The ambition to become a carbon neutral society by 2050 is being reflected in growing attention from Oil&Gas industry to environmental impact of the technologies adopted for their operations. In this overall frame, there are offshore operators looking for new solutions to reduce carbon footprint across the whole life cycle of their plants while still aiming to address challenges, some of them peculiar to offshore applications: limitation in footprint and weight, reduce leakages, increase overall reliability and availability, enable unmanned operations and, finally, increase integration with renewable energy sources.
Electric motor driven centrifugal compressors are commonly used in offshore to manage associated gases. Indeed, electrification (i.e., compressors actuated by an electric driver) is a growing trend in this application as it is considered an enabler for decarbonization when associated to other technologies (e.g., power from on-shore, in-situ combined cycles power generation).
This paper provides an overview on oil-free high-speed moto-compressor technology developed by Baker Hughes and discusses benefits and current limitations with respect to traditional oil-lubricated moto-compressor package. It is explained how oil-free technology can save up to 50% in weight and footprint and provides an enhanced unmanned capability, making this product an attractive solution for remote operation and in harsh environment and helping offshore industry in tackling the climate change challenge.
