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Horsepower Re-rate:
A Case Study
By:
Jerry Creel El Paso Corporation
Dustin Malicke Hoerbiger Engineering Services
Fred Basin Hoerbiger Engineering Services
Page 1 of 9
Requirements
In 2003 the El Paso Corporation, Southern Natural Gas facility located near White Castle
Louisiana, was required to propose a plan for reducing the station NOx emissions by 80%.
There were 10 units located at the facility, 3 of which were low horsepower (550 hp each)
engines. The remaining 7 engines were comprised of 3 GMVA-8s, 1 GMVA-10, 2 GMVC-10s
and 1 GMVH-12. El Paso commissioned a study to determine the best approach to achieve the
State of Louisianas emissions mandate. The results of this study produced a project scope
requiring retirement of the 3 smaller engines and re-rating of the 7 remaining engines to maintain
the FERC permitted station horsepower. This had to be accomplished while achieving the
required NOx reduction. El Paso let the project for bid in the fourth quarter of 2003, and
Hoerbiger Engineering Services (then Gas Engine Systems) was awarded the contract for the onengine work while other contractors were awarded the off-engine design and construction.
The concepts employed to arrive at this solution was presented in the 2005 GMC paper
Considering the Options, presented by Tom Burgett and Hans Mathews. This paper brings the
details of a real project and the operation results to those who may be faced with similar
opportunities.
Implementation
The modification of primary interest to this discussion is the horsepower re-rate and how it was
achieved. Six of the seven units were equipped with the original centrifugal blowers, which
draw a substantial amount of parasitic horsepower from the units. Removing those blowers
allows said horsepower to be redirected to a more useful purpose; i.e. moving gas down the
pipeline. The net effect is little change to the indicated load on the power side of the engine, just
the distribution. The re-rate called to take the ratings of the GMVA-8s from 1100 to 1400 hp,
the GMVA-10 from 1350 to 1700 hp and the GMVC-10s from 1800 to 2000 hp.
With the end state now defined, each engine/compressor and its supporting systems were
evaluated to determine where modifications or additions were required. In evaluating the units, it
became clear that four unique solutions would have to be developed because each group had its
own unique characteristics. The solutions could be broken down into four groups, GMVA-8,
GMVA-10, GMVC-10 and GMVH-12. All engines already had a high energy ignition system
installed and they all would receive a high pressure fuel injection system along with an automatic
balancing system. The requirements for each of the four groups is listed in Table 1 and described
in detail below.
Table 1: Solution Matrix
Turbocharger
Intercooler
Exhaust Manifold
JW Cooling System
Aux Cooling System
Lube Oil System
Muffler
Filter/Silencer
Automation
Compressor Cyl
GMVA-8
New
New
New
Adequate
New
Adequate
New
New
Modify
Modify
GMVA-10
New
New
Adequate
New
New
Adequate
New
New
Modify
Modify
GMVC-10
New
New
Adequate
Adequate
Modify
Adequate
Adequate
Adequate
Modify
Adequate
GMVH-12
Modify
New
Adequate
Adequate
Modify
Adequate
Adequate
Adequate
Adequate
Adequate
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As part of the project, all centrifugal blowers were removed from the GMVA and GMVC series
machines and new ABB turbochargers were installed. The air specifications provided by HES for
the GMVA and GMVC engines were such that ABB was able to use just two different design
turbochargers for all six engines. The eight cylinder engines were of one turbocharger design
while the ten cylinder engines were of another even though there is a 300 horsepower difference
between the two types of ten cylinder engines. This reduced the costs associated with the design,
installation and maintenance of the turbochargers. The GMVH received turbocharger
modifications to the existing ET18 turbocharger to enhance the air delivery. The increased air
delivery required installation of new intercoolers on all units to achieve the required air manifold
temperatures. To simplify the installation and reduce costs a single intercooler was used on all
units except for the GMVH-12. This unit retained its existing turbocharger which had a dual
outlet compressor. Two new intercoolers were designed to fit in the stock location with minimal
modifications to the existing piping required.
The exhaust manifolds on the GMVA-8 engines were water cooled; all other units were
originally installed with dry (non-cooled) exhaust manifolds. When turbocharging an engine, it is
important to deliver as much of the exhaust energy to the turbocharger as possible. Converting
the GMVA engines to a dry exhaust manifold has two benefits; it delivers as much energy as
possible to the turbocharger and it reduces the heat rejection requirements for the engine. This
freed up heat capacity of the jacket water cooling system can be used elsewhere. In the case of
the GMVA-8 engines, it was used to cool the water jackets of the turbocharger. This allowed the
jacket water cooling system to be used without modification.
The lack of a wet exhaust manifold on the GMVA-10 and the poor performance of the existing
cooler resulted in a completely new air cooled heat exchanger being installed for this unit. The
jacket water system for the GMVC-10 engines was adequate because the new turbochargers
installed had a lower heat rejection requirement than that of the turbochargers that were
removed. For the GMVH-12, no modification were made that affected the jacket water system,
therefore its system was adequate.
The GMVA engines did not have an auxiliary water cooling system. Instead, all units cooled the
oil by pumping it out to a panel in the air cooled heat exchanger. For the GMVA-8 engines, the
oil panel was converted to an auxiliary water panel and a supplementary cooler was installed to
provide the required auxiliary water cooling. The auxiliary water was used for the intercoolers
and for the newly installed shell and tube heat exchanger for the lube oil. An electric driven
Emissions Reduction and Horsepower Re-rate: A Case Study
2006 Gas Machinery Conference Oklahoma City, OK
Page 3 of 9
pump was installed in lieu of replacing the engine driven jacket water pump with a dual pump
setup. The electric pump option was cheaper to purchase and install due to the amount of piping
modifications required to convert from the single to the dual engine driven pump. The same
approach was used for the GMVA-10 engine except the new air cooled heat exchanger installed
for it contained one panel with enough capacity for the auxiliary water requirements.
The GMVC-10 engines and the GMVH-12 engine were delivered with auxiliary water cooling
systems. Each of these systems was not adequate for the new operating conditions and was
modified by installing a supplemental cooler in series with the existing cooler and upgrading the
engine driven pump.
The lube oil system for all engines was deemed adequate for the post conversion operating
conditions. The ABB turbochargers installed have a self contained oil system and do not require
oil supply or cooling from the engine. The lube oil requirements for the ET18 turbocharger on
the GMVH-12 engine did not change as a result of the upgrade.
The intake and exhaust systems were evaluated initially on their suitability to handle the new
flow rates and filtration requirements for the turbochargers. All of the filters and silencers were
deemed adequate in the initial evaluation. The data in Table 2 shows that the air flow through the
units with gear driven blowers actually decreased after installing the turbochargers. This is due to
the turbocharger introducing a restriction in the exhaust system that much greater than any other
Page 4 of 9
restriction in the system. It is this restriction (the turbine side of the turbocharger) that has the
largest effect on determining the air flow through the engine.
Table 2: Unit Airflow
Unit Type
GMVA-8
GMVA-10
GMVC-10
GMVH-12
Pre Retrofit
Air flow
(scfm)
5,500
6,143
7,726
8,446
Post Retrofit
Air flow
(scfm)
4,574
5,137
7,759
10,100
%
Change
-17%
-16%
0%
20%
The filters and mufflers where then evaluated based on the noise criteria of the location. The
addition of a turbocharger adds additional noise sources to the engine. The GMVA units did not
have inlet silencer installed, only filters, but the GMVC and GMVH units had inlet filters and
silencers installed. After the evaluation, it was determined that the GMVA units would need new
inlet silencers and new mufflers in order to meet the required noise criteria. The equipment for
the GMVC and GMVH units was deemed adequate for the post retrofit service. El Paso elected
to replace the air filters on the GMVA units with a combination filter silencer for this application
instead of adding a separate inlet silencer in the inlet piping.
The White Castle station was automated before the start of this project but each group of units
was automated to different degrees. The GMVH-12 was the only unit that was fully automated
and included an air/fuel ratio controller. As part of this project, new unit panels were installed on
all of the units similar to the existing panel on the GMVH-12. The panels were design to
accommodate the new high pressure fuel injection system and the automatic balance system.
Before the start of construction for the engine retrofits, El Paso contracted to have the new panels
built, installed and commissioned.
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In order to utilize the additional brake horsepower, the compressor cylinders needed to be
properly sized for the new operating conditions. The compressors for the GMVC units were
determined to be capable of achieving the new rated horsepower with their current configuration
and the current pipeline operating conditions. The compressors on the GMVA units were known
to be undersized for the units in their current configuration with the current pipeline conditions.
The evaluation of the compressor cylinders on these units determined that they could be bored to
achieve the desired results. They GMVA-8 units would also receive additional unloaders to
enhance their operational flexibility.
The final piece of the puzzle was to evaluate the station air, electrical and fuel gas systems. The
addition of six turbochargers with jet assist greatly increased the demand of the starting air
system. The evaluation of the system revealed that the station needed to add both storage and
compression to the system. The addition of the controls and electric motors increased the
electrical demands but the evaluation showed that the station still had excess backup generator
capacity after the new systems were installed but the purchased power needed upgrading. To
prevent the units from shutting down during a power outage a UPS system was installed that
supplied power to the control system, fuel injection system and ignition system. This allowed
uninterrupted operation until the backup generator came online in the event of a power outage.
The installation of the high pressure fuel injection systems required that a new fuel gas system be
installed to support it. The current system was unable to be up-rated to the new operating
pressure without significant and costly modifications. In addition, the current system would have
to remain to operate the facility until all units had been retrofitted.
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Results
This project achieved the desired goal of meeting the regulatory mandate for emissions
reductions. In doing so several benefits where also realized. Each engine realized a three to 8%
reduction in heat rate after the retrofit as shown in Table 3. The average heat rate for the station
(weighted by horsepower) was reduced by 12 percent. This is partly due to the retirement of the
three small engines that were not very efficient (heat rate of approximately 11,000 btu/bhp-hr).
The remainder was due to the technologies employed and the removal of the parasitic load of the
gear driven blowers from six of the units. The use of the high pressure fuel injection system
resulted in lower requirements for air from the turbochargers. This affects both the build of the
turbocharger and the requirements for the cooling system to reject the additional heat created to
produce the additional combustion air.
Table 3: Engine Heat Rates
Unit Type
GMVA-8
GMVA-10
GMVC-10
GMVH-12
Pre Retrofit
Heat Rate
(btu/bhp-hr)
7700
7700
7400
6700
Post Retrofit
Heat Rate
(btu/bhp-hr)
7150
7100
7000
6475
%
Change
-7%
-8%
-5%
-3%
Lessons Learned
As those in the project business know, no project ever is without its issues. There were several
lessons learned while performing this project that bear mentioning here to prevent the same from
happening to others in the future. The first and foremost item is planning and scheduling. It has
been said that you can never plan enough. You need to develop a good, and realistic, plan in the
beginning and keep adjusting it as required throughout the life of the project. In this industry
scheduling outages for engine retrofits can be quite challenging. You need a schedule that works
for all parties involved but one that is still realistic. While an aggressive schedule may look good
on paper, and seem achievable while everyone is sitting around the table, it is rarely achievable
when put into action because of all the external influences beyond the project managers control
and the finite amount of resources available within this industry.
The top lesson learned directly related to the engine up-rate process is that of engine health. The
engine must be in great condition before you start the retrofit process or you will suffer the
consequences later on. It is worth the extra time and effort to thoroughly evaluate the health of
the unit and all of its components. Of particular interest is the health and design of the power
cylinders, heads, pistons, rings and piston carriers. While all of the engine components should be
verified to determine if they are suitable for the new operations these are of the most common
items to find differences in or issues with. For most pipeline engines in operation today there is a
wide variety of different configurations of heads, power cylinders and pistons. While you may
not have to upgrade to the latest OEM design for a particular component, you need to insure that
the engine contains the same version of each component and that all the components are
compatible with each other. It is also very important to verify the calibration of all end devices
related to air / fuel ratio control prior to startup.
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The health of the cylinder liner and the ports is extremely important when up-rating the unit or
just adding a turbocharger to a unit. If a cylinder has ports that are plugged with carbon then the
ability of that cylinder to properly breathe and scavenge will be significantly reduced.
Modification of the compressor cylinders can be accomplished in several ways, depending on the
required bore increase. In this instance the cylinders were capable of supporting the increase.
The chosen method, which appeared to be the most cost effective at the outset, involved
removing the cylinders and performing the modifications offsite. Other options were to replace
the liners with new units of the correct bore size or overbore in place. While all of the options
have certain advantages and disadvantages, it should be mentioned that removing the cylinders
opens the door to alignment issues during re-installation. The specifications and methods for
assembly have changed since the original construction of these stations. This resulted in having
to remove and modify suction and discharge bottles. Another issue that affected the scheduling
of the project, and couldnt be predicted beforehand, was encountering porosity in the liners
when they were machined to the new bore size.
The up-rate and emissions reduction can make the engine more sensitive to abnormal operating
conditions or upsets in the operating condition. This requires that the control system be able to
tightly control the operating parameters of the unit. The unit in OEM configuration was able to
reliably operate over a very wide range of air/fuel ratios. The rich limit was defined by when the
unit would start to go into detonation. The lean limit was defined by when the unit would start to
misfire. If the controls operated the unit anywhere in between then the unit would operate
satisfactorily. The unit must operate within a much narrower window after the unit is up-rated
and, more importantly, the emissions limit is imposed. The lean limit is still defined by when the
unit starts to misfire. The rich limit is now defined by the maximum allowable emissions. This
forces the owner to operate the unit much tighter and closer to the lean limit than before. If the
unit is allowed to operate too lean then the possibility of a lean misfire detonation cycle
becomes more likely.
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Conclusions
This project showed that an effective way to meet the emissions mandate is not necessarily the
traditional way. By thinking outside the box a new solution was found that was good for both the
environment and the company. By retiring the three small units and distributing the power
among the remaining units, a solution was found that met the regulatory requirements, increased
efficiency and reduced the number of power and compression cylinders to be maintained.
The final analysis to be conducted is a financial one. One might ask was this the most
economical solution to achieve the desired results. The on-engine portion of the work was
performed for approximately $300 per horsepower. If one takes that the off-engine portion of the
work was similar in costs then you arrive at about $600 per horsepower for the complete project.
This is less than half of the cost when compared to the industry rule of thumb of approximately
$1400 per horsepower to install new compression. One may challenge that by not retiring the
three small engines, you could have saved money. If you did not retire those units, then you
would have to apply emissions reduction technology to those units. You would not have saved
any more by not up-rating the GMV engines at the facility because all of the technology
employed in the engine up-rate and emissions reduction would be required if you retained the
original power rating and only reduced the emissions to the required levels.
The benefits of this approach to the emissions reduction mandate resulted in a solution that
allowed the operator to meet the required emissions reductions at the facility while maintaining
its operational flexibility and enjoying a overall more efficient engines. The outcome of this
project showed that it is possible to take a regulatory mandate and use it as an advantage for the
company. The result of applying technology is to reduce the emissions at the facility while taking
a new approach and increasing the efficiency of the fleet of engines at the same time.
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