Siemens Supplying 17 Compressors To Refinery

Siemens Gas and Power will supply a range of compression and power generation equipment for the Balikpapan Refinery on Borneo Island in East Kalimantan, Indonesia.

The facility is owned and operated by PT Pertamina (Persero), whose facility master plan involves the construction of a residual fluid catalytic cracker (RFCC) unit with a design capacity of 90,000 barrels per stream per day (bpsd); a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sulfur removal unit; a propylene recovery unit; and an 80,000 bpsd middle distillate hydrotreater.
Siemens’ scope of supply includes 17 reciprocating compressors, along with a single-stage, hot gas expander.

Specific compressor models to be provided include eight HHE-VL compressors, two HHE-FB compressors, four HHE-VG compressors and three HSE compressors. Additionally, Siemens will supply four SGT-800 industrial gas turbines and five SST-600 steam turbines for the Balikpapan power plant.

The hot gas expander will recover waste heat from the RFCC reactor to produce 20 MW of free power, which will be used to drive the plant’s central air blower, along with a single steam turbine. Siemens said this arrangement will reduce overall steam consumption.

The HHE reciprocating compressors will be used in various refinery processing units and help ensure stabilized plant operation. The compressors feature a heavy-duty, cast iron frame, which reduces vibrations transmitted to associated piping and provides maximum stability using internally ribbed walls and integral cross-member bearing saddle supports located between each crank throw.

The expansion project will increase the output of the Balikpapan refinery from 240 000 b/d to 360 000 b/d. All the reciprocating compressors will be manufactured in Siemens’ Naroda Gujarat plant in India. The hot gas expander will be built in Olean, New York; the steam turbines in Görlitz, Germany; and the gas turbines in Finspong, Sweden. Installation and commissioning of the equipment is set for 2022.