At Detechtion, one of the the things we obsess over is optimizing fleets of natural gas compression equipment by reducing operating costs and maximizing production through each individual unit, while considering all the unique requirements at each site (process pressures, minimum pressures required to dump liquids, etc…). Whether your single-compressor sites are starving for gas and struggling to run, or your multi-compressor gas plants are trying to maximize volumes through as few units as possible, Enalysis can help you digitally transform and optimize your oil and gas operations.
The COVID-19 Reality for Managing Reduced Production Rates
As mentioned in a previous blog post, we are living through exceptionally turbulent times for the oil and gas industry, dealing both the global impacts of COVID-19 and a rapidly deteriorating price of oil. Right now, our customers are in urgent need of recommendations on how to run their compressors with severely reduced flow rates and achieve the new field conditions. It's vital to do this without exposing compressors to operating conditions that would undermine any cost saving measure efforts.
Fortunately, Detechtion's Enalysis program can deliver immediate cost savings to your business by advising you on the best "turndown" approach during the MOC process, and by ensuring your control system is properly tailored to protect your compressor after its configuration has been adjusted.
A typical “turndown” study consists of the following general steps:
- The compressor’s Enalysis report is reviewed for any inefficiencies that would need to be addressed during the next scheduled downtime event and to establish the baseline of the current performance.
- The Detechtion engineer works with his or her client to develop a clear understanding of the new goals for the site. At minimum, they’ll need to know any goals or limitations around suction pressures, discharge pressures, and flow rates.
- Leveraging our in-house, non-OEM specific, simulation software, the engineer identifies potentially viable solutions and discuss each in full.
- Once you decide on the path forward, the Detechtion engineer builds a startup package to ensure the compressor’s control system is completely tailored for the new running configuration.
- After changes are made, the engineer continues to evaluate Enalysis reports on the compressor to ensure performance is as expected, and help make any of the necessary adjustments as the gathering system continues to evolve.
Protecting Compressor Equipment from Critical Failure
Our users have been able to realize tangible savings by avoiding creating costly work down the road during the planning stages of a configuration change. For example, single-acting may provide the optimum reduction in capacity; however, without a trusted weight balance record, acquiring one can cost $10-20k, depending on the make and model of the compressor. Over the past few weeks, we've been able to help our clients understand the pros and cons of completely closing their bypass valve by single-acting, as well as provide other options that give maximum savings today without compromising longer-term economics.
When our users make configuration changes, by implementing a Detechtion Startup Package for the new running configuration (even a simple pocket change), they are well-protected from any catastrophic failures due to overloading the engine or exceeding other package design limits. By leveraging our startup package setpoints, we also save our clients the unnecessary costs associated with unplanned shutdowns, and most importantly, we also help our operators avoid unnecessary 3:00 a.m. callouts from an unadjusted setpoint!
As you’re thinking about how to adapt to the rapid changes in your natural gas gathering system and want to make sure you’re not exposing your compressor equipment to a critical failure, consider how Detechtion can help you meet your cost savings goals!
