First heat exchanger delivered to Amur GP

The first spiral heat exchanger was delivered from St. Petersburg to the construction site of the Amur Gas Processing Plant (GPP).

The domestically-produced unit is a key link in the Amur GPP’s helium production chain. The equipment was developed for the purpose of preheating and cooling nitrogen-helium mixture so as to purify helium.

The oil and gas sector’s most advanced and hi-tech spiral heat exchanger was produced in Russia for the first time as part of localization efforts as a result of cooperation between Gazprom, Germany’s Linde, and Power Machines.

Thanks to its unique design, the spiral heat exchanger can withstand temperature fluctuations of up to 400 degrees Celsius, almost twice as much as conventional heat exchangers. In addition, it demonstrates enhanced efficiency of heat exchange (at over 1,600 square meters, the heat exchange area is as large as a fifth of a football field) with relatively low metal consumption and small size (15.9 meters in length and 1.8 meters in diameter).

The heat exchanger, which weighs about 49 tons, was delivered by rail and car. The base for the unit is already in place. Another two heat exchangers will be supplied to the Amur GPP in 2019 and 2021.

In May 2017, a ceremonial production launch of spiral heat exchangers to be used at medium- and large-scale gas liquefaction and processing facilities took place in St. Petersburg. The equipment is being manufactured by Linde Power Machines, a joint venture of Power Machines (part of Severgroup) and Linde AG.

Gazprom’s Amur GPP will be the largest gas processing plant in Russia and second-biggest in the world. It will have a design capacity of 42 billion cubic meters of gas per year. The plant will have six production lines, with the first two lines slated for commissioning in 2021. In addition, the GPP will have the world’s largest helium production facility.

Linde AG supplies the Amur GPP with the core process equipment for cryogenic recovery of helium and valuable petrochemical substances from gas.