(5a) Modernization of Existing Ethylene Crackers (Compressor & Turbine Footprint Replacement Options in Brownfield Locations)

The recent drop in oil prices has had a negative impact on the Oil, Gas & Petrochemical industry and has emphasized the need for modernization and debottlenecking to reach ever higher levels of plant utilization and economies of scale. With that said, Turbomachinery manufacturers have been focusing on the application of state-of-the art technologies to bring higher efficiency and reliability to the equipment market.

Traditionally, there are two options for plant debottlenecking and expansion, one is revamping of compressor / turbine internals and the other is footprint replacement of the existing equipment. In the footprint replacement approach, the existing compressor / turbine can be replaced entirely to offer a more flexible and suitable design to maximize the plant expansion. The challenge for footprint replacements of equipment is matching the nozzle arrangement and physical footprint of the existing machine to avoid additional site work (modification of existing foundation, etc), extension of expected turnaround duration, and higher investment cost.

This paper introduces MHI’s latest footprint replacement technology to minimize facility modification by utilizing the same footprint and without extending the outage duration. Actual footprint replacement experiences are also introduced as a case study.

1. Key factors for economic and technical risk evaluation of internal replacement vs footprint replacement
2. Technical Approach on how to effectively debottleneck the main process compressor & turbine
3. How to minimize foundation and piping modification by utilizing a flexible replacement machine design
4. Case study
5. Reusability check of auxiliary equipment
6. Owner’s point of view - Comparison between footprint replacement and revamping internals