Fleet-Wide Compressor Optimization

Abstract In natural gas gathering applications, maintaining the lowest possible suction pressure can provide a significant production advantage. As fields fluctuate and, over time, decline, compressor optimization must be done on a regular basis in order to minimize suction pressure, while maximizing throughput and maintain high levels of overall fleet utilization. This paper gives an insight into the key tools and reports used by natural gas producers in order to manage and optimize fleets of compressors ranging in size from 5 to more than 1000 compressors. Background into the key principles of compressor optimization and limitations are covered, while detailed compressor performance curves and pressure/temperature set-point start-up packages are used to explain optimizing for maximum throughput in order to: Increase running speedReduce added cylinder clearanceOptimize suction pressureDecrease recycle set point To fully optimize a natural gas compressor fleet, tools and reports must be used in order to holistically consider the capacity and throughput requirements of each compressor, plant, field and area within an organization. To accomplish this, natural gas producers are implementing tools that provide statistics for easy identification of production and maintenance opportunities across an entire compressor fleet. Explained in this paper are the benefits of using Fleet Mapping Tools, Fleet Management Reports and Plant Potential Capacity Curves. In a case study with Australian gas producer Santos Ltd, long-term tracking and analysis of detailed performance data was critical to achieving improved fleet utilization. Specific detailed cases illustrate how, over a period of more than four years, Santos Ltd. demonstrated a fleet-wide performance improvement of more than 7.5% in utilization across a fleet of more than 100 units.