GENERON® IGS Awarded a contract for Nitrogen Generator Packages on board Drill Ships
Houston, Texas April 20, 2005 – Generon® IGS, an affiliate of Innovative Gas Systems, has
recently been awarded a contract to supply ten (10) Nitrogen Generators of the Cabinet series HP
6500 to be installed onboard five diamond mining drill ships offshore South Africa and the Namibia west coast.
The nitrogen will be used as a compensating medium in heave compensating systems. The replacement of compressed
air with nitrogen for this application is relatively new in the O&G industry.
The application came into being when an accident occurred on one of the drill ships - the accumulator exploded.
The explosion was caused by the reaction of Air (Oxygen) and the Hydraulic Fluid under high pressure. The
investigation found under certain operating modes the compensating cylinders and associated pistons act in a
manner similar to a diesel engine. In this situation the auto ignition temperature of the hydraulic fluid is
reached. If Oxygen is present in the form of air, conditions exist within the compensator cylinders that enable
the auto ignition of the hydraulic fluid (mist) with air (oxygen) to occur.
The accumulator is situated between the working bottles and the compensating cylinders. The explosion caused
extensive damage to the drill tower and associated drilling equipment. The drill bit and drill string had to
be cut off beneath the vessel, in order for it to sail back to port.
The Nitrogen System chosen for this application was a Generon® Nitrogen Cabinet Series unit. The Nitrogen System
is a fully enclosed generator, designed for unattended, silent automated operation and will provide uninterrupted
supply of gaseous nitrogen up to 300 Nm3/h with purities from 95-99,9 Vol.% in a footprint of approx. 800 x 800 mm.
For information on Generon® IGS systems, please contact us through our website; igs-global.com or directly @ Generon®
IGS, 11985 FM 529, Houston Texas 77041; Phone: 713-937-5200; Fax: 713-937-5250.
All of the IGS facilities are ISO 9001 Certified.