Seal Gas Detector in Gas Compressor

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Thread Starter

Ismailjaffer

Is it necessary to have seal gas detector for gas compressor BCL 500. Because in few gas plant design it is available and in some it is not. all are designed & constructed by nouvo pignone. I can't understand the logic behind this. If it is required then it should be implemented in all gas plant.
 
Ismailijaffer,

The "requirement" can come from a LOT of sources, and we don't know the range of the ages of the units in your scientific study.

The Customer may have a requirement or a contract specification which forces NP to include a sensor. The Customer's insurance company may have a similar requirement. The local or regional entity for technical regulations and standards--and even laws--may require the sensors to be provided. Some companies rely on various international standards for guidance, feeling that if the standards organization does--or does not--require them that's sufficient for them.

Most equipment manufacturers will only provide what is required--because to provide something more than that increases the cost to the Customer, and Customers are CONTINUALLY saying the equipment is too expensive even in its most base configuration.

Yours is a rhetorical question, with no firm answer--except that the manufacturers GENERALLY provide only what is the minimum requirement in order to keep the cost as low as possible in order to sell more equipment while meeting the stated requirement of the site where the unit will be installed and operated. These sensors, unless they are redundant and properly installed and maintained, can cause availability and reliability issues, which the manufacturer is usually blamed for (rightly or wrongly). It's intended as a safety/mitigation function, but the implementation, choice of sensor manufacturer and maintenance of the sensors greatly impact unit operation. (That's usually why some Customers do not want them, and don't specify them.)

Hope this helps!!!
 
Dear IsmailJaffer,

People from huge companies like BP will say "NICE TO HAVE!" It's like your car options more options means more comfortable car. But with time, those options are may catched by low, HSE and Standards and may become mandatory.

Until now, seal gas detectors on BCL compressor are Nice to Have!

Regards
Karim
 
>Is it necessary to have seal gas detector for gas compressor BCL 500.

- I presume when you say the seal gas detector here, meaning the "seal gas leakage." with this assumption in place, the NP compressor is well equipped with indicating/alarming the seal gas leakage (due to DGS failure) through the measurement of pressure (H alarm & HH pressure trip) in case of primary (harmful with Hydrocarbons) and secondary vent (relatively, not so Hazardous to that of primary vent).

- In case of Gas turbine driven compressor: it is Customer standard requirement to have (normally) the F&G detector in fuel conditioning compartment and not (again, normally) at the driven equipment side!
 
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