Modern motors and drives package increases oil pumping by 45%14 September 2010

WEG Middle East has overcome a challenge to engineer and supply 250kW HGF motors to fit in space previously occupied by three 132kW Loher pump motors.

Luciano Rottava da Silva, WEG's field engineer for the project, explains that the work was completed at short notice at the Daleel Petroleum Oil Field in, Oman.

The new motors and VFD drives are now allowing Daleel Petroleum to increase output of three crude oil shipping pumps by 45%, with each pump now capable of shipping 16,000 barrels per day, instead of 11,000.

da Silva makes the point that this increase also enables one pump to be withdrawn at any time for maintenance, without Daleel Petroleum incurring penalties for falling below its contracted pumping rate of 30,000bpd.

Previously, Daleel had to run all three of its crude oil pumps full-on to achieve contracted production – meaning that it was not even possible to stop one pump set for maintenance, without incurring financial penalties.

Pump supplier, Flowserve, was asked to look at this problem with a view to uprating the crude oil pumps, while several major motor manufacturers were invited to submit proposals and tender for the project.

da Silva says WEG was the chosen supplier, because of the engineering support it was able to offer, plus a faster delivery time and the security of a three-year warranty on the motor and VSD packages supplied.

In brief detail, the package comprises three 250kW, 315C/D/E HGF two-pole motors, plus three CFW-09 variable speed drives assembled into control cabinets. The panels housing the VSD are located 150m away from the pump motors in an electrical control room where the temperature can be controlled, usually below 30ºC.

In addition to the panels, the control room also houses load reactors, also supplied by WEG. These are required to compensate for the capacitive effects of the long cable runs between the motors and inverters.

To-date, two of the three motors and their VSD control panels have been installed and da Silva reports that they are in excellent running order, enabling Daleel to meet its daily pumping capacity even before the final motor package is installed.

He also points to the motors' soft start characteristics, which make for far more controllable operation, as well as improved reliability and life expectancy than the earlier units, with their DOL starting.

"The climate in Oman is so hostile – ambient desert temperatures that regularly exceed 50oC in the hot season, plus frequent sand storms – that it's critical to have rugged, low-maintenance motors, variable frequency drives, and control packages capable of reliable and repeatable performance," comments da Silva.

"WEG is rapidly becoming the motor and drive equipment manufacturer of choice for oil and gas applications in the Omani environment," he adds.

Brian Wall

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