Middle East gas project matches Dresser-Rand centrifugal compressor and the Rolls-Royce industrial TRENT 60 gas turbine for the first time

A complete compression train for Dolphin Energy undergoes full-load, full-pressure ASME PTC10 Type I performance testing at the Dresser-Rand test facility in Olean, N.Y. The equipment train includes the Rolls-Royce TRENT 60 gas turbine driver - the first application of the TRENT as a mechanical drive unit - coupled with a high-efficiency Dresser-Rand DATUM centrifugal compressor.

The test was conducted in May 2005 and included full-pressure testing at more than 140 bar (2,000 psi) and 40,000 kW (53,600 hp) to simulate site conditions.

World-class project in Qatar

The Dolphin Gas Project is one of the largest energy-related projects ever undertaken in the Middle East. In addition to developing upstream facilities to extract wet gas from Qatar’s North gas field, Dolphin Energy is installing twin offshore pipelines to transport the gas to Ras Laffan, an onshore site also in the northern part of the state. Once there, natural gas liquids (NGL) products and condensate will be stripped and the remaining dry gas compressed and transported through some 230 mi (370 km) of subsea pipeline to the UAE.

Scheduled for completion in late 2006, the Dolphin Gas Project will deliver 2 bcf/d of natural gas to the UAE, with a projected delivery life of at least 25 years. Three shareholders jointly own Dolphin Energy - Mubdala Development Co., wholly owned by the Government of Abu Dhabi (51%); the French company Total (24.5%), and Occidental Petroleum of the US (24.5%).

In January 2004, Dolphin Energy contracted with Rolls-Royce’s energy business to provide the project’s TRENT 60 gas turbines. They selected Dresser-Rand to provide the high-efficiency DATUM compressors. The gas turbines were manufactured in Montreal and packaged at the Rolls-Royce facility in Mount Vernon, Ohio. A completed TRENT turbine package was then shipped to Olean to be matched with a Dresser-Rand DATUM compressor for the testing.

Dresser-Rand describes its test center at Olean as one of the largest, most advanced such facilities in the world. At more than 58,000 sq ft, the company designed the facility specifically for conducting full-load, full-pressure Type I tests on large strings, with loads exceeding 85 MW (115,000 hp) with hydrocarbon gas.

Though Rolls-Royce turbines drive numerous Dresser-Rand compressors, the Dolphin Energy project is the first application of the DATUM compressor driven by a TRENT gas turbine.

After the string test was completed, Dolphin Energy approved the equipment for release. The first two complete equipment trains were shipped from Philadelphia to Ras Laffan in mid-June.

World class aero-derivative power

According to Rolls-Royce, the industrial TRENT 60 is the most powerful and efficient aero-derivative gas turbine available today, with up to 58 MW of electric power in simple cycle service, at 42% efficiency. The TRENT 60 has established a new benchmark for fuel economy and cost savings, says the company, and offers operators a newly designed package concept that delivers cost savings for both installation and maintenance.

The TRENT 60 is available for both 50- and 60-Hz power generation service, without a gear, and is offered in both Dry Low Emissions (DLE) and Wet Low Emissions (WLE) models. With a high cyclic life, it is highly suitable for the daily peaking power market. Its design flexibility allows the industrial TRENT to serve the power generation market as well as meet the needs of mechanical drive service, with no design changes. Due to its three-independent-shaft design, the TRENT 60 is capable of meeting driven equipment power demand at reduced speeds with minimal drop-off in efficiency.

All industrial TRENT gas turbines are backed by Rolls-Royce’s customer service business, which provides aftermarket support ranging from spare parts and technical support to long-term service agreements.

A decade of success

The compression string of the Dolphin Energy project represents the union of two machines that demonstrate proven performance advantages. Coincidentally, both machines were introduced exactly 10 years ago.

DATUM centrifugal compressors at the Dresser-Rand facility in Olean, N.Y., await shipment to the Middle East for the Dolphin Energy Gas Project.

To the compressor industry, Dresser-Rand’s DATUM series introduced a modular design concept with significant advancements in efficiency and ease of maintenance and reductions in life-cycle costs. As the single most extensive product introduction in Dresser-Rand’s history, the DATUM enabled the company to reduce manufacturing and delivery cycle times dramatically.

To date, nearly 500 DATUM units have been sold worldwide with inlet flow rates up to 100,000 ACFM and case pressures rated up to 10,500 psi. Each DATUM unit for the Dolphin Project is designed to compress 420 MMcf/d of gas from an inlet pressure of 460 psia to a discharge pressure of 2,055 psia, while requiring only 43,000 bhp on a hot ambient day.

Meanwhile, in just 10 years of commercial service, the Rolls-Royce TRENT family of aero engines has become one of the most successful of all time, with orders surpassing the $25 billion mark. The TRENT engine has enjoyed success on the Airbus A330, Boeing 777, and Airbus A340-500 and -600 aircraft. In fact, TRENT engines have secured a 50% share of all the firm and option engine orders for modern wide-body aircraft since the start of the program. Expansion of the TRENT family continues today, with the new TRENT 900 selected as launch engine on the world’s largest commercial aircraft, the Airbus A380, and the TRENT 1000 as launch engine for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Accordingly, this enormous experience is paying dividends for operators of the industrial version of the engine, the TRENT 60.•