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|
TOTAL ENGINEERING AND=20
MANUFACTURING |
Meeting the=20
demands of FPSO vessels for low
volume, high specification =
pumps on=20
very tight deadlines
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The=20
dwindling oil supplies in the seas and oceans around the world has =
meant=20
that the oil companies must now find more cost effective means of=20
extracting what resources remain in remote and deep water areas =
not suited=20
to traditional offshore rigs. The use of Floating Production =
Storage &=20
Offloading vessels has grown rapidly in popularity but their =
demands for=20
low volumes of highly specified pumps on short lead-times poses=20
traditional equipment manufacturers used to selling much higher =
volumes to=20
offset the investment made in high specification pumps with =
enormous=20
challenges. Oliver Brigginshaw, Managing Director of Amarinth, a =
leading=20
company specialising in the design, application and manufacture of =
pumps=20
and associated equipment, explores how suppliers need to adapt if =
they are=20
to tap into this growing market.
Oil has been produced from offshore =
locations=20
since the 1950s. Originally, oil platforms sat on the seabed, but =
as=20
exploration has been forced to move into deeper waters and more =
distant=20
locations a more cost effective means of extracting the oil was =
needed.=20
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The first=20
example of Floating Production Storage & Offloading vessel =
(better=20
known by their acronym of FPSO), (pictured above), was simply a converted tanker tethered over =
a well=20
site. Later versions were then purpose built with sophisticated =
"turret"=20
systems to allow the vessel to turn into the prevailing weather =
without=20
tangling the umbilical hoses- connecting the sub sea well heads =
with the=20
vessel. Initially this production technique was limited to oil but =
now=20
there is a new generation designed for LNG.
With advances =
in sub=20
sea production techniques, deep water fields can now be developed=20
economically using FPSO vessels which can deal with multiple sub =
sea well=20
heads without the cost previously associated with large fixed or =
jack-up=20
platforms. Once the field has been exhausted then the vessel can =
be towed=20
to a new location or back to dry dock for maintenance or =
re-fitting.=20
The construction of an FPSO vessel breaks down into two =
sections -=20
the hull and the topsides. The hull is usually based on a standard =
tanker=20
design and many of these are produced in shipyards based in =
south-east=20
Asia. The topsides though is where all of the oil or gas =
processing plant=20
is located to clean up the oil before it can be exported. These =
processes=20
all require pumping solutions and typically involve separating and =
compressing the gas before stabilising the crude oil followed by=20
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.=20
Sophisticated modular processing equipment=20
In order to get =
the most life=20
out of an FPSO vessel, newer ones are built to be adaptable to =
meet the=20
requirements of the individual well location by virtue of the main =
pieces=20
of process plant being manufactured as a modular design. There are =
a=20
number of specialist module manufacturers that have developed =
their=20
businesses to service the FPSO market, for example DPS - Gas =
sweetening=20
and filtration, Merpro - sand wash and filtration, Cyclotech - =
filtration=20
and gas sweetening, and Petreco - gas compression and amine =
packages.=20
For all of this processing plant to operate reliably =
around the=20
clock, the pumps chosen by these specialist manufacturers have to =
be=20
designed to withstand an extremely harsh environment, from the =
acidic=20
composition of the oil and gas through to highly abrasive sand. In =
addition to meeting the specific technical demands though, each of =
the=20
process plant manufacturers faces a common and major challenge in=20
procuring the right equipment - lead-time. The target time to fit =
out an=20
FPSO vessel is often less than 52 weeks from start to finish =
and out=20
of that the time given over to the procurement of equipment can =
often be=20
as little as 20 weeks.
Given the specialist nature of =
these=20
vessels, the number of pumps they require for each project is =
small but=20
the specifications are often involved and so the support delivered =
from=20
the larger pump suppliers can be sporadic as they usually work to =
larger=20
volumes to create a viable business model. The process module=20
manufacturers also generally do not have rotating equipment =
specialists=20
and so do need guidance and support in the selection and =
application of=20
pumps to meet the unique needs of each vessel, many of which have =
very=20
limited space and in particular headroom which means that serious =
problems=20
are likely to occur with such a low NPSH available environment.=20
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Pictures show: Amarinth pumps in-situ =
between decks=20
of an FPSO (top). Damage to an impeller through cavitations due to =
poor=20
selection for low NPSH duty (below).
Challenge of restricted headroom =
To design a totally new pump was out of the =
question=20
and so to meet the exacting requirements within the timescales, =
Amarinth=20
developed an innovative solution by uprating a proven heavy duty =
ISO 5199=20
chemical pump to API 610 through the use of new bearing brackets =
and=20
sophisticated upstream pumping mechanical seals that utilised the =
sea=20
water 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=20
require flexible and timely support from their suppliers to deal =
with the=20
many changes that can happen during the life of a contract. In =
some cases=20
the final destination for an FPSO being fitted out is not known =
until well=20
into the contract, meaning last minute alterations have to be made =
to suit=20
the final operating environment.
Aker Floating Production =
posed=20
such a problem when fitting one of its SMART FSPO vessels. At the =
time=20
Amarinth were approached to supply the pumps Aker had no lease =
agreed for=20
the vessel and so did not know which field the FPSO would be =
deployed to=20
nor the exact duty conditions of the pumps.
The initial =
requirement=20
was for carbon steel pumps with single mechanical seals but =
through the=20
bid phase, and even post order, the specifications altered =
rapidly.=20
Eventually super duplex steel pumps were supplied with double =
mechanical=20
seals to meet the requirements of Reliance Industries who leased =
the=20
vessel for use in India's MA field in the Bay of Bengal. =
Design=20
changes continued until the last minute and the duty details were =
only=20
issued weeks before final test. Amarinth remained flexible enough =
to keep=20
to the timelines before finally tuning the pumps to achieve the =
specified=20
performance and pass final DNV witness tests successfully. The =
final=20
location of the vessel also produced the need for additional =
documentation=20
in a format laid down by Reliance, all of which was delivered =
within the=20
specified deadline.
Good working partnerships
Amarinth has carved an important niche for =
itself in=20
serving the pumping needs of the major equipment providers to FPSO =
vessels. To achieve this though the company purposely designed all =
of its=20
pump series to ensure that bespoke versions of its high =
performance API=20
610 pumps can be produced in relatively short lead-times. In =
addition,=20
this thinking also enables small quantities of its pumps to be=20
manufactured in sophisticated materials with minimal impact on =
lead-times.=20
The growth in specialist oil and gas exploration and =
production=20
plant such as that used on FPSO vessels has opened up new =
opportunities=20
for equipment manufacturers such as Amarinth, but to be successful =
those=20
companies must be prepared to work closely with the customer's =
exacting=20
requirements from initial enquiry through to post sales and =
perhaps most=20
importantly, instil within their companies real business agility =
and a=20
strong "can do" attitude.
A good working partnership must =
also be=20
developed with the process equipment suppliers, particularly =
during the=20
bid process, so that the design can meet the developing but often =
unknown=20
needs of the vessel, and then in delivering close support during =
the=20
contract execution, particularly with producing the documentation =
packages=20
which are so crucial to meeting the tight deadlines set by the =
FPSO vessel=20
operators.
Amarinth in profile
Founded in 2002, Amarinth has harnessed the =
skills,=20
creativity and passion of people who have worked in the pump =
industry for=20
many years. Amarinth delivers world-leading expertise in the =
design,=20
application and manufacture of centrifugal pumps and associated =
equipment=20
to ISO, ANSI & API standards, primarily for the industrial, =
chemical=20
& petrochemical markets. Their portfolio includes:=20
Pumps=20
Horizontal and =
vertical API=20
610 pumps, chemical and industrial pumps, many of which are=20
interchangeable with the Girdlestone pump ranges, eliminating the =
need for=20
expensive modifications when replacements are required.=20
Pressure=20
Vessels
Protect =
System Plan 52=20
and 53A and 53B sealant systems with inbuilt condition monitoring =
for=20
pumps and mixers that are suitable for Safe area up to Zone 1.=20
Spares &=20
Service
High =
quality, fast=20
lead-time re-engineered spare parts to improve performance and =
extend pump=20
life, including many which are directly interchangeable with the=20
Girdlestone pump ranges.
Packages & Modules
Condensate Recovery Units manufactured for =
Spirax=20
Sarco incorporating the innovative Ci-Nergy intelligent variable =
speed=20
control system, plus bespoke packages & skids built to order.=20
Business=20
Systems
state-of-the-art=20
e-commerce technologies that deliver 24/7 support enabling =
customers to=20
select pumps and place orders on-line and then track every stage =
of=20
manufacture through to delivery, any time, anywhere in the world.=20
The company operates globally from its base in Rendlesham =
Suffolk,=20
United Kingdom and has a customer base of world-leading companies, =
including BP, Shell, ExxonMobil, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Spirax =
Sarco,=20
Diageo, AMEC, Fluor and Halliburton.
For further =
information,=20
e-mail: