IPU Group, a systems manufacturer for critical diesel and gas applications, needed rapid supply of Cat engines as specified by the end user, to power the first phase of a new production plant at the Garraf oilfield in Iraq.
As the sole supplier of Cat engines in the UK, IPU Group had worked with Finning previously on a number of projects. Shipped to the US to achieve an early delivery, Finning supplied 14 separate Cat engine sets to provide the on-site power for the facility, located five miles outside of Basra in Southern Iraq.
Nine Cat 3516 diesel generators, rated at 2,000kVA, provide the main load to run the various pumps and motors required for the efficient operation of the production aspects of the plant.
Four Cat 3520 gas engines, rated at 2,500kVA are optimised to run on the natural flare gas produced on-site, which would otherwise be burnt off into the atmosphere. These operate in parallel and take up the load once the diesel generators reach full output.
A separate Cat 3412, 900kVA utility set was supplied to provide emergency power in the event of a complete energy blackout.
All units are now on-site, with the diesel generators fully operational and the gas engines due to be commissioned shortly.
Andrew Whitehouse, divisional director heating, fuel and single source from IPU Group added, “The short lead time on this project meant that we needed to work with a supplier that we could trust to deliver the Cat engines required on deadline, as delays in supply could have put the entire programme at risk.
“Finning’s engineering expertise and knowledge of the Caterpillar product offer, together with its service and support capabilities made it an obvious choice. Working together, we were able to develop the right power solution.
“Finning also provided on-site training to our commissioning team in Malaysia and acted as the main contact between the various engineering departments located in the US, Malaysia and on-site in Iraq.”
Output from the Garraf field is currently 35,000 barrels per day (bpd) from a start up in September 2011, is expected to hit 60,000 bpd in 2013 and 100,000 bpd in 2014.
