Exterran Holdings, owner of the largest fleet of compression equipment in North America, has announced the availability of TURBOSHIELD™, a turbocharger management system for pipeline and gathering system engines. TURBOSHIELD™ is the result of a 2006 PRCI project conducted by Kansas State University to develop the capability to monitor and trend turbocharger performance. Field tests on Panhandle Energy units in eastern Kansas provided key information about system functionality and integration. As pipeline engines are forced to comply with more restrictive air permits, their margin of permit compliance continues to narrow, and TURBOSHIELD™ provides the ability to track in real-time whether the turbocharger is maintaining its design performance and providing the excess combustion air flow necessary for low-NOx operation.
In addition the system allows operators to identify the most economical time to overhaul a turbocharger (due to its performance degradation pattern) and monitor daily performance indicators. TURBOSHIELD™ utilizes the output of temperature, pressure, and speed sensors embedded within the turbocharger casing; these can be retrofitted into most units. The system takes the data off the turbo and analyzes the operating data to determine engine air flow rates and air pressures, and thus turbo performance. Financial and operational reports can be generated and when the system is applied across multiple units, asset management concepts can be applied to the turbocharger fleet – thus reducing O&M expenditures, minimizing downtime and optimizing overall performance. Research in the PRCI emissions reduction for legacy engines program has confirmed the criticality of stable turbocharger performance for maintaining aggressively lean air/fuel ratios in the combustor cylinders.
TURBOSHIELD™ is ETL-certified for Class I Div 1 or Div 2 installations. Exterran fully supports the system from onsite installation and supervision to software assistance and data analysis. This will play a very useful role in ensuring that operators can manage the narrower margins of compliance they will face in the near future.
Click here to download the TURBOSHIELD™ brochure. (2MB, PDF)