![]() ![]() “When you’re going to a higher horsepower, it’s not necessarily just the stress of the components that you have to deal with but also the speed at which that pump is turning,” Mr Hall said. The lubricant also helps prevent the pump from overheating when it operates at a higher horsepower. The corrosion-resistant coating is harder and denser than the base steel used to build the frame of the pump, so it increases the load-bearing capacity of the bearings. To reduce scuffing, friction and adhesive wear, the company developed a proprietary dry-film lubricant. With that in mind, GD Energy Products prioritized durability in the design of the Thunder 5000 to ensure it can have the same uptime as a lower-horsepower pump. Mr Hall estimated that a typical 5,000-hp pump “essentially cuts in half” the life of its components when operating continuously at maximum capacity. One of the bigger challenges in operating a 5,000-hp pump is the potential for increased stress on the pump’s components. Whereas running a 3,000-hp pump at 12,000 psi will get you approximately 9.2 bbl/min, Mr Hall explained, running a 5,000-hp pump at the same pressure will get you 15.3 bbl/min. You have fewer pumps operating over a smaller area, so you’ve got less of a chance for issues to pop up.”Ī 5,000-hp pump can also generate higher flow rates at equivalent pressures to a lower-horsepower pump, helping companies boost production without increasing run time. That gets you efficiencies from a manpower and a safety standpoint. “Instead of needing 12 pumps on location, you only need six. “Your power density is greater when you run one 5,000-hp pump versus two 2,500-hp pumps,” Mr Hall said. With fewer pumps, transmissions and engines to maintain, the system also reduces potential points of failure at the frac site, minimizing the need for maintenance. It can cut the size of a frac spread by 30% compared with a 3,000-hp pump, according to the company. GD Energy Products entered the high-horsepower space in 2019 with its first 5,000-hp pump, the Thunder 5000 HP Quintuplex frac pump. To compensate for the increased stress that a 5,000-hp pump places on its components, the design features a longer stroke length and a harder lubricant to reduce scuffing and friction. We want to get the most work out of each stage fracked as we possibly can.” The Thunder 5000 HP Quintuplex Pump, the first 5,000-hp offering from GD Energy Products, can reduce the size of a frac spread by 30% compared with a 3,000-hp pump. “But especially since this last downturn, well services companies and drillers have become super focused on being efficient. Customers weren’t talking about running our engines at their most efficient point,” said Scott Woodruff, VP of the Oil & Gas/Mining Business at Rolls-Royce Power Systems. “In the past, when the industry ran on higher margins, we weren’t forced to be efficient. Such benefits are key as operators stay focused on capital discipline. Manufacturers are also touting that their high-horsepower systems can reduce fuel consumption, lower maintenance costs and enable longer continuous runtimes. “It’s all about extending the life of a system well beyond what a traditional 2,500- or 3,000-horsepower system can do.” Even if they’re looking to run a lower-horsepower operation, they still want the 5,000 horsepower because they know that thing is designed to run well above what they want,” said Turner Hall, Engineering Manager – New Product Development at GD Energy Products. “Companies want the most reliable fleets in the industry. A high-horsepower system also allows operators and directional drillers to run frac operations for longer continuous periods, without maxing out on capacity and straining their equipment. These new systems allow for increases in power density – meaning that they can maintain the same level of power, or increase power as needed, within a smaller physical footprint. Manufacturers of frac pumps and engines are now moving past 2,500 and 3,000 hp, and 5,000-hp pumps are becoming the norm. In the frac sector, pressure pumpers and engine manufacturers realize that they must design more durable and higher-horsepower systems, even as the definition of “high horsepower” continues to change. In US unconventionals, pressures to reduce well costs while maintaining or improving production remain high. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |