MAN Energy Solutions is the world’s leading provider of large-bore diesel and gas engines and turbomachinery. Headquartered in Germany, MAN Energy Solutions employs some 14,000 people at over 120 sites globally.
With the help of ABB Motion Services, MAN Energy Solutions will increase production of the largest electrically powered well head compression at the Pohokura production in New Zealand, which is located about 4.5 kilometers off the Taranaki coast. Gas and fluids from the reservoir are piped to an onshore production facility where the gas is separated from residual water and light oil. The field has ultimate recoverable reserves of 1,227 billion cubic feet or 1435 PJ of gas and 61 million barrels of oil and condensate. The field has been in production since 2006 and at its peak it met about 40% of New Zealand’s gas demand. Production is processed through the Pohokura Production Station, which is remotely controlled from the New Plymouth office in Taranaki, New Zealand.
Despite being faced with COVID-19 challenges and restrictions, the ABB Motion Services team in New Zealand carried out successful commissioning of the ABB drive train equipment, which was supplied from ABB Drives in Switzerland to the Pohokura Production Station (owned by OMV and Todd Energy Ltd) which is located on the coast, 20km north of New Plymouth. The production station has been in operation since 2006 and operates as a remote managed facility with the main control room based in the OMV New Plymouth office.
MAN was the primary contractor engaged by OMV to supply and install the equipment for the Depletion Compressor project and collaborated with ABB to perform the onsite commissioning of the ABB drive train equipment*. The Depletion Compression Project was undertaken to extend the production of oil and gas at this site. The compressor mechanical package supplied by MAN has been designed to enhance production at the Pohokura production station.
*ABB drive train supplied to MAN Energy Solutions Switzerland Ltd.
- VSD Transformer 11kV/6x1920V, 5 MVA, oil filled
- VSD ACS5000 6kV, 10MVA, liquid cooled with external fin fan cooler
- Motor AMI800L4A 6kV, 10MW, air cooled Site Commissioning work scope andinstallation supervision
- Ongoing service and support
This installation is the largest electrically powered well-head compressor installed in NZ and one of the first installations connected to the remote ABB Ability™ Condition Monitoring for Drives system, allowing the customer and ABB to monitor the drives performance and condition via cloud connected service solutions. By collecting and analyzing information directly from the drives, cloud-based technologies are utilized to help understand and predict any potential downtime, enabling the scheduling of maintenance services at a time that is suited. While the data is always accessible, ABB service experts work with the customer to provide help on how to analyze the data and define the steps for improving the operations constantly.
Due to the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, the planned attendance by an ABB medium voltage drive expert engineer was unable to proceed. Therefore, the drive commissioning work was carried out by ABB’s local engineers, with the remote support provided by the ABB medium voltage drive support Singapore. With ABB being a global company, challenges like this are overcome and optimal customer service is still able to be achieved.
OMV New Zealand General Manager, Henrik Mosser highlights the advantages of the project. “It enables access to additional gas reserves and increase production, ensuring that the production station continues to operate at an optimum level”.
The Pohokura production station is a mature gas field site in Taranaki and the Pohokura field is a significant producer to meet New Zealand’s gas demand.
ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a leading global technology company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. With a history of excellence stretching back more than 130 years, ABB’s success is driven by about 105,000 talented employees in over 100 countries. www.abb.com
ABB Motion keeps the world turning - while saving energy every day. We innovate and push the boundaries of technology to enable the low-carbon future for customers, industries, and societies. With our digitally enabled drives, motors, and services our customers and partners achieve better performance, safety, and reliability. We offer a combination of domain expertise and technology to deliver the optimum drive and motor solution for a wide range of applications in all industrial segments. Through our global presence we are always close to serve our customers. Building on over 130 years of cumulative experience in electric powertrains, we learn and improve every day. Motion business - ABB Group
