Turboexpanders.com News Blog

March 2011 All Quiet on the Western Front……Not!   We extend our apologies for going quiet on the News Blog these past months; it is an excuse (and an understatement) to say we have been extraordinarily busy.  Allow us to catch up on a few highlights from 2010: 2010 was our most successful year ever, and by a wide margin 2010 brought us our largest Rotoflow® redesign order in many years 2010 saw a large increase in our technical and support staff 2010 introduced many successful new turboexpander product offerings 2010 saw the opening of our new service center in Shanghai So far in 2011, we see the 2010 trends continuing.  We are expanding our Houston capabilities yet again, we are growing our capabilities in Asia and the CIS countries, and we have moved into a much larger facility in Dubai.   We are maintaining an aggressive travel schedule again in 2011 and you can expect to see us face-to-face as we aim to visit at least 150 turboexpander plants this year.  We have already presented at METS, REW and Gastech and will be in San Antonio next week; we hope to see you there.  If next week is too late, we welcome your call any time on our turboexpander hotline: +1-805-345-4104.   Our goal remains to meet the demands of the market with innovative technical solutions and competitive pricing.

July 2010 Help is only a phone call away……….. With the first half of 2010 now behind us, we are launching into the second half with many new features and services available to our loyal clients.  For example, we are introducing a new upgrade to eliminate the troublesome Armstrong drainers found on many Rotoflow oil systems.  We have also recently introduced an upgraded seal gas system to automate the many manual systems found on Rotoflow packages throughout the world.  Additionally, we have introduced a new labyrinth style shaft seal as an improvement to the typical tapered seal found on most Rotoflow assembles.  These, and many other exclusive solutions are available today.  Please contact one of our friendly and knowledgeable application engineers to discuss proven solutions to your every turboexpander need.  Answers to your most vexing questions are a mere phone call away: +1-805-345-4104

June 2010 June has been great!  Fresh off a series of May sales visits, we are pleased to see our strongest month in nearly five years.  June’s highlight is a multi-million dollar redesign of two Rotoflow turboexpanders in Asia.  June also produced many Rotoflow units coming in for refurbishment including clients in the Middle East, Asia, and South America, along with our strong customer base in North America.  2010 will be our best year ever. We added yet another engineer to our applications team in June and hope to fill two additional positions in the coming months.  Our team is unmatched in experience and credibility; we look forward to your toughest challenge.  Our team is available 24 hours a day—please call us at +1-805-345-4104

May 2010 BlackBerry Blogging Our turbo-expander team embarked upon a series of long road trips this May throughout Europe, Asia, North Africa, and South America; during this time, we were honing our SMS skills.  Nd gr8 turboexpander suprt PDQ? url 2 www.turboexpanders.com W’r opN 24/7/365. We nvr clse.

April 2010 TurboTax and Turboexpanders There was a time when only two things were certain in life, with taxes being the more desirable of the two. Two certainties remain today, with the most desirable being Turboexpanders.com. April 2010 marks 35 years of continuous operations for our team of turboexpander experts. Since our beginnings in 1975, our team has successfully delivered turboexpander systems to every region of the world and into every market where turboexpanders are found. On more than 1000 occasions, we have also provided OEM-quality support to users of turboexpanders originally supplied by Airco, ACD, Cryostar,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Rotoflow, Sulzer, and Texas Turbines. Just say “NO” to TurboTax and instead take comfort in the certainty of Turboexpanders.com

March 2010 The Science of Attraction Our application team regularly responds to questions related to magnetic bearings used in hydrocarbon turboexpanders.  Here are answers to many of the most common questions in the field of experience and references. The only commercially available suppliers with operating experience: Atlas Copco, Cryostar, and GE One supplier has successful operating experience in North America: Atlas Copco Two suppliers have successful operating experience in South America: Atlas Copco and GE The first magnetic bearing turboexpanders in North America were delivered to: Dow Freeport The most successful bearing supplier is: S2M (owned by SKF) The supplier with the most experience in the Middle East and North Africa: Atlas Copco The only supplier with operating experience in both Syria and Iran: Cryostar The ultimate answers to your magnetic bearing questions can be found here. Our workshops have experience with servicing turboexpanders originally supplied by Atlas Copco, Cryostar, and GE.

February 2010 Houston Rules! Houston remains the key hub of activity for servicing turboexpanders in North America. Turbines supplied by Texas Turbines, Mafi-Trench, Rotoflow, GPS, and Airco all eventually find thier way to Houston for servicing. When the servicing criterion includes turboexpander competence, and honest experience, then the turbines will find their way to our Houston workshop. Not only do we service the rotating and IGV assemblies in our Houston shop, we also carry out full refurbishment and upgrading services on the skid and controls. There are three such skid refurbishment projects currently under way in our Houston shop, and we confirm there’s still room for more. Jerry Williams runs our Houston shop, and what a great man he is! Jerry built it from the ground up and is responsible for the huge growth we have seen in the Houston shop. Jerry is proud to be a Texan and we are very proud to have him running the shop. Our Houston team is backed up by more than one hundred factory staff with a collective turboexpander experience greater than 1000 years. When you need good honest support for your turboexpander, give Jerry a call at 281-687-4337. In the words of Sam Houston “Transmit to posterity the reputation of an honest man……”

January 2010 Welcome to 2010 The 1970 Hemi Cuda is obsolete, yet we all want one. The Cuda sold for a mere $4,000 in 1970 and has today appreciated 50-fold or more. The same cannot be said for most turboexpander designs; 1970s Rotoflow nozzle assembly technology has proven itself to be, well, just plain obsolete. Is it surprising to observe some companies offering this obsolete turboexpander technology as though it were their own modern design? Not really; modern technology comes from original work combined with modern thinking. Reference the obsolete design below. This design was patented for Rotoflow in 1970 and was replaced by an improved patented design in 1999. The obsolete design had proven unreliable for many users, and most of those users have worked with us to replace it with a more reliable design; its re-introduction ensures our continued growth into the future. For 2010 technology, please click through to www.turboexpanders.com

December 2009 To our customers:  A sincere “Thank You” for your continued support in 2009.  And in the languages of select 2009 customers…. Thank you Gracias Merci Khawp khun Shukran Terima kasih Arigato Kam sia Xie xie Danke Dhanyawaad Obrigado Makasih Spasibo Tak May you all enjoy a prosperous and healthy New Year.

November 2009 One of the larger trends we see in the turboexpander market today is the move towards machine-only replacement; the trademarked name for this product is Flange2Flange.   The scope typically includes for the re-use of the existing oil, seal, instrument, and control systems, thus saving considerable time and expense while also allowing the newest technology to be employed.  We currently have four such projects underway in our workshop, including a contract to replace a Rotoflow expander in Australia, another to replace a Rotoflow turbine in Canada and two separate projects to replace turboexpanders in America (one Rotoflow and one Texas Turbines).  Please send us a quick email if you would like to receive a copy of the definitive whitepaper on replacement turboexpanders.  You can reach us at: http://turboexpanders.com/cm/Contact/Home.html

October 2009 So many options………… Many times we find turboexpander users are not aware of all the options available to them.  Repair, refurbish, upgrade, replace with new???  Rotoflow, Mafi-Trench, or the minor brands???   Call us and let one of our experts walk you through the options available.  The world’s most experienced turboexpander team is standing by…. Visit us at http://turboexpanders.com

September 2009 Turboexpander services for the world market!!  We are closing in on another fantastic month of activity which saw dozens of  turboexpander users from around the world visiting our facilities.  We suspect the holiday period had something to do with it, as most everyone would love to find a reason to visit beautiful California.  Regardless of the reasons, it seems worth noting that we have hosted expander customers from the following regions within these first three weeks of September: Moscow Russia Tulsa Oklahoma Paris France Morelos Mexico Mexico City Rayong Thailand Bangkok Thailand Cologne Germany In addition to those who visited our facilities, within September we have dispatched our service team to many turboexpander-bearing regions including: Qatar Dubai Sharjah Kuwait Thailand Egypt Italy Brazil Venezuela Republic of Texas Florida Saudi Arabia Canada Mexico Nevada Louisiana India September has not been our busiest month, but all indications point towards a more active fourth quarter!   We have added to our staff again in September to be certain every call receives immediate attention.  We are available around the clock and around the world.

August 2009 When there’s something strange in the turbine room, who you gonna call?—Turboexpanders.com The response to our new website has been fantastic.  We continue to bring new products and services to the marketplace and these are now more fully described in our website.  This has resulted in new business in several areas this month including the pulp/paper industry.

July 2009 With the first six months of 2009 complete, we are very grateful to our customers who continue to support our growth.  2008 was our best year on record and we have surpassed 2008 volume already through six months of 2009.  Our team has grown significantly in recent months and this growth will allow us to maintain and build on our best-in-class support.  If you are searching for honest turboexpander support, you can trust our team with all your Rotoflow equipment service needs.  Please call for references or to obtain an offer for support.

June 2009 June has been our strongest month so far in 2009.  We are very pleased to have been awarded all turboexpander refurbishment work from the GSP plants in Thailand operated by PTT.  Within June, we received contracts for refurbishment and upgrade services on the Rotoflow turboexpanders at GSP I and III at Rayong and both trains of GSP IV at Khanom.  Our ongoing work in the UAE also included major activities at Habshan, Bab and Asab.  We also completed a major refurbishment and full speed mechanical test of a very large Rotoflow turboexpander from the Gasco Buhasa plant.  June contracts include new business with our Rotoflow turboexpander clients in Argentina, Taiwan, Austria, Thailand, Abu Dhabi, and all throughout North America.

May 2009 We have now completed a major upgrade to our test cell including new data collection and analysis tools.  Our new ADRE system is fully operational and our machinery team training is complete.  Tests witnessed by customers in May included equipment destined for Thailand, Oman, and China. Thank You to the many new customers who joined with us these last 30 days.  We are now providing upgrade services to Airco clients in Canada, and new Rotoflow users from French Guyana, Thailand,  and Japan.  The engineering services performed for the Rotoflow turboexpander in French Guyana were in support of an urgent and unplanned outage; this was a mission critical operation and we were pleased that we were selected to support this activity.  Liquid nitrogen production from this facility is critical to the support of the rocket launch facilities in Kourou–where the world’s largest space telescope was successfully launched on 14 May.  If your operations are mission critical, you can be confident we will provide whatever resources are required to meet your needs—it all begins with a call to our service department.

April 2009 The industrial gas segment of our business continues to grow rapidly.  Currently we have expander refurbishments under way for many of the largest companies with applications for air and nitrogen service.  In addition to expander MCS refurbishments, we have recently been retained to perform field service, skid rebuilds, and supply spare parts including replacement circuit boards.  This work involves plants in Trinidad, Mexico, Venezuela, Thailand, Abu Dhabi as well as North America. If the first three months of 2009 are any indication, it would seem the service business will be unusually strong this year.  We have added many new customers already this year and we have added new staff to match the requirement.  Our regional workshops are off to a very strong start; we will increase our Dubai workshop area by fivefold before year end and staff will double.  During the first quarter, we undertook major projects for Rotoflow expander users in Malaysia, Thailand, Abu Dhabi, Oman, Argentina, and many projects in North America.  Based on early April indicators, we expect the pace to increase significantly.  The infrastructure and staffing required to effectively manage this activity is already in place, perfectly trained, and prepared for continued rapid growth.  We look forward to supporting your requirements.

March 2009 While Rotoflow turbines do indeed represent the largest area of activity for us at any given time, it is important to mention that we also devote considerable resources to turboexpanders originally supplied by companies other than Rotoflow.  We are currenly working aftermarket contracts on expansion turbines originally supplied by Airco, GPS, Turbodyne, Geliymash, and Texas Turbines.  Hydrocarbon applications are most common for us, however, since we recently opened our doors to industrial gas users, this has rapidly become one of our fastest growing market segments.  We also remain, by a wide margin, the most experienced and capable supplier to the geothermal turboexpander market.  Please call one of our application engineers to discuss your project.

February 2009 Employee turnover rates are one of the best metrics regarding the health of a company.  When one observes that their primary contacts keep changing within a key supplier, this normally raises a red flag.  As was the case in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008, we have received many comments (and job applications) already in 2009 related to the unusually high employee turnover rates of LA based Turbine companies.  Prudent buyers do their homework, and in many cases, this includes checking the pulse of critical suppliers on a regular basis.  Our employee turnover rate remains the lowest in our industry.  Trust, but verify.  Having developed a trusting relationship with our customers over the course of many years, there remains still the need to verify and certify the quality of the turboexpander products and services we provide.  Perhaps the only universally accepted method to verify the quality of a turboexpander refurbishment is to spin test the completed mechanical center section (MCS).  Most operating companies find little benefit to having a warranty on a refurbished MCS when it will sit in storage well beyond the warranty duration; these companies know that the true confirmation of quality only comes when the MCS is put into operation at full speed–often years after the warranty has expired.  To mitigate these risks, we now offer fully instrumented mechanical testing on all Rotoflow MCS refurbishment projects.  Customer witness of our full-speed mechanical testing is always welcomed and encouraged.  No other turboexpander supplier offers this capability.  Trust, but verify. We were the first turboexpander supplier to employ co-ordinate measuring machine (CMM) laser scanning and our inspection inventory now includes 5 precision CMM devices.  Industry experts agree that laser scanning is ideal for large data collection projects and less suitable where extreme precision is required.  Current CMM technology requires that point-probe collection methods be used for precision measurements and CAD-to-part inspection.  We continue as the world leader of precision industrial metrology as applied to turboexpanders.  When every micron counts, choose wisely those who measure your kit.

January 2009 As we now enter our 35th year, we wish to thank again our loyal repeat customers as well as the many new customers who joined with us in 2008.  As always, we promise to meet every commitment and to continue expanding our services to ensure every turboexpander user has access to the professional, timely, and guaranteed support we offer. Our year-over-year business volume doubled in 2008, and January 2009 is already guaranteed to be the largest volume month in our history.  Our service centers experienced phenomenal growth in 2008 and enter 2009 with a solid backlog; new staff joined each of our service centers in December including several with many years of turboexpander experience.  We are pleased to report that our turn-around times on refurbishments continues to improve even though we already offer the shortest and most reliable delivery schedules in our industry.  Our field service technical staff has continued to grow to keep pace with the high demand and we now confirm our field staff is larger and more capable than all other competitors combined.  Training has always been an important and necessary part of our culture.  Retaining the skills required to successfully carry out the many processes within our organization, while also maintaining our quality “beyond-ISO”, requires regular structured training.  Every employee, regardless of tenure or specialty, follows an individually designed training program that is monitored and audited.  Certified results confirm over 11,500 training hours were logged by our staff in 2008 alone.  Some may comment that our training seems excessive; our obsession to remain the preferred supplier and the many written testimonials from our customers tell us we are following the proper path.  You can expect the innovations to continue in 2009 and beyond.  We welcome your Rotoflow, GPS, Airco and Cryostar support requests.

December 2008 After many requests for support on proprietary Rotoflow annunciator and control circuit boards, we have now formalized a new process whereby we can supply all new replacement boards.  New 24VDC or 110VAC boards are now available including the wiring, tachometer, annunciator, alarm, and control boards.  The typical operating life for the OEM circuit boards is in the range of 10 – 15 years after which the reliability of the components and solder joints begin to fail.  Our newly manufactured boards are designed for low cost rapid replacement and will fit directly into your existing system with no modifications required.  Repairing your existing instrument and control system is the lowest cost method to extend the service life of your turboexpander system.  When the time comes to upgrade your instrument and control system, please bear in mind we are now the only turboexpander supplier with 100% ”In-House” capabilities to upgrade or replace your existing system.  We have a full-time staff of 10 wholly dedicated to the design, manufacturing, programming, and testing of instrument and control systems.  We have experience with every modern PLC and every recognized communication protocol.  Our upgrade packages leave the factory only after being fully tested using new state-of-the-art simulators.  All this activity is carried out under the watchful eye of our QA Director who is a licensed PE with over 20 years experience with turboexpander systems.  Our quality system is ISO certified since 1992.

November 2008 This month we will be carrying out turn-around services on Rotoflow turboexpander systems in North America, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and Abu Dhabi.  We have commissioned many magnetic bearings systems this year and we are contracted to commission dozens more in 2009.  If you are the owner of  a Rotoflow turboexpander system with either oil or magnetic bearings, please don’t hesitate to contact us for a full range of support options.  We have more magnetic bearing hydrocarbon turboexpander experience than all other suppliers combined.  With regard to staffing, experience, technology, funding, facilities and any other relevant metric, we are at least a full order of magnitude more capable than our nearest competitor.  Please don’t delay–give us a call today.

October 2008 Our Houston workshop is running at full force and the workload has increased significantly.  Ours is the largest turboexpander workshop in the region and plans are under way to double or triple capacity soon.  Early in October, our Dubai workshop was awarded a three year exclusive contract for servicing all Rotoflow turboexpanders in the network of the largest operating company in the UAE.  The UAE contract was competitively bid against other turbomachinery suppliers and the customer acknowledged during the award that ours was the only fully compliant offer and none of the other bidders had the technical resources or experienced staff to meet the needs of the contract–including the OEM.  You and your team will feel confident in our abilities as well; please give us an opportunity to support your operations.

September 2008 We are pleased to report no damage or flooding to our Houston facilities.  Electricity is expected to be established again by 20 September. Experienced technical staff added in our Houston workshop.  We are now offering full turboexpander skid refurbishment services and panel upgrades in the Houston workshop.  Three skids have already arrived for refurbishment including one GPS and two Rotoflow systems.  All three will have the expanders refurbished/upgraded while the skids are being completely overhauled and re-certified.  With the latest staff additions, the Houston workshop becomes the most capable in the region.  We are currently conducting interviews to double capacity in Houston by year end. Our India office carried out a large refurbishment project on a Rotoflow package that was moved into India earlier this year from abroad.  Our India office is the largest turboexpander support office of its type in all of Asia and they have successfully carried out local support on Rotoflow and Cryostar turboexpanders for many years now.  Please contact us at any time; our offices are staffed in all time zones where turboexpanders operate.

August 2008 We have now opened our new engineering and applications center in Los Angeles.  The new center includes custom office space, large conferencing facilities, and the most powerful engineering workstations and tools available today.  Most importantly, our new engineering center is already staffed with the most talented and experienced turboexpander team in the region.  The LA engineering center is the newest addition and joins our existing California facilities as well as fully staffed technical centers in Houston, Dubai, and India.  Please call us to schedule a visit or to interview for one of several open technical positions in our new office.

July 2008 Due to recent closures and massive down-sizing at our competitors’ offices, we have been able to hire the most experienced engineers, designers, detailers and field staff in the turboexpander industry.  We are now more perfectly positioned and staffed to provide the support you require.  Please contact us to learn more about our new senior staff additions, many of whom you already know.

June 2008 The first half of 2008 is now coming to a close.  We have filled 20 technical positions already this year and business levels require additional positions be filled before year end.  2008 shipments are on schedule to be at the highest level in 30 years.

April 2008 At the end of April, Rotoflow is closing its doors after nearly 40 years in California.  A once great company with a history of charismatic leaders, innovative technology and one of the strongest brands in the turbomachinery industry—under new ownership down-sized, dismantled, rebranded, and finally allowed to collapse.  Such a decision boggles the imagination.  This displaced staff of ex-Rotoflow experts will surely find another turbomachinery supplier who will welcome them and benefit from their unique skill and passion…

March 2008 New service contracts are now available including fixed price maintenance programs for oil and magnetic bearing turboexpander packages.  We were the first supplier to design and install magnetic bearing turboexpanders in the Americas and we have more units in hydrocarbon service than any other supplier.  The design team that delivered the first two magnetic bearing systems in 1992 is the same team that delivered 22 magnetic bearing systems in 2007 and six more so far in 2008.  Our service staff is by far the most experienced in the world with regard to commissioning, service and support for magnetic bearing systems.  Experience with all brands and models.

February 2008 Our Houston workshop has rapidly become the new standard in providing local support to turboexpander users in gas processing, petrochemical and industrial gas services.  Many users have reported that other Texas-based turboexpander suppliers have abandoned them due to lack of resources.  Our Houston workshop is not burdened with new equipment requirements; the sole purpose of the workshop is to support the aftermarket needs of users in the region.  Based on the incredible response, we have added more senior staff in Houston and California to maintain industry leading response times.  Houston capabilities include field service, refurbishment of rotors and skids, instrument upgrades, and trouble-shooting support on all brands of turboexpanders.