Compressor drive system for a natural gas liquefaction plant having an

Abstract

In a compressor drive system for a natural gas liquefaction plant including a plurality of gas turbines each provided in an individual refrigeration cycle for pressurizing a different refrigerant, an electric motor is provided for each of the gas turbines so as to serve both as an auxiliary electric motor for generating a startup torque and as an AC generator, and the excess output power of the gas turbine is converted into electric power by this electric motor when the power requirement of the associated compressor is less than the power output of the gas turbine. Additionally, at least two of the gas turbines are of an identical make which is suitable for driving the compressor of one of the associated refrigeration cycles requiring a larger driving power. Therefore, the gas turbines can be operated at optimum conditions at all times without regard to seasonal changes of the operating conditions, and the efficient operation of the gas turbines will result in a significant reduction in the operation costs through a substantial saving of fuel consumption. Moreover, any excess power output of one of the gas turbines can be allocated so as to reduce the burden of the in-plant power station and/or to supplement the shortage of the power output of the other gas turbine, and the management of the stand-by units and spare parts can be simplified. These factors have a compounded effect in reducing the investment costs of the plant.