Offshore staff
FLORENCE, Italy – GE Energy Connections will supply an MV7Series 5 Level (MV7-5L) drive for the topsides of the FPSO serving Woodside’s Greater Enfield project.
The location is 60 km (37 mi) offshore Exmouth, Western Australia.Greater Enfield will tie in production from the Laverda Canyon, Norton over Laverda, and Cimatti oil accumulations.
GE Power Conversion will engineer the MV7-5L drive with ultimate waveform configuration to assist start-up and control of two multi-phase pumps operating in parallel, 32 km (19.9 mi) from the FPSO.
The system’s five-level topology is said to allow an increased voltage. Its 12-kV, high-voltage output dispenses with the need for a step-up transformer, GE adds, saving space onboard the vessel with lower installation costs.
In addition, the smaller footprint provides room for an additional 15-20 tons of equipment.
Gilles Chene, senior sales manager, GE Energy Connections’ Power Conversion, said: “Less weight from the ultimate waveform drive solution installed on the FPSO unit means less structure support is required.
“The new solution [also] allows more equipment to be installed before reaching the maximum capability of the supporting structure.”
Removing the step-up transformer means fewer components in the system, helping reduce the risk of failure, GE claims. Another feature of the MV7-5L drive is cleaner produced power with fewer harmonics, which should help increase the equipment’s life expectancy.
01/26/2017
