PROJECT: Duqm Oil & Gas Refinery | Oman

ESTER TYPE: Shell MIDEL 7131 synthetic ester

PURPOSE: Cost-effective fire safety for oil refinery

[ OVERVIEW ]

One of the most challenging operating environments for transformers is the heat, humidity and dust encountered in the Middle East. With high ambient temperatures, there is a clear need for safer transformer insulating materials that can mitigate the threat of transformer fire and power outages. For decades, Shell MIDEL has been helping transformer owners increase safety and reliability through its range of synthetic and natural ester fluids.

A transformer fire in an oil or gas processing facility is likely to have disastrous and costly consequences. Choosing Shell MIDEL 7131 in place of mineral oil increases fire safety because it has a much higher fire point (>300°C) and a 100% fire safety record. Specifying Shell MIDEL 7131 may allow for a smaller fire suppression system (or potentially none at all), thereby reducing the cost and size of the substation, whether on land or in offshore sites.

[ SITUATION ]

The Duqm refinery in the Sultanate of Oman is a clear example of how Shell MIDEL delivers world-class risk mitigation. The facility’s position close to international shipping lanes in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean means the process of transporting oil in and out of the region is expedited and gives the refinery a strategic advantage.

With a refining capacity of around 230,000 barrels of crude oil per day, fire safety is obviously an operational imperative.

Shell MIDEL is already used across the globe in environments where ambient temperatures of >50C are the norm. Leading names include JEPCO (Jordan), MEW (Kuwait), ADMA OPCO (Abu Dhabi), ZADCO (Abu Dhabi) and Qatar Petroleum (Qatar). Shell MIDEL ester transformer fluids service multiple sectors such as Utilities, Oil & Gas, Rail and Metro Systems, Industrial, and Renewable Energy.

[ RESULT ]

Because of this focus on fire safety, the engineering team at Duqm commissioned new transformer units from leading transformer OEM, Hyosung Heavy Industries. The ongoing project (undertaken in two phases, or “packages”) includes 135 transformers with a range of ratings, mostly around 11kV. By using Shell MIDEL fluid, the Duqm engineering team was able to secure:

• Transformer risk mitigation (Shell MIDEL fluids are K class, all with fire points >300C)
• Ester base oils readily biodegradable according to OECD 301
• Improved total cost of ownership (less maintenance and civils costs with Shell MIDEL)

“Shell MIDEL is the name to trust in this critical region, with over 5 million litres of Shell MIDEL transformer fluids deployed to date, and increasing monthly – that’s the proof of our commitment. With an impeccable service history, we have demonstrated that Shell MIDEL fluids can cope with the Middle East’s challenging climate and grid conditions.” – Tim Martin, Sales Director for EMEA, Shell MIDEL