Everest Sciences Corporation has been awarded a contract to supply its ECOChill™ hybrid turbine inlet cooling solutions to Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex). Everest Sciences worked closely with its Mexican partner, Equipos Industriales del Golfo, S.A. (EIGSA) to secure the contract.
The multi-million dollar agreement calls for three hybrid systems to be installed at the Paredon natural gas compression station, part of the Bellota-Jujo Production Complex in Pemex's southern region, where hot and humid conditions typically reduce gas turbine effectiveness, making less compression horsepower available to move natural gas to market. The order is the first order in the Mexican market for Everest Sciences, and follows on key sales to major Oil and Gas companies in the United States, including Kinder-Morgan, Enterprise Products, Parallel Energy and Williams. It is also the first order from an Oil and Gas company outside of the United States.
"We are honored to be working with Pemex to increase the natural gas production in their Southern Region," said Gary Hilberg, President of Everest Sciences. "With our partner, EIGSA we have been cooperating to define this project, and are pleased that they have come to the same conclusion as other major players in the Oil and Gas industry; Everest Sciences' ECOChill inlet cooling solutions represent the best value proposition for improving the performance of gas turbines in hot, and/or humid conditions."
Pemex and Mexico are in the process of implementing landmark Energy Reform, which will allow Pemex to better utilize existing oil and gas assets in the country by encouraging more outside investment. "Pemex has a tradition of applying innovative processes and technology to gain the greatest yield from our energy resources, and this contract for inlet cooling is further evidence of this," said Ing. Williams Ruiz Montejo, regional maintenance coordinator of dynamic equipment and auxiliary systems for Pemex's Southern Region (Bellota-Jujo Production Complex). "After a thorough review of the available technology solutions, we chose Everest Sciences because they met the strict standards for technical excellence and project performance that Pemex has always maintained. We expect to see the operational financial benefits of the hybrid inlet cooling technology at the Paredon site later in 2015."
Gas Turbines are used in pipeline compressor stations (such as those that Pemex has) to provide a reliable source of horsepower to drive the gas compressors on the operator's pipeline network. However, when ambient air temperature rises, gas turbine output decreases, reducing the horsepower available to push natural gas down the pipeline. Existing solutions for cooling turbine inlet air -- such as mechanical chilling or direct evaporative cooling -- have either a steep cost in terms of additional energy required to operate, or provide insufficient cooling. Everest Sciences has pioneered Indirect Evaporative Inlet Cooling which provides cooler, denser air at a lower parasitic power load, while not requiring highly treated water.
