Fibre optic power control at Eldfisk Bravo
Connecting together the generators that
provide the Eldfisk Bravo platform with electricity has made the
power systems stronger, simpler and safer.
The platform is in the Eldfisk Field, part of
the enormous Ekofisk area in the southern section of the North Sea
some 280 kilometres south west of Stavanger. A new control system
for electric power was installed on Eldfisk Bravo in May. The
operation entailed connecting together two generators.
The generators are on two entirely separate
parts of the platform, several minutes walking distance
apart. Connecting them was a complicated task, for which
Aggreko employed several unusual solutions to achieve the desired
result.
These included the use of fibre optic cables
instead of copper cables for machinery-control room communication.
This increases safety in zones where there is a risk of explosions,
while also preventing interruptions to the power supply and fault
messages.
The generator sets have integral fire and gas
detectors and their own extinguisher systems.
The IT controlled connection of the generators
is monitored from the platform control room. Here generator load,
voltage, motor state and fire/gas detectors can be monitored. The
operator can switch between the two power sources during operation,
or run both together, and take over the load from the platform’s
own turbine generator if it is being run.
The system is unique to Aggreko Norway and has
been developed in partnership with Deif.