Press Release (June 2008)
L.A. Turbine commissioned its in-house designed Turboexpander-Compressor in Tunisia this past May. In addition to meeting the challenge of designing and manufacturing the Turboexpander and its associated auxiliary system, L.A. Turbine provided a complete gas processing package consisting of a MEG injection system to prevent hydrate formation on the expander wheel, two banks of heat exchangers, an inlet scrubber, and a three-phase separator tank. This natural gas processing plant is able to produce in excess of 48 MMSCFD for the Perenco Tunisia Company.
The centerpiece of the plant is L.A. Turbine’s Turboexpander unit. L.A. Turbine’s Turboexpander was wholly designed and manufactured at LAT’s Valencia, California base of operations. By employing state-of-the-art 3-D Computer Aided Design, L.A. Turbine is able to rapidly develop new designs, manufacture the constituent components on parallel paths simultaneously, and proceed to assemble the units on LAT’s own custom fabricated Turboexpander skids.
In a significant departure from old-school Turboexpander development, L.A. Turbine has instituted parametric modeling techniques to quickly solidify design concepts at inception. This method offers numerous advantages over traditional Turboexpander design techniques, including instantaneous visualization of component interrelationships. Motion simulations are run to validate design parameters. Drawings are then quickly derived from the solid parts’ models, eliminating the error prone and tedious work of the traditional drafting department.
Nevertheless, the utilization of computer aided design and manufacturing serves only to get one to the doorstep of the perfection that is required to achieve high Turboexpander efficiencies. It is L.A.Turbine’s relentless attention to detail in its parts’ examination and its rigorous qualification criteria that sets L.A. Turbine apart from the competition. Twenty-first century technology aside, L.A. Turbine’s “hands-on” experience and its staff’s intuitive know-how complete the picture. From employing FAA licensed Airframe and Powerplant mechanics on the one hand, to possessing decades of Turboexpander building experience, it is L.A. Turbine’s assembly staff that put the final touches on the finished product. Twentieth century craftsmanship remains a cornerstone of all Turboexpanders built by L.A. Turbine.
