GE Energy Announces First Deployment of Its New Wireless Condition Monitoring System at Gas Field in Norway


HOUSTON, TEXAS - October 2, 2007 : - In order to ensure reliable operation of one of the world's largest gas fields, GE Energy has supplied Norsk Hydro and Norske Shell with condition monitoring systems for the Ormen Lange gas field in Norway. This is the first deployment of the Bently Nevada* wSIM* wireless condition monitoring system. This announcement was made at the ISA Expo conference in Houston, Texas.

GE Energy installed its wSIM wireless condition monitoring system on general-purpose compressors and pumps at Ormen Lange. The wSIM system is designed for ATEX Zone 1, with approvals available for Zone 2 environments, and is comprised of two types of sensors powered alternatively by an energy harvester, which generates power from machine vibration, or by a Lithium battery. Each sensor measures temperature and acceleration, velocity or acceleration enveloping, including high-resolution spectra.

The system is based on industrial standards and is designed for full mesh networking capabilities, enabling increased reliability of wireless data and its transmission. Additionally, the sensors are easy to deploy; each unit and associated probe have a magnetic base, eliminating the need for case drilling. The wSIM was developed in collaboration with Shell Global Solutions.

In addition to the wSIM, GE Energy also supplied a Bently Nevada 3500 condition monitoring system to monitor critical rotating assets, including the installed 50-megawatt gas compressors and pumps. Both the wSIM and the 3500 connect to System 1*, the industry leading optimization and diagnostic software platform.

"We needed a condition monitoring solution that would allow us to accurately and cost-effectively supervise our less accessible balance-of-plant assets," said Graham Baird, condition monitoring engineer, Norske Shell. "GE Energy's Bently Nevada wSIM solution has met our functional expectations and we are pleased to have been a part of this project."

"Our condition monitoring systems are assisting Norske Shell in meeting key operating requirements in terms of effectiveness, reliability and safety for this state-of-the-art gas plant at Ormen Lange," said Brian Palmer, general manager of GE Energy's Optimization and Control business. "The Ormen Lange gas field project is very important for natural gas customers in the United Kingdom and we are glad that our technology is a part of it."

"The entire team is really very committed to innovation, to thinking out of the box and to pushing the limits of technology. With this novel, step-change sensor technology, we aim to increase the quality and the frequency of our machinery health checks," said Sicco Dwars, Shell Global Solutions. "Our cooperation with GE Energy has resulted in a smarter approach and has enabled us to deploy condition monitoring technology globally across Shell."

Ormen Lange is located in the Norwegian Sea and is Norway's largest gas field. It was developed with seabed installations at depths of between 800 and 1100 meters and is linked to a processing plant on land at Nyhamna in the Aukra municipality, from where the gas is exported. The Ormen Lange gas field is expected to provide customers in the United Kingdom with natural gas for the next 30-40 years. Production at the gas field began in September 2007.

About GE Energy
GE Energy (www.ge.com/energy) is one of the world's leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technologies, with 2006 revenue of $19 billion. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, GE Energy works in all areas of the energy industry including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy; renewable resources such as water, wind, solar and biogas; and other alternative fuels. Numerous GE Energy products are certified under ecomagination, GE's corporate-wide initiative to aggressively bring to market new technologies that will help customers meet pressing environmental challenges.

For more information, contact:
Betsy Mauchley
GE Energy
+1 775 215 1031
betsy.mauchley@ge.com

Gina DeRossi or Howard Masto
Masto Public Relations
+1 518 786 6488
gina.derossi@mastopr.com
howard.masto@ge.com

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