Article tools sponsored by

Real-time Drivers Save Energy in Energy Production

Laurie Toupin, Contributing Editor -- Design News, January 13, 2003

New Berlin, WI — It seems ironic that to get energy, oil producers must use a lot of energy. But a variable frequency drive from ABB adapted for a multiphase pump may help the industry realize significant energy savings, along with time and money reductions.

"When drilling for oil, you don't just get oil," says Erik Torseke, Vice president and business manager of ABB (www.abb.com). You also get natural gas, water, and solids. Today, each media must be pumped to individual separator stations near the well and then pumped to designated handling facilities.

The multiphase pumps from companies such as Borneman and Flowserve make it possible to remove the oil and gas mixture from the ground and then send the mix through pipelines to distant processing facilities. Separating the oil and gas at an off-site facility instead of at the well is cheaper, more environmentally friendly, and allows companies to produce oil in areas lacking easy access, such as the sea floor of the Gulf of Mexico, notes Stuart Scott, associate professor of petroleum engineering at Texas A&M. The multiphase pumps are expected to play a key role in sub sea/deepwater development by increasing the amount of oil harvested. "These pumps allow you to get the same sort of recoveries as onshore and still push the fluids 10 to 20 miles down the pipeline, " Scott says.

To help regulate the multiphase pump, ABB, along with students at the Texas A&M Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering, are looking at developing a real-time regulator based on the university's research results and ABB's electric-submersible-pump and progressing-cavity-pump control technology. The system works using pressure and temperature sensors.

related stories
resource center
by this author

View more articles by Laurie Toupin

Technology Marketplace

Article tools sponsored by

Talkback

We would love your feedback!

» View All Talkback Threads

DN's Resource Center Get Free Information, Made Easy

Catalysts for Innovation
Hewlett Packard | Design Guide
Request Item
Product Lifecycle Management
Hewlett Packard | Design Guide
Request Item

View all DN resources >>

Design News Partner Zones

JUNE 24TH WEBCAST: Collaborative Requirements Engineering
Speed your innovation. Capture the "voice of the customer" and translate customer requests into user requirements that define new products. Find out why the new ENOVIA Requirements Management solution enables organizations to improve their overall global requirements management process. Read More

Light Matters: Systems Level Approach to HBLED illumination applications
Its good practice to apply a systems-level approach to high-brightness LED (HBLED) illumination applications. Minimally, the system includes the optical, thermal and electrical characteristics of the of the HBLED, the lens (if any) which is built-in to its package, secondary optics such as external plastic lenses/reflectors to direct the light as your application requires and power driver electronics. Read More

Design Engineers' Portal for Sensing and Machine Safety
Whatever industry you're in, or whatever product you manufacture, the right sensors to automate your plant, and to improve your overall efficiency, quality and safety are a must. You'll find Banner Engineering to be an amazing resource of products, training and people with expertise.