Creole’s 50 Industrial Gas Turbines in Repressuring Service

This paper describes the application of gas turbines to crude-oil production in a Venezuelan underwater reservoir. Decreasing pressure caused a gradual slowing down of the natural flow, and Creole Corporation was faced with the problem of either artificial lifting of the crude or curtailment of operations with several years of ample supply remaining untapped. This challenge was met successfully through repressurization of the wells by gas turbines. The design of these turbine facilities, their operation, and some of the problems involved are described. The author summarizes with a review of the performance of the gas turbines at their various locations.