Solutions To Requirements On Electrical Drives In O&G Applications

Abstract

Lecture 3: Variable-frequency drives (VFDs) are being increasingly employed in oil and gas (O&G) applications due to their better efficiency, reliability and process control when compared to conventional drives. In comparison with conventional industrial gas turbines, electrical drives result in at least 7 to 10 more production days per year. The requirements on variable-speed drives (VSDs) keep rising, including stricter regulations and the need for higher efficiency. Due to the wide range of different compressor/pump applications (upstream, midstream, downstream) used in the O&G industry, different requirements are placed on the electrical drive systems for each application. For high power applications ranging from 1 MW up to 100 MW medium-voltage (MV) VFDs are the preferred solution. This paper provides an overview of the application-specific requirements on MV drive systems, and matches these requirements with state-of-the-art MV VFD solutions. This paper complements the process and mechanical knowledge that the O&G industry has with essential electrical background on medium-voltage drive systems.