Classified as hazardous areas, offshore oil rigs require that any equipment installed on them is designed and certified accordingly – including electric motors to drive critical gas compressors.
Foster Yeboah, Zest WEG’s regional sales manager for the West African Region, says that WEG electric motors for these applications comply with IEC standards and associated hazardous area specifications, which certify equipment for use in explosive atmospheres. Considering the hazardous marine environment, all the WEG machines were supplied with tough epoxy paint and conformed to an IP65 rating.
Six large WEG motors have been installed on an oil platform off the coast of Ghana, over a staggered schedule from late 2020 through 2022. Four of the new motors are large 9500 kW MGW800 machines, and two are 7000 kW MGW710 machines. With weights of up to 23 tons, these electric motors exceeded the 19 ton weight limit of the oil platform’s crane, which meant that the motors were shipped to site in component form for assembly on site.
“Despite COVID-19 disruptions and challenging logistical conditions, Zest WEG is successfully supplying, testing, and installing these motors for the customer,” says Yeboah. “These six motors are upgrades of previously installed WEG motors, which have been operating successfully on this site for over a decade.
“Of course, the Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) is always vital, so this has to be conducted on all the motors after they are manufactured and tested,” he adds. “COVID-19 initially made it impossible for the client to be physically present at the factory in Brazil, so some tests were witnessed virtually.” To deal with the weight restriction of the crane on site, the electric motors then had to be dismantled in the factory before shipping. Rather than being shipped as a single unit – as is normally done – the motors were carefully packaged into component form. Particular care had to be taken with protecting the rotor during shipment.
“The rotor is a critical item, and it is crucial that great care is taken when transporting this item,” he says. “The packages are then shipped and stored at the customer’s warehouse in Ghana, before being taken to the offshore oil rig.”
Zest WEG technicians assembled the electric motors on the oil platform, including the various electrical and hydraulic connections and piping. Commissioning and testing were done before the system went online. The first of the six installations had to be done when COVID-19 restrictions required quarantining periods – adding to the complexity of planning.
Yeboah says that the large WEG motors in this application are cooled using the IC81W air-water cooling principle. Air is circulated through the motor base where the rotor and stator generate the most heat. A heat exchanger then extracts the heat from the internal circuit air flowing through it.
New generation low power frequency inverters Bearing Man Group T/A BMG
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
New to BMG’s electromechanical range are energy-efficient Synergy PI150 series frequency inverters, which have been designed for efficient use in many applications.
Read more...Planar motor system for quality assurance Beckhoff Automation
Editor's Choice Electrical switching & drive systems & components
Achieving the shortest possible inspection times, even when working with different components, is paramount when it comes to series production. This is precisely what special machine builder, stoba Sondermaschinen set out to achieve with its InspectorONE optical inspection system, which is based on deep learning and features the Beckhoff XPlanar planar motor system at the conveyor system core.
Read more...Siemens elevates automotive and aerospace simulation Siemens South Africa
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
Siemens Digital Industries Software has announced the latest update to its Simcenter portfolio, delivering advancements in aerostructure analysis, electric motor design, gear optimisation and smart virtual sensing. These enhancements are designed to streamline workflows, accelerate certification and provide deeper insights into system performance.
Read more...Turbomachinery controls: the call of duty Schneider Electric South Africa
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
There’s a lot to be said about the unsung heroes of this world; those men, women and machines that deliver such important functions, often overlooked and recognised. One such machine is turbomachinery, and while the name does sound quite obvious to the layman, its rich history and daily functions are not.
Read more...More movement in the market
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
Aerotech aims to revolutionise the market for precision motion and machine controls with an intuitive control platform.
Read more...Motion technology for all types of automation Bearing Man Group T/A BMG
News & events Electrical switching & drive systems & components
BMG has been appointed by The Timken Company as a distributor in southern Africa for the Rollon linear motion guidance system.
Read more...Servo motor series for explosive environments with expanded certification Parker Hannifin - Sales Company South Africa
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
Parker Hannifin’s ongoing commitment to safety and performance in hazardous environments is evident in the new certifications and product improvements for its EY and EX servo motor series.
Read more...The world’s most powerful worm
Editor's Choice Electrical switching & drive systems & components
Geothermal energy from the natural heat of the Earth is an inexhaustible resource, yet the growth of the global geothermal power sector lags behind other renewable energies. Now Swiss startup, Borobotics is hoping to speed this up with its innovative new electric-powered geothermal drilling robot, which can be used to fast-track and lower the cost of heat pump installations in confined spaces.
Read more...The impact of gearless mill drive technology on CO2 emissions
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
ABB has released an in-depth white paper detailing the vital role that gearless grinding technologies can play in driving productivity in mining while simultaneously reducing their carbon footprint.
Read more...Revolutionising TIG welding for aerospace manufacturing
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
Yaskawa Southern Africa has partnered with Aerosud Aviation, a leading aerospace manufacturer, to implement a cutting-edge robotic TIG welding solution tailored to the exacting demands of aerospace production.
printer friendly version