Majors support compact steam generator development for offshore use

Oct. 29, 2024
Techouse is collaborating with TotalEnergies, Equinor and SINTEF Energy to develop and test a once-through steam generator (OTSG) by the end of next year.

Techouse is collaborating with TotalEnergies, Equinor and SINTEF Energy to develop and test a once-through steam generator (OTSG) by the end of next year.

This could help cut fuel consumption and CO2 emissions from power and heat production on offshore installations.

“Previous research and development has proved that implementing gas turbine combined cycle solutions on floating and fixed offshore installations results in a 22-25% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to conventional gas turbine solutions," according to Techouse CEO Svein Helge Pettersen.

The joint industry project (JIP), which will seek to reduce the weight and size of the OTSG to enable wider use offshore, has a budget of more than NOK60 million ($5.45 million) following a NOK12 million ($1.09 million) grant from the Norwegian Research Council.

It aims to position the OTSG as a critical component of offshore combined cycle power plants (CCPPs). Under the combined cycle heat and power process, heat from the exhaust of gas turbines is used to generate superheated steam, which in turn creates additional power in a steam turbine.

Techouse said the result is that power output increases by 30-33%—or alternatively, the required power is produced with 22-25% lower fuel use compared to a conventional setup on an offshore installation in which only gas turbines are used for power and heating purposes.

Current OTSG solutions are said to be hampered by the weight and size of the heat recovery equipment generating steam from the gas turbine exhaust.

The JIP, however, will develop a lightweight OTSG and test it in terms of performance, vibrations and fatigue. The partners will target a 40-50% weight reduction and a 10-15% lower footprint.

 “Most oil and gas offshore installations lack available deck space and weight capacity,” said Pål Kloster, sales and business development director at Techouse. “A smaller lightweight solution will increase the likelihood of adaptation of CCPP…for fixed installations where weight is more critical than on floating installations.”

Assuming all goes to plan, the compact OTSG could be available as a commercial product in 2026.

SINTEF will perform analyses of compact steam bottoming cycles, also providing input to the OTSG design and analysis of results from the demonstration project.