Nitrogen adsorption station for gas lift operation of DTEK Oil & Gas wells

Dalgakiran Compressor Ukraine has implemented another project to build a modular nitrogen plant for the production of nitrogen gas for DTEK Oil&Gas, the largest private gas producer in Ukraine.

The customer tasked Dalgakiran specialists with the construction of a block nitrogen gas production station in a short time to ensure gas lift operation of wells at the Semenkivske gas condensate field (Poltava region). The station should provide supply of compressed gas (a mixture of nitrogen with a purity of at least 99.5% and natural gas) at a pressure of up to 160 bar, have an automatic control and monitoring system with the ability to adjust parameters at the operator’s command depending on the current need.

The complexity of the project was due to the scale of the plant and the specifics of each of its units and assemblies, which required coordination with the operating parameters and operational features of other elements. Thanks to fruitful cooperation with the Customer’s specialists and the design organizations involved, design solutions were prepared and approved, customer specifications were drawn up, and the equipment was manufactured and tested at the equipment manufacturers’ plants.

The production of a block nitrogen plant for DTEK Oil&Gas began in the fourth quarter of 2018. Both Dalgakiran’s own production facilities and the production sites of our company’s partners were used to implement the project. Thanks to this, in the second quarter of 2019, work began on the installation of the station at the customer’s site, and at the end of the same year the station was commissioned and is currently in successful operation.

The AC-2100/16 UHL1 nitrogen adsorption unit operates efficiently in field conditions. It is equipped with all the necessary systems to ensure safe automatic operation: heating, lighting, ventilation and air conditioning, as well as fire alarm and automatic fire extinguishing systems. The equipment complex consists of individual units and assemblies mounted at the facility in a certain sequence and interconnected by cables and pipelines:

• 3 air compression and preparation units. These units are designed for suction, compression and preparation (purification and dehumidification) of atmospheric air before entering the nitrogen gas production unit. Each air compression unit consists of a DALGAKIRAN screw compressor of the Inversys Plus series with variable frequency drive; main air filters; refrigerator-type compressed air dryer; and a coal column for compressed air treatment.
• The unit produces gaseous nitrogen by separating atmospheric air into nitrogen and other gases (permeate). The heat-insulated container contains an adsorption-type nitrogen generator with five pairs of gas separation columns, an air receiver, and a nitrogen receiver. The equipment is mounted on a frame, connected by piping, and equipped with shut-off and control valves.
• The gas lift gas preparation unit is designed to prepare (moisture separation, reduction, heating) natural gas before it is supplied to the gas mixture booster unit and to mix nitrogen gas and natural gas in predetermined required proportions.
• The gas mixture booster unit used for its compression – increasing the pressure to 160 bar. The unit consists of a high-pressure reciprocating oppositional compressor; an external air-cooling unit; and piping between the equipment.
• Automatic control and monitoring system unit. The unit consists of two compartments, an operator’s room and an electrical control room, and houses the power plant equipment and the automatic control and monitoring system. It is equipped with switchgear cabinets, cabinets with frequency converters and automatic control systems for the power plant equipment with an operator’s workplace.
• Compressed air and nitrogen receivers with a volume of 6.3 m3 each. Their main components are air intakes designed to equalize pressure and ensure the nominal functioning of the nitrogen receiving unit and the gas mixture booster unit.

The result of the work of Dalgakiran Compressor Ukraine specialists is the creation and commissioning of a unique block compressor station for gas lift operation of wells of the country’s largest gas and oil company, DTEK Oil&Gas.

Project manager: Yuriy Berezhnyi