ORMAT - Remote Power Units

The ORMAT® Energy Converter (OEC), a Closed Cycle Vapor Turbogenerator (CCVT), is proven as the most reliable low maintenance remote power system certified for operation in Class I, Division 2 (Zone 2, Group II) conditions in offshore applications.

ORMAT® ENERGY CONVERTER – DESCRIPTION

The ORMAT® Energy Converter (OEC) is a fully integrated, tested and certified Closed Cycle Vapor Turbogenerator (CCVT) system developed for remote unattended applications. Basically a self-contained power package consisting of a combustion system, a vapor generator, a turboalternator, an air-cooled condenser, a rectifier, alarms and controls housed in a shelter, it will supply 200W to 4,000W of filtered DC power on a continuous 24 hour-per-day basis for periods of up to 30 years with virtually no maintenance or repairs.

The ORMAT concept utilizes a hermetically sealed Rankine cycle generating set which contains only one smoothly rotating part - the shaft - on which the turbine wheel and the brushless alternator rotor are mounted. The turboalternator shaft is supported by working fluid film bearings, which eliminate any metal-to-metal contact, resulting in years of trouble-free operation.

One of its most original features is that it can be run with different heat sources, since the fluid cycle is closed and requires only the application of external heat. For continuous maintenance-free applications, such as remote power for offshore platforms, telecommunications and SCADA systems, natural gas is the most frequently chosen fuel.

Unlike other generators, OECs can operate with natural gas with high NCG content and low LHV. Other fuels are used for onshore applications, such as liquefied petroleum gas, LNG, kerosene, jet and diesel fuel.

ORMAT® ENERGY CONVERTER - OPERATION

The burner heats the organic working fluid in the vapor generator, some of which vaporizes and expands through a turbine wheel, thereby producing shaft power to drive the alternator. The vapor then passes into a condenser where it is cooled, condensed back into the liquid state and driven back into the vapor generator, cooling the alternator on its way and lubricating the bearings. The cycle continues as long as heat is applied to the vapor generator.

Because the liquid / vapor stainless steel envelope is sealed, none of the organic fluid is lost in the process. Furthermore, the working fluid is totally immune to climatic conditions outside the sealed envelope. The turboalternator produces three-phase AC power, which is then rectified and filtered.

The DC power is regulated for varying load by automatically controlling the amount of fuel supplied to the burner.

The system is equipped with a digital turbine control unit with safety controls to protect it against any abnormalities, including overheating.

CLOSED CYCLE VAPOR TURBOGENERATOR (CCVT) - FEATURES

• Field proven high reliability – over 5 million turbine-hours on offshore platforms
• Certified for operation in Zone 2, Group II (Class I, Division 2), Temperature Class T3
• Low, once-per-year maintenance
• Digital control compatible with SCADA protocols
• Rated to 4,000W
• Field proven life of over 35 years, without site derating or overhauls
• ORMAT is ISO-9001:2000 and ISO 14001 certified

OEC APPLICATIONS

• Remote power for telecommunications on unattended offshore gas platforms in the Adriatic Sea, Atlantic Ocean, North Sea, South China Sea, offshore Kalimantan, Indian Ocean, etc
• Remote power for pipeline cathodic protection on thousands of kilometers of gas pipelines in Argentina, India, Mexico
• Remote power for telecommunications, SCADA, and Remote Gate Valve (RGV) along the Urengoy-Uzhgorod, Yamal-Europe, Siberian and Sakhalin gas pipeline projects
• RGV operation for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Project