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L.A. Turbine (LAT) has shipped its first ARES active magnetic bearing (AMB) turboexpander-compressor to a new processing plant located in the Bakken Shale Play of North Dakota, USA. The ARES AMB turboexpander-compressor is designed for a plant flow rate of 200 MMSCFD (8.5 x 10 6 m 3 /d) and will be used for natural gas liquid (NGL) processing. Installation and commis- sioning are scheduled for third-quarter 2019. ARES AMB is a standardized turboexpand- er-compressor designed for 60-, 120-, 200-, and 300-MMSCFD (1.7 x 10 6 ; 3.4 x 10 6 ; 5.7 x 10 6 ; and 8.5 x 10 6 m 3 /d) gas plants (See “15 Years Strong,” August 2018 Gas Compression Magazine, p. 26). The ARES AMB turboex- pander-compressor features a skid-mount- ed AMB control system, made possible by a partnership between LAT and Waukesha Magnetic Bearings. According to Danny Mas- cari, president of LAT, the advantages of this all-in-one turboexpander solution are cost-effectiveness, ease of installation, re- mote monitoring and tuning, and decreased maintenance. “With the ARES AMB design, the control system is installed directly on the turboexpander skid, thus eliminating the need, and associated capital expenses, for in- stallation in a control room. Operators also benefit from the ability to perform remote commissioning, monitoring, and tuning of machine performance due to the digital sig- nal processors and control algorithms of the Zephyr 5-axis controller.” According to Mascari, the ARES AMB project started in 2017. “Our engineering team worked with Waukesha Magnetic Bearings to develop a package for the NGL audience,” said Mascari. “It was developed in a year, built it in a year, and we hosted a road show so that customers could see the unit firsthand. In fact, this first customer for the ARES AMB already had an oil-bear- ing machine. When they saw the AMB sys- tem, they realized the impact for the NGL market. Return on investment (ROI) can be realized once you eliminate something as simple as an oil change. For example, a customer told us that using an oil-bear- ing machine means the equipment has to be shut down for 48 hours. It takes two people to do the oil change. Considering they do that twice per year, they equated it to close to half a million dollars a year in lost revenue. With the ARES AMB tur- boexpander-compressor, the simplicity of design, ease of machine operation, and ad- vanced magnetic bearing technology trans- lates to operational and financial benefits for end users. Less time and labor are re- quired for the installation and commission- ing of the unit and AMB machines require minor ongoing maintenance.” The AMB turboexpander-compressor is designed for operating temperatures from -40 to 110°F (-40 to 43°C). “Cold climates like the one this unit will be operating in can be restrictive for an oil-bearing machine,” said Tadeh Avetian, director of engineering at LAT. “If not restrictive, it at least imposes additional costs for auxiliary components, such as heat tracing, of which we don’t have to worry about with AMB equipped ma- chines. Magnetic bearings generally aren’t affected by the ambient temperatures in which they operate. In this case, thanks to the road show prototype, customers were able to see the AMB skid directly next to an oil-bearing machine. They were able to point to aspects of the oil machine that had caused them headaches and shutdowns, which are absent from the AMB unit. We have replaced mechanical components with electrical com- ponents. Startup is easier. Shutdown is eas- ier. While this first unit is bound for a cold operating climate, there is nothing about the ARES design that can’t be applied anywhere in the world.” ARES AMB GOES TO WORK L.A. TURBINE SHIPS FIRST ARES AMB TURBOEXPANDER-COMPRESSOR WITH SKID-MOUNTED AMB CONTROLLER AND PLC DESIGN BY BRENT HAIGHT gascompressionmagazine.com | JUNE 2019 Reprinted from the June 2019 issue of Gas Compression Magazine. www.gascompressionmagazine.com Copyright Third Coast Publishing Group.
