470 IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion, Vol. 10, No.
3, September 1995
High-Speed,High-HorsepowerElectric Motors For
Pipeline Compressors: Available ASD Technology,
Reliability, Harmonic Control
James A. Oliver
JARSCO Engineering Corporation
Corona, CA
Abstract--At a time when the U.S.natura1 gas pipeline
infrastructure needs to be upgraded with new high-
horsepower compressors to meet additional capacity
demands, there exists an electric motor technology suitable
for the task The power electronic adjustable speed drive
(ASD)controlled electric motor offers superior economics
of initial, operating and maintenance costs compared to
natural gas powered equipment. Natural gas pipeline
deregulation is causing pipeline operators to evaluate
electric drives as an alternative to gas driven equipment.
This paper provides a needed summary of the potential for
load building that is being offered to the electric power
industry by the economics of the deregulated natural gas
transmission industry. The gas transmission industry needs
to upgrade equipment for more capacity. The new high-
speed electric motor technology discussed in this paper
provides means for upgrading, at a fraction of the life cycle
costs of conventional gas powered equipment.
I. INTRODUCTION
'henty millions of horsepower of gas compressors
needs rebuilding in the U.S., reportedly one million
horsepower alone in the TVA service area. The natural
gas pipeline infrastructure in the U.S. is old. Much of it
was installed in the 194Os, 1950s and 1960s. The pipes, 24
inch to 36 inch diameter typical for the U.S., are small
compared to those of new systems installed in later years
in other countries, for instance 54 inch for new
installations in the former USSR.
The demographics of natural gas use has changed
since the original installations. Gas usage,once
predominantly industrial, is now predominatelyresidential.
With this shift some pipe systems are underutilized and
many have inadequate capacity.
95 WM 072-9 EC A paper recommended and approved
by the IEEE Electric Machinery Committee of the
IEEE Power Engineering Society f o r presentation at
the 1995 IEEE/PES Winter Meeting, January 29, to
February 2 , 1995, New York, NY. Manuscript submitted
August 3, 1994; made available f o r printing
December 19, 1994.
0885-8%9195/%04.00 8 1995 IEeE
Darrell Poteet
ENRON Capital Trade Resources
Houston, TX
In 1990, pipelines were deregulated, pipeline
operation ownership has been separated from natural gas
producers and from natural gas distributors. Pipeline
operators no longer have ownership of the gas they
transport. Their mission now is to transport gas at a
profit.
To meet the flow requirements of many delivery
areas, additional capacity is needed. A capacity increase
of 30 percent can be obtained by adding compressor
stations midway between existing compressor stations that
are now located at 70-80 mile intervals. The midway
stations will reduce the pressure drop that now limits flow.
The increase flow will necessitate repowering existing
stations for the higher capacity. Thus, there is an
opportunity to evaluate the drive options for repowering
the infrastructure. Possibilities are as follows:
Gas engine
Gas turbine
Electric motor
Electric motors hold the economic advantage in
several important respects:
0 4 5 % improvement in efficiency compared to the
single-cycle gas turbine
0 Station operators are not needed
0 Significantly less annual maintenance cost
$65-100/hp&ear for gas engine
$3040/hp&ear for gas turbine
$7-lO/hp&ear for electric motor
0 Less capital cost
0 Gas turbine capacity varies inversely with air
temperature. electric motors are not affected.
Another significant advantage of the electric motor is
total lack of air emissions.
 471

Conceivably, the operation and maintenance costs for a

5000 HP compressor driver for 30 years, without present
worth mathematics could look like the Table 1 Table 2
comparison, assuming operation for fXty percent of the
day, 8,760days per year. Usage of Medium Voltage ASDs by Industry
Individual Units by Year of Purchase
Table 1
Operation and Maintenance Costs Petroleum Petroleum Gas Electric
5OOOHP Pipeline Compressor Driver -
Year Industrial Pipeline Compressor Pipeline U&J
30 Years (millions of dollars)
1979 1 5
Reci~ Turbine Elec Motor 1980 2 1 5
1981 25 8
Maintenance 11.0 4.5 1.0 1982 5 1 24
Operator -
5.0 -
5.0 --- 1983
1984
7
7 1
1
17
TOTAL 16.0 9.5 1.0
1985 19 3 1 5
1986 22 5 32
1987 23 11 16
These benefits are attractive to gas pipeline operators 1988 32 10 1 17
who tend to favor their traditional gas turbines or gas 1989 25 9 1 23
engines. If electric energy rates are competitive with gas 1990 57 10 1 1 18
energy rates, the economics of electric drives become so 1991 27 9 2 2 11
superior to those of gas powered options that gas pipeline 1992 24 5 2 10
operators will certainly use the electric alternative at the 1993 14 4 2 2 6
time of equipment replacement. This unique situation
brought on by pipeline deregulation,offers electric utilities Pipeline compression ratios are in the range of 1.4 to
an opportunity for load building not seen for the past forty 1.5. Older pipelines are designed for 8OOpsi operating
years. This paper is intended to present this opportunity pressure, newer ones for 1200 to 15OOpsi. An 800 psi
to the electric and gas pipeline industries and to point out system should drop to 6OOpsi and then recompress. A
the need for dialogue and cooperative efforts to benefit 1200 psi line should drop to 850 to 900 psi and
both industries. recompress.

The purpose of this paper is to present to the two The following drive motor ratings will suit the
industries the state of the art in applicable electric motor pipeline industry's needs:
drives. This paper discusses the following:
-
HP RPM
Available Technology 55OO 12,700
Reliability 11,Ooo l0,oOo
Control of Electric Harmonics 19,OOO 7,900

11. EVALUATION OF ASD ACCEPTANCE BY Operating speed range is no greater than 70 to 100
INDUSTRY percent.

The electric utility industry started using medium
voltage ASDs for power plant fans and pumps in 1978.
Over the years the use of ASDs has become accepted as
application technology and ASD technology have become
better understood. Table 2 shows how the use of medium
voltage ASD has gained acceptance by industry.
Petroleum pipeline, and petroleum refineries and natural
gas pipelines have followed electric utilities.
Figure 1 shows the power and speed limits of direct
drive synchronous motors and direct drive induction
motors.
The inducton motor (current information) in Figure 1 is
derived from recent natural gas compressor installations
and data from current proposed installations.
412

70 - Brushless synchronous Induction motor (earlier limit)

60- with solid rotor
50 -

25 -
20 -
15 - Induction motor (current information)

8 -
6 -
5 -
4 -
35- Bnrshlar syachronous with
3 - hminatcd cylindrical rotor
25-
2 -

15-

2ooo 3ooo 4000 5ooo6o0o eaao 10.000 rpm 1

5m
+nN

FIGURE 1 Limit Ratings of High-speed Motors

Figure 2
M O D I F I E D LOAD COMMUTATED I N V E R T E R
 473

USE OF I N P U T
TRANSFCRMER FOR
1 INPUT
TRANSFORMER
I
I 1 2 - P U L S E OR 1 8 - F U L S E
OPERAT!ON

I
1
I

RECTIFIER
I
I DC L I N K AND
DC L I N K INDUCTOR
1
I THYRYSTOR CONTROL

'1
1--J
INVERTER TO PREVENT RESONANCE
BETWEEN OUTPUT
I
F I L T E R AND MOTOR

I
I

GROUNDING OF
OUTPUT F I L T E R SYSTEM: TO S T A B I L I Z E
MOTOR VOLTAGE AND

0
MOTOR
0MOTOR

Figure 3
I N S T A L L A T I O N F E A T U R E S TO ENHANCE
RELIABILITY

Table 3 capacitor provides magnetizing current for the motor and

Recent Direct Drive Compressor Installations smooths the output current wave form to a reasonable sine
wave shape.
Year Location -
HP -
RPM
1989 Byllingsley,AL 8OOOhp 10,000rpm The other current induction motor technology in use,
1991 Lawrenceville,NJ 7000hp 5,500rpm the current-source GTO-PWM, neutral clamped, star
1994 Bethany, CA 8,800hp 5,200rpm commutated, ASD has not been in any significant use with
high-speed motors.
The induction motor has the capability to provide a
direct drive for compressor requirements without a speed 111. ACCEPTANCE OF ELECTRIC MOTOR DRIVES
increaser gear. The ASD technology that is being used
successfully for providing voltage and frequency to power Pipeline operators have concem about being
high horsepower, high-speed induction motors is the dependent on electric power, an energy source over which
modified load-commutated inverter with the circuit as they have no control. However, they are beginning to
shown in Figure 2. This technology has proven to understand the economic benefits of electric motor drives
bereliable with thyristors in both rectifier and inverter. and how to utilize the electric industry's rate structure to
Motor voltage is controlled by the rectifier and motor their advantage. The pipeline can be treated like a storage
frequency is controlled by the inverter. The output filter system, pumping up pressure at night with low cost
414
electricity and doing little, if any, compression during the
day. Converting to electric drives allows pipeline
companies to sell emission credits while conserving the
natural gas product they are paid to transport. For
transcontinental pipelines it is estimated that 5 to 10
percent more throughput may be achievable with electric
motors, eliminating the gas use to power gas turbines.
With the economic benefits of electric motor drives it has
been estimated that by the end of this decade 90 percent
of the replacement natural gas compressor drives will be
electric.
IV. RELIAJ3ILITY OF ELECTRIC MOTOR
SYSTEMS
For the gas pipeline industry to convert to electric
power, the issues affecting reliability of electric motors,
ASDs and electric supply systems need to be completely
understood by both electric utilities and pipeline
operators.
Reliability of each of the components of the electric
drive systems should be addressed with any pipeline
project.
The electric suuulv system reliability is generally a
function of the voltage level of the supply. Transmission
and sub-transmissionvoltage levels have a better record of
reliability than distribution voltage levels. A dual feed
from WO different directions is more reliable than a single
feed. In arranging for electric service, the utility and
pipeline operator should have a clear understanding of
probabilities and possible effects of lightning, ice storms,
tornados, and brownout expectations.
In the results of electric utility ASD field tests
conducted in the period 1985-1987 and reported in
Reference 1, good design and installation practices were
defined which are repeated here in Figure 3. An input
transformer is used for two purposes: to absorb the
overvoltage to ground that develops when the inverter
conducts and to control harmonics produced by the
rectifier that flow to the power system. Controlling the
overvoltage with the input transformer is critical to the
reliability of the motor windings. The power electronic
switching devices of the ASD are sensitive to temperature,
so water cooling is recommended. A U P S is used for ASD
firing circuit power, eliminating the effect of voltage drips,
surges and monetary interruptions. Usually, N + 1
thyristors are specified providing one extra thyristor in
each leg of each rectifier and inverter bridge for
redundancy.
V. CONTROL OF ELECTRIC HARMONICS
As an IEEE Standard for providing advice on
suggested allowable harmonic levels IEEE Standard 519-
1990 may not be adequate for designing power systems for
pipeline compressor motors. Evidence is growing that
when high power medium voltage ASDs are added to the
power system it is necessary to model more than just the
system up to the point of common coupling. The concept
of specifying harmonic levels at the point of common
coupling makes sense for defining responsibility for
limiting injection of harmonics into the system. However,
problems sometimes develop at locations within the supply
system but beyond the point of common coupling when
high frequency harmonics initiated by voltage notching at
the rectifier cause other ASDs or filter capacitors to
develop problems.
The harmonic study that is conducted for an electric
motor drive with ASD for a pipeline compressor station
should include much more of the power supply system
than just the point of common coupling.
Harmonic control can be approached by using a 12-
pulse or l&pulse rectifier or by a new family of ASDs now
evolving with GTO-PWM or IGBT-PWM rectifiers that
provide minimum harmonics to the system and control of
power factor.
For multiple high power ASDs on transmission, sub-
transmission and distribution systems, the use of turned
filters for harmonics control may lead to more problems
than solutions. Each time a high power compressor is
added, the effect of harmonic contributions on existing
harmonic filters will require review and possible
reconfiguration of the existing filters.
VI. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
With the excellent economics available by utilizing
electric motor drives for natural gas compressor stations,
the electric utility industry and the natural gas
transmission industry have an opportunity to collaborate
for the benefit of both industries. The natural gas
transmission needs low cost, highly reliable electric power
to supply a new generation of electric motor driven
compressor stations. The electric utility industry needs
new base-load customers. Dialogue and discussion
between the two industries is needed now. There exists a
mature, reliable, directdrive electric motor drive
technologywith power electronic ASD control to serve the
needs of the two industries. Enough is known about
 475

power system reliability, electric motor and ASD reliability
that reliability of these components should not be an issue.
As the ASD has moved from the power.plant and
industrial plant to the transmission, sub-transmission or
distribution system, more elaborate system models are
needed for evaluation of harmonic effects. The system
modelling programs that are widely available have the
capability to provide the degree of harmonic analysis that
is needed.
This paper has provided a needed summary of the
potential for load building for electric utilities offered by
electrification of natural gas pipelines and a review of the
status of high speed motors for carrying it out.
Mr. Darrell Poteet was bom in Del Rio, Texas on
March 31, 1959. He graduated from Louisiana Tech
University where he eamed a Bachelor of Science (Bs) in
Electrical Engineering in 1982. He later eamed a master
degree in Business Administration (EMBA) from Houston
Baptist University in 1990. He is a registered professional
engineer at both National and Texas Society of
Professional Engineers and hold membership in the
Louisiana Engineering Society, IEEE, and ISA His
employment experience includes Mississippi River
Transmission, Tenneco, Panhandle Eastem Corporation,
and Enron Corporation. He is currently Director, Enron
Capital Trade Resources.

References
1. "Retrofitting Utility Power Plant Motors for
Adjustable Speed: Field Test Program "EPRI
Report CU-6914, December, 1990.
2 "Applications of a 5500 rpm High Speed
Induction Motor and Drive in a 7000 hp Natural
Gas Compressor Installation" S.C. L a Grone,
M.C. Griggs, M. Bressani, IEEE PCIG92-42.

Biographies

Mr. James A. Oliver - S.M.received the B.S.EE

(1950) from the University of Maine and the M.EE
(1960) from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn.

He is President of JARSCO Engineering

Corporation. He is a staff specialist for Adjustable Speed
Drives for Bechtel Corporation in Norwalk, California,
where he managed the EPRI ASD power plant retrofit
projects starting in 1982.

His prior experience includes Vice-president of

Engineering for the National Electric Coil Division of the
McGraw Edison (1971-1978) and Rotating Machinery
Specialist for American Electric Power Service
Corporation (195O-lWl).

Mr. Oliver is Past-Chairman of the IEEE Electric

Machinery Committee, and a U.S. Expert on CIGRE
Committee 11 - Rotating Machines. He has authored a
number of papers related to rotating electrical machinery
and adjustable speed drives.
476

Discussion a margin. E l e c W ~companies evaluate demand, location,

load factor, length of mtract and time of day plus
N. E. NilSSOn (Ohio Edison Company, Akron, seasonal factors. Because of the base load long term
Ohio): The authors are to be congratulated and high capacity requirementsof pipeline operators and
for their development of another excellent ability to do compression off-peak It would appear that
paper on adjustable speed drives. It would
appear that the greatest advances in the solid what the plpeline operator wants and what the electric
state drive arena continue to occur in the utility have to offer will converge close to the pipeline
high power industry. This paper sends a clear operatarswishes,
message that utilities should be aware that
this technology is creating opportunities for US.-made medium voltage induction motor ASDs have
electrical power supply in applications not
previously open to the utility industry. To been available fw about ten years. The first 2 or 3 years
define the magnitude of this potential were involved with shaking dawn the technology and
electrical load, how many pipelines and how better understanding the application process. Medium
many motors per pipeline are prospects? In voltage ASDs can now be considered a mature
order to explore the synergies between
electric utilities and gas pipeline opera- technology aa, long as the rules are followed as outline
tions, how would a supply contract best be in Section IV of the paper.
structured?
Because of the rslatively short (10 year) period that this
To emphasize this point, the authors may
want to elaborate on the fact that before the equipment has been in service, long term reliability data
advent of adjustable speed drives, 3600 rpm is not available. Based on data from six sites with 54
was the limit for application of motors; that units in service of one manufacturer, the overall average
is, a 2-pOle motor operating at 60 hz. while MTBF was 32,000hours for control systems and 9 x 10'
it is possible to gear up to a higher speed, hours for power devices including SCRs and GTOs.
there are some very real limitations with
regard to high speed, high power gears.
Conversely, the authors may want to elaborate Speed increaser gears have been used in many
on the fact that solid state drives are a applicationsfor many years. They add 1.5 to 2.0% extra
mature technology and to provide some loss to the drive system. They complicate equipment
statistics on their reliability. alignment and in general add cost to the system. The
The ASD allows for supersynchronous MOPICO motor/compressor being offered ha8 one motor
operation and the ASD itself is not the rotor and two compressor impellers on a eingle shaft with
limiting factor on how high this speed range magnetic bearings in a single housing, with dry seals
can be. What motor design limitations create between motor and compressor. The motor is cooled
the boundaries illustrated in Figure 1 of the
paper? It is presumed that these limiting with pipeline gas. When the simplicity of this concept is
factors include the speed of the outside considered, the speed increaser gear appears to be
diameter (OD) of the rotor. There are others. absurd.
The economics in the paper that show the
benefits of the ASD motor system versus gas Design limitations on high-speed induction motor ratings,
turbines are very helpful. Many economic like large steam turbine generators are a fundion of the
decisions are made today based on payback rotor diameter, distance between bearings, rotor
period or extra value added (EVA) analysis. flexibillty and cooling medlum. Thus, there are material
The authors may want to put typical examples stress limits, shaft vibration limits and insulation
of these analyses in their closure.
temperature limits. Cooling with pipeline gas increases
Manuscript reczived January 16, 1995. heat transfer vary similar to the use of hydrogen, in
turbine generator. At three times the 3600 rpm rotational
speed the rotor dimeter for the motor needs to be
smaller then that for a 3600 rpm machine for the same
stress levels. M M i n e output is related to D2L, stator
bore diameter squared times length of core. For
additional output for a limited diameter, the core can be
J. A. Oliver and D. Poteet: lengthened until rotor flexibility b m " s a problem. At
this point in the evolution of this machine using the
The authors wish to thank Mr. Nilsson for expresslng his symmetrical construction of the induction motor rotor, it is
Interest in this paper and for raising several relevant not clear what the horsepower and speed'limit will be,
questions on this technology. but it would seem to be more than adequaf6for the
needs of pipeline compressors.
There are 45 large natural gas pipeline in the U.S. with
over 3000 compressors, A typical compressor station Utility engineers will be interested in the ability of this
might have four compressors with horsepower ratings of motor to replace steam turbine drive for some of the
5000 hp to 10.000 hp. large boiler feed pumps in the 10,OOO hp to 30,000 hp
range.
Gas transmission companies would like to see marginal
cost pricing, reflecting cost of fuel and transmission plus Manuscript received April 18. 1995.