Pipelines, refineries and petrochemical plants all rely on high energy pumps
Moving products across facilities or over long distances, these assets take up a significant percentage of annual running costs, especially if they are required to run inefficiently.
When application requirements change due to operational or regulatory pressure, the efficiency, reliability and service life of high energy pumps can be adversely affected. With the profitability and productivity of the oil and gas industry so dependent upon securing uptime, pump retrofits offer operators a cost-effective and time efficient method for rerating these units to reattain BEP (Best Efficiency Point) operations.
While specifying a new pump may seem the easier option, the long lead times and disturbance to operations can be preventative. For key assets such as diesel pumps or boiler infeed pumps, retrofits can be carried out within the original design footprint. This allows pump efficiency and reliability to be improved without rerouting pipework, changing facility infrastructure or modifying baseplates and foundations - simplifying the project. Furthermore, the shorter lead times compared to sourcing a new pump also reduce downtime.
These benefits can be unlocked by partnering with an experienced pump design and maintenance expert. With access to in-house manufacturing, retrofit and reverse engineering capabilities, pump rerates can be delivered within reduced timeframes.
Mechanical changes, usage of new durable materials, stage reductions, hydraulic modifications and new parts manufacture combine to allow existing equipment to reach a new operating point reliably. State-of-the-art equipment, 3-dimensional laser scanning technology, advanced casting techniques and in-depth application knowledge ensure an optimum pump retrofit.
As well as reducing lead times, pump retrofits deliver improved efficiency cost-effectively. Consequently, return on investment (ROI) for projects is fast tracked. Other benefits to operators include reduced energy consumption, helping businesses to simultaneously save costs and lower the environmental impact of operations.
Sulzer has issued a whitepaper on Reviving pump performance: Boosting pump efficiency and reliability in oil and gas facilities.
Alain Charles Publishing, University House, 11-13 Lower Grosvenor Place, London, SW1W 0EX, UK T: +44 20 7834 7676, F: +44 20 7973 0076, W: www.alaincharles.com