Development of Offshore Gas Turbine Packages for Power Generation and Mechanical Drive Free

This paper describes the application of aero-derivative gas turbines for power generation and mechanical drive on fixed offshore oil and gas platforms. Established installation concepts are discussed and a comparison is made between two designs of pre-packaged power plant for installation on North Sea and Arabian Gulf platforms respectively. The structural requirements of such packages are analyzed and the design considerations for a Warren Truss structured machinery module are outlined. Some of the problems associated with installing packaged aero-derivative gas turbine machinery in the extremely aggressive offshore environment are highlighted and preferred solutions are proposed.