Horizontal Multistage Pumping System Provides Natural Gas Liquids Solution

Pumps & Systems 
April 2013
Written by: Matt Cray & Jim Rector, Schlumberger

GRAPHALLOY^® Pump Bearings Combat Low NGL Viscosity

Shale natural gas activity throughout North America has created many opportunities and challenges for natural gas liquid (NGL) plant operators who need cost-effective pumping solutions to treat, fractionate and move natural gas liquids from remote processing sites to pipelines bound for end markets.

Horizontal multistage centrifugal pumps can be a cost-effective, operationally efficient and safe alternative to reciprocating, vertical turbine can pumps and axial split case pumps that have historically been used in these high-pressure applications.

Although first developed in the 1940s, the horizontal multistage pump did not truly evolve until the oil boom of the early 1980s. During that period, water injection had become a pervasive need, which was difficult to maintain with traditional reciprocating pumps. The quick delivery and increased reliability of the horizontal multistage pump made it a suitable replacement for the older, more conventionally-used pumps.

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For more information on GRAPHALLOY^®, please visit www.graphalloy.com

GRAPHALLOY® Pillow Blocks - The Problem Solvers

Cost-Saving Solutions for Harsh Environments

• GRAPHALLOY^® 845 series flange units have reduced maintenance costs in Chicken Roasters by more than 50% after replacing standard ball bearing units.
• 400°F temperatures caused failure in pillow blocks on a Hot Strip Mill Run Out Table.  GRAPHALLOY 448 pillow blocks were able to withstand the temperature as well as the quench spray.
• Conveyor running above a 1020°F zinc bath presented a problem for traditional bearings. GRAPHALLOY 318 flange units provided years of trouble free operation.
• A vacuum at 1500°F is an environment that most bearings cannot handle. GRAPHALLOY 963 pillow blocks have been running for more than a year without problems.
• Six years of maintenance free operation was the result of the GRAPHALLOY replacements of spherical roller bearing pillow blocks on a salt cake conveyor.
• Fish screens in the Columbia River is a great application for submersible GRAPHALLOY pillow blocks.
• Harsh chemical wash down required replacing 24 of 96 ball bearing pillow blocks on a weekly basis.  GRAPHALLOY 845 pillow blocks have run for more than six years with an annual savings exceeding $20,000.
  
  

GRAPHALLOY^® Pillow Blocks and Flange Units

• Come in FDA accepted grades 
• Impervious to temperature extremes from -400°F to +750°F 
• Withstand wash down and harsh chemical environments 
• Available in split and solid bushings and housings