NETZSCH worked with a large integrated energy
company on one project near Fort McMurray, Alberta,
with estimated reserves of nearly 4 billion bbls of
bitumen. The company was using in-situ steam assisted
gravity drainage (SAGD) technology to recover the
bitumen, with minimal surface land disturbance. Steam
injected into the reservoir heats the bitumen so it
moves more easily, allowing it to be pumped to the
surface.
NETZSCH supplied a number of NEMO® BY Series
(API-676) PC pump packages for several aggressive
applications, including de-sanding slop oil and for use
on froth pumps. The company engineers in Canada
determined that the heavy duty block construction
PC pump, with a direct coupled drive, would be the
perfect design configuration for the application. The
pumps were used to skim oil off the top of the tanks in
the tank farms where oil was stored. The pumps had no
problem handling water, oil and sand – in whatever
proportion they occured. They also pumped oil in
which gas was entrained, as well as oil that foams or
froths. Whatever stage the liquid was in when it arrived
in the pipe, and whatever the thickness or viscosities
present, the pumps handled the liquids and kept on
processing.
NETZSCH also supplied a number of PC pumps for the
Japan Canadian Oilsands (JACOS) Hangingstone SAGD
project, located southwest of Fort McMurray
and west of Anzac. The JACOS Hangingstone
SAGD demonstration facilities have been in
operation since 1999. The operations provide
approximately 6000 bpd of bitumen
production from 24 well pairs.
The NEMO BY Series block design
PC pump used in the above examples has
been the workhorse configuration, but there
are other widely used PC pumps available to
use for hydrocarbon applications and
processing. For example, the NEMO® BT
series, a vertical mount PC pump used for
many process sump applications, can also be
used for emptying barrels, tanks and pits, or
where there is limited space and a danger of
cavitation present. Additionally, these pumps
are suitable for emptying barrels containing
materials that are hazardous to water and the
environment.
Another example of PC pump technology
is the NEMO® SY Series heavy duty bearing
frame horizontal PC pump, which is used for
much larger process applications. This design
has a bearing housing with a free input shaft
pump that can be run with any type of drive,
including servo motors, diesel motors or
hydraulic drives. This pump can also handle
high pressure applications, and is suitable for
all industrial markets where low to
mid‑viscosity and/or shear sensitive, abrasive
or adhesive substances must be safely and
gently handled. The PC technology has
Moving Energy Forward
Ideal solutions for upstream, midstream
and downstream
As an expert manufacturer of downhole and surface
pumps, we produce oilfield pump systems according to
the highest quality standards. The viscosity of your crude
oil or its percentage of gas or sand makes no difference to
the NETZSCH progressing cavity pumps. We provide pump
designs that have proven reliability, operational safety and
low lifecycle costs. Please call regarding API confirmity.
higher starting and running torque values, as well as
larger flow and pressure requirements, and is
implemented in some of the world’s larger PC pumps.
PC pumps can run in either direction, making them
one of the more popular choices in the downstream
sector when loading terminals that use local flow
meters to accurately measure crude oil, or, more
importantly, for expensive additives used in the
oilsands process. The pump’s very low shear and pulse
action make it very suitable for this particular application.
Figure 4.
NEMO SY pump for 1136 gpm, 258 psi,
diluent with various viscosities (API-676) -8 to -13˚F
low temperature.
