GAS BOOSTER

1.1 INTRODUCTION Compressors are used in gas turbine fuel booster applications for compressing natural gas from various sources to constant discharge pressures, such as those required by natural gas fired combustion turbine-generators for generating electricity. 1.2 GAS BOOSTER A. Motor Here GBC use induction motor for start GBC, An induction or asynchronous motor is a type of AC motor where power is supplied to the rotor by means of electromagnetic induction. These motors are widely used in industrial drives, particularly poly phase induction motors, because they are robust and have no brushes. Their speed can be controlled with a variable frequency drive. B. Operation of Motor Induction motors have two main components, the stator and the rotor. The stator carries a threephase winding that receives power from the supply. The rotor carries a winding that is in the form of a set of single-bar conductors placed in slots just below the surface of the rotor. The slots have a narrow opening at the surface of the rotor, which serves to lock the conductor bars in position. Each end of each bar conductor is connected to a short-circuiting ring, one at each end of the rotor. The stator winding is a conventional type as found in three-phase generators and synchronous motors. The three-phase stator winding produces a rotating field of constant magnitude, which rotates at the speed corresponding to the frequency of the supply and the number of poles in the motor. The higher the number of poles the lower the speed of the rotation. Assume that the rotor is stationary and the motor has just been energised. The magnetic flux produced by the stator passes through the rotor and in so doing cuts the rotor conductors as it rotates. Since the flux has a sinusoidal distribution in space its rotation causes a sinusoidal emf to be induced into the rotor conductors. Hence currents are caused to flow in the rotor conductors due to the emfs that are induced. The emfs are induced in the rotor by transformer action, which is why the machine is called an induction motor. Since currents now flow in both the stator and the rotor, the rotor conductors will set up local fluxes which interact with the excitation flux from the stator. This interaction causes a torque to be developed on the rotor. If this torque exceeds the torque required by the mechanical load the shaft will begin to rotate and accelerate until these two torques are equal. The rotation will be in the direction of the stator flux since the rotor conductors are being driven by the stator flux. Initially the speed is much less than that of the stator field, although it is increasing. C. Gearbox The fixed speed motor speed does not fall within the compressor speed operational window a speed changing gearbox is required. The gearbox is used to increase the motor speed to match compressor gas. For induction motor systems, the gearbox ratio selection should take into account the slip speed of the motor in the effective speed. D. Gas compressor Gas from a pure natural gas wellhead might have sufficient pressure to feed directly into a pipeline transport system. Gas from separators has generally lost so much pressure that it must be 1|Page

GAS BOOSTER

recompressed to be transported. Turbine driven compressors gain their energy by using a small proportion of the natural gas that they compress. The turbine itself serves to operate a centrifugal compressor, which contains a type of fan that compresses and pumps the natural gas through the pipeline. Some compressor stations are operated by using an electric motor to turn the same type of centrifugal compressor. This type of compression does not require the use of any of the natural gas from the pipe; however it does require a reliable source of electricity nearby. The compression includes a large section of associated equipment such as scrubbers (to remove liquid droplets) and heat exchangers, lube oil treatment etc. E. Bypass Cooler This is a passage that allows the coolant to bypass the radiator and return directly back to the engine. Some engines use a rubber hose, or a fixed steel tube. In other engines, there is a cast in passage built into the water pump or front housing. In any case, when the thermostat is closed, coolant is directed to this bypass and channeled back to the water pump, which sends the coolant back into the engine without being cooled by the radiator. F. Bypass Separation Some wells have pure gas production which can be taken directly to gas treatment and/or compression. More often, the well gives a combination of gas, oil and water and various contaminants which must be separated and processed. The production separators come in many forms and designs, with the classical variant being the gravity separator. In gravity separation, the well flow is fed into a horizontal vessel. The retention period is typically 5 minutes, allowing the gas to bubble out, water to settle at the bottom and oil to be taken out in the middle. The pressure is often reduced in several stages (high pressure separator, low pressure separator etc.) to allow controlled separation of volatile components. A sudden pressure reduction might allow flash vaporization leading to instability and safety hazards. 1.3 GAS SYSTEM DESCRIPTION During normal operation the gas is admitted to the compressor at a pressure of 10.73 Kg/cm2 and is delivered at a pressure of 28.85 Kg/cm2. Temporary suction strainer is provided in the suction line of the compressor. Fine mesh, provided in the strainer, is required during the initial operation of the compressor and is continued for a min. period of 6 months of operation. The compressor is provided with Anti Surge Valve (f l) with a Controller to protect the compressor from surge. The Antis urge controller controls the position of the Antis urge valve (f l) that is located in the discharge line, so as to keep the compressor out of surge. It ensures that the duty point does not move to the left of the surge limit even at lower loads. The Antis urge controller acts in response to parameters received from suction flow; discharge pressure. At the time of start-up, the suction isolation valve & the Antis urge Valves shall be kept open. The valve positions of these ASV & suction isolation valve provide a start permissive. Vent valve is provided in discharge line to evacuate the compressor loop. Instruments are provided on the suction and discharge lines of the compressor to measure gas pressure and temperatures. 1.4 OIL SYSTEM PREPARATION The following checks shall be performed on a regular basis on the machines that are continuously under operation.

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GAS BOOSTER

a) Check the oil level in the main reservoir. Switch on the electrical heater for heating the oil so that the oil temperature in the reservoir reaches 40 - 50c. The start-permission is inter-locked to the min. level of oil in the tank & the other inter-lock is for cut-off, based on high temperature of oil. The oil temp should not be less than 25C. b) Admit the Nitrogen to reservoir by opening the AFR valve. Adjust the needle valve observing the pressure in the gauge, to maintain the N2 pressure at 100- 200 mm-of-WC in the tank. c) Check that the isolating valves of the oil pumps are open. d) Ensure that the by-pass valve (for the pressure control valve in the pump discharge header) is closed and the isolating valves are open. e) Check that all oil drain valves of coolers, filters, level indicators and pipes are closed. f) Check that the water inlet and outlet valves of oil coolers are closed. g) Check that the isolating valves of pressure switches, pressure gauges, pressure transmitters, level gauge, switches and valve actuators are open. 1.5 LUBE OIL SYSTEM STARTING Start permissive is taken from PT, which is located in the supply line to the barrier seal. This is to ensure that the supply to separation (Barrier) seal is ON before the lube oil is pumped in to the circuit (so as to prevent ingress of lube oil in to the seals). However, these supplies are to be given only after opening the drains in these pipes and thoroughly ensuring that there is no liquid present. Instrument air is admitted to the barrier seals. To supply the filtered Nitrogen to the Secondary Dry Gas Seal at a constant recommended pressure, open the control valve. Maintain the recommended P between the N2 inlets to secondary dry gas seal and vent-to-flare by opening the Needle valves located in each of the lines. a) Start the main lube oil pump according to manufacturer's instructions. b) Provide the supply of Cooling Water to L. O. coolers. The temperature controller regulates the quantity of L. O. passing through the cooler by operating the control valve (refer to Para. "Coolers" and "Filters" in section 4). c) Open the vent valves of oil cooler and filters in service. Bleed off the air and close the valves again. d) Crack-open the vent valves of oil cooler and oil filters not in service and close it again as soon as they are full. e) Check the oil pressure to the various points, bearing in mind that the oil pressure should be:  Lube Oil Header: 2.0 to 2.5 Kg/Cm2g (28 to 36 psig)  Lube Oil pressure to thrust bearings: 0.3 to 0.8 Kg/Cm2g (5 to 12 psig)  Lube Oil pressure to radial bearings: 1.0 to 1.8 Kg/Cm2g (14 to 26 psig) f) Check the normal flow of oil coming out from radial and thrust bearing by the flow sight glasses devices. Check the L. O. pressure drop across the filters. g) Keep the stand-by oil pump driver ready to start on auto. h) Stop the main pump driver and check the stand-by pump automatic start-up. i) Then stop manually the stand-by pump and check the pressure point at which the trip switch installed in the lube oil header operates. j) Restart the main oil pump. 3|Page

GAS BOOSTER

k) Turn the control of the stand-by pump in automatic position. 1.6 PREPARATION INSPECTION OF THE UNIT'S GAS CIRCUIT During the first start-up / commissioning It Is recommended that all the pipe lines around the machine shall be completely steam blown to ensure high degree of cleanliness. The dry gas seal system is to be kept ready as explained in the Section-3. THE OPERATIONS ARE CARRIED OUT IN THE ORDER GIVEN BELOW: a) Check that the control of the antis urge valve is in the manual position and set fully open. The antis urge controls may be set on automatic mode only after the machine is lined up to the process. b) Check visually that the valves are in startup position as indicated below: - Isolation valve in Suction line: CLOSED - Isolation valve in Discharge line: CLOSED - Isolation valves downstream of ASVs: CLOSED - Vent valve in discharge line: CLOSED c) Check that the seal gas condensate drain systems are in working condition. d) Open and close compressor casing drains. e) Check that the isolating valves of the pressure gauge, pressure switches, pressure and level transmitters etc. are open. f) Check that all instruments are set to recommended values. 1.7 ROUTINE CHECKS (DURING NORMAL OPERATION) The following checks shall be performed on a regular basis on the machines that are continuously under operation. ~ Oil level in the main reservoir. ~ Oil temperature in the main reservoir. ~ Oil pressure in the lube oil header. ~ Oil pressure in the journal and thrust bearings. ~ Temperature in the bearings. ~ Oil flow in the discharge lines. ~ Oil temperature in the discharges from bearings. ~ Periodical analysis of oil sample from main reservoir.     Removal of accumulated condensate/liquids from the duplex filter. Differential pressure across the clean gas & equalizing line at the dry gas seal. The primary leakage flowing through vent-to-flare. Nitrogen pressure and flow through secondary dry gas seal inlet line.

~ Rotor axial displacements ~ Radial vibrations  Temperature and pressure of the gas at the suction and discharge.  Pressure drop across suction strainer.  Analysis of gas composition.

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