FLORENCE, ITALY - January 29, 2007 :- To meet the increasing performance demands of the world's rapidly growing natural gas and LNG industries, GE's Oil & Gas business is introducing an innovative, variable frequency drive (VFD) system for centrifugal compressor applications.
Named Steadfast System, the new product was co-developed by GE Oil and Gas with the GE Global Research Center, GE Energy Power Electronics & Controls CoE and with Ansaldo Sistemi Industriali, a leading supplier of electric motors and drives for the oil and gas industry. The new VFD system is available immediately for commercial applications.
Unlike general purpose electric drives, the Steadfast System is conceived and designed to meet the specific requirements of natural gas, LNG and large pipeline applications, and is the first product of its type in the GE Oil & Gas portfolio.
Due to the high power capacity of the Integrated Gate Commutated Thyristor (IGCT) technology, the Steadfast System delivers up to 35 megawatts and features very few components, a key to increased reliability - the most critical requirement in the LNG industry. Other technical benefits, achieved through the implementation of an innovative control strategy developed by GE, are the low harmonics level injected in the grid network and the smooth torque pulsation and torque ripple at the motor shaft.
"As plants and compression train sizes increase, gas turbines and compressors are pushed toward their technical limits, highlighting the key role of electric motors and drives as helpers or main drivers. We developed our advanced VFD technology to guarantee the reliability, availability and performance of our full-train solutions for the LNG and natural gas industries," said Claudi Santiago, a GE senior vice president and president of GE Oil & Gas.
"The Steadfast System joins our portfolio of leading turbomachinery products, providing oil and gas customers with the additional advantage of an integrated design for the motor, drive and compressor focused on enhanced performance and availability of the entire package," added Santiago.
About GE's Oil & Gas business
GE's Oil & Gas business is a world leader in advanced technology turbomachinery products and services, with engineering and manufacturing centers of excellence throughout Europe and the United States. Based in Florence, Italy, the company offers complete solutions for production, LNG, transportation, storage, refineries, petrochemicals and distribution systems, as well as pipeline integrity solutions including analysis and pipeline asset management.
For more information, contact:
Gabriele Peri
GE
Oil & Gas
+39-055-423-8280
[email protected]
Ken Darling or Howard Masto
Masto Public Relations
+1-518-786-6488
[email protected]
[email protected]
Sara Hassett
GE Oil & Gas
[email protected]
+39-055-423-3361