Oil & Gas
05.04.2018
Background
What's the story about?
A National Oil Company (NOC) in the Middle East had awarded an EPC contractor a project for improving the liquefied petroleum drainage system at a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) processing plant located at one of the largest oilfields in the world. The raw LPG is recovered from natural gas liquids which are produced in association with large quantities of crude oil processed at this plant. The resulting high levels of volatile sulfur compounds make this application critical in terms of safety and emission compliance.
CHALLENGE
What's the challenge?
For an upgrade of the closed drain and dewatering systems, the EPC has struggled to find the best pumping solution to handle a wide range of hydrocarbon process fluids including high sulfur content, basic sediment and water (BS&W) production streams. There was a clear need to optimize the pump selection protocol to help to ensure reliability, safety and fulfill process requirements when fluid properties vary widely and can be aggressive.
Solution
What's the solution?
Working with a vendor that had in-depth knowledge and experience in complying with the specifications of the NOC customer was imperative. Identifying CIRCOR as that partner, the EPC worked closely with CIRCOR’s Sales & Applications Engineering teams to develop the pump specification. As a result CIRCOR recommended progressing cavity (PC) pumps per API 676 for this application, with double mechanical seals according to API plan 53B for the utmost in safety and reliability.
