PROBLEM
A producer in the Houston area was struggling to keep their natural gas dehydration system online due to malfunctioning glycol pumps. The pumps were going down twice a month on average.
Because the pumps were not field repairable, they had to be removed from the system and shipped back to the manufacturer for repair.
Once returned, the repaired pumps averaged a meager 50% start-up rate.
Production DETAILS
Contactor pressure: 660-700 psi
Pump flow rate: 5 GPM (average for all pumps)
Temperature at reboiler: 370F
Temperature at pump: 250F
Gas temperature going to contactor: 120-130F
Gas production: 120 MMSCFD
Water Content: 2
Allowed Water Content: 5-7
Solution
In an effort to cut into this downtime, the producer switched to Kimray Electric Glycol Pumps.
These offered two advantages over their existing pumps:
- Only dry glycol passes through the Electric Glycol Pump. This reduces the amount of contamination it is exposed to, meaning the pump can operate longer, more efficiently, and with less maintenance than other pumps.
- Kimray offers repair kits for the Electric Glycol Pump that operators can install directly on site as needed.
Date of Installation: 2015
Sizes Installed: GEA (8.6 GPM electric pump)
RESULTS
The Electric Glycol Pumps performed significantly better than previous pumps. When maintenance was needed, they were able to be repaired on site by the company’s operators rather than shipped off.
The performance of the new pumps exceeded the customer’s expectations, and they have continued using them for over a decade.
In their Own Words
“The difference between what we were using and the Kimray pumps is night and day.”
– Operator, Houston