manner. An
in-line, rotary separator
(IRIS®) has also been
developed for and successfully applied in applications
that require the separation
of liquids from a gas stream.
This separation technology
achieves equal or better
efficiencies than gravitybased systems while being
significantly more compact.
“Oil and gas producers are
able to take advantage of
these advances in technology to effectively reduce
the overall size of production facilities, platforms and
sub-sea modules,” said
Julian Smith, director of
Business Development at
Dresser-Rand, who heads
up the company’s Separator
Strategic Business Unit.
"Downtime and potential
production losses are
reduced because the
equipment is protected from
liquids and particles in the
pipelines by the separators.”
Uniquely Suited for Subsea Applications
A key attribute of DresserRand’s ICS is that it turns
“compressors” into compact
“compression systems.” We
believe this attribute would
make it uniquely suited for
the developing sub-sea
applications. Because the
compressor, motor, separa-
tion system and gas coolers
are contained within the same
process module, it can be
installed as a single, compact
unit and eliminates the need
for large, stand-alone
separators. The reduced
weight and smaller footprint
make it very attractive when
compared to traditional
compressor-only technologies as well as being easier
to transport, install and
retrieve.
"DATUM compression
technology has proved it can
provide high efficiency with
maximum reliability thereby
reducing life-cycle costs,”
Pacheco stated. “Combined
with other Dresser-Rand
technologies, such as the
RST, we can offer much more
than just a compressor. ICS
is a complete compression
system in a compact, costeffective package. As
opportunities for sub-sea
compression emerge, we
expect the Dresser-Rand ICS
system to offer the best
solutions and provide real
value to our clients operating
in seabed production.■
The Dresser-Rand ICS uses as a platform high-efficiency DATUM‚ centrifugal compressor technology driven by a high-speed,
close-coupled motor, with an integrated rotary gas-liquid separation unit, packaged with process gas coolers in a single module.
5
D-R Test Capabilities Prepared
for Every Challenge
During the past decade,
continuous advancements
in computer capabilities
have enabled Dresser-Rand
to accelerate the innovations
in the performance of
rotating equipment. The
development of sophisticated three-dimensional
solid modeling design
systems, as well as computational fluid dynamic
analysis software, have
translated into more efficient
compressors and turbines,
uniquely engineered for
specific applications. The
corollary to this expanding
knowledge and capability is
an ongoing effort to employ
the most advanced
processes for testing and
data analysis to measure
and verify the performance
of the equipment.
At its world-class test
facilities in Le Havre,
France, and Olean, New
York, Dresser-Rand has
invested in the most
advanced testing capabilities in the industry, and
cultivated the knowledge of
experienced test engineers.
Both D-R facilities are
proficient at performing not
only full mechanical testing,
but also full-load, full-
pressure ASME PTC10
Type I performance string
testing.
“Testing represents the
final, critical quality check
on all manufactured
equipment,” explained Don
Wehlage, manager of
testing at Dresser-Rand in
Olean. “It represents the
verification of the design
and manufacturing
process.”
D-R’s test facility in Olean
comprises 36,000 square
feet (3345 sq./m) with 20
test stands that allow
maximum flexibility to run
multiple tests concurrently.
“All units are mechanically
tested for API 617 compliance,” Wehlage said.
“Performance testing per
ASME PTC 10 Type 1 and/or
Type 2 tests is based on
client requirements.
More than 16,000 square
feet (1485 sq./m) of the
Olean facility are dedicated
to testing small units, while
more than 20,000 square
feet (1860 sq./m) are used
for hydrocarbon tests and
larger machines. “Of the 20
test stands, most have
permanent drives in place,”
Wehlage said. “We’ve
performed as many as three
tests at once. But we may
have up to a dozen stands
occupied at any given time
depending on the
complexity of the tests and
the setup time required for
each. Some tests can be
set up in a week or so, while
a full-load hydrocarbon test
or full-load inert test for LNG
equipment may take months
to prepare.”
The D-R Olean test facility
was specifically designed to
conduct large string fullload, full-pressure Type I
tests exceeding 115,000 hp
(85 MW) with hydrocarbon
gas. The facility has 23
steam turbines, one operating up to 30,000 hp (22
MW) to accommodate
various tests. The company
also has two dual-rotation,
variable speed electric
motors operating up to 2,500
hp (1.9 MW).
In Le Havre, France,
Dresser-Rand operates its
second world-class test
facility for centrifugal
compressors and turbine
equipment. A total of 12 test
stands are available for both
API 617 mechanical testing
as well as ASME PTC Class I
hydrocarbon tests. Each
test area is equipped with a
full range of instrumentation
and quick connections to
accommodate the wide
range of equipment and test
requirements. “Increasingly,
our clients are requesting
more sophisticated, thorough testing of their
equipment, and they rely on
our expertise,” said Yann
Peignet, manager of the D-R
test facility in Le Havre.
“This has led to a tremendous effort in the past 10
years to fully develop our
capabilities.”
Dresser-Rand DJ 160 power
turbine powered by a RollsRoyce Avon gas generator
capable of 6000 kW/5300
rpm. Electric motor-driven
packages can be subject to
no load or full load string
tests, using an auxiliary
power supplied from diesel
generators for 20kV at 50Hz
or 60Hz. Twenty gearboxes
are used as required for API
compressor testing. High-
pressure gas coolers are
permanently installed to
facilitate and shorten the
installation of compressor for
type I testing with heat
dissipation capabilities from
8000 to 16,000 kW. Two
cooling tower systems are
used -- an 8000 kW system
for the mechanical test
stands (allowing 6500 kW
gas power on test stand),
and a 32,000 kW system for
full load test stands
(allowing 26,000 kW gas
power on test stand).
The two steam turbine API
612 test stands can accommodate both back-pressure
and condensing steam
turbine application equipment. The maximum test
power is 1800 kW with
steam flows of up to 15 T/Hr
to condensor and 10 T/Hr to
exhaust. Steam pressures of
10 to 38 barG with temperatures up to 716 degrees
Fahrenheit (380° Celsius)
can be obtained. Turbines
with ratings of up to 50MW
can be tested.
tested,” said Peignet. “We
also are prepared to run up
to six full compression train
string tests a year depending
Continued on page 8
Both facilities maintain an
intricate infrastructure to
support the respective test
operations. The Le Havre
plant maintains four electrical variable-speed DC
motors capable of 1500
kW/1500 rpm, as well as a
The Dresser-Rand facility in Olean, New York, includes 20 test stands in 36,000 square feet (3345 sq./m), which allow multiple tests to run
concurrently.
6
7
D-R Test Capabilities Prepared
for Every Challenge
During the past decade,
continuous advancements
in computer capabilities
have enabled Dresser-Rand
to accelerate the innovations
in the performance of
rotating equipment. The
development of sophisticated three-dimensional
solid modeling design
systems, as well as computational fluid dynamic
analysis software, have
translated into more efficient
compressors and turbines,
uniquely engineered for
specific applications. The
corollary to this expanding
knowledge and capability is
an ongoing effort to employ
the most advanced
processes for testing and
data analysis to measure
and verify the performance
of the equipment.
At its world-class test
facilities in Le Havre,
France, and Olean, New
York, Dresser-Rand has
invested in the most
advanced testing capabilities in the industry, and
cultivated the knowledge of
experienced test engineers.
Both D-R facilities are
proficient at performing not
only full mechanical testing,
but also full-load, full-
pressure ASME PTC10
Type I performance string
testing.
“Testing represents the
final, critical quality check
on all manufactured
equipment,” explained Don
Wehlage, manager of
testing at Dresser-Rand in
Olean. “It represents the
verification of the design
and manufacturing
process.”
D-R’s test facility in Olean
comprises 36,000 square
feet (3345 sq./m) with 20
test stands that allow
maximum flexibility to run
multiple tests concurrently.
tested for API 617 compliance,” Wehlage said.
“Performance testing per
ASME PTC 10 Type 1 and/or
Type 2 tests is based on
client requirements.
More than 16,000 square
feet (1485 sq./m) of the
Olean facility are dedicated
to testing small units, while
more than 20,000 square
feet (1860 sq./m) are used
for hydrocarbon tests and
larger machines. “Of the 20
test stands, most have
permanent drives in place,”
Wehlage said. “We’ve
performed as many as three
tests at once. But we may
have up to a dozen stands
occupied at any given time
depending on the
complexity of the tests and
the setup time required for
each. Some tests can be
set up in a week or so, while
a full-load hydrocarbon test
or full-load inert test for LNG
equipment may take months
to prepare.”
The D-R Olean test facility
was specifically designed to
conduct large string fullload, full-pressure Type I
tests exceeding 115,000 hp
(85 MW) with hydrocarbon
gas. The facility has 23
steam turbines, one operating up to 30,000 hp (22
MW) to accommodate
various tests. The company
also has two dual-rotation,
variable speed electric
motors operating up to 2,500
hp (1.9 MW).
In Le Havre, France,
Dresser-Rand operates its
second world-class test
facility for centrifugal
compressors and turbine
equipment. A total of 12 test
stands are available for both
API 617 mechanical testing
as well as ASME PTC Class I
hydrocarbon tests. Each
test area is equipped with a
full range of instrumentation
and quick connections to
accommodate the wide
range of equipment and test
requirements. “Increasingly,
our clients are requesting
more sophisticated, thorough testing of their
equipment, and they rely on
our expertise,” said Yann
Peignet, manager of the D-R
test facility in Le Havre.
“This has led to a tremendous effort in the past 10
years to fully develop our
capabilities.”
Dresser-Rand DJ 160 power
turbine powered by a RollsRoyce Avon gas generator
capable of 6000 kW/5300
rpm. Electric motor-driven
packages can be subject to
no load or full load string
tests, using an auxiliary
power supplied from diesel
generators for 20kV at 50Hz
or 60Hz. Twenty gearboxes
are used as required for API
compressor testing. High-
pressure gas coolers are
permanently installed to
facilitate and shorten the
installation of compressor for
type I testing with heat
dissipation capabilities from
8000 to 16,000 kW. Two
cooling tower systems are
used -- an 8000 kW system
for the mechanical test
stands (allowing 6500 kW
gas power on test stand),
and a 32,000 kW system for
full load test stands
(allowing 26,000 kW gas
power on test stand).
The two steam turbine API
612 test stands can accommodate both back-pressure
and condensing steam
turbine application equipment. The maximum test
power is 1800 kW with
steam flows of up to 15 T/Hr
to condensor and 10 T/Hr to
exhaust. Steam pressures of
10 to 38 barG with temperatures up to 716 degrees
Fahrenheit (380° Celsius)
can be obtained. Turbines
with ratings of up to 50MW
can be tested.
tested,” said Peignet. “We
also are prepared to run up
to six full compression train
string tests a year depending
Continued on page 8
Both facilities maintain an
intricate infrastructure to
support the respective test
operations. The Le Havre
plant maintains four electrical variable-speed DC
motors capable of 1500
kW/1500 rpm, as well as a
The Dresser-Rand facility in Olean, New York, includes 20 test stands in 36,000 square feet (3345 sq./m), which allow multiple tests to run
concurrently.
6
7
CIRS Continues to Improve
Client Relations Around
the World
D-R Test Capabilities ....
on the complexity of the
tests. Safety is always the
first priority for our
employees and clients for
any test we conduct.”
In Olean, a dedicated steam
plant with four automatic
boilers provides up 360,000
pounds of steam an hour,
with a maximum primary
steam pressure of 600 psi
and 750 degrees F (400°
degrees C). Three cooling
towers can accommodate
up to 35,000 gallons of
cooling water a minute and
a heat rejection rate of 450
million btus an hour. Natural
gas compression boost
systems up to 600 psi are
available for gas turbine fuel
gas. More than 250,000 hp
of installed power has been
on the test stand at one
time.
In mid-2005, a significant
test took place at D-R’s
Olean facility involving the
first aero-derivative mechanical drive Rolls-Royce
TRENT 60 Dry Low Emission
(DLE) gas turbine matched
to drive a Dresser-Rand
DATUM Model D14
centrifugal compressor. The
ASME PTC10 Type I performance test was the
culmination of efforts by
Dresser-Rand and RollsRoyce to design and
produce equipment for six
export gas compressor
trains as part of Dolphin
8
Energy’s Dolphin Gas Project
in the Middle East. Six
mechanical drive RollsRoyce TRENT 60 DLE gas
turbines will drive six
Dresser-Rand DATUM
centrifugal compressors.
The project represents the
first application of the aeroderivative industrial TRENT
60 engine as a compressor
driver.
The test included fullpressure testing at over
2000 psi (140 Bar) and
53,600 hp (40,000 KW) to
simulate site conditions.
While computer technology
has made a tremendous
impact on equipment
design, it has had an equally
important impact on data
collection and analysis.
D-R’s data acquisition
systems include state-of-theart computing capability,
and meet strict API and
client specifications. D-R’s
test facility control rooms at
both plants use the latest
computer-based vibration
recording and analysis
software, as well as online
performance calculation
systems.
“During the past four years
we greatly enhanced our
data acquisition systems
and improved all of our
related processes for all
range of tests. We collect
massive amounts of data, all
of which are time stamped.
If anything significant occurs
during the test, we can
quickly analyze it and work
with the product engineering
group with in-depth data to
determine the problem,”
noted Peignet.
According to Peignet, all test
parameters can be
displayed online and
recorded in the control room,
with no hand-written records
on test stand instruments.
Test data displays for
vibration, temperature and
pressure performance can
be transmitted from D-R
Olean to client offices via the
Internet for live monitoring of
test activity.
Simulation of the aerodynamic properties of a client’s
gas is achieved through a
complex, closed loop
system. “As with any fullload hydrocarbon string test,
the ability to mix different
gases to simulate the client’s
actual on-site gas is critical,”
Wehlage stated. “With our
online gas blend system, we
are able to mix the inert test
gases of nitrogen and
carbon dioxide with propane
and natural gas in the proper
percentages to match the
on-site conditions.” Gas
compositions are blended to
match the inlet density and
“K” value at the test inlet
temperature.
“Every contract is unique,
and all present their own test
challenges,” Wehlage said.
“At D-R, our test capabilities
and personnel are second to
none.”■
"Safety is always
the first priority
for our employees
and clients for
any test we
conduct."
—Yann Peignet,
manager of
Dresser-Rand's
Le Havre test
facility
Company introduced its
innovative Client Interface
and Response System
(CIRS), an interactive tool
that enables clients to use
the Internet to bring an
issue, technical question or
problem on an existing
piece of equipment to the
company’s attention. In
fact, CIRS has become a
vital D-R initiative on the
company’s annual business
plan, with high-level focus
aimed at improving client
relations globally.
In just three years, CIRS has
grown from 200 to more
than 4,000 users. Ron
Allen, Dresser-Rand’s
project leader for CIRS,
attributes much of this
growth to the rapid
responses clients are
getting to their inquiries.
“It’s no secret that the
frustration with continually
being put on hold or never
getting a response to an
email request ranks as one
of the most irritating events
in today’s fast-paced, timecrunched world,” Allen says.
With the CIRS, the DresserRand employee assigned to
the inquiry responds
directly to the client within
two working days to let the
client know that the inquiry
has been received and is
being processed. This issue
owner is actually just the tip
of the resource iceberg; the
resolution of CIRS issues
and the implementation of
best practices and corrective actions involve a
multitude of D-R individuals
and departments. Depending
on the issue, the client may
have the problem solved in
less than a day, but the goal
is to never exceed 20 days.
The success of CIRS is due
to all these groups’ commitment to making this tool as
effective as possible.
CIRS creates a tracking
system from start to finish of
a client’s query - it’s a “living
case history.” Clients must
first register in the CIRS
program prior to being able
to submit issues into the
system. A number is
assigned to each “case,”
and once registered a client
can access the system at
any time to submit new
issues and check the status
of issues that were entered
into the system.
Although at first North and
South American clients
seemed to be leading the
way in using the system,
clients in Europe and around
the world are increasingly
using the CIRS.
The adage, “If it ain’t broke,
don’t fix it,” isn’t followed by
the CIRS team. Allen is
continually looking at ways
to upgrade and enhance the
program based on user
feedback.
According to Allen, approximately 40 percent of the
issues are technical questions while the balance of the
issues relates to parts and
equipment. D-R clients,
such as Chevron Corporation
have used the program
successfully for some time.
“I have used the CIRS
system on several occasions
and have been satisfied with
the response,” said Tommy
Hinkel, project machinery
representative at the
Chevron Corporation refinery
in Pascagoula, Mississippi.
“My questions have always
been directed to a well
qualified person. I have
also acquired several new
Dresser-Rand contacts in the
process.”
Since its inception three
years ago, CIRS has
become almost completely
automated. When a query is
made, the system directs
the request to the proper,
pre-programmed DresserRand location. Also,
changes made in the field,
as well as new modules that
will improve response
capabilities, are continually
being added to the CIRS
database. This upgrading
has significantly improved
the program.
“CIRS has become a key
component in DresserRand's continued growth.
By helping solve problems
quickly, we keep our clients
satisfied. And a satisfied
client becomes a repeat
client,” says Allen. ■
9
CIRS Continues to Improve
Client Relations Around
the World
D-R Test Capabilities ....
on the complexity of the
tests. Safety is always the
first priority for our
employees and clients for
any test we conduct.”
In Olean, a dedicated steam
plant with four automatic
boilers provides up 360,000
pounds of steam an hour,
with a maximum primary
steam pressure of 600 psi
and 750 degrees F (400°
degrees C). Three cooling
towers can accommodate
up to 35,000 gallons of
cooling water a minute and
a heat rejection rate of 450
million btus an hour. Natural
gas compression boost
systems up to 600 psi are
available for gas turbine fuel
gas. More than 250,000 hp
of installed power has been
on the test stand at one
time.
In mid-2005, a significant
test took place at D-R’s
Olean facility involving the
first aero-derivative mechanical drive Rolls-Royce
TRENT 60 Dry Low Emission
(DLE) gas turbine matched
to drive a Dresser-Rand
DATUM Model D14
centrifugal compressor. The
ASME PTC10 Type I performance test was the
culmination of efforts by
Dresser-Rand and RollsRoyce to design and
produce equipment for six
export gas compressor
trains as part of Dolphin
8
Energy’s Dolphin Gas Project
in the Middle East. Six
mechanical drive RollsRoyce TRENT 60 DLE gas
turbines will drive six
Dresser-Rand DATUM
centrifugal compressors.
The project represents the
first application of the aeroderivative industrial TRENT
60 engine as a compressor
driver.
The test included fullpressure testing at over
2000 psi (140 Bar) and
53,600 hp (40,000 KW) to
simulate site conditions.
While computer technology
has made a tremendous
impact on equipment
design, it has had an equally
important impact on data
collection and analysis.
D-R’s data acquisition
systems include state-of-theart computing capability,
and meet strict API and
client specifications. D-R’s
test facility control rooms at
both plants use the latest
computer-based vibration
recording and analysis
software, as well as online
performance calculation
systems.
“During the past four years
we greatly enhanced our
data acquisition systems
and improved all of our
related processes for all
range of tests. We collect
massive amounts of data, all
of which are time stamped.
If anything significant occurs
during the test, we can
quickly analyze it and work
with the product engineering
group with in-depth data to
determine the problem,”
noted Peignet.
According to Peignet, all test
parameters can be
displayed online and
recorded in the control room,
with no hand-written records
on test stand instruments.
Test data displays for
vibration, temperature and
pressure performance can
be transmitted from D-R
Olean to client offices via the
Internet for live monitoring of
test activity.
Simulation of the aerodynamic properties of a client’s
gas is achieved through a
complex, closed loop
system. “As with any fullload hydrocarbon string test,
the ability to mix different
gases to simulate the client’s
actual on-site gas is critical,”
Wehlage stated. “With our
online gas blend system, we
are able to mix the inert test
gases of nitrogen and
carbon dioxide with propane
and natural gas in the proper
percentages to match the
on-site conditions.” Gas
compositions are blended to
match the inlet density and
“K” value at the test inlet
temperature.
“Every contract is unique,
and all present their own test
challenges,” Wehlage said.
“At D-R, our test capabilities
and personnel are second to
none.”■
"Safety is always
the first priority
for our employees
and clients for
any test we
conduct."
—Yann Peignet,
manager of
Dresser-Rand's
Le Havre test
facility
Company introduced its
innovative Client Interface
and Response System
(CIRS), an interactive tool
that enables clients to use
the Internet to bring an
issue, technical question or
problem on an existing
piece of equipment to the
company’s attention. In
fact, CIRS has become a
vital D-R initiative on the
company’s annual business
plan, with high-level focus
aimed at improving client
relations globally.
In just three years, CIRS has
grown from 200 to more
than 4,000 users. Ron
Allen, Dresser-Rand’s
project leader for CIRS,
attributes much of this
growth to the rapid
responses clients are
getting to their inquiries.
frustration with continually
being put on hold or never
getting a response to an
email request ranks as one
of the most irritating events
in today’s fast-paced, timecrunched world,” Allen says.
With the CIRS, the DresserRand employee assigned to
the inquiry responds
directly to the client within
two working days to let the
client know that the inquiry
has been received and is
being processed. This issue
owner is actually just the tip
of the resource iceberg; the
resolution of CIRS issues
and the implementation of
best practices and corrective actions involve a
multitude of D-R individuals
and departments. Depending
on the issue, the client may
have the problem solved in
less than a day, but the goal
is to never exceed 20 days.
The success of CIRS is due
to all these groups’ commitment to making this tool as
effective as possible.
CIRS creates a tracking
system from start to finish of
a client’s query - it’s a “living
case history.” Clients must
first register in the CIRS
program prior to being able
to submit issues into the
system. A number is
assigned to each “case,”
and once registered a client
can access the system at
any time to submit new
issues and check the status
of issues that were entered
into the system.
Although at first North and
South American clients
seemed to be leading the
way in using the system,
clients in Europe and around
the world are increasingly
using the CIRS.
The adage, “If it ain’t broke,
don’t fix it,” isn’t followed by
the CIRS team. Allen is
continually looking at ways
to upgrade and enhance the
program based on user
feedback.
According to Allen, approximately 40 percent of the
issues are technical questions while the balance of the
issues relates to parts and
equipment. D-R clients,
such as Chevron Corporation
have used the program
successfully for some time.
“I have used the CIRS
system on several occasions
and have been satisfied with
the response,” said Tommy
Hinkel, project machinery
representative at the
Chevron Corporation refinery
in Pascagoula, Mississippi.
“My questions have always
been directed to a well
qualified person. I have
also acquired several new
Dresser-Rand contacts in the
process.”
Since its inception three
years ago, CIRS has
become almost completely
automated. When a query is
made, the system directs
the request to the proper,
pre-programmed DresserRand location. Also,
changes made in the field,
as well as new modules that
will improve response
capabilities, are continually
being added to the CIRS
database. This upgrading
has significantly improved
the program.
“CIRS has become a key
component in DresserRand's continued growth.
By helping solve problems
quickly, we keep our clients
satisfied. And a satisfied
client becomes a repeat
client,” says Allen. ■
9
Dresser-Rand Keeping It Cool
– And Safe
acquired certain assets of
Tuthill Energy Systems that
included the COPPUS®
ventilator product lines. For
nearly a century, these
portable ventilators have
proved themselves powerful,
reliable industrial air movers
that can help companies
meet their safety and
maintenance demands
around the world.
“Our clients are refineries,
utilities, chemical plants,
shipyards, steel mills and a
variety of other industries
whose employees face
ventilation hazards every
day,” said John Barkley,
business development
manager, portable ventilation
team. “Consequently, this
new line of ventilators was a
nice complement to our
traditional product line.
Dresser-Rand can now offer
a large selection to meet
virtually any portable
ventilation or cooling need a
client might have.”
Operations involving high air
temperatures, radiant heat
sources, high humidity, or
strenuous physical activities
have high potential for
inducing heat stress in
employees. Use of ventilation
and spot cooling at points of
high heat to avoid heat
stress is only one benefit of
the COPPUS ventilator line.
Ventilators also are used in
confined spaces to facilitate
10
the supply of fresh air or to
remove fumes. Efficient air
curing and drying of paints
and coatings also are
benefits of a good ventilation
system.
There are basically three
types of air movers: axial
(where the air flow is straight
through the unit), centrifugal
(where the discharge is
tangential from the inlet), and
flow amplifier (where air flow
is pneumatically enhanced
with no moving parts). Axial
models are the most
common because of the
widespread availability of
115-volt electrical service.
The D-R COPPUS ventilator
models provide a choice of
drives -- electric, pneumatic,
steam, water or gasoline.
Also, specific construction
materials and certified
electrical components
combine to create sparkresistant products, designed
for long-lasting performance,
durability, and ease of use.
For example, they are made
to accommodate any flexible
ductwork and offer an
abundance of accessories.
The lightweight, deckmounted, compressed
air-drive ventilator is an easyto-transport, rugged and
maintenance-free shipboard
ventilator for degassing or
delivering a fresh air supply
to cargo tanks and other onboard confined spaces.
The COPPUS Cadet ventilator is ideal for use
underground and light
industrial confined space
ventilation. These versatile,
economic ventilators deliver
exceptional airflow in a
compact, lightweight design,
and their non-corrosive,
injection-molded housing is
nearly indestructible.
“Their design, performance and versatility make
them ideal for many applications and help enable
us to help our clients meet their top priority of maintaining a healthy and safe environment.”
— John Barkley, business development manager,
COPPUS portable ventilation team
The industrial COPPUS
COLDFRONT misting
systems transform highvelocity fans into “super
coolers” capable of reducing
high ambient temperatures
up to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
(4.4 degrees Celsius) in low
relative humidity applications. They add moisture in
dry manufacturing environments to improve the
process and reduce the
potential for hazardous static
electrical charges.■
2007
Catalog
Information on the
entire line of COPPUS®
portable ventilators
from Dresser-Rand is
available in a new
comprehensive product
catalog. For a copy of
the catalog, or for
product support,
contact PV Customer
Services toll free at:
1-888-268-8726 or by
email at info@dresserrand.com.
11
Dresser-Rand Keeping It Cool
– And Safe
acquired certain assets of
Tuthill Energy Systems that
included the COPPUS®
ventilator product lines. For
nearly a century, these
portable ventilators have
proved themselves powerful,
reliable industrial air movers
that can help companies
meet their safety and
maintenance demands
around the world.
“Our clients are refineries,
utilities, chemical plants,
shipyards, steel mills and a
variety of other industries
whose employees face
ventilation hazards every
day,” said John Barkley,
business development
manager, portable ventilation
team. “Consequently, this
new line of ventilators was a
nice complement to our
traditional product line.
Dresser-Rand can now offer
a large selection to meet
virtually any portable
ventilation or cooling need a
client might have.”
Operations involving high air
temperatures, radiant heat
sources, high humidity, or
strenuous physical activities
have high potential for
inducing heat stress in
employees. Use of ventilation
and spot cooling at points of
high heat to avoid heat
stress is only one benefit of
the COPPUS ventilator line.
Ventilators also are used in
confined spaces to facilitate
10
the supply of fresh air or to
remove fumes. Efficient air
curing and drying of paints
and coatings also are
benefits of a good ventilation
system.
There are basically three
types of air movers: axial
(where the air flow is straight
through the unit), centrifugal
(where the discharge is
tangential from the inlet), and
flow amplifier (where air flow
is pneumatically enhanced
with no moving parts). Axial
models are the most
common because of the
widespread availability of
115-volt electrical service.
The D-R COPPUS ventilator
models provide a choice of
drives -- electric, pneumatic,
steam, water or gasoline.
Also, specific construction
materials and certified
electrical components
combine to create sparkresistant products, designed
for long-lasting performance,
durability, and ease of use.
For example, they are made
to accommodate any flexible
ductwork and offer an
abundance of accessories.
The lightweight, deckmounted, compressed
air-drive ventilator is an easyto-transport, rugged and
maintenance-free shipboard
ventilator for degassing or
delivering a fresh air supply
to cargo tanks and other onboard confined spaces.
The COPPUS Cadet ventilator is ideal for use
underground and light
industrial confined space
ventilation. These versatile,
economic ventilators deliver
exceptional airflow in a
compact, lightweight design,
and their non-corrosive,
injection-molded housing is
nearly indestructible.
“Their design, performance and versatility make
them ideal for many applications and help enable
us to help our clients meet their top priority of maintaining a healthy and safe environment.”
— John Barkley, business development manager,
COPPUS portable ventilation team
The industrial COPPUS
COLDFRONT misting
systems transform highvelocity fans into “super
coolers” capable of reducing
high ambient temperatures
up to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
(4.4 degrees Celsius) in low
relative humidity applications. They add moisture in
dry manufacturing environments to improve the
process and reduce the
potential for hazardous static
electrical charges.■
2007
Catalog
Information on the
entire line of COPPUS®
portable ventilators
from Dresser-Rand is
available in a new
comprehensive product
catalog. For a copy of
the catalog, or for
product support,
contact PV Customer
Services toll free at:
1-888-268-8726 or by
email at info@dresserrand.com.
11
Curtis Stage
Nozzle/Rotor
Aerodynamic
Interaction and the
Effect on Stage
Performance
By: Stephen Rashid
Chief Aerodynamicist
Advanced Turbomachine, LLC
261 N. Main St.
Wellsville, NY 14895
Matthew Tremmel
ProAero Technology
641 Nightingale Dr.
Indialantic, FL 32903
review of Curtis stage design
practices, field wear, and dirt
patterns, in conjunction with
performance testing and CFD
modeling, determined that the
nozzle/rotor aerodynamic
interaction is far more
complex than typical design
and performance calculations
assume. Understanding this
nozzle/rotor interaction is key
to obtaining improved
performance, a more accurate performance prediction,
or both. This paper discusses
the nature of this interaction
and its implications to Curtis
stage performance prediction.
INTRODUCTION
John Waggott
Independent Consultant
1933 Riverview Dr.
Randall Moll, P.E.
Manager,
Steam Advanced Engineering
Dresser-Rand
37 Coats St.
Editor’s Note: The following paper
was presented at the IGTI Turbo
Expo 2006, May 8-11, in Barcelona,
Spain. This edited version is
reprinted here with the permission
of IGTI.
Curtis, or velocity
compounded, stages are a
sub-group of impulse turbine
stages. They are typically
applied when wheel speeds
are low compared to the
overall expansion energy.
The low relative wheel speed
means not all of the fluid
energy can be extracted in
the initial rotor row, thus, Curtis
stages have at least one
additional stator row, or
reversing ring, combined with
a second rotor row. A typical
flowpath layout for a two row
Curtis stage is provided in
Figure 1.
stage machines where low
cost and raw power are the
key requirements. Curtis
stage design practices reflect
their utilitarian application, and
are based on empirical data
gathered over many years.
Performance predictions for
Curtis stages are an order of
magnitude less precise than
that commonly achieved on
Rateau or reaction stages.
The test data presented in the
following sections are the
result of performance tests
conducted by the authors at
Dresser-Rand.
CURTIS STAGE PERFORMANCE VARIABILITY
Curtis stages are not generally used where efficiency is a
design requirement. Typical
Curtis stage efficiencies range
between 40% and 50%, and
can be as low as 25%.
However, being able to
predict efficiency with some
degree of accuracy is
necessary, even in low
efficiency applications.
Curtis stage builders have
expended effort to understand the variability in Curtis
stage performance. This
variability is shown in Figure
2A, along with Rateau stage
designs for comparison.
Figure 2B presents the
efficiency differential between
measured test and predicted
efficiency versus predicted
efficiency. Predicted efficiencies were obtained using the
same design/performance
calculation tools used to
design the turbines in question. The primary design tool
used to predict efficiency is a
meanline calculation with a
calibrated loss model.
14
12
Curtis stages are usually used
in applications where very
high work levels are required
from a single stage. The
typical efficiency of a Curtis
stage is 40% to 50%, so they
tend to be applied in single
Figure 2A: Test versus predicted efficiency comparison
As can be seen in Figures 2A
and 2B, the variation in final
tested efficiency relative to the
predicted design value is
significantly greater for Curtis
stages than it is for Rateau
stages.
Typically 80% of the stage
power is provided by the first
row of a two-row Curtis stage.
While the nozzles and rotor
blades are typically not
aerodynamically challenging
to design, it is assumed that
the interaction between the
nozzle and first rotor row is the
key to understanding Curtis
stage performance variability.
ABSTRACT
Curtis, or velocity
compounded, stages
commonly don’t achieve the
same accuracy of performance prediction expected of
most other turbine stages. A
supersonic. As with other
turbine rows, this supersonic
exit condition results in
Prandtl-Meyer expansion on
the uncovered portion of the
nozzle, with the accompanying supersonic flow angle
deviation. The inlet relative
flow angle to the first rotor row
will be a function of the nozzle
geometry, the nozzle pressure
ratio, and the wheel speed.
Figure 1: Typical two-row Curtis stage flowpath layout
Figure 2B: Dh (test-predicted) versus predicted efficiency for Curtis
and Rateau machines
VELOCITY TRIANGLES
The basic nozzle/rotor
interaction issue can be seen
in a typical Curtis stage
nozzle exit/rotor inlet velocity
triangle. Curtis stages have
low wheel speed, generally
they operate in this regime as
a result of the high stage
energies at which they are
applied. This results in a
rotor inlet Mach number,
which is nearly as high as the
Mach number leaving the
nozzle. Figure 4 provides a
graphical representation of
the nozzle to rotor velocity
triangle, with the nozzle
absolute exit velocity shown
in green (V), and variations in
the rotor relative inlet velocity
(W) depicted in red (Curtis)
and blue (Rateau). For
Rateau stages, the wheel
speed (U), is large enough to
drop the relative velocity to
subsonic levels. This is not
the case for the Curtis stage.
UNIQUE ROTOR INCIDENCE
The velocity triangle for the
first rotor row of a Curtis stage
is very likely to result in a
supersonic relative velocity.
This condition is only encountered occasionally in turbines.
The significance of the
supersonic inlet condition to
the first rotor row is the
accompanying unique
incidence. A turbomachinery
row with a supersonic inlet
velocity can only accept flow
at a specific flow angle. In
order to establish a periodic
flow field, the bow shock and
the succeeding expansion
fans must exactly counteract
each other so that each blade
will see the same conditions
as the adjacent blade.
Methods for determining the
unique inlet angle of a
supersonic blade row depend
on the leading edge geometry
of the airfoil in question.
The flow area at the rotor inlet
must be correct, not only with
respect to the flow angle, but
in terms of the overall flow
area as well, for the supersonic rotor inlet condition to
exist. Simple continuity and
2-D potential flow calculations
verify that the streamtube
required to satisfy the overall
rotor inlet flow area is significantly less than the full
leading edge height. If this is
not the case, the entire
flowfield must shock down to
a subsonic solution at the
rotor leading edge. The
resulting static pressure
increase at the rotor leading
edge would represent
significant stage reaction.
CURTIS STAGE PERFORMANCE TESTING
There is an apparent effect of
the ratio of wheel velocity
over steam velocity on the
performance of a Curtis
stage which is not accounted
for in the performance
models. In order to ascertain
the basis of this velocity ratio
effect, a series of performance tests were carried out.
These tests sought to verify
the apparent trend in performance prediction accuracy
with velocity ratio.
Thus, Curtis stages have an
aerodynamic constraint, a
supersonic rotor inlet, which
is not common to other
impulse turbine stages,
simply due to the low velocity
ratio regime in which they
operate and the high nozzle
exit Mach number associated with high stage energy.
SUPERSONIC NOZZLE EXIT
CONDITION
The nozzle exit condition for a
Curtis stage is nearly always
Figure 4: Nozzle/rotor velocity triangle comparison between Curtis
and Rateau stages
Continued on page 14
15
13
Curtis Stage
Nozzle/Rotor
Aerodynamic
Interaction and the
Effect on Stage
Performance
By: Stephen Rashid
Chief Aerodynamicist
Advanced Turbomachine, LLC
261 N. Main St.
Matthew Tremmel
ProAero Technology
641 Nightingale Dr.
Indialantic, FL 32903
review of Curtis stage design
practices, field wear, and dirt
patterns, in conjunction with
performance testing and CFD
modeling, determined that the
nozzle/rotor aerodynamic
interaction is far more
complex than typical design
and performance calculations
assume. Understanding this
nozzle/rotor interaction is key
to obtaining improved
performance, a more accurate performance prediction,
or both. This paper discusses
the nature of this interaction
and its implications to Curtis
stage performance prediction.
INTRODUCTION
John Waggott
Independent Consultant
1933 Riverview Dr.
Randall Moll, P.E.
Manager,
Steam Advanced Engineering
Dresser-Rand
37 Coats St.
Editor’s Note: The following paper
was presented at the IGTI Turbo
Expo 2006, May 8-11, in Barcelona,
Spain. This edited version is
reprinted here with the permission
of IGTI.
Curtis, or velocity
compounded, stages are a
sub-group of impulse turbine
stages. They are typically
applied when wheel speeds
are low compared to the
overall expansion energy.
The low relative wheel speed
means not all of the fluid
energy can be extracted in
the initial rotor row, thus, Curtis
stages have at least one
additional stator row, or
reversing ring, combined with
a second rotor row. A typical
flowpath layout for a two row
Curtis stage is provided in
Figure 1.
stage machines where low
cost and raw power are the
key requirements. Curtis
stage design practices reflect
their utilitarian application, and
are based on empirical data
gathered over many years.
Performance predictions for
Curtis stages are an order of
magnitude less precise than
that commonly achieved on
Rateau or reaction stages.
The test data presented in the
following sections are the
result of performance tests
conducted by the authors at
Dresser-Rand.
CURTIS STAGE PERFORMANCE VARIABILITY
Curtis stages are not generally used where efficiency is a
design requirement. Typical
Curtis stage efficiencies range
between 40% and 50%, and
can be as low as 25%.
However, being able to
predict efficiency with some
degree of accuracy is
necessary, even in low
efficiency applications.
Curtis stage builders have
expended effort to understand the variability in Curtis
stage performance. This
variability is shown in Figure
2A, along with Rateau stage
designs for comparison.
Figure 2B presents the
efficiency differential between
measured test and predicted
efficiency versus predicted
efficiency. Predicted efficiencies were obtained using the
same design/performance
calculation tools used to
design the turbines in question. The primary design tool
used to predict efficiency is a
meanline calculation with a
calibrated loss model.
14
12
Curtis stages are usually used
in applications where very
high work levels are required
from a single stage. The
typical efficiency of a Curtis
stage is 40% to 50%, so they
tend to be applied in single
Figure 2A: Test versus predicted efficiency comparison
As can be seen in Figures 2A
and 2B, the variation in final
tested efficiency relative to the
predicted design value is
significantly greater for Curtis
stages than it is for Rateau
stages.
Typically 80% of the stage
power is provided by the first
row of a two-row Curtis stage.
While the nozzles and rotor
blades are typically not
aerodynamically challenging
to design, it is assumed that
the interaction between the
nozzle and first rotor row is the
key to understanding Curtis
stage performance variability.
ABSTRACT
Curtis, or velocity
compounded, stages
commonly don’t achieve the
same accuracy of performance prediction expected of
most other turbine stages. A
supersonic. As with other
turbine rows, this supersonic
exit condition results in
Prandtl-Meyer expansion on
the uncovered portion of the
nozzle, with the accompanying supersonic flow angle
deviation. The inlet relative
flow angle to the first rotor row
will be a function of the nozzle
geometry, the nozzle pressure
ratio, and the wheel speed.
Figure 1: Typical two-row Curtis stage flowpath layout
Figure 2B: Dh (test-predicted) versus predicted efficiency for Curtis
and Rateau machines
VELOCITY TRIANGLES
The basic nozzle/rotor
interaction issue can be seen
in a typical Curtis stage
nozzle exit/rotor inlet velocity
triangle. Curtis stages have
low wheel speed, generally
they operate in this regime as
a result of the high stage
energies at which they are
applied. This results in a
rotor inlet Mach number,
which is nearly as high as the
Mach number leaving the
nozzle. Figure 4 provides a
graphical representation of
the nozzle to rotor velocity
triangle, with the nozzle
absolute exit velocity shown
in green (V), and variations in
the rotor relative inlet velocity
(W) depicted in red (Curtis)
and blue (Rateau). For
Rateau stages, the wheel
speed (U), is large enough to
drop the relative velocity to
subsonic levels. This is not
the case for the Curtis stage.
UNIQUE ROTOR INCIDENCE
The velocity triangle for the
first rotor row of a Curtis stage
is very likely to result in a
supersonic relative velocity.
This condition is only encountered occasionally in turbines.
The significance of the
supersonic inlet condition to
the first rotor row is the
accompanying unique
incidence. A turbomachinery
row with a supersonic inlet
velocity can only accept flow
at a specific flow angle. In
order to establish a periodic
flow field, the bow shock and
the succeeding expansion
fans must exactly counteract
each other so that each blade
will see the same conditions
as the adjacent blade.
Methods for determining the
unique inlet angle of a
supersonic blade row depend
on the leading edge geometry
of the airfoil in question.
The flow area at the rotor inlet
must be correct, not only with
respect to the flow angle, but
in terms of the overall flow
area as well, for the supersonic rotor inlet condition to
exist. Simple continuity and
2-D potential flow calculations
verify that the streamtube
required to satisfy the overall
rotor inlet flow area is significantly less than the full
leading edge height. If this is
not the case, the entire
flowfield must shock down to
a subsonic solution at the
rotor leading edge. The
resulting static pressure
increase at the rotor leading
edge would represent
significant stage reaction.
CURTIS STAGE PERFORMANCE TESTING
There is an apparent effect of
the ratio of wheel velocity
over steam velocity on the
performance of a Curtis
stage which is not accounted
for in the performance
models. In order to ascertain
the basis of this velocity ratio
effect, a series of performance tests were carried out.
These tests sought to verify
the apparent trend in performance prediction accuracy
with velocity ratio.
Thus, Curtis stages have an
aerodynamic constraint, a
supersonic rotor inlet, which
is not common to other
impulse turbine stages,
simply due to the low velocity
ratio regime in which they
operate and the high nozzle
exit Mach number associated with high stage energy.
SUPERSONIC NOZZLE EXIT
CONDITION
The nozzle exit condition for a
Curtis stage is nearly always
Figure 4: Nozzle/rotor velocity triangle comparison between Curtis
and Rateau stages
15
13
Curtis Stage
Nozzle/Rotor ....
Test instrumentation consisted
of three inlet flange pressures
and temperatures, one nozzle
bowl pressure, four nozzle exit
pressures, and three exhaust
flange pressures and
temperatures. In addition,
speed, flow rate, and torque
were also measured. Pressure
transducers of appropriate
range were used at each
measurement location. Data
was obtained from numerous
individual tests. Test uncertainty varies slightly from test
to test, but the typical test
uncertainty is approximately
±3%, with the largest component of this uncertainty being
spatial. Finally, repeat test
points were taken after each
test program, and entire test
programs re-run, to verify the
repeatability of the data.
This series of tests consisted
of running a single Curtis
stage unit, at constant
pressures and temperatures,
over a range of velocity ratios
by varying the turbine speed.
In addition to overall performance instrumentation, this
test series also included static
pressure taps at various
locations around the nozzle
exit. This added nozzle
instrumentation was intended
to assist in the determination
of stage reaction, and how the
pressure just inside the nozzle
compared to the pressure
between the nozzle and rotor.
Studies on a supersonic
Rateau stage note that
reaction varies with velocity
ratio, with the reaction being
negative at the lower velocity
ratios. Data from the Curtis
stage testing confirmed the
trend toward negative
reaction in this regime. The
nozzle static pressure taps
reveal significant variation in
pressure with changes in
14
Finally, a comparison of the
axial nozzle breakout area to
an annular streamtube of the
same area was made, and is
depicted in Figure 16A. When
the height of the respective
areas are compared to the
noted clean area on the first
rotor row suction surface, it is
found that the exposed nozzle
height of 11.84 mm is
significantly larger than the
apparent 7.95 mm height of
the stream entering the rotor.
wheel speed. The short side
pressure has almost no
variation relative to the face
pressure. Since the short
side pressure represents the
last point at which the nozzle
is a full passage, it demonstrates a well behaved
relationship with the face
pressure. The mid and long
side pressures, however, vary
considerably relative to the
face pressure. These
pressures, in the “uncovered”
portion of the nozzle are
subject to the after expansion
as flow leaves the “covered”
portion of the passage,
showing the effects of flow
angle variation, streamtube
height variation, or both, with
wheel speed. This
angle/streamtube height
variation occurs even though
the overall nozzle pressure
ratio remains essentially
constant.
abruptly at the point where the
suction surface became
covered by the adjacent
blade. Figure 14 provides
dimensions taken at the time
of the inspection of the radial
extent and location of the
clean area.
DIRT AND WEAR PATTERNS
Figure 13: First rotor dirt patterns observed during a field inspection
(mapped on a new blade for clarity)
The supersonic flowfield of
the first rotor inlet dictates that
the leading edge flow area be
significantly less than the full
leading edge span would
provide. While this conclusion appears to be difficult to
substantiate, there is
evidence in field units that this
is indeed the case.
Figure 13 presents a
mapping of first rotor row dirt
patterns observed by the
authors during a field
inspection of a single stage
Curtis unit. These are
superimposed on a clean,
single blade for clarity. There
was a nearly uniform coating
of deposits over the entire
flowpath portion of the first
row blades. However, the
most striking feature of the
observed deposits is the
virtually clean area on the
midspan region of the suction
surface leading edge. This
clean portion stopped
When these dirt patterns are
compared to typical first rotor
row blade wear on long
running units, as diagrammed
in Figure 15, there is a clear
correspondence between the
areas of highest blade wear,
and the cleanest portions of
the dirt patterns.
value. This leads to the
conclusion that the flow is
indeed coalescing from
discrete nozzle streams into a
coherent uniform stream, and
at the time it enters the rotor, it
has virtually completely made
the transition. The actual
streamtube entering the rotor
is probably not perfectly
annular, but similar to the
shaded area shown in
Figure 16A.
CFD MODELING
NUMERICAL METHOD
Simulation of the flowfield
through the nozzle and first
rotor was performed with the
parallel code TURBO, a
compressible flow code that
solves the unsteady RANS
equations within the rotating
reference frame. The code
uses an implicit finite volume
scheme with a NASA/CMOTT-
The calculated annular
streamtube height of 8.13 mm
is very close to the 7.95 mm
disrupted and it takes several
more time steps before the
flow reestablishes itself.
• Interaction of the bow wake
with the edge of the separation region. Rather than a
shock pattern being set up
between the blade surfaces, it
is established between the
separation edge and the rotor
pressure surface. Figure 24
depicts a series of oblique
shocks and expansions
reflecting off of the edge of the
separation layer. There is also
a shock set up on the
pressure side just downstream
of the leading edge that
intersects with the bow shock.
CONCLUSIONS
Figure 16A: Comparison of axial nozzle breakout area to equivalent
annular height
Figure 14: Radial location and
extent of clean suction surface
leading edge
With an axial spacing
between the nozzle exit and
the first rotor row leading
edge on the order of 1.27
mm, it doesn’t seem likely that
the flow could make the
transition. However, the data
indicate that the transition
actually begins in the nozzle.
The constant Mach number,
combined with the requirement for unique rotor
incidence, implies that the
axial flow area and absolute
flow angle must compensate
to achieve these conditions.
For the test unit, operating at
the design condition the
resulting streamtube height is
9.98 mm. This height is
much closer to the 7.95 mm
height noted in the dirt
patterns than the full nozzle
exit height of 11.84 mm.
Thus, the transition to the 7.95
mm flow height begins at the
last “covered” portion of the
nozzle.
developed two-equation k-e
turbulence model. For
efficient use of computing
resources, a phase-lag
approximation is available to
enable use of only one blade
passage per blade row in the
simulation.
Modeling indicates for the
design conditions of this
turbine, the suction side
leading “flat” to circular arc
occurs too early and, for this
solidity, results in the flow
separating from the suction
surface.
Some additional interesting
features include:
• Disruption of the bow shock
of the rotor by the nozzle
wake. The bow shock is near
the leading edge of the rotor
at a time where the nozzle has
not yet passed by and
subsequently, when the
nozzle wake just starts to
influence the rotor. The bow
shock system is completely
The high error band in Curtis
stage performance prediction
is due mainly to the
complexity of the interaction
between the nozzle and the
first rotor row. The first rotor
row of a Curtis stage has a
supersonic inlet, and resulting
unique incidence, due to low
velocity ratio and high stage
energy. In order to maintain
the supersonic inlet, the rotor
leading edge streamtube
must be considerably smaller
in height than the blade
trailing edge (and thus, the
provided blade leading edge
height), or the flowfield will
shock down to a subsonic
inlet, with the attending high
positive stage reaction. Dirt
and wear patterns confirm the
streamtube contraction into
the first rotor row.
Maintaining the rotor’s unique
incidence requires that the
nozzle angle, and/or streamtube height, must adjust as
wheel speed changes, and
this was noted in the behavior
of nozzle static pressure taps
during Curtis stage testing.
Figure 24: Mach Contours
interaction with separation
region
Stage reactions, measured on
these Curtis stage tests
confirm the low, actually
negative, reaction noted on
other supersonic rotor tests.
The nozzle to rotor streamtube
contraction and geometric
expansion is very aggressive,
and the drilled-hole nozzle
type was challenging to model
in CFD. However, CFD did
confirm the separation of flow
off the leading edge suction
surface (as seen in the dirt
patterns), and the resulting
impingement of that high
energy flow stream on the
pressure surface of the
adjacent blade (observed in
both dirt, and wear, patterns).
The unsteady flow behavior
caused by the thick “trailing
edge” of the nozzle was also
shown to significantly influence
the behavior of the rotor flow
well past what traditional
Curtis-stage design methodologies account for. ■
For additional
technical papers,
visit our website at:
www.dresser-rand.com
Figure 15: Typical areas of first rotor blade wear for long service units
15
Curtis Stage
Nozzle/Rotor ....
Test instrumentation consisted
of three inlet flange pressures
and temperatures, one nozzle
bowl pressure, four nozzle exit
pressures, and three exhaust
flange pressures and
temperatures. In addition,
speed, flow rate, and torque
were also measured. Pressure
transducers of appropriate
range were used at each
measurement location. Data
was obtained from numerous
individual tests. Test uncertainty varies slightly from test
to test, but the typical test
uncertainty is approximately
±3%, with the largest component of this uncertainty being
spatial. Finally, repeat test
points were taken after each
test program, and entire test
programs re-run, to verify the
repeatability of the data.
This series of tests consisted
of running a single Curtis
stage unit, at constant
pressures and temperatures,
over a range of velocity ratios
by varying the turbine speed.
In addition to overall performance instrumentation, this
test series also included static
pressure taps at various
locations around the nozzle
exit. This added nozzle
instrumentation was intended
to assist in the determination
of stage reaction, and how the
pressure just inside the nozzle
compared to the pressure
between the nozzle and rotor.
Studies on a supersonic
Rateau stage note that
reaction varies with velocity
ratio, with the reaction being
negative at the lower velocity
ratios. Data from the Curtis
stage testing confirmed the
trend toward negative
reaction in this regime. The
nozzle static pressure taps
reveal significant variation in
pressure with changes in
14
Finally, a comparison of the
axial nozzle breakout area to
an annular streamtube of the
same area was made, and is
depicted in Figure 16A. When
the height of the respective
areas are compared to the
noted clean area on the first
rotor row suction surface, it is
found that the exposed nozzle
height of 11.84 mm is
significantly larger than the
apparent 7.95 mm height of
the stream entering the rotor.
wheel speed. The short side
pressure has almost no
variation relative to the face
pressure. Since the short
side pressure represents the
last point at which the nozzle
is a full passage, it demonstrates a well behaved
relationship with the face
pressure. The mid and long
side pressures, however, vary
considerably relative to the
face pressure. These
pressures, in the “uncovered”
portion of the nozzle are
subject to the after expansion
as flow leaves the “covered”
portion of the passage,
showing the effects of flow
angle variation, streamtube
height variation, or both, with
wheel speed. This
angle/streamtube height
variation occurs even though
the overall nozzle pressure
ratio remains essentially
constant.
abruptly at the point where the
suction surface became
covered by the adjacent
blade. Figure 14 provides
dimensions taken at the time
of the inspection of the radial
extent and location of the
clean area.
DIRT AND WEAR PATTERNS
Figure 13: First rotor dirt patterns observed during a field inspection
(mapped on a new blade for clarity)
The supersonic flowfield of
the first rotor inlet dictates that
the leading edge flow area be
significantly less than the full
leading edge span would
provide. While this conclusion appears to be difficult to
substantiate, there is
evidence in field units that this
is indeed the case.
Figure 13 presents a
mapping of first rotor row dirt
patterns observed by the
authors during a field
inspection of a single stage
Curtis unit. These are
superimposed on a clean,
single blade for clarity. There
was a nearly uniform coating
of deposits over the entire
flowpath portion of the first
row blades. However, the
most striking feature of the
observed deposits is the
virtually clean area on the
midspan region of the suction
surface leading edge. This
clean portion stopped
When these dirt patterns are
compared to typical first rotor
row blade wear on long
running units, as diagrammed
in Figure 15, there is a clear
correspondence between the
areas of highest blade wear,
and the cleanest portions of
the dirt patterns.
value. This leads to the
conclusion that the flow is
indeed coalescing from
discrete nozzle streams into a
coherent uniform stream, and
at the time it enters the rotor, it
has virtually completely made
the transition. The actual
streamtube entering the rotor
is probably not perfectly
annular, but similar to the
shaded area shown in
Figure 16A.
CFD MODELING
NUMERICAL METHOD
Simulation of the flowfield
through the nozzle and first
rotor was performed with the
parallel code TURBO, a
compressible flow code that
solves the unsteady RANS
equations within the rotating
reference frame. The code
uses an implicit finite volume
scheme with a NASA/CMOTT-
The calculated annular
streamtube height of 8.13 mm
is very close to the 7.95 mm
disrupted and it takes several
more time steps before the
flow reestablishes itself.
• Interaction of the bow wake
with the edge of the separation region. Rather than a
shock pattern being set up
between the blade surfaces, it
is established between the
separation edge and the rotor
pressure surface. Figure 24
depicts a series of oblique
shocks and expansions
reflecting off of the edge of the
separation layer. There is also
a shock set up on the
pressure side just downstream
of the leading edge that
intersects with the bow shock.
CONCLUSIONS
Figure 16A: Comparison of axial nozzle breakout area to equivalent
annular height
Figure 14: Radial location and
extent of clean suction surface
leading edge
With an axial spacing
between the nozzle exit and
the first rotor row leading
edge on the order of 1.27
mm, it doesn’t seem likely that
the flow could make the
transition. However, the data
indicate that the transition
actually begins in the nozzle.
The constant Mach number,
combined with the requirement for unique rotor
incidence, implies that the
axial flow area and absolute
flow angle must compensate
to achieve these conditions.
For the test unit, operating at
the design condition the
resulting streamtube height is
9.98 mm. This height is
much closer to the 7.95 mm
height noted in the dirt
patterns than the full nozzle
exit height of 11.84 mm.
Thus, the transition to the 7.95
mm flow height begins at the
last “covered” portion of the
nozzle.
developed two-equation k-e
turbulence model. For
efficient use of computing
resources, a phase-lag
approximation is available to
enable use of only one blade
passage per blade row in the
simulation.
Modeling indicates for the
design conditions of this
turbine, the suction side
leading “flat” to circular arc
occurs too early and, for this
solidity, results in the flow
separating from the suction
surface.
Some additional interesting
features include:
• Disruption of the bow shock
of the rotor by the nozzle
wake. The bow shock is near
the leading edge of the rotor
at a time where the nozzle has
not yet passed by and
subsequently, when the
nozzle wake just starts to
influence the rotor. The bow
shock system is completely
The high error band in Curtis
stage performance prediction
is due mainly to the
complexity of the interaction
between the nozzle and the
first rotor row. The first rotor
row of a Curtis stage has a
supersonic inlet, and resulting
unique incidence, due to low
velocity ratio and high stage
energy. In order to maintain
the supersonic inlet, the rotor
leading edge streamtube
must be considerably smaller
in height than the blade
trailing edge (and thus, the
provided blade leading edge
height), or the flowfield will
shock down to a subsonic
inlet, with the attending high
positive stage reaction. Dirt
and wear patterns confirm the
streamtube contraction into
the first rotor row.
Maintaining the rotor’s unique
incidence requires that the
nozzle angle, and/or streamtube height, must adjust as
wheel speed changes, and
this was noted in the behavior
of nozzle static pressure taps
during Curtis stage testing.
Figure 24: Mach Contours
interaction with separation
region
Stage reactions, measured on
these Curtis stage tests
confirm the low, actually
negative, reaction noted on
other supersonic rotor tests.
The nozzle to rotor streamtube
contraction and geometric
expansion is very aggressive,
and the drilled-hole nozzle
type was challenging to model
in CFD. However, CFD did
confirm the separation of flow
off the leading edge suction
surface (as seen in the dirt
patterns), and the resulting
impingement of that high
energy flow stream on the
pressure surface of the
adjacent blade (observed in
both dirt, and wear, patterns).
The unsteady flow behavior
caused by the thick “trailing
edge” of the nozzle was also
shown to significantly influence
the behavior of the rotor flow
well past what traditional
Curtis-stage design methodologies account for. ■
For additional
technical papers,
visit our website at:
www.dresser-rand.com
Figure 15: Typical areas of first rotor blade wear for long service units
15
Dresser-Rand Succeeds With Applied
DATUM Technology For Major U.S.
Refinery in Record Time
Just over ten years ago,
Dresser-Rand (D-R)
debuted its high-efficiency
DATUM centrifugal
compressors – a technologically advanced line that
set new standards for the
industry. Their unique
design resulted in superior
product performance, and
reduced cycle time.
Because of its ability to be
applied to upgrade
installed units (even those
of D-R’s competitors),
DATUM technology gave
D-R an opportunity to
assist clients faced with the
challenge of maintaining
the reliability and performance of their older
compression units. A
decade later, the DATUM
design concept continues
to successfully meet
clients’ equipment performance needs.
Recently, Dresser-Rand
succeeded in providing
such a client with a
performance upgrade
solution that applied
DATUM technology to
another OEM’s equipment
within a scheduled sevenday plant shutdown.
A major oil refinery in the
Midwest United States
contained a horizontally
split three-stage refrigeration compressor that had
been installed by a D-R
competitor in 1965. The
company sought a more
efficient design to lower
the horsepower required
by the current compressor
because the steam
turbine’s existing power
capability was insufficient
during high-ambient
temperature days. They
also wanted the ability to
compress 15 percent more
propylene within the
existing steam turbine
horsepower capability.
The refinery needed a
solution that would address
the change in design and
the greater efficiency
needed, while still being
cost effective and timely.
D-R approached the
client’s management team
with a proposal to revamp
this equipment using a
high-efficiency DATUM
rotor, diaphragms, and
impellers, commonly
referred to as a “bundle.”
Because of Dresser-Rand’s
history with this client, and
a proven track record with
similar projects for other
clients, the company was
confident that D-R could
address the goals of the
revamp. This project,
however, did present some
challenges.
The refinery had several
unique accessibility and
timing issues regarding this
revamp that D-R would
have to work around. The
facility was scheduled for a
plant turn-around, and the
compressor would not be
accessible to D-R until that
time. The plant would be
operational again in seven
days, giving D-R only one
week to complete installation of the revamp
hardware after the parts
were completed. Because
the unit could not be
shipped before the actual
installation of the DATUM
internals, D-R would not
have early access to all the
dimensional details
required for final machining
of some parts.“ While this
timing is normal for a plant
turn-around, it was unusual
to not have all the dimensions needed to complete
the manufacturing of the
new compressor internal
components,” explained
Jeff Worst, senior product
design engineer for
Dresser-Rand. “D-R was
missing the required
information to fit the new
bundle into the existing
compressor case.”
Although the refinery’s
management understood
the complexity of the task it
was putting before D-R,
the final fit dimension
would have to wait.
The biggest challenge was
trying to design parts
without benefit of original
design drawings. DresserRand was required to
develop the internals with
very little information. D-R
workers realized they
could get close to the
dimensions needed, but
not close enough to trust
making the cuts. They
would have to wait until
they received the equip-
ment and then complete
the project in seven days
to have the equipment
back in service.
Dresser-Rand accepted
the challenge, relying on
its unique processes for
Applied Technology
revamps, as well as its
ability to schedule and
manage all activities from
field service to manufacturing. With an
understanding of the
critical need to have the
plant up and running after
a turn-around per
schedule, Dresser-Rand
confirmed they had the
expertise for the seven-day
timetable.
“D-R’s Olean, New York
operations worked closely
with the D-R service center
in Cincinnati to prepare for
the arrival of the
compressor,” Worst
explained. “The initial plan
was to work around the
clock to complete the
required work on time.
Two D-R Applied
Technology design engineers were on hand to give
24-hour coverage in the
service center to insure
that any problems were
handled quickly.
“In the end, only one 24hour shift was necessary.
We were able to complete
the work by scheduling 12hour shifts, positive
interaction between the
service center personnel,
good on-site engineering
support, and thorough
planning.”
To successfully complete a
revamp on a competitor’s
equipment, D-R uses
proprietary software for
configuring DATUM
equipment, Unigraphics
three-dimensional design
program, and dimensions
from the client’s spare
parts inventory to design a
compressor layout that
approximates the final fit
dimension. This technique
enables D-R to fit all the
new parts into an existing
casing.
For this project, the D-R
Applied Technology team
was able to use the plant’s
original compressor spare
rotor, which was stored in
D-R’s Cincinnati repair
center as part of D-R’s
rotor storage program.
This program allows clients
to have spare rotors
manufactured by any OEM
to be stored, inspected,
delivered, and ready for
installation in 24 hours.
Participating in DresserRand’s rotor storage
program also reduces a
client’s storage and
maintenance requirements
by freeing warehouse
space, improving the use
of manpower, and transferring responsibility for
storage documentation
control to Dresser-Rand.
D-R’s storage facilities
feature a climate-controlled
environment to prevent
corrosion, and vertical
hanging to eliminate shaft
bowing. All rotors are
routinely visually inspected
while in storage to detect
physical abnormalities, as
well as being inspected
more carefully before being
prepared for installation.
Furthermore, before
shipment, rotor balance is
checked to maintain sound
rotor installation and
reliable operation. In the
case of this project, storing
the spare rotor at the
Dresser-Rand facility gave
the D-R team the means to
prepare for a revamp of
non-Dresser-Rand equipment.
Components for the refinery
revamp were manufactured
at D-R’s Olean facility and
shipped to the Cincinnati
service center. The facility
turn-around took place as
scheduled, at which time
the compressor was taken
out of service and shipped
to the service center.
Seven days later, the
revamped compressor was
returned to the client, and
restarted. Immediate
results, obtained by performance testing at the plant,
indicated that the project
goals were met. One year
later, performance of the
compressor was shown to
be consistent.
“It’s been calculated that
we were able to enhance
the compressor efficiency
by increasing the flow by
15 percent without significantly increasing the steam
power requirement,” Worst
stated. “The revamp
enabled the plant to stay
on line and keep
producing, where in the
past they would not have
been able to stay on-line.
16
17
Dresser-Rand Succeeds With Applied
DATUM Technology For Major U.S.
Refinery in Record Time
Just over ten years ago,
Dresser-Rand (D-R)
debuted its high-efficiency
DATUM centrifugal
compressors – a technologically advanced line that
set new standards for the
industry. Their unique
design resulted in superior
product performance, and
reduced cycle time.
Because of its ability to be
applied to upgrade
installed units (even those
of D-R’s competitors),
DATUM technology gave
D-R an opportunity to
assist clients faced with the
challenge of maintaining
the reliability and performance of their older
compression units. A
decade later, the DATUM
design concept continues
to successfully meet
clients’ equipment performance needs.
Recently, Dresser-Rand
succeeded in providing
such a client with a
performance upgrade
solution that applied
DATUM technology to
another OEM’s equipment
within a scheduled sevenday plant shutdown.
A major oil refinery in the
Midwest United States
contained a horizontally
split three-stage refrigeration compressor that had
been installed by a D-R
competitor in 1965. The
company sought a more
efficient design to lower
the horsepower required
by the current compressor
because the steam
turbine’s existing power
capability was insufficient
during high-ambient
temperature days. They
also wanted the ability to
compress 15 percent more
propylene within the
existing steam turbine
horsepower capability.
The refinery needed a
solution that would address
the change in design and
the greater efficiency
needed, while still being
cost effective and timely.
D-R approached the
client’s management team
with a proposal to revamp
this equipment using a
high-efficiency DATUM
rotor, diaphragms, and
impellers, commonly
referred to as a “bundle.”
Because of Dresser-Rand’s
history with this client, and
a proven track record with
similar projects for other
clients, the company was
confident that D-R could
address the goals of the
revamp. This project,
however, did present some
challenges.
The refinery had several
unique accessibility and
timing issues regarding this
revamp that D-R would
have to work around. The
facility was scheduled for a
plant turn-around, and the
compressor would not be
accessible to D-R until that
time. The plant would be
operational again in seven
days, giving D-R only one
week to complete installation of the revamp
hardware after the parts
were completed. Because
the unit could not be
shipped before the actual
installation of the DATUM
internals, D-R would not
have early access to all the
dimensional details
required for final machining
of some parts.“ While this
timing is normal for a plant
turn-around, it was unusual
to not have all the dimensions needed to complete
the manufacturing of the
new compressor internal
components,” explained
Jeff Worst, senior product
design engineer for
Dresser-Rand. “D-R was
missing the required
information to fit the new
bundle into the existing
compressor case.”
Although the refinery’s
management understood
the complexity of the task it
was putting before D-R,
the final fit dimension
would have to wait.
The biggest challenge was
trying to design parts
without benefit of original
design drawings. DresserRand was required to
develop the internals with
very little information. D-R
workers realized they
could get close to the
dimensions needed, but
not close enough to trust
making the cuts. They
would have to wait until
they received the equip-
ment and then complete
the project in seven days
to have the equipment
back in service.
Dresser-Rand accepted
the challenge, relying on
its unique processes for
Applied Technology
revamps, as well as its
ability to schedule and
manage all activities from
field service to manufacturing. With an
understanding of the
critical need to have the
plant up and running after
a turn-around per
schedule, Dresser-Rand
confirmed they had the
expertise for the seven-day
timetable.
“D-R’s Olean, New York
operations worked closely
with the D-R service center
in Cincinnati to prepare for
the arrival of the
compressor,” Worst
explained. “The initial plan
was to work around the
clock to complete the
required work on time.
Two D-R Applied
Technology design engineers were on hand to give
24-hour coverage in the
service center to insure
that any problems were
handled quickly.
“In the end, only one 24hour shift was necessary.
We were able to complete
the work by scheduling 12hour shifts, positive
interaction between the
service center personnel,
good on-site engineering
support, and thorough
planning.”
To successfully complete a
revamp on a competitor’s
equipment, D-R uses
proprietary software for
configuring DATUM
equipment, Unigraphics
three-dimensional design
program, and dimensions
from the client’s spare
parts inventory to design a
compressor layout that
approximates the final fit
dimension. This technique
enables D-R to fit all the
new parts into an existing
casing.
For this project, the D-R
Applied Technology team
was able to use the plant’s
original compressor spare
rotor, which was stored in
D-R’s Cincinnati repair
center as part of D-R’s
rotor storage program.
This program allows clients
to have spare rotors
manufactured by any OEM
to be stored, inspected,
delivered, and ready for
installation in 24 hours.
Participating in DresserRand’s rotor storage
program also reduces a
client’s storage and
maintenance requirements
by freeing warehouse
space, improving the use
of manpower, and transferring responsibility for
storage documentation
control to Dresser-Rand.
D-R’s storage facilities
feature a climate-controlled
environment to prevent
corrosion, and vertical
hanging to eliminate shaft
bowing. All rotors are
routinely visually inspected
while in storage to detect
physical abnormalities, as
well as being inspected
more carefully before being
prepared for installation.
Furthermore, before
shipment, rotor balance is
checked to maintain sound
rotor installation and
reliable operation. In the
case of this project, storing
the spare rotor at the
Dresser-Rand facility gave
the D-R team the means to
prepare for a revamp of
non-Dresser-Rand equipment.
Components for the refinery
revamp were manufactured
at D-R’s Olean facility and
shipped to the Cincinnati
service center. The facility
turn-around took place as
scheduled, at which time
the compressor was taken
out of service and shipped
to the service center.
Seven days later, the
revamped compressor was
returned to the client, and
restarted. Immediate
results, obtained by performance testing at the plant,
indicated that the project
goals were met. One year
later, performance of the
compressor was shown to
be consistent.
“It’s been calculated that
we were able to enhance
the compressor efficiency
by increasing the flow by
15 percent without significantly increasing the steam
power requirement,” Worst
stated. “The revamp
enabled the plant to stay
on line and keep
producing, where in the
past they would not have
been able to stay on-line.
16
17
More than 900 of these
robust and reliable units
have been supplied to more
than 62 countries.
Applied Datum
Technology....
The compressor has performed mechanically and
aerodynamically to meet the
client’s expectations.”
The client is also pleased
with the results. The
increased cooling through
the high ambient temperatures of summer helped
increase propylene
production significantly.
In fact, this revamp
contributed to some of the
client’s largest propylene
sales in their history without
increasing their energy
demand.■
Dresser-Rand Equipment
Powers Australia’s
BassGas Project
Original Conditions
Revamp Conditions
7968 RPM
10458 RPM
7968 RPM
10458 RPM
Design conditions
Design speed
Design gas
9960 RPM
90% propylene
9612 RPM
95% propylene
Section one inlet conditions
Suction flow
Suction temp
Suction pressure
2110 lb/min
30 deg. f
80 PSIA
2461 lb/min
23 deg. f
60 PSIA
Min speed
Max speed
Section two side steam inlet
conditions
SS inlet flow
SS inlet temp
SS inlet pressure
600 lb/min
61 deg. f
121 PSIA
535 lb/min
42 deg. f
95 PSIA
Discharge conditions
Discharge flow
Discharge temp
Discharge pressure
2710 lb/min
136 deg. f
273 PSIA
2995 lb/min
121 deg. f
205 PSIA
When a critical offshore
platform is expected to
operate efficiently and
continuously, without the
benefit of a topside crew,
equipment reliability is
paramount. This is certainly
true for the BassGas
platform, positioned in the
Bass Straight above the
Yolla gas field, nearly 150
kilometers off Australia’s
Victorian Coast.
Dresser-Rand, one of the
largest global suppliers of
rotating equipment solutions
to the worldwide oil, gas,
petrochemical and process
industries, provided the
base-load power generation
equipment for the unmanned
platform.
Origin Energy awarded the
contract early in 2003
through its engineering,
procurement and construction contractor, Clough
Engineering Limited. The
project called for DresserRand KG2-3E gas turbine
generator packages to
generate approximately
3300 kW base load power at
an ambient temperature of
25 degrees C.
18
“The KG2 is a perfect
solution for this application
because of its simplicity of
design and reliable performance requiring a minimal
amount of maintenance,”
said Olav Luraas, manager
of KG Product Sales at
Dresser-Rand in Kongsberg,
Norway. "We are very
pleased to have played a
role in this important project,
helping the BassGas joint
venture provide a vital source
of clean energy to Australia's
south eastern states.”
The KG2 gas turbine is
equally at home running
continuously in hostile marine
environments, in remote
desert power stations and in
demanding industrial
cogeneration applications.
The unit can use various
types of liquid hydrocarbons
for fuel, as well as a large
variety of gas fuels – even at
very low calorific values and
pressures.
In addition to the KG2,
Dresser-Rand offers gas
turbines in the 14 to 43 MW
power range. Dresser-Rand
has vast experience in
packaging aeroderivative
gas turbines from General
Electric and Rolls-Royce,
driving both compressors and
generators for the world’s
energy industry. DresserRand’s high-speed VECTRA®
power turbine is lightweight
and compact, and was
developed to match the
LM2500 family of gas
generators. Together they
offer one of the most efficient
power packages available in
the 30 MW class.
Dresser-Rand is experienced
in providing a variety of gas
turbine packages, supporting
power generation applications on and offshore, as well
as equipment drivers for
centrifugal compressors. A
recognized leader in the field,
D-R has delivered more than
2,500 gas turbine driver
packages for compressors
and generators in more than
62 countries.■
The Dresser-Rand KG2 units
for the BassGas project were
manufactured at the
company's facility in
Kongsberg, Norway. In June
2003, following thorough
factory testing, the units
were shipped to the Nippon
Steel fabrication yard on the
Indonesian Island of Batam,
where they were installed in
the platform structure.
With 99.3 percent start
reliability, a full load throw-on
capacity, the KG2 turbine is
ideal for base load and
emergency power supply,
onshore and offshore. The
KG2 generator set has been
specifically designed to
meet these requirements for
power from 1 MW to 10 MW
(single and multiple units).
19
More than 900 of these
robust and reliable units
have been supplied to more
than 62 countries.
Applied Datum
Technology....
The compressor has performed mechanically and
aerodynamically to meet the
client’s expectations.”
The client is also pleased
with the results. The
increased cooling through
the high ambient temperatures of summer helped
increase propylene
production significantly.
In fact, this revamp
contributed to some of the
client’s largest propylene
sales in their history without
increasing their energy
demand.■
Dresser-Rand Equipment
Powers Australia’s
BassGas Project
Original Conditions
Revamp Conditions
7968 RPM
10458 RPM
7968 RPM
10458 RPM
Design conditions
Design speed
Design gas
9960 RPM
90% propylene
9612 RPM
95% propylene
Section one inlet conditions
Suction flow
Suction temp
Suction pressure
2110 lb/min
30 deg. f
80 PSIA
2461 lb/min
23 deg. f
60 PSIA
Min speed
Max speed
Section two side steam inlet
conditions
SS inlet flow
SS inlet temp
SS inlet pressure
600 lb/min
61 deg. f
121 PSIA
535 lb/min
42 deg. f
95 PSIA
Discharge conditions
Discharge flow
Discharge temp
Discharge pressure
2710 lb/min
136 deg. f
273 PSIA
2995 lb/min
121 deg. f
205 PSIA
When a critical offshore
platform is expected to
operate efficiently and
continuously, without the
benefit of a topside crew,
equipment reliability is
paramount. This is certainly
true for the BassGas
platform, positioned in the
Bass Straight above the
Yolla gas field, nearly 150
kilometers off Australia’s
Victorian Coast.
Dresser-Rand, one of the
largest global suppliers of
rotating equipment solutions
to the worldwide oil, gas,
petrochemical and process
industries, provided the
base-load power generation
equipment for the unmanned
platform.
Origin Energy awarded the
contract early in 2003
through its engineering,
procurement and construction contractor, Clough
Engineering Limited. The
project called for DresserRand KG2-3E gas turbine
generator packages to
generate approximately
3300 kW base load power at
an ambient temperature of
25 degrees C.
18
“The KG2 is a perfect
solution for this application
because of its simplicity of
design and reliable performance requiring a minimal
amount of maintenance,”
said Olav Luraas, manager
of KG Product Sales at
Dresser-Rand in Kongsberg,
Norway. "We are very
pleased to have played a
role in this important project,
helping the BassGas joint
venture provide a vital source
of clean energy to Australia's
south eastern states.”
The KG2 gas turbine is
equally at home running
continuously in hostile marine
environments, in remote
desert power stations and in
demanding industrial
cogeneration applications.
The unit can use various
types of liquid hydrocarbons
for fuel, as well as a large
variety of gas fuels – even at
very low calorific values and
pressures.
In addition to the KG2,
Dresser-Rand offers gas
turbines in the 14 to 43 MW
power range. Dresser-Rand
has vast experience in
packaging aeroderivative
gas turbines from General
Electric and Rolls-Royce,
driving both compressors and
generators for the world’s
energy industry. DresserRand’s high-speed VECTRA®
power turbine is lightweight
and compact, and was
developed to match the
LM2500 family of gas
generators. Together they
offer one of the most efficient
power packages available in
the 30 MW class.
Dresser-Rand is experienced
in providing a variety of gas
turbine packages, supporting
power generation applications on and offshore, as well
as equipment drivers for
centrifugal compressors. A
recognized leader in the field,
D-R has delivered more than
2,500 gas turbine driver
packages for compressors
and generators in more than
62 countries.■
The Dresser-Rand KG2 units
for the BassGas project were
manufactured at the
company's facility in
Kongsberg, Norway. In June
2003, following thorough
factory testing, the units
were shipped to the Nippon
Steel fabrication yard on the
Indonesian Island of Batam,
where they were installed in
the platform structure.
With 99.3 percent start
reliability, a full load throw-on
capacity, the KG2 turbine is
ideal for base load and
emergency power supply,
onshore and offshore. The
KG2 generator set has been
specifically designed to
meet these requirements for
power from 1 MW to 10 MW
(single and multiple units).
19
Equipment Operators Face Critical Shortage of
Experienced Mechanics Dresser-Rand Training
Programs Address the Need
Operators of gas compression equipment throughout
the world are facing a
shortage of experienced
mechanics. To help address
this critical need, DresserRand has expanded its
offering of training programs
covering the operation and
maintenance of centrifugal
and reciprocating compressors, integral gas engines,
steam turbines, and related
control systems.
petrochemical industry is
facing an extreme shortage
of skilled service personnel,
20
especially when it comes to
operating and maintaining
gas compression equipment,” said Mark Jones,
product training manager at
Dresser-Rand. “Through
normal attrition rates alone,
including retirements,
transfers, and promotions,
companies find themselves
operating with a lessqualified workforce as newer
and younger employees
replace those with more
experience.”
While many colleges and
technical schools continue to
supply the labor pool with
talented, well-trained
technicians, many focus on
industries such as over-theroad trucking, earth moving,
and automotive. “Currently,
only a few technical schools
offer a curriculum that
includes gas compression,”
Jones states. “So we’ve
taken the initiative to expand
our course offerings, and
make them more readily
available to companies who
wish to prepare their
mechanics, operators, and
reliability engineers for their
new responsibilities. Our
proven courses provide them
with the skills and the
knowledge required to keep
their equipment operating
efficiently,” Jones said.
The company has announced
its 2007 product training
schedule and course offerings, and in addition to offering
its widely accepted factory
and regional courses DresserRand is featuring several new
course offerings to provide
clients with more detailed
training that is flexible,
convenient, and affordable.
on programs. Related topics
have been bundled together
and are conducted in
succession over a two- to
three-day period, giving
students the opportunity to
attend one or all of the
programs scheduled for that
location.
training program, D-R will
advertise, market, and
conduct the course at the
client's facility. This eliminates travel costs and
provides other clients in the
area an opportunity to attend
and share the lower travel
and living expenses.
Web-Based Training (WBT):
With more than 20 courses in
the Dresser-Rand library
(and more being added
each year), WBT programs
continue to gain popularity
with many clients who
operate and maintain steam
turbines, integral gas
engines, and centrifugal and
reciprocating compressors.
These online courses
provide self-paced instruction for operators and
mechanics and support
scheduled, just in time, or
refresher training requirements.
For detailed information
about any of the training
programs, clients can view
D-R's 2007 product training
schedule or register for
courses by visiting the D-R
web site at: www.dresserrand.com, under "Product
Training 07." To receive a
copy of Dresser-Rand 2007
training literature by mail,
requests may be made by
calling (607) 937-2303 or by
sending an email to: literature@dresser-rand.com.■
Operator Training: Designed
specifically for equipment
operators, these general
courses familiarize students
with the major components
that make up rotating
equipment, and give indepth insight into theory as it
relates to operational issues.
"As always, customized
programs specific to a
client’s machinery can be
arranged if desired," Jones
explained. "If there's a
group of people to be
trained from a specific
facility, we'll research the
equipment records and
provide a program matched
to that machinery. Our
instructors can travel to a
client's site to conduct the
course, keeping travel costs
to a minimum."
Short Courses: One-day
courses cover topics
selected from Dresser-Rand’s
longer classroom and hands-
If open-registration courses
are not held in a location
convenient to a client, and
the client is willing to host the
Dresser-Rand
Manufactures Largest
Single-Casing Steam
Turbine
Another milestone achievement has been reached by
Dresser-Rand -- its Steam
Turbine Strategic Business
Unit (SBU) recently
completed production and
testing of the largest singlecasing steam turbine ever
produced by the company.
The landmark unit is the
result of nearly 16 months of
engineering and production,
according to Mike
McGuinness, sales and
marketing manager for
Dresser-Rand's Steam
Turbine SBU. “This is a 69
MW steam turbine
measuring 24 feet in length.
When coupled to the
generator, the length of the
unit measures more than 49
feet.”
The unit is a doublecontrolled extraction/
condensing turbine that will
be used to generate power
by a major paper manufacturer in the southeastern
United States. “This steam
turbine is part of the client’s
overall effort to reduce power
generation costs at their
facility,” McGuinness added.
“Steam for the turbine will be
generated by a boiler fired
by tree bark and petroleum
coke (which replaces an
older, natural gas-fired
boiler), making the system
more economical as the
price of natural gas rises.”
By replacing the gas-fired
boiler with the more flexible
bark-and-coke-fired boiler,
the client anticipates
reducing overall purchased
power by 90 percent, and
reducing natural gas
consumption for steam
generation by 70 percent.
Additionally, the two extraction steam pressure levels
produced will be used in the
papermaking processes.
The success of the project is
the result of teamwork and
innovation, according to
McGuinness. “Every team
member contributed and
worked efficiently to meet
the requirements of the
project, with these very
favorable results.”
With decades of experience
in designing, manufacturing
and servicing steam
turbines, Dresser-Rand
provides unmatched
knowledge in a full range of
standard products as well
as custom-engineered
solutions. Dresser-Rand’s
worldwide installed steam
turbine equipment base
includes approximately
62,000 units in more than
100 countries. ■
21
Equipment Operators Face Critical Shortage of
Experienced Mechanics Dresser-Rand Training
Programs Address the Need
Operators of gas compression equipment throughout
the world are facing a
shortage of experienced
mechanics. To help address
this critical need, DresserRand has expanded its
offering of training programs
covering the operation and
maintenance of centrifugal
and reciprocating compressors, integral gas engines,
steam turbines, and related
control systems.
petrochemical industry is
facing an extreme shortage
of skilled service personnel,
20
especially when it comes to
operating and maintaining
gas compression equipment,” said Mark Jones,
product training manager at
Dresser-Rand. “Through
normal attrition rates alone,
including retirements,
transfers, and promotions,
companies find themselves
operating with a lessqualified workforce as newer
and younger employees
replace those with more
experience.”
While many colleges and
technical schools continue to
supply the labor pool with
talented, well-trained
technicians, many focus on
industries such as over-theroad trucking, earth moving,
and automotive. “Currently,
only a few technical schools
offer a curriculum that
includes gas compression,”
Jones states. “So we’ve
taken the initiative to expand
our course offerings, and
make them more readily
available to companies who
wish to prepare their
mechanics, operators, and
reliability engineers for their
new responsibilities. Our
proven courses provide them
with the skills and the
knowledge required to keep
their equipment operating
efficiently,” Jones said.
The company has announced
its 2007 product training
schedule and course offerings, and in addition to offering
its widely accepted factory
and regional courses DresserRand is featuring several new
course offerings to provide
clients with more detailed
training that is flexible,
convenient, and affordable.
on programs. Related topics
have been bundled together
and are conducted in
succession over a two- to
three-day period, giving
students the opportunity to
attend one or all of the
programs scheduled for that
location.
training program, D-R will
advertise, market, and
conduct the course at the
client's facility. This eliminates travel costs and
provides other clients in the
area an opportunity to attend
and share the lower travel
and living expenses.
Web-Based Training (WBT):
With more than 20 courses in
the Dresser-Rand library
(and more being added
each year), WBT programs
continue to gain popularity
with many clients who
operate and maintain steam
turbines, integral gas
engines, and centrifugal and
reciprocating compressors.
These online courses
provide self-paced instruction for operators and
mechanics and support
scheduled, just in time, or
refresher training requirements.
For detailed information
about any of the training
programs, clients can view
D-R's 2007 product training
schedule or register for
courses by visiting the D-R
web site at: www.dresserrand.com, under "Product
Training 07." To receive a
copy of Dresser-Rand 2007
training literature by mail,
requests may be made by
calling (607) 937-2303 or by
sending an email to: literature@dresser-rand.com.■
Operator Training: Designed
specifically for equipment
operators, these general
courses familiarize students
with the major components
that make up rotating
equipment, and give indepth insight into theory as it
relates to operational issues.
"As always, customized
programs specific to a
client’s machinery can be
arranged if desired," Jones
explained. "If there's a
group of people to be
trained from a specific
facility, we'll research the
equipment records and
provide a program matched
to that machinery. Our
instructors can travel to a
client's site to conduct the
course, keeping travel costs
to a minimum."
Short Courses: One-day
courses cover topics
selected from Dresser-Rand’s
longer classroom and hands-
If open-registration courses
are not held in a location
convenient to a client, and
the client is willing to host the
Dresser-Rand
Manufactures Largest
Single-Casing Steam
Turbine
Another milestone achievement has been reached by
Dresser-Rand -- its Steam
Turbine Strategic Business
Unit (SBU) recently
completed production and
testing of the largest singlecasing steam turbine ever
produced by the company.
The landmark unit is the
result of nearly 16 months of
engineering and production,
according to Mike
McGuinness, sales and
marketing manager for
Dresser-Rand's Steam
Turbine SBU. “This is a 69
MW steam turbine
measuring 24 feet in length.
When coupled to the
generator, the length of the
unit measures more than 49
feet.”
The unit is a doublecontrolled extraction/
condensing turbine that will
be used to generate power
by a major paper manufacturer in the southeastern
United States. “This steam
turbine is part of the client’s
overall effort to reduce power
generation costs at their
facility,” McGuinness added.
“Steam for the turbine will be
generated by a boiler fired
by tree bark and petroleum
coke (which replaces an
older, natural gas-fired
boiler), making the system
more economical as the
price of natural gas rises.”
By replacing the gas-fired
boiler with the more flexible
bark-and-coke-fired boiler,
the client anticipates
reducing overall purchased
power by 90 percent, and
reducing natural gas
consumption for steam
generation by 70 percent.
Additionally, the two extraction steam pressure levels
produced will be used in the
papermaking processes.
The success of the project is
the result of teamwork and
innovation, according to
McGuinness. “Every team
member contributed and
worked efficiently to meet
the requirements of the
project, with these very
favorable results.”
With decades of experience
in designing, manufacturing
and servicing steam
turbines, Dresser-Rand
provides unmatched
knowledge in a full range of
standard products as well
as custom-engineered
solutions. Dresser-Rand’s
worldwide installed steam
turbine equipment base
includes approximately
62,000 units in more than
100 countries. ■
21
insights
A PUBLICATION OF DRESSER-RAND
Editorial Statement:
®
“insights” is a periodical publication of
Dresser-Rand. Its editorial mission is to
inform our readership in the areas of
energy industries, as well as business
and world affairs that have an impact on
our mutual concerns. Comments,
inquiries and suggestions should be
directed to:
Janet Ofano
Communications Coordinator
DRESSER-RAND
insights Editorial Office
Paul Clark Drive
Olean, New York 14760 USA
Phone: (716) 375-3000
FAX: (716) 375-3178
insights
VOLUME 10, NO. 1
Featured in this issue of insights:
Dresser-Rand Introduces Integrated Compression SystemTM For Onshore And Offshore Projects,
Including Sub-Sea
D-R Succeeds With Applied DATUM Technology For Major U.S. Refinery In Record Time
© Copyright 2007 Dresser-Rand

Insights v10.1 - Dresser-Rand | DATUM Compressors

Transcription

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