fpso

How to Pump Crude Oil Efficiently and Safely on Your FPSO

NETZSCH supplies various pump technologies from a single source for safe oil production on mobile platforms

Pumping using floating production storage and offloading unit, or FPSO for short, offers a high degree of flexibility for operators in terms of the place of extraction. Since the unit handles the pumping, storage, cleaning and loading of the extracted crude oil, the demands on the pumps could not be more different. 

As a global specialist in complex fluid management, NETZSCH Pumps & Systems has successfully equipped an FPSO with various positive displacement pumps. We will show you the advantages of obtaining all pumps for an FPSO from a single source from NETZSCH.

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FPSO, Floating Production Storage and Offloading Unit, NETZSCH, Pumps, Systems

FPSO enables efficient and cost-effective oil production

The world's oil reserves are limited and cannot be exploited ad infinitum. This puts all the more pressure on the producing companies to make production as efficient and cost-effective as possible. The development of new oil fields is often associated with immense expense, so operators of offshore wells nowadays mostly opt for using FPSOs. FPSOs are ships that take over the function of an oil platform. They extract, store, clean and load the extracted crude oil. The decisive advantage is that, compared to an oil production platform, they can be used flexibly and independently of location. This makes expensive pipelines from the extraction site to the deposit superfluous, and smaller, less productive oil fields can still be operated cost-effectively.

Many different pumps for oil production on FPSO, and one solution: NETZSCH

On FPSOs, low-maintenance pumps must be used. Every maintenance operation is associated with great effort and related costs on the high seas. In addition, all steps of oil production are combined in one unit on the ships. As a result, the demands on the pumps for the individual steps could not be more different. The operators need other pump technologies for the various process steps, so products from different manufacturers are often used. This makes service and the procurement of spare parts even more difficult for the fitters, resulting in higher costs.
For this reason, it was essential for a large oil company to equip an FPSO, which is used off the coast of Great Britain, with as many pumps as possible from a single source and thus ensure cost-efficient operation. For this reason, the operators turned to NETZSCH. The pump manufacturer has many years of experience producing positive displacement pumps and offers a broad product portfolio. In a business field specially designed for the oil industry, NETZSCH centres the know-how of various experts and thus ensures the best possible solution for the customers in this specialised field.

60

degree Celsius medium temperature

동영상을 시청하시려면 마케팅 쿠키 사용에 동의해주십시오.

The compact TORNADO® T.Envi® rotary lobe pumps from are optimally adapted to your individual requirements in environmental and biogas technology.

NETZSCH enables efficient oil production from a single source on FPSO

Three different pump types from NETZSCH are used on the FPSO. The TORNADO® T.Proc®rotary lobe pump cleans the marine diesel oil. This process is necessary to protect the engines and tanks on the FPSO. "Since maintenance and cleaning of all components is expensive and time-consuming at a remote site such as an FPSO, the fuel for the energy supply is cleaned in a separator", explains Ulrich Eibl, Business Field Manager Oil & Gas Mid- / Downstream at NETZSCH. This keeps the engines and tanks clean, ensuring a long service life for the components.

In another area of the ship, several NOTOS®multi screw pumps handle another crucial task. "Safety has top priority for our customers", emphasises Eibl. To prevent an explosive atmosphere from developing in the crude oil storage tanks, a gas is produced from part of the ship's diesel fuel, which is superimposed on the oil in the tanks. Here, the three-spindle pumps safely convey the diesel to the area where the gas is produced.

In addition, several NEMO®progressing cavity pumps are used in another area. They handle the pumping of dirty water, so-called produced water. "You can't talk about dirty water in the classic sense here", explains Eibl. "It is 50 to 60 °C hot water that comes to the surface with the extracted crude oil." The unique feature is that in addition to oil droplets, the water also contains small rock particles from the seabed, hydrogen sulphide and chlorides. "Since the hydrogen sulphide has a toxic effect, leakages must be avoided at all costs", Eibl continues. The particularly robust API (American Petroleum Institute) design of the NEMO® pumps reduces this risk to a minimum and increases the service life.

Through concentrated expert know-how in a specialised business field and excellent service, NETZSCH was able to convince the operators of the FSPO. All models have been in successful operation since commissioning.

TORNADO® T.Envi® rotary lobe pump, NOTOS® multi screw pump, NEMO® BY progressing cavity pump 

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