Celeros Flow Technology has injected new life into a heritage pump for a Canadian heavy oil recovery buyer, enabling them to increase production. The pump – a Mather & Platt BB5 – was more than forty years old and had been topic to numerous post-installation alterations.
Heavy oil deposits are extremely viscous and require the injection of high stress, excessive temperature steam to enhance fluidity and allow the oil to be pumped to the floor. In order to boost extraction on this challenge, the shopper wanted to increase water temperatures from 90° C to 140° C. However, there were issues that the present pump could not have the flexibility to deliver this requirement. Authentic had been a selected concern. They turned to Celeros Flow Technology brand ClydeUnion Pumps, their most popular supplier of some 20 years, for assistance.
Mather & Platt is considered one of a quantity of heritage pump brands for which Celeros Flow Technology presents full lifecycle support1. Their aftermarket engineering staff undertook a radical examination of the quadragenarian Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) boiler feed water pump used within the heavy oil extraction process. The investigation revealed that the pump had suffered a number of seal failures over time that had damaged the stuffing field and affected operational effectivity. There had also been no maintenance interventions for many years – however the pump had never truly failed.
Says Mike Golds, Global Upgrade and Rerate Programme Manager for ClydeUnion Pumps: “It is testomony to the quality of the original pump that it had continued to function in such harsh conditions and with no regular maintenance over such a protracted time frame. More importantly, it gave us confidence that a thorough overhaul might obtain the specified enchancment in performance, saving the shopper the cost and lost production time that may be associated with sourcing and putting in a new unit.”
Celeros Flow Technology overhauled the SAGD pump and carried out a mechanical seal improve and Plan 23 seal flush to optimize pump efficiency. In addition, finite component analysis was undertaken to verify that the nozzle loads would withstand the desired temperature increase. As a outcome, the pump is now capable of delivering steam at the higher temperatures required. The seal upgrades guarantee it meets the most recent specs.
Concludes Mike Golds: “We are actually pleased with the result of the SAGD pump improve. It has not solely achieved the desired production increase for the client, but in addition supplied a more sustainable and cost-effective solution than total pump alternative. Using fashionable engineering and evaluation, we’ve been capable of give the existing pump a new lease of life and ensure it’ll continue to carry out well for many extra years.”
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