Meeting demands of FPSO vessels for pumps
An Amarinth =
product=20
story
Edited by the Processingtalk editorial team =
Nov=20
18, 2009
Many of the specialist module suppliers for = FPSO vessels=20 turn to Amarinth for pumps that satisfy their demanding space and = corrosion=20 resistance requirements, in short lead times.
As a result of dwindling oil supplies, oil companies must find more=20
cost-effective means of extracting resources in remote and deep-water =
areas not=20
suited to traditional
The use of floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels = has=20 grown in popularity, but their demands for low volumes of highly = specified pumps=20 on short lead times pose major challenges to traditional equipment = manufacturers=20 used to selling much higher volumes to offset the investment made in=20 high-specification pumps.
Oliver Brigginshaw, managing director of Amarinth, which specialises = in the=20 design, application and manufacture of pumps and associated equipment, = explores=20 how suppliers need to adapt if they are to tap into this growing = market.
Oil has been produced from offshore locations since the 1950s.
Originally, oil platforms sat on the seabed, but as exploration has = been=20 forced to move into deeper waters and more distant locations, a more=20 cost-effective means of extracting the oil was needed.
The first example of
Later versions were then purpose-built with sophisticated 'turret' = systems to=20 allow the vessel to turn into the prevailing weather without tangling = the=20 umbilical hoses connecting the subsea well heads with the vessel.
Initially, this production technique was limited to oil, but now =
there is a=20
new generation designed for
With advances in subsea production techniques, deep-water fields can = now be=20 developed economically using FPSO vessels that can deal with multiple = subsea=20 well heads without the cost previously associated with large fixed or = jack-up=20 platforms.
Once the field has been exhausted, the vessel can be towed to a new = location=20 or back to dry dock for maintenance or refitting.
The construction of an FPSO vessel breaks down into two sections: the = hull=20 and the topsides.
The hull is usually based on a standard tanker design and many of = these are=20 produced in shipyards based in Southeast Asia.
The topsides is where all of the oil or gas processing plant is = located to=20 clean up the oil before it can be exported.
These processes all require pumping solutions and typically involve = the=20 separating and compressing of the gas before stabilising the crude oil, = followed=20 by the dehydration of seawater and produced water ready for re-injection = back=20 into the well or disposal.
Finally, sand, solids and acid gas are removed.
In order to get the most life out of an FPSO vessel, newer ones are = built to=20 be adaptable to meet the requirements of the individual well location by = virtue=20 of the main pieces of process plant being manufactured as a modular = design.
There are a number of specialist module manufacturers that have = developed=20 their businesses to service the FPSO market, such as: DPS for gas = sweetening and=20 filtration; Merpro for sand wash and filtration; Cyclotech for = filtration and=20 gas sweetening; and Petreco for gas compression and amine packages.
For all of this processing plant to operate reliably around the = clock, the=20 pumps chosen by these specialist manufacturers have to be designed to = withstand=20 a harsh environment, from the acidic composition of the oil and gas = through to=20 highly abrasive sand.
In addition to meeting the specific technical demands, however, each = of the=20 process plant manufacturers faces a common and major challenge in = procuring the=20 right equipment - lead time.
The target time to fit out an FPSO vessel is often less than 52 weeks = from=20 start to finish and, out of that, the time given over to the procurement = of=20 equipment can often be as little as 20 weeks.
Given the specialist nature of these vessels, the number of pumps = they=20 require for each project is small, but the specifications are often = involved and=20 so the support delivered from the larger pump suppliers can be sporadic = as they=20 usually work to larger volumes to create a viable business model.
The process module manufacturers also generally do not have
For example, when Amerada Hess commissioned a sophisticated = filtration system=20 that would enable its Triton FPSO vessel located in the North Sea to = meet OSPAR=20 regulations, it had only 26 weeks to complete the work or face heavy=20 penalties.
The lack of decks and, therefore, headroom in the vessel meant that = the 10=20 high-specification pumps required to pump produced water had to operate = with an=20 extremely low NPSH, leaving them prone to cavitation, which could = seriously=20 shorten their working life.
To design a totally new pump was not possible and so, to meet the = exacting=20 requirements within the timescales, Amarinth developed a solution by = uprating a=20 heavy-duty ISO 5199 chemical pump to API 610 through the use of new = bearing=20 brackets and sophisticated upstream pumping mechanical seals that = utilised the=20 seawater to provide a supply of cool clean buffer fluid to the seal = faces to=20 ensure reliable operation on this abrasive media.
FPSO vessel operators also require flexible and timely support from = their=20 suppliers to deal with the many changes that can happen during the life = of a=20 contract.
In some cases, the final destination for an FPSO being fitted out is = not=20 known until well into the contract, meaning that last-minute alterations = have to=20 be made to suit the final operating environment.
Aker Floating Production posed such a problem when fitting one of its = Smart=20 FSPO vessels.
At the time, Amarinth was asked to supply the pumps.
Aker had no lease agreed for the vessel and so did not know which = field the=20 FPSO would be deployed to, nor the exact duty conditions of the = pumps.
The initial requirement was for carbon steel pumps with single = mechanical=20 seals but, through the bid phase and even post order, the specifications = altered=20 rapidly.
Eventually, super duplex steel pumps were supplied with double = mechanical=20 seals to meet the requirements of Reliance Industries, which leased the = vessel=20 for use in India's MA field in the Bay of Bengal.
Design changes continued until the last minute and the duty details = were only=20 issued weeks before final test.
Amarinth tuned the pumps to achieve the specified performance and = pass final=20 DNV witness tests successfully.
The final location of the vessel also produced the need for = additional=20 documentation in a format laid down by Reliance, all of which was = delivered=20 within the specified deadline.
Amarinth have purposely designed all of its pump series to ensure = that=20 bespoke versions of its high-performance API 610 pumps could be = produced.
This thinking also enables small quantities of its pumps to be = manufactured=20 in sophisticated materials with minimal impact on lead times.
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