Temporary on-site power system allows full-scale testing of pump packages for deepwater platform
When Total E&P USA, Houston, contracted with Integrated Flow Solutions (IFS) to design and install two key pumping systems for the $195 million Matterhorn deepwater production facility in the Gulf of Mexico, it was critical that all offshore equipment operate reliably from start-up. This was particularly true of the two pumping packages, which handle water injection and oil export streams, respectively.
IFS assigned high priority to pre-installation testing of all phases of both pumping packages, which were destined for installation aboard the Matterhorn offshore facility, a mini-tension leg platform (TLP).
Prior to integrating the equipment aboard the topsides production module, Total and IFS required extensive tests to make sure the pumps and motor drives met project specifications and that final assembly of the packages would take a minimum of commissioning time. But there was a major challenge: The pumping systems’ high horsepower ratings required more electric power than was available at the time at the IFS manufacturing facility.
That’s where Cummins Power Rent entered the picture.
A division of Cummins Power Generation, Minneapolis, Cummins Power Rent is an international supplier of rental generator sets. When IPS contacted their Houston office, Cummins Power set up a complete power testing station at the IFS assembly yard to help verify the deliverability and reliability of the Matterhorn pumping packages prior to installation offshore.
A major driver for such extensive testing is the high financial risk associated with equipment failure aboard deepwater production facilities. In fact, Total estimated that an unplanned equipment shutdown at Matterhorn could cost as much as $900,000 a day.
Early testing
The Matterhorn TLP is located in 2,820 ft (846 m) of water in Mississippi Canyon block 243, about 99 mi (160 km) southeast of New Orleans. It handles production of up to 33,000 b/d of oil and 100 MMcf/d of gas from seven dry tree wells. It also treats and reinjects up to 30,000 b/d of seawater for improved hydrocarbon recovery. The TLP was installed offshore in 2002 and went on stream in November 2003.
For increased oil production, IFS designed and packaged the water injection system, made up of two 800-hp electric motor-driven centrifugal pumps for injecting de-aerated, clean and filtered seawater into the oil-producing formation. The company also designed and built the oil-export pumping package, which consists of three 1,000-hp electric motor-driven centrifugal pumps to move crude oil into pipelines to shore.
“With limited oil storage capacity on the platform, it’s crucial that this export system operate continuously and reliably,” said Bill Marsh, IFS president.
Consequently, IFS tested the pumping systems thoroughly with the Cummins Power Rent equipment, which had been assembled in Houston and then delivered to IFS within hours of placing the order.
The recommended testing package consisted of a Cummins Model DQKC 2,000-kW PowerCommand diesel generator set, an electrical distribution system, power transformers and motor starters.
On-site power
According to Jared Brown, Cummins’s Power rental coordinator, the Model DQKC features pre-integrated, digitally controlled components, all designed and built to work together. The unit’s oversized alternator is engineered specifically to improve the starting of large electric motors.
“The system’s digital master control provides precise voltage regulation, overload protection and numerous diagnostic features,” said Brown. “Incorporated inside an all-weather trailer with its own fueling system, the equipment is designed to run continuously for up to 20 hours at 75% load.”
The package was used to test the range of required voltages by running the generator output through a multi-tap voltage transformer, said Brown. “That allowed us the flexibility to test in the medium range of 480 to 4,160 volts for these pumping systems. And had it been called for, the transformer also is capable of output in the high range of 12,600 or 13,200 volts.”
According to Troy Urbantke, IFS operations manager, setting up a temporary power station was the only way to perform complete testing. “Otherwise,” he noted, “it would have required the local utility company to build a new substation at our facility just to supply enough power to conduct the tests.” The sensible alternative, then, was renting power generation equipment on a temporary basis.
“The Cummins Power unit was delivered ready to use,” he said, “and that left us free to concentrate on our tests. The whole process helped us deliver reliable pumping product systems to our customer.”
For more information about renting pre-integrated power generation equipment with power ratings from 35 kW to 2 MW, contact your nearest Cummins Power Rent distributor or call 1-877-769-7669. Web site: www.cumminspower.com•