Powering the Queensland Curtis LNG Project

Recently, diesel generator and pump control panel specialist Welling & Crossley were awarded a contract to design and build a 500kVA black start generator for the Queensland Curtis LNG project’s Northern Water Treatment Plant.

The Queensland Curtis LNG (QCLNG) contract was awarded by private construction firm Laing O’Rourke, who were engaged by project majority owner and operator QGC.

This coincides with another important contract in Queensland, where Welling & Crossley supplied Lister Petter centre pivot gensets to several agricultural networks across the state so that they could utilise the water from the QCLNG project’s Central Water Treatment Plant.

QCLNG and Northern Water Treatment Plant

The QCLNG project is a world first in converting coal seam gas (CSG) into liquefied natural gas (LNG). The LNG will then be shipped out to both domestic and export markets.

As a by-product, QGC’s coal seam gas extraction process produces considerable volumes of water per day from over 6,000 coal seam gas wells. This water must be treated before it can be used for crops or drinking. This is where the Northern Water Treatment Plant – one of two major water treatment plants – comes in.

The water treatment plant is currently one of the largest such plants in Australia and can treat up to a capacity of 100 million litres of water per day. The treated water is then distributed for industrial, agricultural and community use. This facility is expected to treat water from coal seam gas extraction for approximately 20 years.

500kVA Blackstart Generator

The 500kVA black start generator with mains synchronisation was supplied to the Northern Water Treatment Plant Project at Woleebee Creek, about 35km south-west of Wandoan in Central Queensland. The unit took a month to design and two months to build, test and deliver.

Features of the generator include:

• A Doosan P180LE engine with a Crossley SLG354F 670kVA alternator

• A 2,600L fuel tank

• Two 316SS exhausts

• A rain hat

• A DSE 8620 control panel in an enclosed canopy.

Black start generators are designed so that they can start without an external electricity supply. The black start generator is then able to energise transmission lines and ultimately service is restored to the plant’s normal operations.

Generator synchronisation is the process of electrically connecting to an existing power supply. Generator synchronisation for the Northern Water Treatment Plant is required to enhance reliability and to ensure operating efficiency with mains.

Centre pivot gensets

On the agricultural end of the water treatment process, Welling & Crossley supplied six Lister Petter TR2 powered gensets for a project near Chinchilla on Queensland’s Darling Downs.

The gensets are being used to power the drive wheels and electronics on large pivot irrigators up to ten spans or 500m long.

The water is delivered from the Central Water Treatment Plant (the other major water treatment plant of QGC’s QCLNG project) located at the Kenya operational facility. This plant can treat up to 92 megalitres a day before pumping out to the centre pivot irrigators. This innovative water source has enabled over 500 hectares of previously marginal dry land to be used for crops of cotton, sorghum and wheat.

On another agricultural site near Chinchilla, W&C supplied over twenty Lister Petter gensets to power centre pivot irrigators. These irrigators also use the gas water coming from the Central Water Treatment Plant. The centre pivots can measure up to 900m long and irrigate what was previously dry land. The farmers in this area are now able to grow almost any crop that requires irrigation.

Welling & Crossley’s Lister Petter powered generator sets were chosen because of the brand’s reputation for durability over extended periods under harsh conditions such as those represented by this remote and unforgiving environment. The excellent fuel consumption figures and low maintenance costs were also a contributing factor when calculating the return on investment of this large-scale project.

About Welling & Crossley

In the business for 88 years, internationally recognised leader Welling & Crossley has a long history and in-depth knowledge of generator and pumps. An Australian owned and operated company, Welling & Crossley specialises in the manufacture and supply of diesel generating sets, industrial backup generators, portable petrol generators, inverter generators, diesel engines, tractor driven alternators, fire control panels and fire pump products.

For more information on Welling & Crossley visit www.wellcross.com.au

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