Mainline Shipping
After leaving the Suction Booster pumps‚ the crude oil is fed to the Mainline Shipping pumps‚ which are installed at the initiating booster station for the pipeline. The elevated supply pressure of the fluid satisfies the inlet energy requirements of these first stage pumps‚ allowing smaller‚ higher speed pumps to be used. The role of the Mainline Shipping pumps is to provide the necessary energy boost required to push the fluid through the downstream piping network to its intended delivery point. To achieve this objective it must overcome the pressure drop imposed by the downstream system‚ due to the declining pressure gradient as a result of friction losses and elevation changes. For long distance pipelines additional booster stations are often required. In these cases the Mainline Shipping pumps at the upstream station serve as the Suction Booster pumps for the next station downstream.
Mainline Shipping pumps‚ due to their near continuous operation‚ have very high reliability. Due to legislation imposed by pipeline regulators‚ as well as the crude oil quality specifications mandated by downstream refineries‚ the level of sediment and water that the pumps are exposed to is minimized‚ further extending the life of the equipment. In these applications‚ due to the flow rates managed and the pressure boost required‚ the key performance metric considered is efficiency. In many countries the main pipelines are operated by a separate company‚ or in the case of a state owned company by a separate division‚ whose primary operating expense is the energy demanded by the Mainline Shipping pumps. Saving energy here directly translates into increased profitability; and the potential savings‚ even with lower viscosity fluids‚ are tremendous.
Have you considered the value of using rotary PD pumping technology?
Midstream facility managers and operators around the globe have realized that volumetric‚ rotary PD pumps are something they can capitalize on in these services. Having one machine that can efficiently transport heavy‚ medium and lightweight oils with high pressure boost capabilities‚ while at the same time delivering a near constant‚ pulse free flow rate‚ provides the system control and reliability that end users demand. These strengths‚ coupled with the tremendous turndown flow range of rotary PD pumps and their inherent high suction lift capability‚ make them an ideal fluid-conveying solution for your Mainline Shipping stations.