Ebara Elliott Energy (EEE) has launched an expanded Houston Centre of Excellence, creating a single-source hub for turbomachinery repair, testing and restoration.

The multi-million-dollar expansion adds 23,000 square feet of shop floor space, bringing rotor restoration, in-house overspeed spin testing and multi-OEM component manufacturing under one roof.

The facility enables energy producers and process plant operators to complete compressor, turbine and rotor overhauls locally, reducing reliance on external or overseas facilities and supporting faster turnaround times.

The expanded centre provides full-fleet restoration and rerating services for EEE and non-EEE rotating equipment. Its testing capabilities include a facility for mechanically validating impellers up to the 110M frame size, or 76 inches in diameter.

Other capabilities include submerged arc and laser welding for damaged shafts, impellers and rotors, as well as 3D optical scanning and coordinate measuring machine inspections for reverse engineering and manufacturing replacement components.

The centre also maintains an inventory of standard material forgings, supported by in-house CNC machining and cylindrical grinding. Local partnerships provide additional services, including high-velocity oxygen-fuel coatings, surface treatments and five-axis milling.

"Unplanned downtime is the single biggest threat to our customers' operational margins, and managing multiple repair vendors only adds risk and delay," said Shane Reph, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer, Ebara Elliott Energy. "We expanded our Houston Centre of Excellence to create one of the most comprehensive single-source turbomachinery facilities in the Western Hemisphere. Whether a customer is running EEE equipment or another manufacturer's fleet, our team in Houston now has the complete in-house capability to inspect, weld, machine, balance, spin test, and return critical machinery to service with unprecedented speed." -OGN/TradeArabia News Service