Mar-April 2013

March/April 2013

Pumping and Related Technology for Oil & Gas

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2 Upstream Pumping Solutions March/April 2013

From the Editor

The oil and gas industry has the attention of the mainstream media. It is making headlines

in nearly every major newspaper and magazine across the U.S. Operations in the Bakken Shale even made the cover of the March 2013 National Geographic. e article focused on the positive and negative social and economic e ects of the industryin-cluding housing shortages and poten-tial environmental impacts.

As we have been discussing since the inception of the magazine, shale plays are one segment of the industry that is experiencing unprecedented growth. As we prepared this issue of Upstream Pumping Solutions, which we will be taking with us to the O shore Technology Conference (OTC) in May, we could not ignore another area of the industry with in-creasing activitysubsea exploration and production.

On page 31, new, high-speed, he-lico-axial, subsea boosting pumps are discussed. ese pumps help increase production rates and improve recov-ery from subsea elds.

Another facet of o shore/sub-sea activity is the maturation of ex-isting wells. e article on page 33

covers a new technology for rigless well-abandonment that has a proven track record in the Gulf of Mexico. It has been in successful operation in the Asia Paci c since April 2012.

As with any industry, mainte-nance and repairs are a constant in the oil eld. In this issue, we focus on this important topic with articles on so ware to help operators track and record maintenance activities (page 19), mud pump uid end mainte-nance (page 22) and replacement parts for sucker rod pumps (page 26).

Let us know about your most common maintenance and repair concerns. Email me at [email protected].

Upstream Pumping Solutions and its team will attend OTC, the Southwestern Petroleum Short Course and Developing Unconven-tionals during the next two months. We hope to see you there!

Best Regards,

Lori DitoroEditor

Editorial Advisory BoardCleon Dunham, President, Oilfi eld Automation Consulting, &

President, Artifi cial Lift R&D Council

David Jones, Business Development Manager, Siemens Industry Inc.

Chad Joost, Sales Manager, Well Stimulation Products, Stewart & Stevenson

Daniel Lakovic, Progressing Cavity Pump Technical Expert, seepex, Inc.

Santosh Mathilakath, Vice President - Mono Group, National Oilwell Varco

Gord Rasmuson, Sales Manager, Oil Lift Technology

Bill Tipton, Division Vice President - Business Development, Weir Oil & Gas

Doug Walser, Technology Manager, Pinnacle, a Halliburton Business Line

Shaun White, Mud Pump Designer, White Star Pump Company

PublisherWalter B. Evans, Jr.

VP of SalesGeorge Lake

[email protected] 205-345-0477

VP of EditorialMichelle Segrest


Creative DirectorTerri Jackson

[email protected]

EDITORIALEditor

Lori K. [email protected] 205-314-8269

Associate EditorAmanda Perry


Contributing EditorDoug Walser

CREATIVE SERVICESCreative Director

Terri Jackson

Senior Art DirectorGreg Ragsdale

Art DirectorJaime DeArman

PRODUCTIONProduction Manager/Traffi c

Lisa [email protected] 205-212-9402

Web Advertising Traffi cAshley Morris


CIRCULATIONJeff Heine


ADVERTISINGAssociate Publisher

Vince [email protected] 205-310-2491

Addison [email protected] 205-561-2603

Derrell [email protected] 205-345-0784

Mary-Kathryn [email protected] 205-345-6036

Mark [email protected] 205-345-6414

from the publishers of

P.O. Box 530067, Birmingham, AL 35253

Editorial, Circulation and Production Offi ces1900 28th Avenue South, Suite 110

Birmingham, AL 35209, Phone: 205-212-9402

Advertising Sales Offi ces2126 McFarland Blvd. East, Suite A

Tuscaloosa, AL 35404, Phone: 205-345-0477

UPSTREAM PUMPING SOLUTIONS (ISSN# 2159-3035) is published bimonthly by Cahaba Media Group, 1900 28th Avenue So., Suite 110, Birmingham, AL 35209. Standard A postage paid at Birmingham, AL, and additional mailing offi ces. Subscriptions: Free of charge to qualifi ed industrial pump users. Publisher reserves the right to determine qualifi cations. Annual subscriptions: US and possessions $48, all other countries $125 US funds (via air mail). Single copies: US and possessions $5, all other countries $15 US funds (via air mail). Call (205) 212-9402 inside or outside the U.S. POSTMASTER: Send changes of address and form 3579 to Upstream Pumping Solutions, Subscription Dept., 440 Quadrangle Drive, Suite E, Bolingbrook, IL 60440. 2013 Cahaba Media Group, Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. The publisher does not warrant, either expressly or by implication, the factual accuracy of any advertisements, articles or descriptions herein, nor does the publisher warrant the validity of any views or opinions offered by the authors of said articles or descriptions. The opinions expressed are those of the individual authors, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Cahaba Media Group. Cahaba Media Group makes no representation or warranties regarding the accuracy or appropriateness of the advice or any advertisements contained in this magazine. SUBMISSIONS: We welcome submissions. Unless otherwise negotiated in writing by the editors, by sending us your submission, you grant Cahaba Media Group, Inc. permission by an irrevocable license to edit, reproduce, distribute, publish and adapt your submission in any medium on multiple occasions. You are free to publish your submission yourself or to allow others to republish your submission. Submissions will not be returned. Volume 4 Number 2

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Table of Contents

DEPARTMENTS

Drilling & Well Completion

12 Dual-Fuel Service in Hydraulic

Fracturing PumpsBy Doug Walser, Pinnacle, a Halliburton Business Line

Using natural gas to power the frac spread

16 Oil Companies Improve Effi ciencyBy Brian Bennett & Jack Creamer, Schneider Electric

Automated solution for a fi xed displacement vane

pump helps save energy during tooling/logging

while drill testing.

Production, Separation

& Transport

43 Hold-Down Systems for High-Temperature Rod Pump

ApplicationsBy Paul McCreedy & Ray Neudorf, NOV Monofl o

Flexibility and durability are necessary when thermal

fl uctuations occur.

46 Crude Oil PumpsBy Sean McCandless, Colfax Fluid Handling

Progressing cavity pumps and centrifugal pumps help

move oil and an oil/water mixture.

50 Vacuum Trucks in Oilfi eld OperationsBy Rob Giese, Quadna, a DXP Company

Advancements in pump confi gurations improve pump

life in the oil patch.

IN EACH ISSUE

2 From the Editor

6 Industry News

40 Trade Show Coverage

52 Product Showcase

55 Classifi ed Ads & Index of Advertisers

56 Upstream Oil & Gas Market

A helico-axial multiphase subsea boosting sys-

tem developed by FMC Technologies and Sulzer

Pumps being lowered into a testing tank at

Sulzer Pumps facility in Leeds, United Kingdom.

Photo courtesy of Sulzer Pumps, Ltd.

March/April 2013

Pumping and Related Technology for Oil & GasMarch/April 2013Volume 4 Number 2

30

18

FEATURES

The Aftermarket

19 Predictive & Preventive MaintenanceBy Jory Lamb, VistaVu Solutions Inc.

Software solutions for tracking maintenance requirements can ensure

proper identifi cation of priority equipment needs.

22 Optimal Mud Pump Fluid End OperationBy Earl Foote, Southwest Oilfi eld Products, Inc.

Understanding fl uid end mechanics, a routine preventive

maintenance program and high quality replacement parts

are vital for ideal performance.

26 Equipment Selection Limits the Impact of Sand & SolidsBy Jyothi Samayamantula, Don-Nan Pump & Supply Co.

Combatting downhole contaminants can maximize

pump life and production.

Subsea Pumps

& Equipment

31 Boosting in Subsea FieldsBy Rob Perry, FMC Technologies

A new system provides increased production rates

and improved recovery.

33 Aging Offshore WellsBy Mainer Herrera & Ian Smith, Weatherford

Rigless well-abandonment technology gains a foothold in

the expanding Asia-Pacifi c, end-of-life intervention market.

36 Low-Vibration Compressor MotorsBy Sumit Singhal, Siemens

Large, high-speed motors are ideal solutions for gas compression

onshore and in subsea operations.

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Industry News

NEW HIRES, PROMOTIONS & RECOGNITIONS

LAMBERT EBOT, Atlas

HOUSTON (March 12, 2013) Atlas appointed Lambert Ebot as re-gional manager, USA. Ebot will head the companys U.S. business opera-tions, with new and existing clients within the energy sector.

Atlas provides learning, compli-ance and competency solutions to or-ganizations in the oil & gas and other safety-critical industries worldwide. www.atlasknowledge.com

EXPRO

ABERDEEN, U.K. (March 11, 2013) International oil eld services company, Expro, has won the Best Audio Visual Employee Communication prize at this years Scottish Communications Awards. e No Leak is Acceptable video was part of an internal safety campaign focused on teamwork and commu-nication as e ective ways of reducing hydrocarbon releases.

Expro provides ow manage-ment services. www.exprogroup.com

LOUIS A. RASPINO,

Chesapeake Energy

OKLAHOMA CITY (March 7, 2013) e Board of Directors of Chesapeake Energy Corporation accepted the resignation of board member V. Burns Hargis. e com-pany also announced that Louis A. Raspino has been elected to ll the vacancy and was appointed chairman of the audit committee.

Chesapeake Energy Corporation is the second largest producer of natural gas, a Top 11 producer of oil and natural gas liquids and a driller of new wells in the U.S. www.chk.com

OFFSHORE TECHNOLOGY

CONFERENCE

HOUSTON (March 7, 2013) e O shore Technology Conference (OTC)May 6 to 9 in Houstonannounced 15 technologies that will receive the 2013 Spotlight on New Technology Award recognizing in-novative new products that provide signi cant impact for o shore explo-ration and production. For a list of the winners, visit the website.

OTC is where energy profes-sionals meet to exchange ideas and opinions to advance scienti c and technical knowledge for o shore resources and environmental matters. www.otcnet.org/2013

JOHN COLLIS, PII

Pipeline Solutions

PERTH, Australia (Feb. 20, 2013) PII Pipeline Solutions announced it has appointed John Collis as the new sales manager for the region. Collis experience, both with PII and in the broader Australian oil and gas indus-try, will help PII grow its business in a key growth area and better serve its customers in the region.

PII Pipeline Solutions, a GE Oil & Gas and Al Shaheen joint venture, provides inspection and integrity ser-vices for all gas and liquid pipelines. www.geoilandgas.com/pii

CDL INERTIAL ENGINEERING

ABERDEEN, U.K. (Feb. 7, 2013) CDLs underwater true north seek-ing inertial system won the Subsea Industry Innovation and Technical Award. e companys Tiny Optical Gyro System was developed for remotely operated vehicles and many other subsea applications.

CDL provides engineered solu-tions supporting the subsea industry. www.cdltd.net

CIRO FANG, Beta

Machinery Analysis

CALGARY, Canada (Feb. 6, 2013) Beta Machinery Analysis (BETA) ap-pointed Ciro Fang to lead its China operations. As China business man-ager, Fang coordinates service con-tracts in China, including compres-sor, pump and piping design services, and eld engineering projects.

BETA provides engineering services for land based and o shore rotating and reciprocating machin-ery. www.betamachinery.com

MUSTAFA YAVUZ,

TransAtlantic Petroleum Ltd.

HAMILTON, Bermuda (Feb. 4, 2013) TransAtlantic Petroleum Ltd. announced that Mustafa Yavuz, the companys chief operating o cer, has resigned. TransAtlantic does not intend to seek a replacement for the chief operation o cer position.

TransAtlantic Petroleum Ltd. is an international energy company engaged in the acquisition, develop-ment, exploration and production of oil and natural gas. www.transatlanticpetroleum.com

STUART CAMPTON, Precision

Polymer Engineering

BLACKBURN, England ( Jan. 28, 2013) Precision Polymer Engineering (PPE) appointed Stuart Campton as distribution manager for its Europe, Middle East and Africa sales territories.

PPE is a manufacturer of molded elastomer seals. www.prepol.com

LEIF OVE SVENSEN, TWMA

ABERDEEN, U.K. ( Jan. 25, 2013) TWMA appointed Leif Ove Svensen as the Scandinavia region manager. He will help develope the companys Stavanger and Mongstad bases.

www.upstreampumping.com 7

TWMA provides drilling services and en-vironmental solutions for the international onshore and o shore oil and gas industry. www.twma.co.uk

MALLORI MCCLURE &

SAMANTHA MCDONALD, IPAA

WASHINGTON (Jan. 15, 2013) Mallori McClure and Samantha McDonald joined the government relations sta of the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA). Both former Capitol Hill sta ers specializing in energy and environment issues.

IPAA is a national trade as-sociation that represents Americas independent natural gas and oil producers. www.ipaa.org

RICHARD KENNEDY, LOFA

Industries, Inc.

ATLANTA (Jan. 9, 2013) LOFA Industries, Inc., an-nounced the addition of Richard Kennedy as vice president of Engineering. Kennedy brings more than 25 years of engine industry experience to the organiza-tion and has served in prominent leadership positions with several international organizations.

LOFA Industries, Inc. is a manu-facturer of engine controls and acces-sories for mechanically-governed and CANbus-based J1939 electronically governed engines. www.lofa.net

ARCHANA DESKUS &

MARTIN CRAIGHEAD,

Baker Hughes Incorporated

HOUSTON (Jan. 2, 2013) Baker Hughes Incorporated announced that Archana (Archie) Deskus joined the

global oil eld services company as its chief information o cer. Deskus came to Baker Hughes from Ingersoll Rand, where she was the vice presi-dent and chief information o cer.

e company also announced that Chad Deaton will retire on April 25, 2013, and Martin Craighead will

assume the role of chairman in addi-tion to his current role as president and chief executive o cer.

Baker Hughes is a supplier of oil eld services, products, technology and systems to the worldwide oil and natural gas industry.www.bakerhughes.com

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Industry News

IN THE FIELD

CHEVRON Realigns Gas & Midstream BusinessNEW YORK (March 12, 2013) Chevron announced that it will realign its Gas and Midstream busi-ness by consolidating the companys supply and trading functions into a single supply and trading group.

e companys executives also reported that it is continuing to de-liver operational and nancial results and progressing key development projects. Chevrons upstream results include top rankings on earnings per barrel, cash margin per barrel and return on capital employed.

Chevron announced as well that it conducted a successful production test on the St. Malo PS003 well in the Gulf of Mexico. Oil ow rates, though limited by testing equipment constraints, exceeded 13,000 barrels of oil per day.

Chevron is an integrated energy company with subsidiaries that con-duct business worldwide. www.chevron.com

Workforce Survey Reveals Compensation Up & Workers in High DemandHOUSTON (March 11, 2013) A

report published by OilCareers.com nds that the continuing shortage of skilled labor in the oil and gas industry coupled with expanding demand, presents a signi cant work-force challenge and jeopardizes safety standards in the industry.

OilCareers is a jobs board target-ing the worldwide oil and gas sector. www.oilcareers.com

GBI RESEARCH Reports Oilfi eld Services Industry to Top $200 Billion by 2017NEW YORK (Feb. 27, 2013) Booming exploration and produc-tion expenditures will see the global oil eld services industry climb sig-ni cantly in value in the near future, expects business intelligence com-pany GBI Research.

e rm also reported that an increase in o shore discoveries is prompting a surge in exploration activity across the Middle East and Africa and driving up the amount spent on drilling, states the latest report form business intelligence rm GBI Research. Drilling outlay is expected to grow across all major nations in the region, with those in West Africa leading in terms of explo-ration activity. For the full reports, visit the website.

GBI Research provides business intelligence reports. www.gbiresearch.com

CAMERON Opens Manufacturing and Repair Center in Shandong ProvinceHOUSTON (Feb. 21, 2013) Cameron announced the commence-ment of operations of its centrifugal compression business at the Gaomi manufacturing and repair center in the Shandong province of China.

e company also announced that it is an authorized distributor for Napier turbocharger units and parts, as well as an authorized provider of service, unit exchanges and emissions upgrades to operating Napier units. e relationship will provide the industry with the products, parts and services to optimize engine perfor-mance and improve reliability.

Cameron provides ow equip-ment products, systems and services to worldwide oil, gas and process industries. www.c-a-m.com

TRANSOCEAN DEEPWATER INC. Pleads Guilty to Criminal ConductWASHINGTON (Feb. 14, 2013) Transocean Deepwater Inc. pleaded guilty to a violation of the Clean Water Act for its illegal conduct lead-ing to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. e company was sentenced to pay $400 million in criminal nes and penalties.

GLOBALDATA Forecasts Decade of Unconventional Oil Production GrowthLONDON (Feb. 14, 2013) A new report from research and consulting rm GlobalData states an increase in global unconventional oil production will be led by North America over the next decade.

AXON ENERGY PRODUCTS

acquires Merrick RFID Technology March 6, 2013

SHELL

acquires new positions from Repsol S.A. Feb. 26, 2013

SKF

acquires Blohm + Voss Industries Feb. 14, 2013

TALO PRODUCTION LLC

acquires Energy Resource Technology GOM, Inc. Feb. 6, 2013

GE OIL & GAS

acquires GLS Holding S.A. Jan. 28, 2013

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS


Industry News

GlobalData is a global research and consulting rm. www.globaldata.com

ROSNEFT and EXXONMOBIL

Expand Strategic Cooperation

MOSCOW (Feb. 13, 2013) Rosne and ExxonMobil agreed to expand their cooperation under their 2011 Strategic Cooperation Agreement to include an addi-tional approximately 600,000 square kilometers (150 million acres) of exploration acreage in the Russian Arctic and potential participation by Rosne (or its a liate) in the Point omson project in Alaska. ey have also agreed to conduct a joint study on a potential LNG project in the Russian Far East.

ExxonMobil is an oil and gas company. www.exxonmobil.com

Rosne is an oil and gas com-pany in Russia. www.rosne .com

MOMENTIVE SPECIALTY

CHEMICALS Oilfi eld

Technology Group Opens

Transload Facility

HOUSTON (Feb. 7, 2013) e Oil eld Technology Group (OTG) of Momentive Specialty Chemicals Inc. announced the opening of a new transload facility to provide resin coated proppants to fracturing service companies and operators.

Momentive Specialty Chemicals Oil eld Technology Group provides resin coated proppants for use in hydraulic fracturing. www.momentive.com/oil eld

SULZER PUMPS & FMC

TECHNOLOGIES Sign a

Collaboration Agreement on

Subsea Pumps

HOUSTON (Feb. 5, 2013) Sulzer Pumps Ltd and FMC Technologies,

Inc., strengthened their existing relationship through the signing of a long-term and exclusive collaboration agreement. is agreement addresses the supply of pumps for subsea appli-cations and the further development of pumping technology of Sulzer Pumps to meet the future needs of FMC Technologies and the subsea exploration and production industry.

FMC Technologies, Inc. is a provider of technology solutions for the energy industry. www.fmctechnologies.com

Sulzer Pumps designs, develops and supplies pumping solutions and related equipment worldwide. www.sulzer.com

NEW WESTERN ENERGY

CORP. Establishes NWE

Technologies Inc.,

IRVINE, Calif. (Feb. 5, 2013) New Western Energy Corp. an-nounced that it has established NWE Technologies Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary, to develop, acquire and license technologies for enhanced oil recovery.

New Western Energy Corp. is an independent energy company engaged in the acquisition, develop-ment, production, and exploration of oil, gas and minerals. www.newwesternenergy.com

GEs Trailer-Mounted

Gas Turbine Selected for

Canadian Unconventional

Gas Demonstration Project

LETHBRIDGE, Alberta, Canada (Feb. 5, 2013) Oil eld technology company Evolution Well Services has selected GEs trailer-mounted, TM2500+ aeroderivative gas turbine for a milestone on-site power project in Canada.

Evolution Well Services is an oil eld technology company that provides mobile, modular, electric-powered high-pressure pumping systems. www.evowellserv.ca

GE Power & Water provides customers with an array of power generation, energy delivery and water process technologies. www.ge.com

BAKER HUGHES Retains

Process and Pipeline

Services Business

HOUSTON (Feb. 4, 2013) Baker Hughes Incorporated announced that it will retain its Process and Pipeline Services business. Going forward, this business will be reclassi ed as continuing opera-tions within the Industrial Services segment.

Baker Hughes is a supplier of oil eld services, products, technol-ogy and systems to the worldwide oil and natural gas industry. www.bakerhughes.com

To have an item considered, please send the information to Amanda Perry at [email protected].


EVENTS

Developing Unconventionals

Permian Basin

April 2 4Fort Worth Convention CenterFort Worth, Texas713-260-1072www.dugpermian.com

Southwestern Petroleum

Short Course

April 17 18Lubbock Memorial Civic CenterLubbock, Texas806-742-1727www.swpshortcourse.org


Midcontinent

April 22 24Renaissance Tulsa Hotel & Convention Center

Tulsa, Okla.713-260-1072www.dugmidcontinent.com

Offshore Technology

Conference

May 6 9Reliant Park / Houston, Texas972-952-9494www.otcnet.org/2013

Oilfi eld Housing Solutions

Conference

May 9 10 e Westin La Cantera Hill Country Resort / San Antonio, Texas888-906-9898www.petroleumhousing.com

Frac Completions

May 21 23Hilton Garden Inn / Houston, Texaswww.petroleumetc.com


Bakken & Niobrara

May 29 31Colorado Convention CenterDenver, Colo.713-260-1072www.dugbakken.com

Gas & Oil Expo GoExpo

June 11 13Stampede Park / Calgary, Canada888-799-2545www.gasandoilexpo.com

Eastern Oil & Gas Conference

Aug. 27 28Monroeville, Pa.www.pioga.org

To have an item considered, please send the information to Amanda Perry at [email protected].

I N D U S T R I E S

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DRILLING & WELL COMPLETION

The technologies required to retro t large diesel engines so that they can operate on

a combination of natural gas and diesel has been in use for a number of years in midstream and upstream applications. Until recently, however, engines that power hydraulic fractur-ing pumps have not had the attention

in this area that other xed-footprint power sources have received.

Historically, a number of limiting conditions have combined to slow the acceptance and implementation of natural gas as a fuel in hydraulic frac-turing operations: e logistics associated with delivering a clean and predictable

supply of natural gas to a given fracturing eet in a temporary, remote location raise challenges.

e logistics associated with distributing the fuel safely in and among a multitude of heavy ve-hicles that are constantly being re-positioned during the stimulation and completion operations cause

Dual-Fuel Service in Hydraulic Fracturing PumpsBy Doug Walser, Pinnacle, a Halliburton Business Line

Using natural gas to power the frac spread

REPORT FROM

THE FIELD

Above: A signi cant challenge of converting to dual-fuel capability is distributing the fuel safely among a multitude of frequently repositioned heavy vehicles.


concerns. ough such logistics might seem minor, the rami ca-tions of failure are so large that extreme measures must be taken to ensure system integrity and safety during a wide range of unpredict-able conditions.

In a 24-hour period of use, fractur-ing pumps typically cycle through many di erent combinations of speeds and loads. e implication is that the ratio of natural gas to diesel injected into the system must be instantaneously varied to allow the development of the required torque during these periods of changing loads and engine speeds.

Regulatory tightening of new o -road diesel engine criteria in the U.S. (a progressive series of tiered standards mandating increased reduction of noxious gases and particulate matter) may have tem-porarily diverted attention from dual-fuel service e orts until the last two to three years.

e recent move toward imple-mentation was initially driven by sev-eral operators and their service com-panies who recognized that the huge di erential in the normalized cost of diesel and natural gas would likely be a long-term condition. In addition, public demand for more environmen-tally friendly fossil fuels suggested that any substitutionary use of natural gas could conceivably o set the burn-ing of heavier hydrocarbons.

Natural Gas SourcesSeveral sources of natural gas can be used in dual-fuel service. Lique ed natural gas (LNG) is an option in-volving onsite storage at -260 F and a vaporization unit. Approximately 1.6 gallons of LNG are required to pro-duce the energy equivalent of 1 gallon of diesel fuel (129,400 BTU).

Compressed natural gas (CNG) is an alternative, which is typically stored in mobile tube trailers at about 3,600 psi. e pressure must be re-duced to a usable range, and no vapor-ization equipment is required.

On a comparative energy basis, approximately 4 gallons of CNG are required to produce the same amount of energy as 1 gallon of diesel. Local eld gas can be used if it has been properly conditioned with respect to removal or reduction of water, hydro-gen sul de (H2S) and other impuri-ties. While eld gas has the distinct advantage of limited transport cost, approximately 1,000 gallons (133 cubic feet) of pipeline gas is required to produce the energy equivalent of 1 gallon of diesel.

Dual-System OperationWith current dual-fuel systems, natu-ral gas is introduced into the engine

through fumigation of the intake airstream. Depending on speed and load, substitution ratios as high as 60 percent can be achieved. Gas initially ows from its localized source, and its pressure is subsequently regulated to near zero at the engine intake. It is directed past a gas shuto valve, heat exchanger, low-pressure variable regulator, throttle body and nally to the intake manifold.

A typical frac eet can use any-where from 1.0 to 3.0 million stan-dard cubic feet (MMSCF) for a days operations, depending on the total hydraulic horsepower present and the number of hours spent pumping. Current commodity pricing of natu-ral gas per unit of heating value is ap-proximately 15 to 20 percent of the price of No. 2 o -road diesel.

From a purely scal standpoint, the extra cost of planning, infrastruc-ture and implementation of dual-fuel

The cost to convert to dual fuel is a challenge since a signi cant expense is associated with the installation of the conversion kits.



services can make sense even if the di erential (cost/unit of heating val-ue) between the two fuels is as low as 40 percent.

Dual-fuel systems are required to demonstrate that they meet the certi cation standards of the engines on which they are installed. In the U.S., regulatory requirements man-date that new, large, o -road engines manufactured in or a er 2015 (EPA Tier 4F) demonstrate even further reductions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter and non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC).

Dual-fuel systems o en require additional exhaust catalysts (depend-ing upon the particular regulatory tier), and such incremental upgrades will likely be required to achieve the ultra-low emissions required by Tier 4F regulation.

Application of Dual-Fuel EnginesDual-fuel scenarios in fracturing eets are currently most applicable when a eet is dedicated long-term to a speci c play and/or particular operator. Engine conversion kits have signi cant capital cost associated with their installation, and to take advantage of the potential cost sav-ings, a consistent source of natural gas should be available at each pad that a given pumping eet will oc-cupy. However, if gas is not available for a series of fracturing treatments, the dual-fuel units can run on 100 percent diesel fuel.

From an e ciency standpoint, acquiring conversion kits and build-ing up the extra infrastructure re-quired may not make sense if dual-fu-el services are used only sporadically. In addition to the cost of installing

conversion kits, a typical eet must carry auxiliary equipment and dis-tribution infrastructure on a sepa-rate truck or trailer. Maximizing the overall value of dual-fuel process-ing requires that the operators sup-ply chain management focus on the speci cs of ensuring 100-percent or near-100-percent use of the dedicat-ed equipment.

Along this line, the industry trend toward smaller hydraulic frac-turing footprints is most consistent with the use of clean and dry eld or pipeline gas. ough LNG and CNG are all part of the mix of options avail-able to operators, they require more tractors and trailers on location and, by implication, more square footage of pad space.

e abundance of unconven-tional low-permeability gas in North America suggests that the extreme ratio of gaseous heating value cost to liquid hydrocarbon heating value cost could persist for an extended pe-riod of time. erefore, both opera-tors and pumping service companies have real incentives to develop and optimize these systems.

Doug Walser has extensive (31 years) Permian Basin, Mid-Continent, Appalachia, Rockies and South Texas experience with Dowell Schlumberger; e Western Company of North America; BJ Services; and Pinnacle, a Halliburton business line. He has specialized in the calibration of three-dimensional acture modeling via a number of methods. Recently, he has specialized in the examination and comparison of the various emerging resource plays in North America, and more speci cally, plays with liquid hy-drocarbons. He has written 14 papers and holds three patents in his areas of interest. He can be reached at [email protected].


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International oil service compa-nies with $18 billion in revenue in 2010 understand the impor-

tance of energy saving resources. In 2011, an oil services company re-quested bids for a pump to use for its downhole tooling/logging while drilling testing. e industry standard for this type application is a variable displacement piston pump, which can be a large, costly and mechanical-based solution that requires a long lead time.

Ed Martell, vice president of sys-tems for Romeo Engineering, in Fort Worth, Texas, envisioned something quite di erent. Martell had dreamed of a more innovative solution but had not made his dream a reality. He wanted to reduce the cost of the standard hydraulic components and create an automated solution that was smaller, less costly and available in a shorter time period. Most important, he wanted to develop a solution that was more energy e cient but just as e ective as a variable displacement piston pump.

Solutions Outside the NormWith the help of an energy manage-ment company that o ers integrated solutions, the Romeo engineering team, led by Martell, developed an

automated solution for a xed dis-placement vane pumpusing a drive, a programmable logic controller (PLC) and pressure transducersthat changes pressure by changing the rpm of the motor.

Unlike the variable displacement piston pump, with which the motor runs at the nameplate rating, the drive solution on the xed displacement vane pump so starts the motor. en it only generates the required uid power based on the pressure setting and the ow requirements.

In fact, Martell reported that the xed displacement vane pumps have run at as low as 12 percent of power

at the maximum pressure of 3,500 psi, an 88 percent savings for a 150-horse-power motor. In the end, Romeo was able to provide the oil services compa-ny with a solution that was as respon-sive as the industry standard but with signi cant energy savings. From the beginning, Romeo planned a green solutionone that used less water, much less electricity and required a much lower electrical demand cycle

because the ow and pressure require-ments were managed more e ciently.

Because the solution was auto-mated, it gave the oil services company a window into the health and welfare of the solution. e PLC sends data to a human machine interface (HMI) with which operators can manage many variablesincluding the rpm of the motor, to dial in the gallons per minute; the percent of energy that the motor uses for each pressure setting; the temperature of the oil in the in-take; the pressures of the return mani-fold; and the pressure and tempera-ture in the heat exchanger. e system brings up an alarm if conditions exist outside of the set parameters.

Additional Benefi tsWhile the energy-saving bene ts of the xed displacement vane pumps certainly were considerable, other bene ts were also importantinclud-ing a shorter lead time, much lower replacement costs and a smaller size. Because a xed displacement vane pump is a commoditized solution, it is available from many manufacturers worldwide. OEMs can receive the so-lution in two to three weeks. A vari-

able displacement piston pump can take up to 16 weeks to obtain.

e standard components of the former solution allow OEMs to re-spond more quickly to customer re-quests and speed the time to market. Additionally, the replacement costs for a xed displacement vane pump are about 10 times less than that of a variable displacement piston pump.

Not only are the replacement

Oil Companies Improve Effi ciencyBy Brian Bennett & Jack Creamer, Schneider Electric

Automated solution for a fi xed displacement vane

pump helps save energy during tooling/logging

while drill testing.

International oil service companies with

$18 billion in revenue in 2010 understand

the importance of energy saving resources.


cost magnitudes less for a xed dis-placement pump, but it is also a more rugged and reliable solution, Martell said. Pressure-compensated piston pumps are especially susceptible to contamination in the working uid that can result in piston or swash plate damage. We were able to reduce the component cost and move the same amount of money into the drive and control portion of the solution, which doesnt need to be replaced o en.

e size of the xed displace-ment vane pump is smaller than the industry standard piston pump with the same ow ratinga huge bene t

because space is always at a premium. Fewer plumbing connections and a lower total part count are responsible for the smaller size.

Brian Bennett is an OEM business devel-opment specialist for Schneider Electric. He has more than 25 years of electrical and auto-mation experience and has been with the company for 10 years. He is based in Texas and can be reached at [email protected].

Jack Creamer is the mar-ket segment manager for pumping equipment at Schneider Electric. He has more than 30 years experience in the electric industry, most recently focusing on de-veloping energy saving solutions for the pump industry. Creamer is based in North Carolina and can be reached at [email protected].

For more information about Romeo Engineering, please go to www.romeoeng.com, or email Ed Martell, vice president of systems, at [email protected].

Unlike the variable displacement piston pump, with which

the motor runs at the nameplate rating, the drive on the

fi xed displacement vane pump soft starts the motor.

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THE AFTERMARKET

An oil eld service company only gets paid when equip-ment produces. If the equip-

ment fails on the job, it is a costly operational issue and could hurt the reputation that the company has worked long to build. Striking the right balance between pro table up-time and long-term reliability is the heart of todays preventive mainte-nance challenge.

Jesse Waters, co-owner of Waters & Waters Services based in Goldsmith, Texas, acknowledges the importance of maintenance issues.

We have a large investment in equipment, so you want to get the longest life possible out of it, says Waters. His company o ers oil eld servicesfrom pumping unit instal-lation to fabrication to eld services.

You also want to maximize op-erational runtime. e more robust your preventive maintenance is, the more uptime you have. We want to take care of our assets and take care of our customers.

White-Board Maintenance TrackingWaters & Waters has long used one of the more common tools for

maintenance informationa dry-erase whiteboard mounted on a wall of the o ce. It lists the companys equipment assets, their location and importantly, when each piece of equipment is scheduled for any need-ed maintenance.

Naturally, con icts can arise when equipment is urgently needed for operations but is simultaneously scheduled for maintenance. In this case, who wins? As Waters explains, by corporate policy, a scheduled date for equipment maintenance must be respected regardless of operational requirements. It is a commandment, not a suggestion.

ere is de nitely a challenge to address, but its about the di erence between proactive and reactive main-tenance, he says.

If youre practicing reactive maintenance, there is never a good time for a breakdown, so maintenance needs to be scheduled out. But if you are thinking proactively, you need to de ne a day that every piece of equip-ment goes down for maintenance.

For many years, the dry-erase whiteboard approach served Waters & Waters well. During the past two years, however, the company

has experienced signi cant growth. Newer sta members have not had the same long-standing familiarity with this manual information system. An expanding equipment roster also has Waters considering how well or how long the old-school whiteboard can keep up.

It is just the best practice that we have found, and it is up there so that everyone has visibility, and we can forecast resources like parts and me-chanics, says Waters. I wouldnt say that our system is mature. Its still de-veloping and growing, and its a work in progress.

How Growth Changes Preventive MaintenanceWhether it is a whiteboard, a binder or a stack of le cards, manual infor-mation systems win points for sim-plicity, ease of use and low cost. Still, the day o en comes when such a sys-tem stops making money and starts costing money.

When an organization begins to run multiple o ce locations and its equipment portfolio grows beyond the capacity of the companys sys-tem, a di erent approach to mainte-nance scheduling and organization may be necessary. Many companies have too much at stake to continue using a manual system inde nitely. Economically, operationally, envi-ronmentally and in terms of worker safety, an electronic system will pay for itself in short order.

Rather than depending on a manual maintenance schedule being observed, an electronic information system can accommodate more robust maintenance scheduling. It can notify everyone who needs to knowopera-tions, sales, maintenance and account-ingthat a given piece of equipment is unavailable and for how long. An electronic system can automatically

Predictive &

Preventive

Maintenance By Jory Lamb, VistaVu Solutions Inc.

Software solutions for tracking maintenance

requirements can ensure proper identifi cation of priority

equipment needs.



schedule the resources, such as hours of labor and value of parts, needed for the maintenance and track its cost with precision.

One oil eld company rents two di erent brands of air compressors. Using a so ware system for preventive maintenance allowed the company to compare the cost of operating and maintaining each brand through a pe-riod of years. When it was time to buy more compressors, the company had a highly credible set of data to support a decision on which brand to buy.

In one electronic maintenance system, a maintenance recommenda-tion report allows end users to see the relative priority in terms of red, yel-low and green indicators. If someone fails to do a scheduled oil change, for

example, this is expressed visually in the system. If it is in the system, it is not only visible, it is auditable. Using a so ware system for preventive main-tenance helps ensure that the highest priority items are taken care of rst.

Important QuestionsSome companies use manual infor-mation systems to schedule preven-tive maintenance. Others increasingly have chosen integrated computer in-formation systems.

Still, what kind of system is best for operators and end users? Norm Poynter, a Calgary, Alberta-based maintenance reliability consultant, has been through this journey many times during engagements with North Americas oil and gas industry leaders.

Poynter believes that it is impor-tant for companies to take the discus-sion back to rst principles and build the conversation from there. He rec-ommends companies start by asking the four following questions.

Why Are We Doing is?

A companys motivations and needs regarding preventive maintenance are a signi cant indicator of which system it should choose. In Poynters experience, two if not three objectives are typically in sight.

One objective is safety. A sec-ond is reliability and availability and a third is analysis, says Poynter. We should be aiming at one, two and three so that we can continuously improve performance. You can look

A software system for preventive maintenance helps ensure that the highest priority items are taken care of rst.

Rather than depending on a manual maintenance schedule

being observed, an electronic information system can

accommodate more robust maintenance scheduling.


THE AFTERMARKET

at preventive maintenance as a cost center versus a pro t center or as a problem that you have to deal with. But if you look at it more holisti-cally and you have your sight lines on Objectives 1, 2 and 3, everyone can have a stake in that.

What Are Our Assets?

Companies in this sectorwhether they are in oil and gas services, explo-ration and production, transmission, or re ningare typically asset inten-sive. Even so, companies can some-times struggle to de ne precisely what is and is not an asset that should be included in an asset registry. Poynters go-to de nition of what to include in an asset registry is something about which an end user wants to know the history, location, cost or state.

If you ask whether you want to know the history, location, cost or state of something, and you answer yes to just one of these, then that asset needs to be part of your asset registry, says Poynter. Otherwise, you are for-ever arguing about what to track and what not to track.

For example, in my experience, things such as re extinguishers and ladders are constantly in or out based on someones opinion. is de nition removes the subjectivity and puts ob-jectivity into your asset inventory.

How Do We Need to Manage

ose Assets?

A simple list of assets can reside comfortably on a sheet of paper, a whiteboard or a basic spreadsheet. In Poynters experience, a higher need for functionality exists that ultimately calls for business so ware.

You can create a library for those assets that is a virtual facility that matches the physical facility of those assets and represents the true state of

it, says Poynter. You can create, as Gartner Group terms it, a 360-degree view around every asset. is includes when it must be maintained and what this will cost. I would then start to build up data that supports future de-cisions with information in this elec-tronic format.

How Ready Are Our People for

the Change?

Todays business so ware is increas-ingly powerful, capable and versa-tile. It can serve as an advanced tool to manage essential functions such as preventive maintenance. Even so, Poynter emphasizes that an operators needs must be re ected in any preven-tive maintenance information system.

Its important to keep in mind that the system comes empty, and you have to populate it, he says. You are

asking somebody to use a computer system to capture data and essentially to be an analyst of that data. e ac-tivity had better not turn into a bur-den or it wont be done. ere is an entire human factor that has to occur long before implementation.

Jory Lamb has been a passionate entrepreneur in Calgary, AB, since 1995. He has founded six companies and is presently the president

& CEO of VistaVu Solutions Inc. In this role, he has been an integral part of helping more than 60 companies in the North American energy services in-dustry run more e ciently through the implementation and use of tools such as SAP Business One and FieldVu.




Whether onshore or o -shore, well drilling sites are highly complex work

environments that rely on numerous systems to successfully perform the drilling operation. Among these sys-tems, the rigs mud pump is tasked with circulating drilling uid (mud) under high pressure (up to 7,500 psi) downhole. e mud pump can be di-vided into two key sections: the pow-er end and the uid end.

e mud pump uid end uses the reciprocating action of the power or drive end to create a suction and dis-charge ow that essentially pumps the mud down the drill string and back up the wells annulus.

e key components of a mud pump uid end are the piston and

liner system, valve and seat system, and the uid end module. As with most mechanical devices, any system malfunction can impact the perfor-mance of the entire unit or shutdown the pump completely.

Having an in-depth understand-ing of uid end mechanics, a routine preventive maintenance program and using high quality replacement parts are vital to keeping a mud pump uid end performing properly. is article focuses on the importance of per-forming proper routine maintenance on mud pump uid ends to ensure ef- cient operation.

Piston and Liner System e piston and liner system of a mud pump uid end consist of the piston,

liner, liner seal, wear plate, wear plate seal, liner retainer, the piston rods and rod clamps. Of these items, the piston will experience the most wear and will typically be replaced the most. Routine piston maintenance presents an excellent opportunity to inspect other components in the system. For example, because of high levels of vibration during operation, rod clamps can loosen, which causes excess wear to the clamp and the rod. Additionally, a worn rod clamp can cause damage to the rod that would a ect its alignment with respect to the centerline of the liner bore. Any misalignment of this type would cause accelerated wear of the piston and liner. In respect to addressing loose rod clamps, it is important to note that over torquing rod clamp bolts can have adverse e ects as well. e recommended tightening torque for a rod clamp bolt is signi cantly less than the same size bolt used in a anged connection application. A small gap should be between the two halves of a typical rod clamp when it is properly tightened.

Over tightening the clamp causes the two halves to meet and runs the risk of overloading the clamp, which can lead to permanent damage of the rod and clamp.

Pistons generally provide longer service life when they are engineered

for the environment in which they will operate. erefore, operators must know the properties of the drilling mud that is being used as well as the drilling conditions. For example, if the mud temperature is more than 180 F, the op-erator needs to consider a piston that is designed for high-temperature service.

Optimal Mud Pump Fluid End OperationBy Earl Foote, Southwest Oilfi eld Products, Inc.

Understanding fl uid end mechanics, a routine preventive

maintenance program and high quality replacement

parts are vital for ideal performance.

Mud pump systemMud pump


e performance of all elastomers will degrade as temperature rises, but new elastomers are available on the market that will yield longer run times in high temperature environ-ments. Generally, urethane pistons do not perform as well when running in water-based muds as nitrile or hy-drogenated nitrile butadiene rubber pistons. Conversely, nitrile pistons do not perform as well in oil-based muds as urethane pistons.

Valve and Seat System e valve and seat system consists of the valve, valve seat, valve spring, valve guide and bushing, valve cover, and valve cover seal. One of the most overlooked components of the uid end is the valve spring. is inexpen-sive, small item can wreak havoc on the mud pump uid end if it is not in proper running order. When the pis-ton transitions from its suction stroke to its discharge stroke, the valve spring is supposed to push the suction valve down on the seat, closing the valve. A weak valve spring allows the valve to dwell in the open position longer than it should. is results in reduced e ciency because of mud ow rever-sal as well as the valve being slammed down on the valve seat by the return-ing piston stroke.

If a valve runs for 500 hours at 100 strokes per minute, the spring will experience 3,000,000 cycles. Considering its high cycling function, the valve spring should be replaced with every valve replacement.

As with all operations, safety is

rst and needs to be given a tremendous amount of consideration when per-forming valve and seat maintenance. e full open valve seat has become more popular in recent years due to improved ow and

ease of maintenance. In valve over valve uid ends, the full open valve seat allows easy access to the suction valve without having to remove the discharge valve seat. is was previ-ously not an option with webbed seat designs. However, webbed seats are easier and safer to remove from the module because of their design and anchor points with the removal tools.

Split puller heads are used to pull full open seats. Split puller heads are designed to collapse to allow inser-tion into the full open seat. e puller screw is then threaded into the puller head to keep the puller head halves spread and allow the seat to be pulled.

A common problem arises when the puller screw is not completely threaded into the puller head. When attempting to pull the seat, the pull-ing action collapses the puller head halves and exerts a strong force on the puller head retaining ring resulting in a catastrophic puller head failure.

When this occurs, force is re-leased, and the tool can severely injure anyone standing nearby. Standing clear when performing this operation is critical for personnel safety.

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Correct and incorrect tightening of the rod clamp

Failed seat puller head

THE AFTERMARKET



When replacing valve seats, care must be taken. e seat deck taper must be inspected for corrosive pit-ting. Areas of corrosive pitting can progress inward from the top and bot-tom of the seat. If they meet, they will create a uid path for a wash to occur. When a valve seat becomes pitted, it must be lapped to remove the pitting. Some companies make tools for this. However, a simple way to do this is to use a three- or four-web seat as the lap-ping tool.

Another part that is o en over-looked in the valve and seat system is the valve guide bushing. When per-forming valve or seat maintenance, the valve guide bushing should be inspected for excess wear or damage. e valve guide bushing should be re-placed if necessary.

A worn or damaged valve guide bushing can cause the valve to stick

or become misaligned and not engage the seat properly. is malfunction can lead to a module washout, a cata-strophic failure of the module because of the high-pressure uids.

Fluid End ModulesWhen a wash occurs in a uid end module, little can be done in the eld to repair it other than the lap-ping of the seat deck tapers that was previously mentioned. e module must be sent to a repair facility that is familiar with the proper weld pro-cedure required to repair the washed out area. e repair shop must have a way to apply the proper preheating, post-weld stress relieving and the ma-chining capability to perform suitable repairs to uid end modules.

Keep an eye on valve cover seal ar-eas. Normally, valve covers are not sup-posed to breath or move during op-eration. However, if a loose valve cover gland allows this to happen, wear in the seal area will occur. If le unchecked the valve cover will eventually leak.

Seals are an inexpensive item, and if an opportunity presents itself, a seal should be changed if an operator has the slightest doubt about its condi-tion or age. All elastomeric parts have a shelf life, and heat and humidity will drastically reduce the parts condition.

High Quality Replacement Parts Along with performing routine main-tenance, selecting high quality re-placement parts is equally important because this has a direct impact on the overall performance of a mud system. As the old adage goes, You get what you pay for.

Depending on the drilling envi-ronment, some operators who have chosen to run lower quality replace-ment parts report a decreased life cycle of their consumable items and a reduction in the overall performance of their mud pump systems.

In conclusion, a disciplined pre-ventive maintenance program in conjunction with using high quality replacement parts is crucial for proper mud pump uid end performance.

Earl Foote is the senior engineer for Southwest Oil eld Products, Inc.(SWOP). He has more than 20 years of engi-neering experience in manufacturing and is

responsible for overseeing all engineer-ing functions at SWOP. Foote can be reached at [email protected].

Seat puller head and screw, fully inserted Seat puller head and screw, partially inserted

A plug seal washout

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Downhole sand and solids cannot be eliminated. ey can only be worked with

and/or around. e ultimate goal is to stave a downhole sucker-rod pump, rod or tubing failure as long as possi-ble. Failure is inevitable. Minimizing failure is the only success.

Steps can be taken to combat downhole sand and solids in the well. Just as a sherman must adjust his tackle, string and bait for diverse watering holes, oil and gas operators must understand their sucker-rod pump options to maximize pump life and production.

is article includes ways to ma-nipulate a pump and the drilling and production process to achieve opti-mized life and produced hydrocar-bons. Operators should consider: Hydraulic fracturing (frac) sand selection

e plunger and barrel t Barrel materials of construction Plunger selection Top or bottom hold down selection

Other accessory selection

Frac Sand SelectionSand complications can be mini-mized before the sucker rod pump ever enters the well. e type of frac sand that an operator selects a ects the amount of downhole sand. By upgrading to a resin-coated frac sand, operators will pay more up front -nancially, but they will bene t con-siderably from less sand owing back into the well, since more resin-coated sand will remain in the fractures.

e higher cost of this approach may deter many operators who will opt to attempt to ght the sand downhole. Each operator must ana-lyze the production costs and choose which direction is the most pro table in the long run.

Plunger & Barrel FitIn the past, common logic was to as-sume that a tighter t between the plunger and the barrel of a pump would best combat sand and oth-er solids from scoring the plunger (0.002-inch clearance, for example). Since then, operators realize that this results in an increased likelihood of

sticking the pump, sooner rather than later. Today, some operators have ipped their thinking and try to give the pump an extra-large clearance t between the plunger and barrel (0.008-inch clearance, for example) e ectively providing more room for minimal scoring. However, this also negatively increases slippage. Of course, the amount of solids down-hole will dictate which approach is most e ective for any given well since no wholly right or wrong choice ex-ists. Depending on the downhole en-vironment, the appropriate selection in clearance should result in minimiz-ing the amount of damage and opti-mizing the amount of production.

BarrelsA chrome-plated barrel would be ideal for handling the abrasion of downhole solids. However, the high costs and limited supply of this type barrel and its susceptibility to dete-rioration within acidic environments are the disadvantages of this option. Other suggested barrel options when

Equipment Selection Limits the Impact of Sand & SolidsBy Jyothi Samayamantula, Don-Nan Pump & Supply Co.

Combatting downhole contaminants can

maximize pump life and production.

Modi ed plunger adaptor for funneling solids


THE AFTERMARKET

introducing acid to the downhole en-vironment (a common practice for combatting scale in the well) are brass nicarb, steel or carburized hardened/honed barrels.

Of these remaining barrel op-tions, the brass nicarb will cost the most, sometimes up to four times more than a steel or carburized bar-rel. A brass nicarb barrel, however, may achieve twice the run-time. Depending on average run-times for a given well, the higher price may or may not justify the extended produc-tion time that a brass nicarb barrel provides in sandy wells over steel or carburized barrels.

Another common sucker rod pump application for dealing with solids is the use of some form of a stroke-thru pump in conjunction with a grooved-body plunger in which barrel extensions are required on both ends of a shortened barrel. In providing a tighter plunger t within

the barrel than is allowed in both the upper and lower barrel extensions, the plunger grooves are washed clear of most solids from the grooved body plunger before stroking back through the barrel. Since this allows most sol-ids to remain within the uid that exists above and below the barrel (in-side the larger internal diameter of the barrel extensions), the plunger is minimally scored.

Plungers e most common plungers in opera-tion in the Permian Basin for solids tend to be one of four types. ose plungers are best described as: Grooved-body plungers Hardened plungers with a mini-mum rating of 92 on the Rockwell hardness scale

Plungers that funnel solids through the plunger, not around

Non-metallic, so -packed ring plungers

If a pump runs long enough, sol-ids will eventually score or damage a plunger. e grooved-body plunger minimizes damage. Without the grooves, solids would score the plung-er much more. With a grooved-body plunger, the grooves along the plung-er decreases the length of scoring.

If scoring occurs between the grooves, it is lessened because a set-tling space on the plunger allows a location for the solids to rest before being washed out on the upstroke or downstroke in a stroke-thru pump.

is provides longer life for the plunger because the bulk of the plunger maintains its seal with the barrel, which minimizes any produc-tion ine ciencies.

Another practice is ipping the plunger over and reinstalling it if the bottom is still in good shape since most scoring occurs in the upper end. Scoring of the plunger deteriorates the initial seal provided by the typi-cally tight clearance between the bar-rel and plunger.

is deterioration leads to ine -cient pumping operations by allowing uidthough minimalto fall back down the side of the plunger. e goal is to li the uid to the surface. With time, the scoring will continue to ex-pand in length and depth, so the goal is to maintain that initial tight clear-ance. Even if the upper plunger has lost the seal, the rest of the grooved-body plunger still maintains the ini-tial intended seal.

e hardened plunger, which evolved from the grooved-body plunger, has grooves, but only one at the top and one at the bottom, about 6 inches into the length of the plung-er. is plunger comes with a steel pin end and a spray-alloy coating to pro-vide strength and durability.

Sand shield for blocking solids



Another type plunger works with the solidsnot against them. is plunger usher solids through the plunger. By funneling solids through the plunger, scoring of the plunger is e ectively reduced. However, with a rod running through the center of the plunger, uid volume is negatively a ected because there is less space to move within the plunger. Since the outer shell of this plungers wall is thinner than a standard API plunger, it may be more susceptible to break-age in traditional or horizontal wells at depths closer to 10,000 feet.

Operators at depths closer to 10,000 feet can use an alternative with similar principles of a uid-and-sol-ids-through plunger without losing a thicker plunger wall for strength. By using a standard plunger in conjunc-tion with a plunger adaptor modi ed to divert sand through the plunger at the top and a xing a positive seal seat plug to direct sand at the bottom, op-erators maintain the same e ciency in deep wells as a uid-and-solids-through plunger.

e key di erences between these two systems enter when the time comes to repair the plunger. Because failure is a matter of when and not if, the inevitable servicing of the plunger is the primary di erence between the through plunger alone and using the modi ed plunger adaptor in conjunc-tion with the positive seal seat plug. If the through plunger becomes scored or damaged, the plunger must be re-placed. If the plunger with the modi- ed plunger adaptor and positive seal seat plug is scored or damaged, the plunger may be reused by replacing the damaged accessory.

Hold Downs

When selecting a hold down for sand applications, operators must decide

on a top hold down or a bottom hold down. In a solids-stu ed well environ-ment, top hold downs will compara-bly be easier to unseat than bottom hold downs. On the ip side, a top hold down will not always be able to sustain the pump longevity that a bot-tom hold down will provide, given equal downhole conditions.

With a bottom hold down, the uid discharged from the top of the pump allows sand and other particu-lates to settle above the seating nipple between the barrel of the pump and the tubing, increasing the di culty of pulling the pump when neces-sary. With a top hold down, the area near the seating nipple is constantly ushed with every upstroke and the barrel underneath is free and clear of solids for pulling of the pump.

A bottom hold down arrange-ment provides longer sustainability since the heavy hydrostatic pressure load of the liquid column rests on the standing valve.

is eliminates heavy pressure di erentials across the inside and outside of the barrel. For a top hold down, the hydrostatic pressure load in the tubing rests within the barrel, not on the outside of the barrel since it sits below the seating nipple.

In shi ing the weight and pres-sure of the uid column to only the inside of the barrel with a top hold down, the operator runs the risk of swelling, deforming, or bursting the barrel and/or standing valve. Resting under the seating nipple, the barrel no longer has an equalizing amount of pressure on the outside walls. is means that, on every stroke, the barrel contracts and expands repeatedly. To stave failure, a bottom hold-down ar-rangement is the best choice for wells deeper than 8,000 feet. Most new and horizontal wells fall into this category.

Other Accessories

One of the most common sucker rod pump accessories is a sand shield. Sand shields rest just below the valve rod guide and above the barrel. e sand shield simulates the e ect of a top hold down because the solids dis-persed from the top guide can rest on the sand shield, preventing the solids from settling farther down the side of the pump. However, since the sand shields are composed of a non-metal-lic substance, this solutionas with all thesewill eventually fail over time due to continuous abrasion and downhole thermal heat.

When sand shields do not work long enough, operators may decide to go with a top seal option. A top-seal accessory can be substituted for a sand shield. It also rests below the valve rod guide. With a rubber pad circumfer-ence, the top-seal essentially serves as a mini pack-o rubber to prevent the sand to traveling farther down the annulus between the barrel and the tubing. is, too, will eventually wear, but operators may nd this solution longer-lasting.

Operators may discover a mi-nor weakness in this approach when working in deeper wells. Currently, anything smaller than a 2-inch hold down (or 2 -inch tubing) will require a smaller valve rod than is typically used. In this scenario, by downsizing an 1116-inch valve rod from a -inch valve rod, the weakness introduced becomes the threaded connection in wells of about 8,000 feet or deeper.

Jyothi Samayamantula has a bach-elors in mechanical engineering and a masters in industrial engineering. He specializes in downhole applications regarding beam and rod arti cial li with Don-Nan Pump & Supply Co.


COVER SERIES

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SUBSEA PUMPS & EQUIPMENT

COVERSERIES



Rising global demand for pe-troleum has forced oil and gas production companies

to develop subsea elds in deeper wa-ters and increasingly remote areas far-ther from existing infrastructure. At the same time, new elds under devel-opment are experiencing more unique challengessuch as deeper reservoirs with more challenging uid and rock properties. Fields already in produc-tion are maturing and encountering issues, such as high water cut and low reservoir pressure.

For deepwater subsea elds, these factors result in less available energy to deliver the produced uids from the reservoir to the production facilities. Increased reservoir and water depth and water cut lead to increased head to overcome, and increased tieback distance leads to increased frictional pressure drop that must be overcome. is has driven the installation of sub-sea processing to add energy to the produced uids at the seabedeither through subsea separation and boost-ing or subsea boosting alone.

Subsea processing positively af-fects the economics through the en-tire life cycle of subsea eldsfrom startup through the production pla-teau to the end-of-life stagesand is able to increase production and total recoverable reserves, and even enables

the development of entire elds that would otherwise prove not economi-cally viable. ese developments have created a demand for even more pow-erful subsea boosting solutions.

e most important region for subsea pumps is o shore West Africa and Brazil where numerous subsea boosting pumps have been installed, either as standalone boosting stations or as part of subsea separation and boosting schemes. e North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico are also important areas in which subsea boosting has been implemented and will continue to be in the future.

Boosting TechnologiesMany subsea boosting technologies are being used to meet the needs of oil and gas operators. ese solutions include electrical submersible pumps (ESPs) and multiphase pumps. Subsea multiphase pumps are sepa-rated into two main categories: posi-tive displacement and rotodynamic. Twin-screw pumps are an example of positive displacement pumps. In the rotodynamic pump category, helico-axial pumps are the most widely used.

ESPs consist of an electric mo-tor and centrifugal pump unit. ese pumps can be used in-well, at a cais-son orientated vertically at the mud-line or canned and orientated near

horizontal at the seabed. ESPs are normally used when the pumped uid is mainly liquid and is e ective in wells with low gas-to-oil ratios and high water cut.

A main limitation of ESPs is their pump power and lower e ciency when used in heavy crude applica-tions or increasing gas liquid fraction (ultimately not being able to function when there is su cient gas present to hydraulically lock the pump). Additionally, when installed in-well, the lower reliability of ESPs can lead to increased downtime with high in-tervention costs resulting from the need to use costly mobile o shore drilling units to replace pumps.

Twin-screw pumps are positive displacement pumps and operate by the screws and the casing forming a cavity for the uids, which is pushed along the pump. e gap between the screws and the casing is sealed by the liquid present in the pumped uids.

e pump is well suited for vis-cous uids and can be used to pump liquids through high gas volume frac-tions and varying inlet conditions. e possibility of liquid leakage or back ow along the pump in the gap between the screws and the casing, the limited ability to handle signi -cant amounts of solids and a narrower operating window (for a given pump selection) represent the main limita-tions of this technology.

Helico-axial pumps use helico-axial impellers to spin uids at high rpms. e high-speed uid passes through a booster section, which con-verts kinetic energy into pressure.

e helico-axial design o ers high operational exibility and has a strong installation track record. In addition, they can operate over a wide viscosity range. Multiphase,

Boosting inSubsea FieldsBy Rob Perry, FMC Technologies

A new system provides increased production rates and

improved recovery.

OPPOSITE: A helico-axial multiphase subsea boosting system submerged in a testing tank in Leeds, United Kingdom.

SU


COVER SERIES

helico-axial pumps have been devel-oped, tested and installed in numer-ous subsea eld applications. Typically, helico-axial pumps are part of a fam-ily with interchangeable hydraulic cartridge sections that range from full multiphase helico-axial pumps, to liq-uid centrifugal and hybrid pumps that comprise both multiphase helico-axial and centrifugal stages. ese types al-low the full range of operating condi-tions to be addressed.

Increasingly, suppliers of subsea technology solutions are looking to in-clude subsea boosting as part of their product o erings.

However, the quali cation pro-cess involved with developing these technologies dictates that these e orts must be part of a long-term strategy warranting signi cant investment. e costs associated with the marinization and quali cation of these systems, to-gether with the high level of technol-ogy involved, are the most signi cant obstacles to entry into this market.

A New Subsea SystemOne supplier of subsea technology so-lutions has addressed these obstacles by forming a collaboration agreement with a pump company to develop

subsea pumping solutions for subsea exploration and production. e sub-sea boosting solution developed by the companies combines pumps with subsea systems and permanent magnet motor (PMM) technologies.

e rst result of this collabora-tion is a helico-axial pump that is pow-ered by a 3.2-megawatt PMM, capable of withstanding pressures up to 5,000 psi (345 bar). e PMM technology used in the subsea pumping system is low-maintenance and provides the speed and power required for subsea multiphase pumping solutions.

Additionally, the PMM motor is compact, has good rotodynamic prop-erties due to the solid rotor and has a superior e ciency when compared with regular, liquid- lled induction motors. In addition to the helico-axial hydraulics, eld-proven centrifugal hy-draulics are also available.

e full-scale subsea pump system was engineered, constructed and in-stalled at a purpose-built pumps test facility in Leeds, United Kingdom. ere, simulations of di erent working conditions were tested, and the pump system could be operated at di erent loads and speedsa necessary part of the development and quali cation

process. As these new technologies were integrated, a rigorous quali ca-tion testing program was undertaken which was, in itself, a lengthy and time-consuming process.

During the quali cation process, operational personnel from subsea ex-ploration and production companies were invited to the test facility, so they could witness the fully operational sys-tem in a realistic environment equiva-lent to that of the subsea environment in which the system was designed to operate.

By providing access to the testing facility, small adjustments could be made based on the operational per-sonnels feedback. e subsea supplier has already begun o ering the solution for new subsea boosting projects with design criteria that meet the subsea pumps speci cations.

With a signi cant proportion of the worlds remaining oil and gas reserves located in deepwater elds, subsea boosting will continue to play a signi cant role in production in these areas. With its ability to increase pro-duction rates and the ultimate recov-ery from subsea elds, subsea boosting will continue to be a key technology employed by operators seeking to max-imize recovery from these elds.

Rob Perry is the director, Global Subsea Processing Systems, for FMC Technologies. He joined FMC Technologies om BP where he was the

vice president for Deepwater Facilities Technology. Perry holds an MBA om London Business School and a chemi-cal engineering (Honors) degree om Loughborough University in England. He is a professional engineer and a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and the Institute of Chemical Engineers. For more information, visit www.fmctechnologies.com.

The multiphase subsea boosting system in the testing tank before it is lled.

Photo courtesy of Sulzer Pumps, Ltd.



O shore oil elds worldwide are aginga trend that continues to spark an up-

tick in well-abandonment and late-stage-intervention services. Nowhere is this more evident than the matur-ing, highly-regulated Gulf of Mexico (GOM) where an estimated 9,000 wells sit idle. e region has served as a proving ground for a rigless hydrau-lic pulling and jacking unit (P&JU) system. With a successful track record in GOM well-decommissioning op-erations, the technology has been se-lected for the growing well interven-tion market in the Asia-Paci c region.

Last year, the P&JU system was selected over several conventional technologies, including snubbing units and workover rigs, to win the bid for a signi cant late-stage inter-vention campaign in South China Sea. is P&JU, built in a record 160 days, began work in April 2012.

Designed for small or satellite platforms without an existing der-rick, have a downgraded derrick, or have been storm-damaged, the P&JU technology provides a safe and cost-e cient alternative to expensive jack-up rig, or workover or snubbing unit.

is campaign marks the rst time that the P&JU system has been taken out of the GOM. It is also an opportunity for the service company to demonstrate its integrated ap-proach to intervention.

e compact, diesel-powered P&JU is designed in 27 modules and has a hydraulically powered mast tha

Mar-April 2013

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