The dwindling oil supplies in the seas =
and=20
oceans around the world has meant that the =
oil=20
companies must now find more cost =
effective means=20
of extracting what resources remain in =
remote and=20
deep water areas not suited to traditional =
offshore rigs. The use of Floating =
Production=20
Storage & Offloading vessels has grown =
rapidly=20
in popularity but their demands for low =
volumes of=20
highly specified pumps on short leadtimes =
poses=20
traditional equipment manufacturers used =
to=20
selling much higher volumes to offset the=20
investment made in high specification =
pumps with=20
enormous challenges. Oliver Brigginshaw, =
Managing=20
Director of Amarinth, a leading company=20
specialising in the design, application =
and=20
manufacture of pumps and associated =
equipment,=20
explores how suppliers need to adapt if =
they are=20
to tap into this growing market.
![3D"FPSO](3D"http://www.oilonline.com/Portals/0/Images/logos/fpso_vessel.jpg"=20)
Oil has been produced from offshore =
locations=20
since the 1950s. Originally, oil platforms =
sat on=20
the seabed, but as exploration has been =
forced to=20
move into deeper waters and more distant =
locations=20
a more cost effective means of extracting =
the oil=20
was needed.
The first example of Floating =
Production=20
Storage & Offloading vessel (better =
known by=20
their acronym of FPSO) was simply a =
converted=20
tanker tethered over a well site. Later =
versions=20
were then purpose built with sophisticated =
"turret" systems to allow the vessel to =
turn into=20
the prevailing weather without tangling =
the=20
umbilical hoses connecting the sub sea =
well heads=20
with the vessel. Initially this production =
technique was limited to oil but now there =
is a=20
new generation designed for LNG.
With advances in sub sea production =
techniques,=20
deep water fields can now be developed=20
economically using FPSO vessels which can =
deal=20
with multiple sub sea well heads without =
the cost=20
previously associated with large fixed or =
jack-up=20
platforms. Once the field has been =
exhausted then=20
the vessel can be towed to a new location =
or back=20
to dry dock for maintenance or =
re-fitting.
The construction of an FPSO vessel =
breaks down=20
into two sections =E2=80=93 the hull and =
the topsides. The=20
hull is usually based on a standard tanker =
design=20
and many of these are produced in =
shipyards based=20
in south-east Asia. The topsides though is =
where=20
all of the oil or gas processing plant is =
located=20
to clean up the oil before it can be =
exported.=20
These processes all require pumping =
solutions and=20
typically involve separating and =
compressing the=20
gas before stabilising the crude oil =
followed by=20
dehydration of seawater and produced water =
ready=20
for re-injection back into the well or =
disposal.=20
Finally sand, solids and acid gas are =
removed.
![3D"Amarinth](3D"http://www.oilonline.com/Portals/0/Images/logos/amarinth_pumps_in-=)
Sophisticated =
modular=20
processing equipment
In order to =
get the=20
most life out of an FPSO vessel, newer =
ones are=20
built to be adaptable to meet the =
requirements of=20
the individual well location by virtue of =
the main=20
pieces of process plant being manufactured =
as a=20
modular design. There are a number of =
specialist=20
module manufacturers that have developed =
their=20
businesses to service the FPSO market, for =
example=20
DPS - Gas sweetening and filtration, =
Merpro - sand=20
wash and filtration, Cyclotech - =
filtration and=20
gas sweetening, and Petreco - gas =
compression and=20
amine packages.
For all of this processing plant to =
operate=20
reliably around the clock, the pumps =
chosen by=20
these specialist manufacturers have to be =
designed=20
to withstand an extremely harsh =
environment, from=20
the acidic composition of the oil and gas =
through=20
to highly abrasive sand. In addition to =
meeting=20
the specific technical demands though, =
each of the=20
process plant manufacturers faces a common =
and=20
major challenge in procuring the right =
equipment -=20
leadtime. The target time to fit out an =
FPSO=20
vessel is often less than 52 weeks from =
start to=20
finish and out of that the time given over =
to the=20
procurement of equipment can often be as =
little as=20
20 weeks.
Given the specialist nature of these =
vessels,=20
the number of pumps they require for each =
project=20
is small but the specifications are often =
involved=20
and so the support delivered from the =
larger pump=20
suppliers can be sporadic as they usually =
work to=20
larger volumes to create a viable business =
model.=20
The process module manufacturers also =
generally do=20
not have rotating equipment specialists =
and so do=20
need guidance and support in the selection =
and=20
application of pumps to meet the unique =
needs of=20
each vessel, many of which have very =
limited space=20
and in particular headroom which means =
that=20
serious problems are likely to occur with =
such a=20
low NPSH available environment.
Challenge of restricted =
headroom
For=20
example, when Amerada Hess commissioned a=20
sophisticated filtration system that would =
enable=20
its Triton FPSO vessel located in the =
North Sea to=20
meet OSPAR regulations it had only 26 =
weeks to=20
complete the work or face heavy penalties. =
The=20
lack of decks and therefore headroom in =
the vessel=20
meant that the ten high specification =
pumps=20
required to pump produced water had to =
operate=20
with an extremely low NPSH leaving them =
prone to=20
cavitation, which could seriously shorten =
their=20
working life.
To design a totally new pump was out of =
the=20
question and so to meet the exacting =
requirements=20
within the timescales, Amarinth developed =
an=20
innovative solution by uprating a proven =
heavy=20
duty ISO 5199 chemical pump to API 610 =
through the=20
use of new bearing brackets and =
sophisticated=20
upstream pumping mechanical seals that =
utilised=20
the sea water to provide a supply of cool =
clean=20
buffer fluid to the seal faces to ensure =
reliable=20
operation on this abrasive media.
![3D"Damage](3D"http://www.oilonline.com/Portals/0/Images/logos/damage_cavitation.=)
Unknown duty=20
conditions
FPSO vessel operators =
also=20
require flexible and timely support from =
their=20
suppliers to deal with the many changes =
that can=20
happen during the life of a contract. In =
some=20
cases the final destination for an FPSO =
being=20
fitted out is not known until well into =
the=20
contract, meaning last minute alterations =
have to=20
be made to suit the final operating=20
environment.
Aker Floating Production posed such a =
problem=20
when fitting one of its SMART FSPO =
vessels. At the=20
time Amarinth were approached to supply =
the pumps=20
Aker had no lease agreed for the vessel =
and so did=20
not know which field the FPSO would be =
deployed to=20
nor the exact duty conditions of the =
pumps.
The initial requirement was for carbon =
steel=20
pumps with single mechanical seals but =
through the=20
bid phase, and even post order, the =
specifications=20
altered rapidly. Eventually super duplex =
steel=20
pumps were supplied with double mechanical =
seals=20
to meet the requirements of Reliance =
Industries=20
who leased the vessel for use in =
India=E2=80=99s MA field=20
in the Bay of Bengal.
Design changes continued until the last =
minute=20
and the duty details were only issued =
weeks before=20
final test. Amarinth remained flexible =
enough to=20
keep to the timelines before finally =
tuning the=20
pumps to achieve the specified performance =
and=20
pass final DNV witness tests successfully. =
The=20
final location of the vessel also produced =
the=20
need for additional documentation in a =
format laid=20
down by Reliance, all of which was =
delivered=20
within the specified deadline.
Good working =
partnerships
Amarinth=20
has carved an important niche for itself =
in=20
serving the pumping needs of the major =
equipment=20
providers to FPSO vessels. To achieve this =
though=20
the company purposely designed all of its =
pump=20
series to ensure that bespoke versions of =
its high=20
performance API 610 pumps can be produced =
in=20
relatively short leadtimes. In addition, =
this=20
thinking also enables small quantities of =
its=20
pumps to be manufactured in sophisticated=20
materials with minimal impact on =
leadtimes.
The growth in specialist oil and gas=20
exploration and production plant such as =
that used=20
on FPSO vessels has opened up new =
opportunities=20
for equipment manufacturers such as =
Amarinth, but=20
to be successful those companies must be =
prepared=20
to work closely with the =
customer=E2=80=99s exacting=20
requirements from initial enquiry through =
to post=20
sales and perhaps most importantly, instil =
within=20
their companies real business agility and =
a strong=20
=E2=80=9Ccan do=E2=80=9D attitude.
A good working partnership must also be =
developed with the process equipment =
suppliers,=20
particularly during the bid process, so =
that the=20
design can meet the developing but often =
unknown=20
needs of the vessel, and then in =
delivering close=20
support during the contract execution,=20
particularly with producing the =
documentation=20
packages which are so crucial to meeting =
the tight=20
deadlines set by the FPSO vessel =
operators.
For more information, please =
contact: Steve=20
Buckley, Sales & Marketing Director, =
Amarinth=20
Limited, Steve.Buckley@Amarinth.com=
=20
or visit http://www.amarinth.com/