A quantum leap in testingLocated in Duisburg, Germany, the newly opened Mega Test Center is one of thelargest of its kind in the world, built in response to an increasing customer demandfor large-scale compression technology.

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As the Chinese might well observe, we live in ‘interesting’ times. Increasing industrial andsocial development on a global scale has led to unprecedented demand for energy, the vastmajority of which continues to be met throughthe exploitation of the world’s finite reserves offossil fuels, leading to the release of ever morecarbon dioxide into our planet’s already over-loaded atmosphere. The need to balance aseemingly insatiable demand against dwindlingfuel reserves is forcing the pace of develop-ment of new and innovative solutions. In tan-dem, innovative pre- and post-combustion‘Carbon Capture and Storage’ (CCS) technolo-gies are being developed, both to enhanceproduction from depleting wells and to providea long-term storage solution for this ‘green-house’ gas.

SupersizingOne of the answers to the growing problem of supply security is the construction of newpipelines for the bulk long-distance transport-ation of oil and gas across national and inter-national boundaries, linking a number of smallfields. Another solution for the economic

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exploitation of natural gas is to convert it into a liquid, reducing its volume 300-fold and en-abling the resulting super-cooled cryogenicLiquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to be transportedin sea-going bulk carriers. In both cases, theprocess is totally dependent on the use of large-scale compression technology, either to ensurecontinuous flow in a pipeline, or to refrigeratethe gas to form LNG. Although the basic tech-nology is relatively mature, the combination ofcontinually increasing demand and economicpressure is driving the trend towards the use ofever-larger compressor-trains, enabling the industry to achieve greater operating efficiencyand increased productivity. The same economic pressures are being felt in downstream petrochemical applications,where hydrocarbon feedstock is converted intohydrogen-rich synthetic gas for the productionof clean fuels and chemical products. Similargrowth in demand is leading to the parallel development and implementation of complex,high-powered, supersized compressor trains,where economy of scale is giving maximumbenefit for increased production. Large-scalecompression technology is used as part of

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08 Venture July 2008

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Impressions from

the inauguration of the

Mega Test Center, March 6

and April 18, 2008

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current CCS systems for carbon injection andsequestration, where carbon dioxide releaseddirectly from the combustion of natural gas or from the reforming process for the produc-tion of hydrogen-rich syngas, is forced at highpressure into fast-depleting or exhausted on-shore or subsea reservoirs, providing long-term storage, reducing emissions and enhanc-ing production.

Response to market needsAs one of the largest and longest-establisheddevelopers, manufacturers and suppliers ofleading-edge compression systems for the energy industries, Siemens has had to remainresponsive to the continuously evolving needsof its customers. The demand for ever-largermachines incorporating evermore complextechnologies, coupled with increasingly rigor-ous test programs and performance specifi-cations, shorter delivery schedules and greatermanufacturing flexibility, has led to the re-quirement for a larger, centralized and morecomprehensive assembly and test facility. De-signed to meet current needs for the full rangeof machines currently supplied by the SiemensEnergy Sector Oil & Gas division, as well as for

next-generation compressors and associatedsystems under development, work started inmid-2006 on the construction of a giant new‘Mega’ Test Center (MTC) adjacent to the man-ufacturing plant in Duisburg. With a total lengthof 180 meters, a span of 40 meters and a heightof 35 meters, the huge new building, coveringan area of more than one and a half full-sizefootball pitches, was completed in less than twoyears and represented a capital investment ofsome EUR100 million, the largest single invest-ment ever made by Siemens in Europe.

Comprehensive facilitiesInside the MTC two high-level traveling gantry-cranes each provide a combined lifting capa-bility of up to 700 tons to a height of 25 meters,allowing the assembly and testing of ultra-large compressor trains. No fewer than six ofthese giant machines, each comprising a gasturbine, steam turbine or electric-motor drive,compressor and ancillary systems can be in-stalled and tested at any one time. The buildingalso includes three intermediate-level craneseach capable of lifting up to 100 tons to 23 me-ters, with a further six 10-tonne cranes with a lifting height of 19 meters. Far from being a

big shed containing some heavy lifting equip-ment, the MTC incorporates a sophisticated infrastructure and bespoke utilities, purpose-designed to support testing up to full load on the largest and most complex machines. Gascan be supplied to fuel large industrial gas-tur-bine compressor drives of up to 160 megawatt(MW) at flow rates up to 10 kg/s, with futureupgrades to allow almost double this volumefor even higher-powered prime movers if required. A state-of-the-art, high-voltage high-power pulse-frequency converter station provides a comprehensive range of outputs fortesting the largest electric drive systems atpower ratings up to 100 MW. The new facility isalso able to test steam turbine-driven com-pressor strings up to coupling power ratings of35 MW with steam conditions of 100 bar/500°Cand flow rates of 140 tons per hour. High pres-sure water for machine cooling can be sup-plied at flow rates up to 7,500 cubic meters perhour, enabling full-load testing of closed-loopcompressor strings with coupled drive powerratings up to 100 MW and partial-load open-cycle testing of large air compressors. The newbuilding also provides direct rail access toheavy-lift ship-loading facilities at the city’s

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A 1950’s bird’s eye view of today’s Mega Test Center site, framed by the Rhine and Ruhr rivers.

The same site today, now home of Siemens globalOil & Gas headquarters and the Mega Test Center.

A cargo train (front) emphasizing the vast dimen-sions of the Mega Test Center.

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nearby docks which form the largest inlandport in Europe with onward links to the mainsea ports of Rotterdam, Antwerp and Amster-dam, enabling even the largest and heaviestmachines and compressor-strings to be shippedto their final destinations around the globe inthe shortest time possible.

Testing, testingThe new Mega Test Center has been designedspecifically to assemble and test the large, cus-tom-built systems for tomorrow’s mega-scaleplants currently planned or under constructionby the oil, gas and petrochemical industriesworldwide. A veritable alphabet soup ofprocesses — GTL, CTL, LNG, PTA, IGCC, IRCC,CCS — as well as ethylene, methanol and olefinplants, all demand massive mega-machinetrains to provide the highest possible outputs,efficiencies and economies of scale. Respond-ing to industry trends, Siemens now has theability to carry out full-load testing of bothelectric motor-driven and gas turbine-poweredcompressor strings for LNG production plantsand part-load testing of gas-to-liquids compres-sor strings fitted with steam-turbine drive systems. Large compressor-strings for PTA

production — the basic feedstock for the manu-facture of polyester plastics — powered by elec-tric motors, steam turbines or gas expanderdrives can be routinely assembled and testedin the MTC. Compressors designed for a vari-ety of applications in olefin plants, compressorsfor large-scale air-separation processes, to-gether with virtually all types and sizes of heavy-duty industrial compressors and steam tur-bines can also be tested in the facility. Method-ology employed includes mechanical runningtests to American Petroleum Institute Specifica-tions API 617/612 under no load, part-load and full-load conditions and performance testsin accordance with ASME Performance TestCodes PTC 10 Type 1 or 2. These include the facility for compressor testing with inert gasesat 40 bar and 250°C in a permanently installedtest loop at power ratings up to 100 MW. Alter-natively, machines can be tested using air atsuction volume flows in excess of one millioncubic meters per hour, connected to perma-nently installed flow-metering lines and blow-off stacks, or with hydrocarbon gases in individually installed closed-loop systems, orindeed with virtually any customer-specifiedtest method.

Size is not allWith the low-hanging fruit all but picked by the oil and gas companies, they are becomingmore dependent than ever before on the de-velopment of new technologies to provide eco-nomic solutions. For Siemens this has meantthat its compressors and drive systems havenot just grown bigger, they have also grownsmarter. Ground-breaking new developmentsin design, materials and manufacturing tech-nologies have led to the development of totallynew concepts in gas compression. One exam-ple of this is the ECO-II, a seal-less, emissions-free, totally enclosed, centrifugal compressorand integrated electric drive already in serviceat an onshore gas field in the Netherlands (see Venture Issue 7). As Frank Stieler, CEO ofSiemens Oil & Gas commented during theopening ceremony at the new Mega Test Center,“The principal driver for the oil and gas in-dustry can be summed up as ‘Easy is over’. Thechallenge for producers is to supply greatervolumes of oil and gas from fewer and smallerreserves, leading to a higher demand forworld-class technology.” Clearly, Duisburg’snew MTC will help the company meet the challenge.

Preparing the test hall for inauguration. Note thethree gantry cranes at top.

White and light — the MTC’s employee quarters. Quaint aesthetics — array of cooling fans for gas turbine exhausts.

The inauguration party is over. From August on,this will be the space for testing largest-scale compression technology for the oil-and-gas andprocessing industries around the globe.

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