How Does Fuel Gas Conditioning Help Offshore Platforms?

If you assumed that working on an offshore platform comes with a range of unique challenges, then you would be right. Offshore platforms deal with harsher weather conditions, higher humidity and other difficult working conditions, all of which make the time available for work even more precious. Productivity is often at a premium on an offshore platform, which means any downtime is a serious concern.

So how can any possible issues be minimized or eliminated? The simple answer would be to improve upon current techniques, namely fuel gas conditioning systems. There are three main methods by which fuel gas conditioning systems help on offshore platforms.

1. Eliminates Equipment Downtime

Downtime is a large problem in the offshore platform business. In fact, Reuters recently found that one company, Seadrill, reported a loss of $60 million dollars in 2012 due to downtime. Another study conducted by the market research and analyst firm Kimberlite estimated that, on average, offshore gas and oil operators will lose $49 million annually due to unplanned downtime. Eliminating this loss is no doubt worthwhile.

Fuel gas conditioning systems work to reduce the amount of impurities in the oil that is used on the rig. Particulate matter, water, hydrogen sulfides and other compounds seriously damage turbines and cause wear and tear downstream. By improving the quality of gas and reducing damage to turbines and other machinery, you can minimize downtime due to equipment damage and maintenance. Investing in a properly functioning high-end fuel gas conditioning system is one of the best investments you can make.

2. Reduces Corrosion Issues

Corrosion is a significant issue in any plant that deals with impurities and filtration systems. Raw materials always include impurities that need to be filtered out, and this is especially true when working out at sea. For instance, sea water contains high levels of hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, rust and sand, among others. This mixture of gases, solids and liquids causes undue stress and corrodes pipes and machinery downstream from the fuel conditioning system. Corroded pipes can then lead to leakages, oil spills and more unplanned downtime.

According to the Kimberlite study, the majority of expenses from unplanned downtime are due to repair costs. You can prevent financial losses from occurring on your offshore platform by reducing the amount of corrosion and damage with a better system.

3. Minimizes Maintenance

A properly functioning fuel gas conditioning system would ideally have fewer movable parts, take up a small footprint, reduce hydrocarbon loss, remove impurities and achieve all industry requirements. In turn, reducing damage to the turbines and other mechanics will increase profits by cutting unplanned downtime. Even without this benefit, a highly efficient and well-designed system needs less maintenance and will cost less in the long run.

Investing in a high-quality system with few moving parts and high-quality equipment is vital to any offshore industry. Due to the unique challenges faced by offshore platforms, even replacing a piece of machinery can take day and sometimes even weeks in harsh weather. However, Generon has over 50 years of experience supplying the world with process gas and separation and compression solutions.

Generon products use no chemicals, provide minimal losses and have extensive experience providing custom-designed skids to fit your needs.
For more information, contact us today.