With compressed hydrocarbon gas, commonly used offshore to control instruments when compressed air is not available, moisture, particulates or oil in the gas can cause premature wear, damage downstream equipment and trigger malfunctions that make it difficult to control the process efficiently.
Looking to ensure the compressed gas on unmanned satellite platforms was cleaned and conditioned for safe use with the valves that control pumping operations, Malaysian state oil & gas company Petronas worked with Norgren to develop a filtration system that would be long lasting, durable and effective with minimal maintenance. They started with the existing stainless steel F22 filter, proven to withstand the corrosive saltspray environment. Then, in collaboration with Norgren’s global engineering team, a coalescing element already used in other applications was adapted to the unique requirements of the particular offshore installation.
According to Norgren, this new convoluted filter element, the F22H, allows high flow with minimal pressure drop as well as withstanding more aggressive sour hydrocarbon gas.
The three-stage system employed by Petronas comprises two general-purpose filters and the F22H. The two upstream filters remove water and larger particles of 25μ and 5μ respectively. Filtering these larger particles prolongs the service life of the F22H, whose function is to remove particles down to 0.01μ and oil to 0.01ppm, protecting downstream equipment, extending maintenance cycles and reducing unplanned shutdowns.
After two years of operation with no unscheduled maintenance, Petronas opted to install the new filtration system, which is of robust 316 stainless steel construction and fits into the original equipment footprint, on three more satellite platforms. The F22H can be equipped with an automatic drain to eliminate the need to manually drain contaminants from a platform’s filter sets, and is also available with a stainless steel visual filter service life indicator.
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