Wet gas compression technology renders possible new opportunities for future gas/condensate fields by means of sub sea boosting and increased recovery for fields in tail-end production. In the paper arguments for the wet gas compression concept are given. At present no commercial wet gas compressor for the petroleum sector is available. StatoilHydro projects are currently investigating the wet gas compressors suitability to be used and integrated in gas field production. The centrifugal compressor is known as a robust concept and the use is dominant in the oil and gas industry. It has therefore been of specific interest to evaluate its capability of handling wet hydrocarbon fluids. Statoil initiated a wet gas test of a 2.8 MW single-stage compressor in 2003. A full load and pressure test was performed using a mixture of hydrocarbon gas and condensate or water. Results from these tests are presented. A reduction in compressor performance is evident as fluid liquid content is increased. The introduction of wet gas and the use of sub sea solutions make more stringent demands for the compressor corrosion and erosion tolerance. The mechanical stress of the impeller increases when handling wet gas fluids due to an increased mass flow rate. Testing of different impeller materials and coatings has been an important part of the Statoil wet gas compressor development program. Testing of full scale (6–8 MW) sub sea integrated motor-compressors (dry gas centrifugal machines) will begin in 2008. Program sponsor is the A˚sgard Licence in the North Sea and the testing takes place at K-lab, Norway. Shallow water testing of a full scale sub sea compressor station (12.5 MW) will begin in 2010 (2 years testing planned). Program sponsor is the Ormen Lange Licence.
The compressor polytropic head and efficiency analysis are based on the assumption that the compression process follows the path of a constant polytropic exponent n. Both the ASME PTC10-97 and the ISO 5389 refer to the polytropic analysis by John M. Schultz. The procedure utilizes a head correction factor and two compressibility functions to obtain a solution of the integral Δhp = ∫vdp. Present computer technology renders possible a direct integration of the compression path where the variation in actual gas properties along the path is included. This method eliminates the averaging of gas properties which the Schultz procedure includes. This paper reports deviation in compressor performance using the Schultz procedure with different average gas properties. The implementation of a direct integration procedure, employing actual gas properties from the new GERG-2004 equation of state, is given. The GERG-2004 equation of state has proven to give accurate density values both in the vapour and liquid phases. Depending on how the polytropic compression analysis is implemented, the work has revealed up to 4% deviation in polytropic head and efficiency for some specific compressors. This adds an extra uncertainty in compressor performance verification. Even though the API 617 allows up to 4% deviation, some compressors have to meet a more stringent demand, for instance 2% at the Sno̸hvit LNG plant. Future challenges within oil and natural gas production are related to wet gas compressors. The present paper points out the advantages in using a direct integration method for wet gas performance predictions as this takes phase changes along the compression path into account.
This paper evaluates the performance analysis of wet gas compression. It reports the performance of a single stage gas centrifugal compressor tested on wet gas. These tests were performed at design operating range with real hydrocarbon mixtures. The gas volume fraction was varied from 0.97 to 1.00, with alternation in suction pressure. The range is representative for many of the gas/condensate fields encountered in the North Sea. The machine flow rate was varied to cover the entire operating range. The compressor was also tested on a hydrocarbon gas and water mixture to evaluate the impact of liquid properties on performance. No performance and test standards currently exist for wet gas compressors. To ensure nominated flow under varying fluid flow conditions, a complete understanding of compressor performance is essential. This paper gives an evaluation of real hydrocarbon multiphase flow and performance parameters as well as a wet gas performance analysis. The results clearly demonstrate that liquid properties influence compressor performance to a high degree. A shift in compressor characteristics is observed under different liquid level conditions. The results in this paper confirm the need for improved fundamental understanding of liquid impact on wet gas compression. The evaluation demonstrates that dry gas performance parameters are not applicable for wet gas performance analysis. Wet gas performance parameters verified against results from the tested compressor is presented.
The growing interest in wet gas compressors calls for accurate methods for performance prediction. Present evaluation methods for compressor and pump performance fail when evaluating the compression of gases containing liquid. Gas compression performance predictions given in ASME PTC-10-97 and ISO 5318 are based on the method John M. Schultz proposed in 1962. This method assumes a polytropic compression path and is based on averaged gas properties of inlet and outlet condition. The polytropic compression path is defined by keeping pvn constant, where n is constant along the compression path. When employing the Schultz method there is a challenge in defining the polytropic constant. This is seen in cases where dry gas compressors are exposed to wet components and compressor efficiency estimates exceed 100%. Today’s computer technology makes a direct integration of the polytropic head (∫vdp) possible where actual fluid properties along the compression path are included. Phase changes along the compression path are included with this method. This enables a detailed prediction to be made of the actual volumetric flow rate for the various compressor stages. This paper reports the implementation of the direct integration procedure for wet gas performance prediction. The procedure enables generic wet gas compression to be studied which forms the foundation for performance analysis with variations in operation at conditions and fluid components and properties.
The potential production increase from new and existing oil and gas fields worldwide is huge. In some areas, stringent requirements for field recovery specified in the production licence call for the development and utilisation of novel technology concepts. Enhanced recovery may be achieved with wellhead boosting. For specific systems, the booster is preferably installed subsea, either on a single production well or a cluster of these. Development of rotor-dynamic multiphase pumps for topside and subsea applications was initiated at the mid-1980s. A wide range of these pumps are currently installed and in operation worldwide. They typically cover the gas volume fraction (GVF) range from 0 to 0.70. The ability to increase pressure is limited above GVF 0.9, clearly restricting the area of application. In essence, the development of wet gas compressors covering GVFs from 0.95 to 1.0 has been limited to the centrifugal concept, although an axial contra-rotating concept is available. Two new subsea compression systems will be installed, commissioned and in operation from 2015 for the Gullfaks and Åsgard fields on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). Their compressors are based on centrifugal and axial technology respectively. Subsea compression is currently being evaluated for several other field developments. The centrifugal compressor has proved to be a robust concept and dominates in the oil and gas industry. Both inert low-pressure and high-pressure real hydrocarbon fluid tests have shown that understanding of the fundamental wet gas compression mechanisms is limited. Evaluating the ability of the centrifugal stage to handle wet fluids has therefore been of specific interest. A wet gas test rig has been designed and built at the NTNU. Its objectives are to validate a wet gas compression system and to determine capabilities and constraints related to the impact of impellerstage performance: • fluid behaviour and dynamics • corrosion and erosion tolerance • surge suppression and stall avoidance • transient operating conditions, including fluctuations in GVF • novel high-precision shaft torque control (static and dynamic) • electric motor and driver response and interactions • total system control. The article focuses on the ongoing test campaigns and related challenges, including test facility design. Understanding the challenges involved is essential for identifying concept constraints at an early stage and ensuring system reliability and availability.
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