mud pump preventive maintenance price

STH has been selling and servicing Booster, Fire and Sump/Sewage pumps in the Maryland, DC, & Northern VA market since 1973. We have Factory-Trained and Certified Service Technicians and we currently manage over 850 Preventative Maintenance (PM) Agreements for various property management companies and owners. Routine annual or bi-annual maintenance of your pumping system will help to minimize any “unbudgeted” emergencies and reduce costly downtime. Weekly, monthly and quarterly maintenance programs are also available. STH also offers extended warranty options.

Cavitation is an undesirable condition that reduces pump efficiency and leads to excessive wear and damage to pump components. Factors that can contribute to cavitation, such as fluid velocity and pressure, can sometimes be attributed to an inadequate mud system design and/or the diminishing performance of the mud pump’s feed system.

Although cavitation is avoidable, without proper inspection of the feed system, it can accelerate the wear of fluid end parts. Over time, cavitation can also lead to expensive maintenance issues and a potentially catastrophic failure.

When a mud pump has entered full cavitation, rig crews and field service technicians will see the equipment shaking and hear the pump “knocking,” which typically sounds like marbles and stones being thrown around inside the equipment. However, the process of cavitation starts long before audible signs reveal themselves – hence the name “the silent killer.”

Mild cavitation begins to occur when the mud pump is starved for fluid. While the pump itself may not be making noise, damage is still being done to the internal components of the fluid end. In the early stages, cavitation can damage a pump’s module, piston and valve assembly.

The imperceptible but intense shock waves generated by cavitation travel directly from the fluid end to the pump’s power end, causing premature vibrational damage to the crosshead slides. The vibrations are then passed onto the shaft, bull gear and into the main bearings.

If not corrected, the vibrations caused by cavitation will work their way directly to critical power end components, which will result in the premature failure of the mud pump. A busted mud pump means expensive downtime and repair costs.

To stop cavitation before it starts, install and tune high-speed pressure sensors on the mud suction line set to sound an alarm if the pressure falls below 30 psi.

Although the pump may not be knocking loudly when cavitation first presents, regular inspections by a properly trained field technician may be able to detect moderate vibrations and slight knocking sounds.

Gardner Denver offers Pump University, a mobile classroom that travels to facilities and/or drilling rigs and trains rig crews on best practices for pumping equipment maintenance.

Program participants have found that, by improving their maintenance skills, they have extended the life of fluid end expendables on their sites. They have also reported decreases in both production and repair costs, as well as reductions in workplace hazards.

Severe cavitation will drastically decrease module life and will eventually lead to catastrophic pump failure. Along with downtime and repair costs, the failure of the drilling pump can also cause damage to the suction and discharge piping.

When a mud pump has entered full cavitation, rig crews and field service technicians will see the equipment shaking and hear the pump ‘knocking’… However, the process of cavitation starts long before audible signs reveal themselves – hence the name ‘the silent killer.’In 2017, a leading North American drilling contractor was encountering chronic mud system issues on multiple rigs. The contractor engaged in more than 25 premature module washes in one year and suffered a major power-end failure.

Gardner Denver’s engineering team spent time on the contractor’s rigs, observing the pumps during operation and surveying the mud system’s design and configuration.

The engineering team discovered that the suction systems were undersized, feed lines were too small and there was no dampening on the suction side of the pump.

There were also issues with feed line maintenance – lines weren’t cleaned out on a regular basis, resulting in solids from the fluid forming a thick cake on the bottom of the pipe, which further reduced its diameter.

Following the implementation of these recommendations, the contractor saw significant performance improvements from the drilling pumps. Consumables life was extended significantly, and module washes were reduced by nearly 85%.

Although pump age does not affect its susceptibility to cavitation, the age of the rig can. An older rig’s mud systems may not be equipped for the way pumps are run today – at maximum horsepower.

Pumps are often designed to operate at a single point known as the Best Efficiency Point (BEP). As components begin to wear, a pumps performance begins to decline, with operation away from this point leading to issues such as accelerated bearing or seal wear, vibration, excess temperature rise or cavitation. Quite often declining performance can start gradually, before quickly accelerating until failure if performance issues are not addressed in a timely fashion.

Corrective Maintenance is undertaken when failure has occurred. The unit may be leaking, efficiency reduced, pump stopped or motor tripped, leading to loss of production resulting in an urgent situation where parts must be sourced and fitted quicky.

Preventative Maintenance is inspection and repair scheduled at specific intervals (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly) or based on the number of hours run. Visual inspections are made externally and internally by dismantling the unit, replacing seals such as gaskets and mechanical seals, with pump parts checked for wear.

Differential Pressure:Check the operating pressure by calculating the difference between the inlet and outlet pressure of the pump ensuring it is operating on curve.

The “6 to 1 Rule” discovered by John Day Jr, (Manager of Engineering & Maintenance at Alumax South Carolina stated that the ideal ratio of Proactive Maintenance (PM) to Corrective Maintenance (CM) should be 6 to 1 - 6 PM checks to 1 RM check. If your ratio is below this then according to his theory it is being inspected too infrequently, above and inspections are too frequent.

Although Proactive Maintenance can seem to avoid the urgent costs and downtime associated with reactive maintenance, PM maintenance costs can be high due to the cost of labour in dismantling of complicated designs such as Progressing Cavity, or Triplex Plunger pumps which are often time consuming to maintain with more than one person required to undertake work.

On dismantling units, some seals require replacing regardless of condition, and excess spares can be required in case of gasket entrapment during assembly. Rental of specialist lifting equipment may be required and there can be situations where when inspected, pump parts do not require replacement.

This can be achieved through a monitoring device, where when the right data is collected, pump failure can be anticipated between 3 and 12 months in advance with an 80-95% accuracy.

With the average lead time on DN100 pumps, and units over 5 years old being 3 months or more, it is essential that spares are either on the shelf or failure is anticipated through advance ordering.

There are hazards during any maintenance activity. Always ensure the correct PPE is worn before attempting repair, that sufficient expertise is on hand and chemical data sheets of any fluid being pumped are checked prior to undertaking work. A full risk assessment should be completed in advance.

Hazardous FluidsIrritation, Chemical burns, ignitionEnsure when pump is opened the unit is cool, not pressurized, ignition sources are not present, and any fluids spilt are contained.

If inspection has been neglected for some time, then additional parts may require replacing than had the unit been inspected earlier, with some pump parts becoming beyond economical repair.

Enables planned work to be undertaken during lower activity levels and at lowest cost & risk.Pump has to be crucial within a process or above a certain size for monitoring to be cost effective

Thread Sealant –The use of semi-permanent thread sealant will ensure vitality important threaded fasteners such as bolts or screws on shafts, couplings or pump casings do not self-loosen due to vibration and become disengaged.

Interchangeable Spares –Our range of pumps are modular in design utilizing interchangeable spares, meaning on site stock holding of parts can be reduced by up to 80% further reducing slow moving stock.

Repair & Replace –Choosing to repair an existing pump within a process of vital importance, as well as replace, is a strategy we recommend for maximizing plant efficiencies and reducing downtime. Should unexpected pump failure occur, your process can be restored quickly.

Checklists & Logs –The use of checklists and logs ensures a fully repeatable process ensuring important maintenance intervals are not missed. Logs can provide valuable insight and reveal a pattern before failure occurs enabling easier troubleshooting.

indicates which areas should be checked, but note that a units maintenance routine is dependent on several factors such as hours of operation, duty, aggressiveness of pump medium, rpm of motor, temperature, inlet conditions and location of equipment.

Arun Chandrasekaran, Adam Avey and Corey Philipp, GD Energy Products, highlight the hidden cost of neglecting preventative maintenance of a pump’s power end.

Anyone with a vested interest in pressure pumping spends considerable time ensuring their pumps run efficiently with no unexpected downtime. A pump that is sitting in the repair shop is a harbinger of non-productive time, spiralling costs and operational headaches all-round. Since the repairs that are typically necessary on
 the power end component of the pump cannot usually be completed overnight, once a failure of a power end has occurred it can take several weeks to get a pump up and running again.

A frac pump is composed of a power end and a fluid end. The fluid end is the high pressure component of the pump that takes fluid into a chamber at low pressure and discharges it at higher pressure. As such, the fluid end is usually the component that receives frequent services in the field in-between frac stages. During preventive maintenance, the fluid end is periodically opened up to change wear components in order to keep it running efficiently. Conversely, the power end is the component that drives all the moving parts required to create the pressure in the fluid end. The moving components of a power end are contained within an enclosed steel frame and include a crankshaft, crossheads and connecting rods, similar to the rotating and reciprocating components found inside a car engine, but on a much larger scale. Unlike the fluid end, the power end rarely gets opened and serviced in the field. To run the pump, a driveshaft is hooked up to the power end from the transmission, which is turned by a diesel engine. The diesel engine and the transmission, at a certain gear, turn the power end. The power end turns the crankshaft and the connecting rod assembly, which moves the plungers to create the pressure in the fluid end. Ultimately, the goal for a pressure pumping company is to keep turning the power end and to keep the pump running.

Unfortunately, since the power end is not inspected periodically,
the rate of unexpected failures for this component is rising. If a component is only looked at once a strange noise or even smoke is being emitted from it, the chances are that it is already too late to intervene to prevent significant damage to the power end. At this point, the only option would be to take it offline and send it to the repair shop. Typically, when a pressure pumping company goes to
a site to perform a fracturing job, they will take some additional pumps with them. These extra pumps could be sitting idle, to serve as backup in case any of the major components, including the power end, breaks down unexpectedly. If customers are able to keep a good maintenance record, or perform preventative maintenance on the power end, they will only need to carry the pumps they require, resulting in lower operating costs and increased efficiency.

GD Energy Products helps pressure pumping customers actively maintain their equipment. By developing preventative maintenance plans for power ends, customers can better understand what to inspect for in the power end after set time intervals and take a proactive approach in replacing wear components as needed to prevent any unexpected downtime. This will also help to prevent catastrophic failures, which often results in very expensive repairs.

Pressure pumping companies should consider the following power end characteristics when developing a preventive maintenance plan. The company has helped customers in developing a maintenance plan specific to their operations and duty cycles.

As explained, the harder and longer a pump is run for, the sooner the bearings will wear out and need to be changed as part of a preventative maintenance cycle. ‘Duty cycle’ is a term used to characterise how hard a pump has been run and for how long. Duty cycle is determined by RL and ‘speed’ – that is how fast the pump is being run, and ‘time,’ meaning the number of pump cycles or run time. Preventative maintenance plans can be developed based on duty cycle. In the
US, each different operating area/shale basin has different pressures that pumps are required to pump at. This can drastically change the required preventative maintenance intervals. Customers can provide a record of duty cycles and operating conditions in their area of interest and a preventative maintenance plan can be designed around those.

The company has performed studies to correlate improper mounting to the performance of the load-bearing components. Since the frame houses all the critical components and there are installed running clearances between the frame and the bearing components, stress from any unnecessary twist in the frame is transmitted to the bearing components. Results from studies showed pumps that were not mounted appropriately were subjecting the bearing components to additional stresses and even creating
the potential for excess heat generation due to reducing clearances of bearing components below their minimum tolerance. It is recommended to place the pump on the skid and use shims to level the pump before it is bolted to the skid. As part of the preventive maintenance plan, all mounting bolts must be checked periodically for tightness and replaced as necessary.

Stroke length is a pump characteristic that is specific to each pump model and cannot be altered. It denotes the distance the plunger strokes for each revolution of the crankshaft. For each stroke of the plunger, a specific volume of fluid is displaced and the output volume can be increased or decreased by varying pump speed. This is a key piece of information for customers, as there are many pumps available with varying stroke lengths. When looking for a specific flow rate out of these pumps, the pumps must be operated at varying speeds to provide a uniform flow output. A longer stroke pump needs to be run slower than a short stroke pump in order to output the same flow rate.

However, it is important to remember that when pumps are run faster, they are accumulating fatigue cycles at a more rapid pace. Pump components are constructed with steel. By its very nature, at some point steel will reach its fatigue limit and start to develop a failure mode. How quickly it takes to reach the ultimate fatigue limit determines the life of the component. Ideally, pressure pumping companies operate their frac units at an optimal speed that does not result
in too much load for the engine, transmission or pump. Overall, fatigue plays a major role in pump failure. Overall usable life of any component can be increased by managing accumulation of fatigue cycles more efficiently.

All power ends manufactured by the company are run through an extensive factory acceptance test where they are tested at
 their operating limits and have the temperatures of their critical components monitored prior to shipping to the customer to ensure the pump is receiving proper lubrication and ready for operation.

In April 2018, a pressure pumping company using GD Energy Products C-2500 pumps experienced several power end failures across their fleets due to overheating of internal power end components. In an effort to understand and further investigate the actual root cause of the failures, a frac unit from the same fleet was tested at GD Energy Products’ Fort Worth facility in Texas, US. Pressure gauges and flow meters were systematically installed at various locations in the lube system to better understand the system dynamics at various pump load conditions.

The unit was first operated as received, with the exception
of the installation of the instrumentation. The power end oil
was replaced with clean ISO 220 oil, as per the equipment manufacturer’s specification, and the oil filter was changed before operation. Significant issues were found with the amount of oil shown to be flowing through the gear pump relief line, as well
as in the gear pump suction line. Additionally, the pressure relief valve at the power end was not adjusted correctly to maintain adequate (≥100 psi) pressure throughout the installed oil’s temperature/viscosity range. The decision was made to reroute the gear pump pressure relief valve relief line to the lube reservoir to improve the gear pump’s suction conditions. The unit was operated and the gear pump pressure relief valve was adjusted to increase flow to the power end. The power end pressure relief valve was also adjusted to maintain 145 psi at the power end. System performance was greatly improved with the modifications made.

A pump could cost tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair if one of its critical bearings fails and causes a power end failure on the jobsite. These unexpected expenses can be avoided, and total cost of ownership reduced by simply ensuring the bearing is changed at the right time. Fortunately, the cost of committing to a proactive maintenance schedule is modest, and can be planned and forecast for. A long-term outlook centered on preventative maintenance is essential in safeguarding a pressure pumping company’s ability to fulfill their customers’ demands and take on new work.

Southwest’s Field Service Team is committed to providing customers with highly-trained personnel who can thoroughly inspect Mud Pumps and troubleshoot equipment issues. Our services are designed to provide customers with valuable information about their mud pump, along with providing cost-effective solutions to keep your equipment running trouble-free.

OEM trained technicians provide installation of fluid end modules ensuring equipment meets OEM standards and is aligned properly to reduce consumption of mud pump wear parts.

Drastically reduce mud pump equipment outages by installing a hydraulic liner retention system. This system decreases liner change-out time from hours to minutes.

Inspections allow you to address problems and issues before a failure occurs. Additional performance enhancements can also be achieved with our laser alignment pump service and customizable preventative maintenance program.

The system is lightweight and suitcase portable, thus eliminating the cumbersome and difficult-to-transport systems of the past. In addition, the Zero-N Laser Alignment system is a non-intrusive service requiring the removal of only the piston rod which allows for much quicker service and less downtime on the pump. Alignment inspections are performed worldwide by Southwest Oilfield trained service technicians.

Pump maintenance is the process of keeping your pumps in good working condition. A thorough checklist that guides the maintenance engineer for pump maintenance can be very beneficial as pump maintenance is essential to keep your pumps running smoothly and prevent them from breaking down. This includes regularly checking and cleaning your pumps and replacing any parts that are worn out.

Modern pumps are essential equipment in the industrial and manufacturing sectors. These devices allow companies to move liquids and gases from one place to another, which can be crucial to operations. While modern pumps are reliable and rarely need maintenance, they require some attention over time.

The ideal way of classifying pump maintenance is through the method used for drawing out the maintenance plan. Based on this, the following are the four significant types of pump maintenance:

Corrective maintenance is the most reactive type of pump maintenance, and it involves repairing or replacing parts as needed to keep a pump functioning properly. While this approach may be necessary for some situations, it is often not ideal due to its high cost and disruption of operations.

Preventive maintenance is another common approach to pump maintenance that focuses on proactive measures such as regular inspections and adjustments. This can help avoid potential problems and keep pumps operating at peak efficiency. Using a reliable checklist for pump maintenance, engineers conduct a thorough checking and carry out the needful maintenance as and when needed. This approach is widely used in industries.

Predictive maintenance uses advanced sensors and equipment to monitor the condition of pumps and other components in real-time. This enables users to detect potential problems before they become serious issues that require extensive repairs or replacements. However, this type of maintenance is cost-intensive and unsuitable for small-scale pump systems.

This type of pump maintenance is a newer type of pump maintenance that uses data collected from sensors to assess the condition of pumps and other equipment. This information is then used to develop a customized maintenance plan tailored to the equipment’s specific needs. This approach can be more effective than traditional pump preventive maintenance plans and can help to reduce downtime and costs. But setting up a CBM system can prove to be a costly affair.

Whether you are using one of these approaches or a combination of them, it is essential to ensure that your pump maintenance program is adequately designed and implemented to optimize the performance and longevity of your pumps. Pump maintenance plans are also created based on the system they target, including mechanical, electrical, and hydraulic. Mechanical maintenance typically involves replacing parts that have worn out or broken down due to normal wear and tear. Electrical pump maintenance requires checking the wiring for any signs of damage and replacing fuses if necessary. And hydraulic pump maintenance may involve changing fluid levels or upgrading the oil viscosity depending on the level of use.

The strength and effectiveness of your pump preventive maintenance plan depending on how robust your checklist is. While you would want to include all possible checks in the plan, it is impractical and inadvisable for all routine checks. Therefore the checklist is divided based on the frequency of checks making it more sustainable and effective:

Please note that the pump preventive maintenance schedule for each pump would depend on its design and application, and hence you should always consult the pump manufacturer for the same. However, the above checklist is a general checklist that can guide the process of pump preventive maintenance. A well-maintained pump will last longer and perform better than one not correctly cared for.

Check the manufacturer’s recommendation for service interval schedules. Depending on the type of pump, different servicing may be required at different intervals.

Maintain the proper records for all pump maintenance activity. Good data collection will give you the correct information about the pump’s health and operational condition.

Based on the checklist, pump maintenance may seem a simple task that needs to be done regularly. However, this is not true. Understanding the pump behaviour and performing suitable maintenance activities requires years of experience. Therefore, it is always advisable to hire a qualified expert to carry out pump maintenance due to the following reasons:

Safety – Pump maintenance through a qualified expert, ensures that all safety hazards are identified and eliminated. This keeps you, your equipment, and your employees safe from harm.

Efficiency – Qualified experts know how to service and maintain pumps to operate at peak efficiency. This can save you money on your energy bills and help prolong the life of your pump.

Peace of Mind – Pump maintenance can be a complex task. By entrusting it to a qualified expert, you can rest assured that the job will be done correctly and on time.

Avoid Downtime – Downtime is costly, both in terms of lost productivity and repair costs. Pump maintenance through a qualified expert can help minimize the risk of unexpected downtime.

Compliance – Pump maintenance through a qualified expert can help ensure that your pump complies with all relevant safety and environmental regulations. This can save you from costly fines or penalties.

The majority of reliable pump manufacturers offer pump maintenance as a part of their service. Therefore, it is always a good practice to hire them to execute the pump maintenance of your site. They will also be able to create an effective schedule and an exhaustive checklist that your site engineers can follow for pump inspection. Ensuring that pump preventive maintenance is done at the right time in the right way will make your overall system more reliable and efficient.

The best safeguard against unplanned shut-down or system failure is a good preventive maintenance plan. Cat Pumps triplex pump design offers easy maintenance without the use of special tools, making routine maintenance achievable without difficulty. Every installation differs, so a unique maintenance schedule may be required.

The service life of pumps and wear parts vary by application based on duty-cycle, pumped liquid, temperature, inlet conditions, location of installation and system accessories. It is important to monitor the system carefully. At the first sign of low pressure, make a thorough system examination. Low pressure may be caused by system components other than the pump, such as:

Please consult the pump Data Sheet, Service Manual or Service Video to verify service procedures. If no problems are found with the system components, shut the system down and inspect the pump. Check for contamination in valves. Change seals and record hours for your preventive maintenance schedule. Typically valves should be replaced at every other seal replacement.

The maintenance checklist, implemented a few months ago, covers equipment to monitor on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. An area is devoted to tracking service truck miles, rig miles and hours, as well as welder hours to know when an oil change is needed. The goal is to not let any maintenance task fall by the wayside.

“It’s kind of brought about them (drilling crews) thinking of other things, recognizing other things, and having a mindset towards maintaining their equipment,” says Baker, owner of Apex Drilling LLC in Burley, Idaho, “and that’s the most important thing—having that mindset towards maintenance.”

Baker, president of the Idaho Ground Water Association, worked as a maintenance mechanic for nearly nine years at a potato processing plant before entering the water well industry. He worked at the plant under the supervision of a 20-year Air Force veteran who previously was a maintenance manager of intercontinental ballistic missile sites in the Midwest. Baker credits those years for helping him get keyed in on being proactive with equipment maintenance.

“I learned a lot about preventative maintenance and things you start looking for,” Baker says. “If you know about some of these small things before they become big things, then you don’t have downtime on the jobsites.”

Months into implementing the maintenance checklist, Baker is seeing his drill crews take ownership by noticing minor issues on their four drill rigs and making note of them. The crews then look at the list and fix the issues during half a day in the shop while they’re in between jobs, or at a jobsite when time allows for it.

Factoring into the maintenance of his equipment is the fact that Baker is using a higher-grade oil and additives package rather than what the manufacturer recommends. Also, every 200 to 300 hours of use, he has equipment oil samples (engine, hydraulic, and compressor oils) sent and analyzed by a lab in Salt Lake City, Utah. The lab runs an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) cleanliness analysis and designates a code to how clean the oil is and the results dictate when Baker needs to change the oil in his equipment.

“Hydraulics, pumps, and motors have an ISO cleanliness code on the oil,” Baker explains. “If you run that hydraulic system within that cleanliness code at 70 degrees in a controlled environment, you’re going to get 10,000 hours out of your pumps.

“When putting the pumps on mobile equipment, it cuts it in half, so you get 5000 hours on pumps because they’re working in the extreme heat, cold, and dirt. As long as you maintain that cleanliness code in your oil, you can expect 5000 hours, but as soon as you go one code dirtier in your oil, you cut that in half. If you can operate one code cleanlier you can double it, and so we’re trying to operate in a manner that is not necessarily normal in an effort to try and get our equipment to last longer. Ultimately, it reduces our cost of maintenance.”

Sprowls, president of the Ohio Water Well Association, also shared how hydraulic oil in the GEFCO 40K came back with elevated metal content. He says nothing indicated that the hydraulics were acting up, but the oil sample prompted further investigation which revealed a hydraulic pump failed prematurely.

Sprowls stresses that maintenance needs to be intentional where time is made for it. He makes a point that being proactive is less stressful than reacting to an engine replacement in a customer’s front yard. After all, it’s much easier to work on the machines in a climate-controlled shop or gravel lot with no mud.

“What I’ve done for routine items is put a value on them that is relevant to our industry,” he shares. “Most drilling is accounted for by the foot, so I will analyze what kind of drilling I’m doing and put a footage on it. For example, I grease the rig every so many feet of overall drilling. If I’m mud drilling, the mud pump and swivel get greased very well, no matter the footage. Air drilling may be more frequent on the swivel due to the temperatures.

“The main reason Layne is dedicated to a robust equipment inspection/maintenance program is the safety of our employees,” Snelten says. “If we can keep our equipment safe to operate, it reduces the hazards to our employees and helps prevent injuries. They go home to their families at the end of the day in the same condition they came to work.

“We’ve made incredible strides in our safety performance over the past four years, and we see equipment maintenance as a required component to our continued safety evolution to not just maintain industry leading safety performance, but achieve true world-class safety.”

Beyond improved safety, Layne sees additional benefits of an aggressive maintenance and repair program achieving increased employee engagement, client appreciation and recognition, decreased maintenance costs, decreased downtime, increased productivity and profitability, and differentiation from the competition.

Layne rolled out a new maintenance program in 2021 for its several thousand pieces of equipment—drill rigs, pump rigs, trucks, trailers, and support equipment—and for the roughly 350 field staff who operate them.

The program consists of daily, monthly, and annual inspections of the drill rigs, pump rigs, and service trucks. Inspection items include fluid levels, wire ropes, sheaves, frame welds, controls, emergency stops, etc. A copy of the inspection goes to the field superintendent and mechanic and repairs

The program also presents Layne with information to determine action steps for a piece of equipment. If a piece of equipment continues to have persistent maintenance issues, and its records show maintenance costs are excessive, the question becomes: Is it better to perform a mid-life rebuild where another seven to 10 years can be gained, or is it better to replace it?

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Remove and replace the following types of components: radiator, hydraulic pumps and valves, water pumps, air valves and turbo charger, hydraulic cylinders.

Remove and replace the following types of components: radiator, hydraulic pumps and valves, water pumps, air valves and turbo charger, hydraulic cylinders.

Repair and maintenance of, but not limited to, pumps, motors, conveyors, industrial machinery in a manufacturing plant. Vacation accrual & 401k begin upon hire.

During non-drilling operations, the rig hand"s work activities include repair and maintenance of the drilling equipment as directed by the driller, mechanic, or…

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Pumps are vital to industries including water treatment and wastewater facilities, power generation, oil and gas, food processing and more. In the oil and gas industry, the uptime of industrial pumps is especially critical. The total world consumption of global petroleum and other liquid fuels averaged 92.30 million barrels per day in 2020, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That total has risen by approximately 5 million in 2021 and will continue to grow in 2022. Any unplanned downtime can impact the ability to meet this growth.

There are three basic types of pumps, and they are classified by how they transport fluid: positive-displacement, centrifugal and axial-flow. Pumps can experience several different types of failures, including cavitation, bearing failures and seal failures, among others. In oil and gas, conditions in which pumps operate are often challenging, dirty and hazardous, resulting in wear and tear. Failure of these pumps not only results in unexpected operation delays and increased costs, but it can lead to dangerous oil and gas leaks, impacting labor safety and the environment. To avoid these unexpected failures, many companies increase preventative maintenance and create aggressive inspection schedules. These practices, however, can sometimes lead to unnecessary part replacement, maintenance costs and labor.

Others may rely on condition-based maintenance, which focuses on maintenance performed after monitoring real-time data and detecting unacceptable condition levels. However, this may not come with the advanced warning needed to prevent impending failure events or avoid downtime. By taking a predictive approach, past maintenance data and current sensor measurements can be used to determine early signs of failure, allowing companies to perform maintenance only at the exact time it is needed.

IMAGE 1: An example of a deployed solution for predictive monitoring and failure detection of critical mud pumps in the oil and gas industry. (Images courtesy of Predictronics)

Developing and deploying a predictive maintenance solution for pumps is challenging. It requires a combination of sensing and instrumentation expertise, domain knowledge, and a practical perspective on applying machine learning and analytics for predictive monitoring. The instrumentation aspect is crucial since this data will be analyzed and will serve as the foundation of the actionable information. The decisions made from this information include what maintenance actions are needed and when they should be taken given the current pump health, as well as any trends or patterns that could emerge.

Vibration is typically the most crucial signal to use for monitoring the condition of a pump, but information on the rotating or reciprocating motion is also useful, especially for performing the more advanced signal processing methods. In addition, pressure and flow rate measurements are important for understanding pump operation and providing context for understanding the vibration data. A balance must be struck between the benefit of including these important measurements versus the hardware and implementation costs of doing so. This challenge is especially true for vibration sensors. Domain expertise is needed to place a minimal set of sensors to keep the hardware cost down and monitor the pump properly and accurately.

When handling the analytics, it is challenging to apply machine learning for this application without any domain-specific preprocessing and signal processing steps. Typically, pump failures are rare, so using a supervised machine learning model is not typically practical. Instead, a combination of domain-specific feature extraction methods for the vibration signals coupled with a baseline-based anomaly index machine learning algorithm is a more reasonable approach. The deployment and user interface should be closely aligned with the industrial use case and expected user, as well as the problem being solved. For some applications, it is not feasible to transmit the data to a remote monitoring center or central server, requiring the analytics and deployment to be performed closer to the data source.

A global oil and gas contractor with a specialty in automated drilling equipment and rig components wanted to develop a health monitoring solution for its mud pumps in the field. The contractor wanted to reduce unplanned downtime and unexpected failures. Not only did the company want to prevent these failure events, but they also wanted to distinguish between anomalies caused by maintenance issues and anomalies due to sensor issues.

By working with a predictive analytics company, this client sought to differentiate these anomalies, address the pump failures, and validate the solution by utilizing the induced fault data collected on its test rig.

The user provided the analytics company with a year’s worth of historical data from test bed data sets and sensors on the piston, suction and discharge mechanisms on two pumps in the field. The team of analytics experts was able to pull crucial features from the data by considering vibration patterns in the frequency and time-frequency domain. These features were integral to the development of health assessment models. The models then helped determine key indicators of pump seal failure, as well as establish the accuracy and necessity of the sensors.

By using advanced signal processing and vibration-based pattern recognition, the health monitoring system was able to detect and diagnose pump failures. This solution provided a baseline health assessment, failure identification and pattern recognition diagnosis capabilities.

The predictive analytics company was able to identify potential issues, as well as establish the best locations for sensor placement. The final solution predicted mud pump failure at least one day in advance, providing the data needed to take action and proactively perform maintenance. This approach helped reduce downtime, increase productivity, improve safety and prevent leaks.

Criticality analysis is essential in order to select the pumps for which predictive maintenance solutions can best be applied and to choose a solution that can provide the most value.

After determining the target pumps, the most critical failure modes should be identified, along with any relevant maintenance records for unplanned and planned downtime.

Based on the data and common failure modes, determine sensor placement and what, if any, additional sensors need to be added to the monitored pumps for the predictive solution.

These initial steps are essential when partnering with a technology provider and can help companies develop and adopt a predictive maintenance solution for their pumps that is robust and accurate.

A well-placed suction stabilizer can also prevent pump chatter. Pump chatter occurs when energy is exchanged between the quick opening and closing of the reciprocating pump’s valves and the hammer effect from the centrifugal pump. Pump isolation with suction stabilizers is achieved when the charge pumps are isolated from reciprocating pumps and vice versa. The results are a smooth flow of pumped media devoid of agitating energies present in the pumped fluid.

Whether onshore or offshore, well drilling sites rely on a multitude of systems to successfully perform the drilling operation. The mud pump is a key component tasked with circulating drilling fluid under high pressure downhole. The mud pump can be divided into two key sections: the power end or crosshead and the fluid end. Proper alignment of the pump’s crosshead to the fluid end liner is necessary to maximizing piston and liner life. Misalignment contributes to

accelerated wear on both the piston and the liner, and replacing these components requires downtime of the pump. Traditional methods of inspecting alignment range from using uncalibrated wooden rods, Faro Arms and micrometers to check the vertical and horizontal alignment of the piston rod OD to the piston liner ID. These are time consuming and cumbersome techniques that are ultimately not well suited to troubleshoot and solve alignment issues.

A “Mud Pump Laser Alignment Kit” enables you to measure where the piston will run through the liner at various positions along the pump’s stroke. It will also project a laser centerline from the fluid end back towards the rear power end of the pump that can be used to determine how much shimming is required to correct any alignment issues. The kit can include either a 2-Axis receiver or a 4-Axis which accepts the laser beam and documents where it falls on the active surface of the receiver. The 4-Axis receiver can decrease alignment time by as much as 50% as it will measure angularity as well as X and Y while the 2-Axis does not and will need multiple measurement locations to get the same information. In addition, the alignment system is a non-intrusive service requiring the removal of only the piston rod which allows for much quicker service and less down time on the pump. As the mud pumps in question are located globally both on and offshore, having a small, portable system is another great advantage. Our recommendation would be Pinpoint laser System’s “Mud Pump Alignment Kit”. They are being used by many of the leading repair service companies and have been their main alignment tool for over 15 years. Manufacturers are also utilizing these for new pump set-up.

Power and high pressure mud management system is a core function in any oil field operation. Consequential cost of any failure results in an exponential manner through out the chain of drilling activity. Under an open pay zone condition, the effect would compound leading to complications in oil recovery, where such far flung effects are involved in terms of cost of failure, the demand of availability and reliability is not the final requirement of a maintenance manager. Monitoring the trend of all the achievements and failure also becomes an important activity to device a means for all the time injection of dependability. In this trend analysis the diverse and concurrent behavior of different group of equipments are to be monitored in a manageable manner for setting up the hypothesis structures to derive fairly repeatable and accurate predictions.