About the Project
Vicoma is going “Down Under”; but definitely not going under. For a client in Australia, Rochem Technical Services engaged Vicoma to tackle a challenging issue. The client extracts natural gas from coal, but their centrifugal compressors suffered from severe contamination (fouling) during compression. This fouling had to be manually cleaned during shutdowns, which was costly and inefficient.
The key question: Could Rochem’s online washing system provide a more efficient solution, and would it affect the natural gas product? To explore this, Vicoma participated in a multidisciplinary feasibility study.
Vicoma’s Role
Rochem required expertise in process and piping engineering, which Vicoma provided. Together, we developed a detailed Plan of Action for the feasibility study. Vicoma created isometric piping drawings for the newly installed spray nozzles. Using process simulation software ASPEN, we analysed how the natural gas composition would change and identified the exit points of liquids within the installation.
Result
Our final report revealed several important insights. For example, the water treatment plant could not handle the initially chosen cleaning liquid discharged through the scrubber system.
Fortunately, we proposed viable alternatives; either using a different cleaning liquid or adapting the liquid capture method. This guidance helped remove the last obstacles for successfully installing the cleaning system.
Peter and his team can tell you all about Consultancy.
Peter van Dijk
Commercial Manager, Rotterdam
Main question
Conduct a feasibility study into the effectiveness of an online washing system.
Result
Our final report provided a number of interesting insights.
Accompanied by
Vicoma Rotterdam
Location
Australia
