Challenge
We were tasked with developing a non-standard pump for Expro’s CoilHose Light Well Circulation System (LWCS) solution to aid efficiency and decrease operational costs. Expro’s CoilHose LWCS has been designed to minimise the loss of hydrocarbon production and lower the overall cost of intervention. The chosen solution had to be adaptable to a number of different projects, including acidizing, cementing and water jetting, and lightweight for mobilisation to ageing oil and gas assets.
Solution
We developed an ATEX Zone 2, Modular High Pressure Pump Unit, equipped with a 200kW diesel engine, designed to power a triplex plunger pump capable of pumping cement, water, glycol and hydrochloric acid.
We worked closely with the pump manufacturer KAMAT to develop a pump with a super duplex head, ensuring its compatibility with acids, while a unique sealing arrangement was used to ensure the pump remained leak-free. The pump was also specified to have additional lubrication, allowing it to operate continuously from 5 lpm to 54 lpm at the full system pressure of 860 Bar. By using marine-grade aluminium for the pump’s doors and panels, engine base frame and tank support frame, the units have a maximum lift of just 5.5 tonnes, making them among the most lightweight pump units of their kind.
A plug-and-play, modular design – consisting of two parts that can be bolted together – guaranteed alignment with minimal cranage capacity. With conventional units typically weighing in at around 12-15 tonnes, this was an important feature of the solution. By integrating low- and high-pressure filters into the design (components that would typically be standalone), we reduced mobilisation time as well as the equipment’s overall footprint, creating a simpler system overall.
