Celeros Flow Technology has injected new life into a heritage pump for a Canadian heavy oil recovery buyer, enabling them to extend production. The pump – a Mather & Platt BB5 – was more than 40 years outdated and had been subject to numerous post-installation alterations.
Heavy oil deposits are extremely viscous and require the injection of excessive stress, high temperature steam to improve fluidity and permit the oil to be pumped to the surface. In digital pressure gauge to boost extraction on this project, the shopper needed to increase water temperatures from 90° C to 140° C. However, there were considerations that the prevailing pump may not be capable of ship this requirement. Nozzle hundreds have been a specific concern. They turned to Celeros Flow Technology model ClydeUnion Pumps, their preferred provider of some 20 years, for help.
Mather & Platt is one of a number of heritage pump brands for which Celeros Flow Technology provides full lifecycle support1. Their aftermarket engineering staff undertook a thorough examination of the quadragenarian Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) boiler feed water pump used in the heavy oil extraction course of. The investigation revealed that the pump had suffered a selection of seal failures over time that had damaged the stuffing field and affected operational efficiency. There had also been no upkeep interventions for decades – however the pump had by no means really 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 operate in such harsh circumstances and with no regular upkeep over such a protracted period of time. More importantly, it gave us confidence that a thorough overhaul may obtain the desired improvement in efficiency, saving the client the price and misplaced production time that could be related to sourcing and putting in a new unit.”
Celeros Flow Technology overhauled the SAGD pump and performed a mechanical seal upgrade and Plan 23 seal flush to optimize pump efficiency. In addition, finite element analysis was undertaken to verify that the nozzle hundreds would face up to the specified temperature improve. As a outcome, the pump is now able to delivering steam at the larger temperatures required. The seal upgrades ensure it meets the newest specs.
Concludes Mike Golds: “We are actually happy with the finish result of the SAGD pump upgrade. It has not solely achieved the desired manufacturing improve for the client, but in addition offered a more sustainable and cost-effective answer than total pump substitute. Using modern engineering and evaluation, we have been able to give the present pump a new lease of life and ensure it’s going to continue to perform nicely for a lot of extra years.”
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