DATUM Centrifugal Compressor Line Sees Continuing Improvement

In applications requiring mul¬tiple compressor trains like Medgaz, the DATUM unit may handle the job with fewer trains compared to other manufacturers. This is because, in some applications, a single DATUM compressor can compress to greater pressure ratios per casing than a comparable existing product offering, resulting in the capability to handle the same pressure ratio with fewer compressor casings.

DATUM P multi-stage pipeline booster compressor builds on the company’s design approach, optimizing case and flowpath designs for pipeline applications.

The DATUM P pipeline compressor evolved from the modern DATUM technology. Designed for maximum performance in specified pressure and flow applications, the DATUM P compressor's high efficiency, reliability, and ease of maintenance make it one of the most advanced turbocompressors available for the oil, gas, and process industries.

One key feature of the product line - including the DATUM P compressor - is its modular bundle assembly. This assembly enables rapid change-out of rotating elements - together with bearings, seals, and stationary components - in one cartridge-style assembly. The modular bundle allows a DATUM module to be replaced in the field, typically in less than a day, which greatly reduces main¬tenance shutdown periods and improves plant availability. This compares to a traditional design that could require a shutdown of more than five days.

One of the more recent DATUM P compressor projects included the installation of three DATUM D12P2 pipeline compressor units for Beijing Gas Transmission Company in China. Each unit, driven by an electric motor and speed increasing gear, was sized to compress 25 MMscm/d to a pressure of about 1,500 psia (103 bar) and required roughly 15,000 hp (11,185 kW).

These compressors were essential to increasing the flow of natural gas to Beijing, with daily consumption on the rise due to anti-air pollution efforts. Beijing has been encouraging people to use gas instead of coal for over a decade.

The DATUM compressor’s flexibility is apparent in its full range of gas compression appli¬cations – including some new ones such as acid gas (H2S + CO2 + H2O) and carbon capture and storage (CCS). One recent innovation, the DATUM C compressor, is an integrated, hermetically sealed unit that uses a high-speed motor driver with magnetic bearings. It is oil-free and has no shaft seals. It has no site emissions and offers a more compact footprint than any conventional centrifugal compressor with similar capabilities.

D-R supplied a DATUM C “compact” compressor package to Central New York Oil & Gas during last year’s heating season, and the system achieved its anticipated goals. The DATUM C centrifugal compressor is an integrated, electric motor-driven compressor designed for natural gas pipeline and process gas applications.

“Last winter, after ironing out some late developmental issues, the DATUM C compressor package performed as expected,” said Barry Cigich vice president of storage operations at Central New York Oil & Gas. “Having Dresser-Rand as our neighbor in Olean added a level of service that was crucial to our operating success."