Magnetics Business & Technology - May/June 2020 - 16

FEATURE ARTICLE

Waukesha's Active Magnetic Bearings Key Part of Innovative Turboexpander-Compressor for
Oilfield Plant

Active magnetic bearings from Waukesha Magnetic Bearings
and new controller technology for them play a key role in an
innovative line of turboexpander-compressors that has been
developed by L.A. Turbine and recently went into operation at
an oilfield facility in North Dakota.
LAT is a design and manufacturing company based in Valencia, CA which creates application-specific, highly engineered
turboexpanders that are used in hydrocarbon processing,
geothermal power generation, and other power-recovery or
refrigeration applications in industrial processes worldwide. It
recently commissioned its first ARES active magnetic bearing
(AMB) turboexpander-compressor within a newly established
natural gas liquid processing plant in the Bakken Shale Play of
North Dakota. In addition to magnetic bearings, it features the
industry's first skid-mounted active magnetic bearing controller
and PLC design.
"This is a milestone moment for L.A. Turbine and for the industry," said Danny Mascari, president. "In 2016, our founder,
John Maskaluk, challenged his engineering team to develop
the next generation of turboexpanders using AMB technology"
The turboexpander is the result of a partnership between L.A.
Turbine and Waukesha Magnetic Bearings. Until now, AMB
controllers had to be installed in a building away from the skid
installation site. With the new controller technology, engineering, procurement and construction companies have greater
flexibility with the plant site location and layout, capital costs
are significantly less, and the machine can be delivered in a
shorter timeframe.
"We are proud to be partnering with L.A. Turbine on this
technological advance for turboexpanders," commented Brian
Draeger, director of sales for Waukesha Bearings. "The commissioning of this first unit is the realization of much hard work
and a commitment to delivering innovation to the gas processing industry."
End-users realize immediate operational benefits due to ease
of machine installation and commissioning. Plus, less time and

Magnetics Business & Technology *

May/June 2020

labor are required for start-up and ongoing maintenance. If an
operational issue occurs, troubleshooting can begin immediately via the remote access capability of the system's Zephyr
controller.
For more than three decades,
Waukesha Magnetic Bearings has
applied magnetic bearing technology to advance the performance
of rotating equipment and specializes in custom-engineered active
magnetic bearing systems for
large turbomachinery and highperforming rotating equipment.
Their robust AMB systems have
achieved 99.9% availability without special redundancy provisions, making them well suited for
mission-critical applications, says the company.
"We leverage the intelligence of
magnetic bearing systems and the
remote connectivity capabilities of
our third-generation controllers to
allow for machine commissioning,
diagnostics and adjustment on-demand from a remote location," said
Draeger. Its sealed magnetic bearings can be immersed in mildly corrosive process fluid environments,
while its canned magnetic bearings
are designed for immersion in the
most extreme corrosive and abrasive environments. Magnetic
bearing hardware typically includes active magnetic axial and
radial bearings, auxiliary bearings and position sensors.
Located in Waukesha, WI, Waukesha Bearings is part of Dover
Corporation's Pumps & Process Solutions segment.
See www.waukbearing.com.

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