Caterpillar engine powers Garraf oilfield production facility

IPU Group, a systems’ manufacturer for critical diesel and gas applications, needed rapid supply of Cat® engines as specified by the end user, to power the first phase of a new production plant at the Garraf oilfield in Iraq.

As the sole supplier of Cat engines in the UK, IPU Group had worked with Finning previously on a number of projects and had come to rely on both the proven Cat product range as well as the company’s expertise in specifying and delivering efficient power solutions.

Shipped to the US to achieve an early delivery, Finning supplied 14 separate Cat engine sets to provide the onsite power for the facility, located five miles outside of Basra in Southern Iraq.

Diesel generators

Nine Cat 3516 diesel generators, rated at 2000 kVA, provide the main load to run the various pumps and motors required for the efficient operation of the production aspects of the plant.

Gas engines

Four Cat G3520 gas engines, each rated at 2500 kVA are optimized to run on the natural flare gas produced onsite, which would otherwise be burnt off in to the atmosphere. These operate in parallel and take up the load once the diesel generators reach full output.

A separate Cat 3412, 900 kVA utility set was supplied to provide emergency power in the event of a complete energy blackout.

Comments

Andrew Whitehouse, Divisional Director Heating, Fuel and Single Source from IPU Group, commented: “The short lead time on this project meant that we needed to work with a supplier that we could trust to deliver the Cat engines required on deadline, as delays in supply could have put the entire program at risk.

“Finning’s engineering expertise and knowledge of the Caterpillar product offer, together with its service and support capabilities made it an obvious choice. Working together, we were able to develop the right power solution.”

Whitehouse added: “Finning also provided onsite training to our commissioning team in Malaysia and acted as the main contact between the various engineering departments located in the USA, Malaysia and onsite in Iraq.”

Written by Caterpillar.

Edited by Katie Woodward

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/drilling-and-production/18072014/caterpillar-engines-used-at-iraq-oilfield-facility-1082/