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Meeting=20 the demands of FPSO vessels for low = volume, high=20 specification pumps on very tight=20 deadlines

OilOnline=20 Manager posted on 11/17/2009

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

 

 

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"AmarinthSophisticated = 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"DamageUnknown 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/

Posted in:=20 Europe,=20 Engineering/Ins= tallation/Construction,=20 Products=20 in Action
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