Offshore oil & gas exploration and production operations are challenged by time constraints, transportation difficulties, fire hazards, corrosion from the elements and government regulations. Providing electrical power to these autonomous work platforms has typically involved detailed engineering and fabrication to meet the needs of these distinct conditions.

In an effort to streamline the acquisition time and costs associated with offshore generator sets, Reagan Equipment Co., Inc., has introduced Ready Pak, a line of pre-engineered gen-sets designed specifically for the offshore industry.

"The words Ready Pak are derived from the fact that these gen-sets are ready to go," said Bill Balough, vice president and general manager for Reagan Equipment, headquartered in Gretna, La. "We've been custom building gen-sets for offshore companies for 50 years. That custom engineering is a time-consuming process and we feel we know what the customer's requirements are for offshore generator set packages."

The initial Ready Pak product offering includes seven models with electrical outputs ranging from 40 to 1000 kW. Aside from the 40 kW model, which is powered by an Arrow Specialty model VRG330 engine, the gen-sets all use Waukesha natural gas engines.

"The power requirements of offshore platforms really vary depending upon the configuration of the platform," said Alan Bourgeois, engineering manager for Reagan. "An unmanned platform might require as little as 30 kW of power, whereas a large manned platform may use several thousand kW.