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Tom Countryman, sales rep for Mustang Power Systems.

SIX MPS POWER MODULES HEADED FOR ANGOLA KIZOMBA PROJECT

One of the big projects Mustang Power Systems will complete in the first six months of 2002 is a set of power modules for offshore oil production off the coast of Angola in West Africa. The client is ExxonMobil Esso Exploration. Four of the six modules contain a Caterpillar 3612 power package producing 3.64 megawatts each. Three of these modules will be mounted on a production platform, while the fourth will operate from an FPSO (floating production supply and offloading) vessel, which will dock near the platform and pipe feed from a sub-sea system. A fifth 750-kilowatt module with a Caterpillar 3512 genset will serve as a backup unit on the FPSO, and the sixth, a 725-kilowatt unit powered by a Caterpillar 3412 genset, will serve as emergency backup on the production platform.

All six are classified as "essential and auxiliary" generators. Three of the 3612-powered units are used for "blackstarts" when the 20-megawatt turbines that provide power for platform operations are down. These turbines require a power source to be able to start initially, which is where the name "blackstart" comes from. Two of these modules are required to be running on the platform to power the cooling fans, oil pumps and other turbine driven auxiliary components when the turbines are brought on line. The third is held in reserve, coming on line automatically to support any emergency that might occur.

The FPSO is one of the largest in the world and is also powered by turbines. The fourth 3612 module serves to blackstart the FPSO turbines, and is backed up by the Caterpillar 3512 genset. As with the platform modules, these are on standby status the rest of the time and are brought into service when a turbine goes down for maintenance.

The project, named Kizomba A, is typical of most offshore applications, requiring special welding, painting, piping, electrical wiring, engineering and documentation. However, four of the six modules are nearly twice the size of most offshore packages.

Competition for the Kizomba A contract was keen. Tom Countryman, Mustang Power Systems sales representative,
feels performance on previous international offshore jobs, such as those for China Petroleum and PhillipsChina, may have given Mustang and Caterpillar the edge. Being Houston-based may have also been an advantage, because ExxonMobil’s engineering and project management team is located here.

A timely delivery (May, 2002) was critical, with a substantial penalty looming for missing that date. Componentry began arriving in December and January, with the modules completed and ready for testing in early May. Countryman was very complimentary of the Mustang shop’s effort in getting these packages assembled to meet the deadline. "Everyone involved has put in a lot of hard work and long hours on this project over the past six months," he says.

The Kizomba A project has a very international flavor. One of the units will be shipped to Korea where the FPSO is under construction. The other three units will go to Holland where the platform is being built. After construction, both the platform and the FPSO will end up at the site in Offshore Block 15 off Angola. Mustang expects to begin working on a Kizomba B sequel project in July.

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