Rerating Pipeline Pumps
Pipeline operators transport billions of gallons of oil every year, and they are constantly looking at ways of improving efficiency and reducing costs. Depending on changing network demands, this might require managing an increase or decrease in flow rate in the pipeline, a change in pressure, or a pump upgrade to more efficient technology.
Throughout the life of a pipeline, the process conditions can change annually from the original pipeline pump design conditions. This makes keeping the pump with the “right fit” for the conditions a challenge, even for the most dedicated of engineers.
Reasons for rerating pumps
There can be many reasons to rerate pipeline pumps. Increasing the throughput of deliveries is a common requirement. But often the pipeline was overdesigned and now the pipeline flow rates are lower than in the original design. Pipeline pressure deration can also be the catalyst behind a rerate. Another reason is the need to improve or restore pump efficiencies and reliability in order to reduce power costs and improve run time.
The task of redesigning an entire set of pipeline pumps can be daunting and may span several budget years. The more demanding rerates have only months to complete the process. The key to the success of the process typically begins when the Sulzer Pumps Equipment hydraulic engineering department determines whether the customer’s hydraulic requirements can be achieved. The Sulzer network of service centers, field engineers, field service technicians, and vendors then execute the project.
More throughput needed
One project began with a phone conversation with the Sulzer Denver service center field engineer. The customer was contemplating approximately a 20% increase in flow rates in their pipeline: “By the way, we want to do this with our existing pumps and motors without exceeding our existing station horsepower. Additionally, we want to deliver four different grades of crude oil.”
This project would be a challenge not only to accomplish the customer’s request but also to realize it in a manner that produced pumps that would operate reliably, efficiently, and give the customer a normal service life. The Denver field service engineer contacted Sulzer’s advance engineering department in Portland, OR, USA, to determine whether there was a hydraulic solution available for the customer’s rerating request.
Usually, pump hydraulic design is done that the impeller and volute design are “optimized” and casting, machining, and assembly can be accomplished in an efficient and cost-effective manner. The optimized designs are then rigorously factory tested to prove the designs. Once proven, these pumps become part of the company’s catalog of pumps. This catalog encompasses an assortment of pump types that cover a variety of flow ranges and differential pressures.
When a rerate of one of the pumps occurs, it is out of the range of operation originally intended for the pump by the manufacturer. What has taken years to engineer and prove by testing now is condensed into a very short period of time. This is where Sulzer’s experience, knowledge, and network are a significant advantage for a pipeline company’s pump rerate projects
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