Downhole Gas Compressor Motor Drive for Production Enhancement from Gas Fields

This S2B collaboration focusses on the design and development of an innovative Integrated Power Electronics Matrix Converter (IPEMC) for driving high power density, high speed permanent magnet motors. It is a key enabling technology for the development of a Downhole Gas Compressor (DGC), which is intended to boost the well delivery pressure potentially increasing production rates by 28 - 42%, increasing the ultimate recovery from the well, in addition to offering the technology to operate at reduced abandonment presures. The IPEMC must operate in the hostile well environment in a severely restricted space envelope, requiring significant minaturisation of components, simplification of the control system and optimisation of heat transfer from the switching elements to the bulk gas flow. The technology will be applicable for all industrial motor drives, reducing complexity, cost and overall size of otherwise large and expensive controllers.