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Oil, Gas & Petrochem Equipment

GE Energy gas turbines have been selected for an integrated gasification/cogeneration plant being constructed near Fort McMurray, Alberta as part of the Long Lake Project, the fourth major integrated-oil sands project in Alberta. The Long Lake Project is a joint venture between Nexen, Inc., one of Canada's largest energy and chemical companies, and OPTI Canada Ltd., a developer of integrated bitumen and heavy oil projects. Both companies are based in Calgary, Alberta.

For this in-situ oil sands recovery project, OPTI's patented OrCrude upgrader process will produce a heavy liquid asphaltene byproduct for a Shell gasification process. The process then will produce clean syngas as fuel for the cogeneration plant and hydrogen production facilities. Nexen will operate the cogeneration facility and OPTI Canada will operate the gasification facility.

GE will supply two Frame 7EA gas turbine-generators, technical advisory services for field installation, and unit training. These machines will be the first gas turbines in Canada to use syngas as the primary fuel, and the project also marks the first use of syngas-fired gas turbines in a steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) oil production facility.

Designed for dual-fuel operation, GE's Frame 7EA gas turbines are able to switch from one fuel to another, or co-fire both fuels, while running under load. This fuel flexibility makes the Frame 7EA gas turbines well-suited for integrated gasification applications like Long Lake, and these machines have accumulated millions of hours of operation using distillate, crude and residual fuel oils.

The first phase of the Long Lake project will consist of 72,000 barrels per day of SAGD oil production and an integrated upgrader that will yield approximately 60,000 barrels per day of sweet premium synthetic crude oil. The OrCrude process, in combination with integrated gasification/cogeneration, will provide a higher quality product at lower operating costs, with minimal high-value natural gas consumption.    
      
The gas turbines will produce power and steam for heavy oil recovery operations in the SAGD plant. The two units will be site-rated at approximately 80 megawatts apiece, and will use steam injection for NOx control. Natural gas will be the backup fuel.

The gas turbines will be manufactured at GE Energy's facility in Greenville, SC while the type 7A6 generators will be built in Schenectady, NY. The units will be shipped during the first quarter of 2006 with commercial operation scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2006. This project marks GE's first heavy duty gas turbine order with Nexen and OPTI, although several GE LM6000 aeroderivatives are operating at Nexen sites.

www.gepower.com