Pumps & Systems, April 2008

A look at the role that liquid ring vacuum pumps and compressors play in the ethanol and biodiesel production process.

The statistics - both staggering and sobering - are sounding the alarm for a radical transformation in energy efficiency in pumping systems. Part one of this three-part series describes how this pump industry inspired market transformation initiative promises to profoundly change the way business is conducted in the pump industry . . . and how pumping systems are designed, operated, maintained and optimized by the end-user community on a global basis.

Pumps & Systems, April 2008

Called the "fastest-growing alternative fuel" in the United States by the Department of Energy, biodiesel continues to play an increasingly significant role in the nation's future motor-fuel supply. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office and the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed in 2006 that biodiesel is the lowest-cost alternative fuel option for meeting the Energy Policy Act of 2005's alternative fuel use requirements. Late last year President Bush signed the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which further expands the renewable fuels standard and mandates one billion gallons of biodiesel use by 2012.

Pumps & Systems, April 2008

When handling difficult liquids like sludge, restaurant grease or solids-laden fluids, the challenge is continuing flow through the entire operation. When debris or large solids clog a pump or pipeline, the entire process can stop within minutes. The shutdown, cleanout and restart are time consuming, and the costs frightening. It's a nightmare scenario.

It's also avoidable. Several facilities which process difficult liquid/solid combinations now rely on dual-shafted grinders on the inlet side of pumps to ensure continuous flow and prevent blockages. These powerful shredders apply several tons of cutting force at peak loads, ripping apart large solids or rags into smaller particles. The smaller particles flow harmlessly through pumps and pipes. These grinders are even used to protect a wide variety of pumps including centrifugal, chopper and progressive cavity pumps.

Pumps & Systems, April 2008

Biodiesel is a relatively new industry. While the plants share a fundamentally similar process, they come in many different sizes, process variations and pumping needs and requirements. As with any new industry, there has been a learning curve to finding and adapting the best pump designs and technologies. A key to success is identifying all the needs of the application up front, and then selecting and sizing pumps that appropriately address those needs.

Pumps & Systems, April 2008

In the oil and gas industry, electric submersible pump (ESP) systems are probably best known as an effective artificial lift method of pumping production fluids to the surface. ESPs are especially effective in wells with low bottomhole pressure, low gas/oil ratio, low bubblepoint, high water cut or low API gravity fluids.

Pumps & Systems, April 2008

As oil prices and gasoline usage have increased, the demands on U.S. oil and gas wells have grown dramatically. In the past, there was a low cost supply from the Middle East, and U.S. oil wells were not used as frequently due to low reservoirs and the energy cost associated with extracting the oil. A large number of U.S. wells were shut down in reaction to high electric costs, low oil prices, the need for monitoring the oil reservoir and machine maintenance. As of 2004, there were just over 800,000 onshore oil wells in the world, with about two-thirds of them in the United States.

Pumps & Systems, April 2008

Dynamic pressure sensors and accelerometers are frequently used for precision measurements in oil, gas and petrochemical industries, as well as for natural gas supply monitoring applications. The development of piezoelectric sensor technology with integral charge amplifier, as well as the development of high temperature charge output designs, has been especially important for dynamic sensing applications. To truly understand the benefits of this technology, one must first review the evolution of this type of sensing.

Pumps & Systems, April 2008

In today's upstream and midstream oil and gas environment, screw pumps are playing a larger role in what has traditionally been a centrifugal and reciprocating pump market. This is due in large part to technological innovation by screw pump manufacturers and the industry's need to pump heavier crude oils. Both twin screw and three screw pumps are successfully operating in multiphase, heavy crude oil and crude oil/water emulsion applications. 

Pumps & Systems, April 2008

Artificial lift technology selection is highly dependent on the conditions of the wellbore and the specific application parameters of a given well. Electrical submersible pumping (ESP) systems employing centrifugal pumps are the preferred artificial lift technology for wells with higher flow rates and deeper well depths. ESP systems are used to lift fluids for a variety of industries, including oil and gas, mining, municipal water and geothermal. Rod lift systems-the most common form of artificial lift-use sucker rods to bring fluid to the surface and are used primarily in lower flow wells.