How to Reduce Total Cost of Ownership for Oil and Gas Pumps

Related Vendors

Lutz Pumpen GmbH

EDL Anlagenbau Gesellschaft mbH

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Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric India

Asset Management – Necessary in Reducing TCOs

The second step in reducing the TCO of the pumping system is asset management. As maintenance cost represents 25 per cent of the TCO, maintenance practices warrant examination in terms of contribution to energy-influenced savings.

All pumps should be operated within the parameters of a given pump’s specifications. Pump efficiency varies according to operational parameters. A pump is designed for optimal operation at the best efficiency point (BEP); however, most pumping systems in use are oversized and their efficiency gets hampered when maintenance practices are neglected.

Service-oriented variable speed drives can keep the operating point close to the BEP and protect the pump against destructive forces generated by inefficiencies. Monitoring the operating point of the pump and its efficiency provides diagnostics that can help predict when potential system problems will occur.

The Cost Drivers in Oil and Gas Maintenance

Continuing with asset management, costs associated with maintenance practices undertaken in the oil and gas industry for pumping systems also provides for a saving potential. The three main types of maintenance practices include: preventive maintenance that entails the systematic inspection and detection of potential failures before they occur; condition-based maintenance, a type of preventive maintenance that estimates and projects equipment condition over time, utilizing probability formulas to assess downtime risks; and corrective maintenance, a response to an unanticipated problem or emergency.

Condition-based maintenance is the most cost effective of the three maintenance approaches. It monitors system data on an ongoing basis and provides an accurate assessment of the health, or status of components, devices, and/or the complete system.

Service-oriented variable speed drives have the capability to measure process variables, temperature and power with high accuracy and assess the pump efficiency. If connected to the automation system, they continuously monitor the health of the system and can indicate in a precise manner when proper maintenance is needed. For pipes and motors too, drives offer a unique advantage for maintenance issues like overpressure, pipe burst or leakage in case ofpipes and frequency fluctuations protection in case of motors.

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