Northeast Energy Center (NEC) and Chart Energy & Chemicals selected Siemens Energy to supply a gas/electric hybrid drive system for NEC’s LNG plant being built in Charlton, Massachusetts, US.
According to NEC, the project will be the first LNG facility in the world to feature a system of this type, which offers greater efficiency no matter the weather or temperature.
The hybrid drive system will combine a Siemens Energy low-emissions industrial gas turbine, integrally geared compressor, and electric motor-generator to ensure stable and efficient operation of the plant’s main refrigeration/liquefaction train throughout the year.
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Available power from gas turbines decreases as the ambient temperature increases. As a result, units installed at industrial facilities are often oversized to ensure sufficient power during the hot and humid weather.
However, the same gas turbine may generate much more power during cold times than is required, leading to reduced efficiency and increased emissions.
The hybrid drive refrigeration compressor system being supplied for NEC offers a solution to this problem by combining an electric motor-generator with a gas turbine that features a dry-low emissions (DLE) design with lowest achievable NOx emissions levels.
The same system allows NEC more effective demand side management and reduces its costs and the need to purchase power from the grid.
The NEC facility is expected to produce a baseload of 170,000 gallons of LNG per day for Boston Gas under contract and up to 250,000 gallons per day to other utilities.
The gas turbine’s output will decrease when LNG production increases to 250,000 gallons per day on hot summer days when the motor-generator will function as a motor to supply additional power to the compression system.
“The reality is when it comes to facilitating the energy transition, natural gas can be a solution,” said Rich Voorberg, president of Siemens Energy North America.
“It will serve as a reliable complement to renewable energy in many regions of the world. The combination of the gas turbine, integrally geared compressor, and motor-generator at the NEC plant represents a highly flexible solution that will enable the liquefaction plant to operate efficiently year-round, regardless of the ambient conditions.
“This will significantly reduce overall energy consumption over the plant’s life, resulting in a lower carbon footprint.”
Boris Brevnov, manager and developer of NEC, said ihe integrated hybrid drive solution “demonstrates the next step in hybridization of the energy systems in their decarbonization process”.
“Building on this next generation design and its environmental advantages, NEC also offers local utilities a choice of L-RNG, an LNG product made from renewable natural gas.”
