PRODUCT FOCUS

SIEMENS

A turnkey
compressor
solution
SGT-400PL package specifically designed for
North American midstream market. By Jack Burke

S
iemens said its new SGT-400PL costs and total costs of ownership,” he
compressor package offers a highly said. “It’s not always just about the initial
integrated, turnkey gas turbine and purchase price. It’s also about things like 20 years ago,
centrifugal compressor solution specifically cycle time, i.e., how long does it take to install most recently with the
designed and engineered for the North the equipment, how long does it take to acquisition of Rolls-Royce Energy in 2014 and
American midstream market. commission the equipment?” Dresser-Rand in 2015.
The company surveyed scores of existing “One of my functions is working on what
midstream customers and prospective Under the hood we call synergy programs – finding best
customers, then focused its design and This turbocompressor solution incorporates practices from different parts of our design
engineering efforts on meeting their needs, the SGT-400 twin-shaft, industrial gas legacies,” he said. “We’re taking a product
said Kyle Liskow, vice president gas turbine turbine, of which there are nearly 400 units technology that comes from Rolls Royce
packaging, Siemens. operating globally – almost half in oil and gas and an engine technology that comes from
“We think the performance of the mechanical drive applications. legacy Siemens or Alstom, for example. It’s
products that we’re putting together are This new compressor package is an really a best-of-best type of approach.”
world-class in terms of efficiency, both on example of what makes Siemens strong, The Siemens SGT-400PL compressor
the turbine side as well as on the compressor Liskow said. Siemens began adding to its package is delivered in a single-lift, one
technology, but this is about total lifecycle oil and gas portfolio via acquisitions about baseplate configuration, making it one of
the most compact and factory-complete
package in its class for the North American
TWO CENTRIFUGAL OPTIONS FOR SIEMENS’ PL PACKAGE market, Liskow said.
The Siemens SGT-400 PL compressor package includes a choice of a centrifugal “In the traditional way, you ship a gas
compressor, available in either axial direct-inlet (RFA) or side-opposed nozzle (RFBB) turbine separate from the compressor, they
versions: are then mounted on concrete at the site.
They both have to be grounded in place.
COMPRESSOR TYPE RFA RFBB They both have to be realigned,” he said.
APPLICATION LOW PRESSURE RATIOS HIGHER PRESSURE RATIOS “We found a way to do this in one compact
NUMBER OF STAGES 1 1-5 design with the turbine attached to the
INLET TYPE AXIAL RADIAL compressor. So we’re saving time and costs
PRESSURE RANGE, MWP UP TO 1800 PSI UP TO 2250 PSI during the installation process as well.”
DESIGN SPEED RANGE, 9000 TO 13,800 RPM 7700 TO 11,500 RPM The solution’s baseline model is non-
100% SPEED
EFFICIENCY enclosed for indoor use or can be configured
UP TO 91% UP TO 90%
with an enclosure for outdoor applications.
The latter comes with an NFPA-compliant fire

52 | COMPRESSORTECH2 | DECEMBER 2018


Siemens’
SGT-400PL
compressor
package is for the
midstream market.
and gas detection and suppression system.
The Siemens SGT-400 has power and
efficiency ratings of 20,115 horsepower
(hp) and 36.8%, respectively. The enclosed
option for outdoor use has a sound pressure
level of 85 dB(A) at 1ms distance from the
enclosure and 55 dB(A) at a distance of 100
m, with lower levels available. Designed for
high availability (>97%) and reliability (>99%),
the turbine features up to 64,000 operating
hours between recommended overhauls.
Variety of features
Each unit’s gas seal panel, filtration,
monitoring system and optional booster,
are mounted on a single baseplate. Its
control panel can be configured with either
a Siemens SIMATIC PCS 7 or Allen-Bradley
ControlLogix programmable logic controller
“Sometimes it’s
things that a customer
will never tell you they
want, but when they
see it they’re like, ‘that’s
what I want’.”
KYLE LISKOW, vice president of gas
turbine packaging at Siemens.
(PLC) and includes an HMI with remote-
reading capabilities.
The SGT-400 comes with Dry Low
Emissions (DLE) combustion technology as
standard equipment. The DLE combustors
provide flexibility on gaseous fuel (from 50 to
17.5 MJ/m2) and maintain low NOx emissions,
even when loads drop below 50% power
output.
The PL package includes on-skid controls,
and integrates with several centrifugal
At the heart of the SGT-400 PL is Siemens’ SGT-
400 twin-shaft, industrial gas turbine.
PRODUCT FOCUS
SIEMENS
The PL package includes on-skid controls and
integrates with centrifugal compressor models.
compressor models – including axial direct-
inlet (RFA) and side-opposed nozzle (RFBB)
versions.
The product line incorporates what Liskow
termed “tweaks” that help make the package
more user friendly. “Take, for instance, the
oil system or the fuel system, which are
kind of the two heartbeat auxiliary systems
of the gas turbine. Design-wise, they look
identical from a component and from a
functional requirement standpoint, but we
moved things around to make them easier
to service,” he said. “The phraseology that I
use is we adopt and adapt,” he said. “So we
adopt the proven architectures and proven
components and we adapt them to fit in
better making them easier to maintain and
service.”
Design choices
He noted some design steps – like removing
some components from inside of the turbine
enclosure that allow the operator to work on
the package without having to open a door
while the turbine’s running.
“So it’s these little tweaks that really
improve the service experience for the
operator. I think sometimes it’s things that a
customer will never tell you they want, but
when they see it they’re like, ‘that’s what I
want’.
“So we’re just trying to hit all those
customer interaction points with our product
throughout the lifecycle.”
The package is compliant with relevant
API, ASME, and NFPA standards (and their CSA
equivalents). Siemens also has 15 locations
in the U.S. offering service and support
expertise. CT2
DECEMBER 2018 | COMPRESSORTECH2 | 53