INNIO, Detechtion Technologies develop monitoring software

Detechtion’s products are designed to monitor and optimize compressors and drivers in real time. (Photo: INNIO.)

Assets in the gas compression industry operate for long periods, often for decades, unmanned and in remote areas. To avoid unplanned shutdowns, compression customers sometimes run engines too conservatively, reducing overall uptime and gas throughput—and profitability.

To help operators monitor those assets and evaluate their entire package performance, INNIO’s Waukesha experts and Detechtion Technologies formed an alliance in July 2022.

Detechtion’s products are designed to monitor and optimize compressors and drivers in real time. The new software package enables customers to avoid up to 40% of unplanned shutdowns by providing analytics for the full skid – engine and compressor.

“The Waukesha product line is known for its engines and engine expertise while Detechtion is known for its ability to remotely monitor, optimize and protect compressors,” said Dylan Abel, Digital product manager for INNIO’s Waukesha brand. “We’re joining forces to give customers the complete package they’ve been looking for.”

Meeting compressor operators’ needs

Compressor management processes are routinely performed manually. They can be unreliable, often providing limited historical tracking and no useful audit trail.

Operators have shown they would like to increase output while reducing technician trips to the compressor sites. For all this, they need more comprehensive performance controls, analytics, and diagnostic capabilities.

Today, each Enbase and Enalysis can be installed on a new package or can be retrofitted onto an existing unit providing compressor performance data and analytics, providing operators with a deeper, more comprehensive view of the engine and compressor package analytics.

“We currently have extensive compressor and engine monitoring functionality built into our product,” said Sarah Whitney, product manager at Detechtion. “With Enalysis, we offer a cloud-based compressor optimization product that utilizes a digital twin of the compressor. Enalysis specializes in compressor analytics, compressor curves, and startup packages to help customers optimize the compressor configuration, performance, and maintenance activities.”

In addition, Enalysis enables operators to calculate cash flow at risk and track multiple key performance indicators (KPIs). It allows for an improvement in compressor throughput of about 8%, according to case studies.

The cloud-based reporting system can give reports on individual assets and an entire fleet of assets, allowing its users to effectively manage their compressors by exception to better reduce operating expenses and meet emissions reduction goals.

Businesses benefit from corrective maintenance

The corrective maintenance capabilities of the combined system give operators the opportunity to cut expenses and reduce the number of on-site visits for technicians. Plus, they provide operators with a better understanding of the compressor’s operating conditions and catalyst diagnostics, which in turn enables emissions improvements.

A major oil and gas producer operating in the Gulf of Mexico had more than 1,000 wells and 270 offshore platforms producing around 277 MMscf/d and faced unsatisfactory data quality and quantity. “Detechtion’s software was able to increase reliability across the fleet from 94% to 98%, resulting in increased revenues through reduced downtime across its entire compression fleet,” Whitney said.

In another example, a natural gas compressor operating off the coast of New Zealand was consistently throttling production because of the set points on its assets. Using a simulator, Detechtion’s software was able to set a new configuration and corresponding setup points that would offload the compressor and allow for an additional 2.5 MMscf/d MMscf/d.

When a Waukesha compressor package was operating with the recycle valve open, Detechtion’s software found that by reducing the engine running speed and reconfiguring the compressor, the operator could see a 40% reduction in fuel gas and a 45% reduction in emissions. “The changes resulted in a reduction of 483 tons annually in CO2 emissions and savings of over $34,000 annually in fuel gas,” Whitney said.

Obviously, avoiding unplanned shutdowns can lead to big savings—for both operators and for the environment. As a result of the Waukesha and Detechtion technology collaboration, operators can receive analytics for the full skid, removing worries of unplanned shutdowns and alleviating the need to run their engines conservatively, saving both costs and emissions.