Offshore oil platforms make unique demands of the systems installed. The Norwegian StatoilHydro relies on NASH NAB 1500 two stage liquid-ring compressors for operation on the Gjøa Platform in the North Sea.
With the development of the Gjøa Platform in the North Sea, northwest of Bergen, Norway, new crude oil and gas reserves are being developed. Gjøa uses a NASH NAB 1500 two stage liquid ring compressor system to extract and compress hydrocarbons and nitrogen from the crude oil. The system was designed for a volume flow rate of 1500 m3/h and a compression pressure of 6 to 9 bar absolute. Owing to the special composition of scavenged gases, it was necessary to use Duplex stainless steel for the compressor. In order to win the contract for this system, the supplier of the casted parts had to provide, among other things, certification complying with NORSOK.
Both Nash compressors are mounted on a single, large 8 x 5 m base frame together with motors, separator, heat-exchanger, etc. Consequently, the entire system creates low vibrations and is very quiet. The engineering and assembly of the installation was done by the Norwegian company, K.Lund Offshore AS.
The working conditions at sea, under the toughest climatic conditions and often far from special maintenance and service facilities, demand a high level of operational reliability. NASH compressors fulfill these requirements, having been characterized for years by their reliability - one of the many reasons why StatoilHydro selected NASH liquid-ring compressors. Two stage compressors of the NASH NAB model range have a suction capacity of up to 3800 m3/h and reach a compression pressure of up to 15 bar absolute.
StatoilHydro is the international market leader in the use of "Deepwater Technology" and the world's largest operator in water depths exceeding 100 m. The Gjøa field is newly developed and should go into production in 2010. Currently, it is the largest project in the North Sea.