Calgary Pump Symposium 2013
The Oil Sands Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance
Dan Wolfe Ron Cleminson
Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 Calgary Pump Symposium 2013
Dan Wolfe Senior Mechanical Associate at Syncrude Research, specializing in health monitoring and reliability improvement of equipment such as centrifuges, crushers, heavy hauler engines and slurry pumps and piping.
Ron Cleminson Senior Mechanical Associate in Syncrude Technology Development, specializing in slurry preparation, materials handling and bitumen extraction equipment.
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
This presentation is about… • Installation and Performance of
a new Hydrotransport pump for Aurora North Mine
• The new wear model used in the impeller design has been proven useful
• We expect 3X life of existing pumps
GIW TBC 84 SP
The Oil Sands Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Shell
CNRL
Suncor
Shell
Upgrader
Mildred Lake Mine “North Mine Hydro Transport”
Utilities Extraction
Syncrude Base Plant & Mildred Lake Mine are located just outside Fort McMurray, Alberta near the center of the Athabasca oil sand deposit • Name plate capacity: 350,000 bpd of oil • 13% of Canada's domestic consumption
Base Plant Operations – Mildred Lake
Athabasca Oil Sands deposit
Surface mining locations in the Athabasca Oilsands
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
• Remote operation • ~35 km north from Base Plant • Operating for over 10 years • Mines & processes ~120 Mt/yr oilsand
• Warm water extraction process • Relies on Hydrotransport (HT) technology
for pipeline conditioning and oil sand delivery to separation vessels (PSV’s).
• Every year, Aurora North moves more
than 3 billion t-km of slurry by Hydrotransport…
Shell
Suncor
Shell
CNRL
Surface mining locations in the Athabasca Oilsands
Aurora North Mine
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Aurora North Hydrotransport
• 3 Slurry Prep. Trains • 2 Operating, 1 Standby (Available for maintenance) • Nominal pipeline solids feed rate 8250 tph per train
• Slurry Preparation Technology: Wet Screening
• Relocate-able, modular structures • Primary system: Mix box / vibe screens (5” openings) • Secondary system: Mix box / impactor / 5” screens
• Hydrotransport
• 30” diameter / 3.5km typical distance
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Surge Feed Conveyor
Slurry Preparation Facility
Surge Facility
Mix Box Feed Conveyor
Primary Crusher Stage 1&2 HT
Pump house
Ø30” HT pipelines (Typ. 3.5km long)
400t Haul Trucks
Aurora Slurry Prep. Train - Major Components
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Slurry Prep. Pump House – Stage 1&2 Pumps
Flow
G2
GIW TBC 57.5”
G1 Flow
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
2 x Ø30m Separation Vessels (PSV’s)
PSV 2 PSV 1
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Aurora Benchmarks HT Slurry Pumps
• Current reliability bottleneck (since ~2009) • Shortest-lived equipment in the Ore Prep & HT system @
~1000h Mean Time Between Maintenance (MTBM)
Piping > 4000h Vibrating Screens > 4000h
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
The most extreme slurry pump application that we are aware of (in oil sands)…
Operating condition (24” x 28” pump): • High generated head per stage ~ 35-45m • High flow rate 6500-8000 m3/hr • High pipeline density ~1.60 SG
Slurry Characteristics • Coarse, angular sand @ D50 = 220 µm • 5” Large particle size (5” Lumps)
Aurora HT pump wet ends: 1000h MTBM • Significant life improvement will require a new design
Slower rotating impeller & longer pumping vanes…
Aurora North Slurry Pumps…
Pump speeds > 400rpm < 16 m/s @ impeller vane leading edge (VLE)
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Existing Pumps 24” x 28”
Proposed Pump 24” x 28”
Vane Tip: 30 m/s
250 rpm
Vane Tip: 30 m/s
400 rpm
Existing Pumps vs. Super Pump Same 28” suction dia., O.D. 50% bigger, vane lengths 60% longer
Ø28” Ø28”
> Ø84” Ø57-62” Impact Velocity:
10 m/s Impact Vel.: 16 m/s
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Slurry Pump Failure Modes
New Impeller Almost new
Vane Leading Edge
Large particle impact wear on vane leading edges
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Modeling Impact Wear
• We know that vane impact damage is exponentially related to leading edge velocity (Impact Velocity)
• Supported by literature and lots of operational experience
• We can model the lifespan of a slower-moving impeller
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Impact Velocity – Pump Impeller
5m/s
14m
/s Axial Flow Velocity
Circumferential Velocity = +
Vector Sum
Typical 4-vane impeller
K.E. = ½ m(V)2 Mass
Velocity Exponent
Impact Velocity
Know that velocity exponent exponent is somewhere between 2 and 3 for pump wear
400 rpm
Impact Velocity
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Impeller Vane Impact Velocity vs. Wear Rate North Mine wear data adjusted to Aurora Velocity
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
6 8 10 12 14 16
Pump Vane Leading Edge Impact Speed (m/s)
Vane
Wea
r Rat
e
(hou
rs/in
ch)
3
2
Avg.
NM
Vel
ocity
Difference in wear rate between NM and Aurora data (75%) is fundamentally due to lump size in the slurry NM Average 360 hrs/inch 1
125 hrs/in
200 hrs/in
15.4
m/s
Can estimate the effect of impact velocity… shifting the NM data point along the exponential velocity curve
North Mine Average Wear data from all pump locations distilled down to one point
5” Lumps 2.5” Lumps (North Mine) (Aurora)
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Impeller Vane Impact Velocity vs. Wear Rate Aurora data adjusted to 10 m/s velocity
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
6 8 10 12 14 16
Vane Leading Edge Impact Speed (m/s)
Vane
Wea
r Rat
e
(hou
rs/in
ch)
2
Effect of lowering impact velocity in the 5” slurry system can be estimated by shifting a data point along its exponential speed curve
3
Aurora Speed Adjusted 300 hrs/inch
NM Average 360 hrs/inch
4
1
Wear life can be increased by 2.5-3X by slowing impeller VLE speed down to 9-10 m/s Av
g. N
M V
eloc
ity
125 hrs/in
15.4
m/s
9.3
5
5” Lumps 2.5” Lumps (North Mine) (Aurora)
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
What Impeller Size for 4000h MTBM? • It was a given that no additional pump stages would
be used (i.e.: ~M$15 capital /stage, reduces overall availability ~1.5% per stage)…
• The head generated by each pump remains the same @ 35-45m.
• Must maintain ~ 30 m/s peripheral (tip) speed on impeller
• Need to determine what impeller diameter provides the best balance of:
• (Velocity adjusted) Wear rate • Overall pumping vane length
To Achieve 4000h MTBM
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
0 2000 4000 6000 8000
Impeller Life (hours)
Rem
aini
ng V
ane
Leng
th
(inch
es)
Model Output
Ø84” impeller: 5000 - 6000h design life (CWI)
Ø57.5” Actual
Ø67” Predicted & Actual
Ø84” Std CWI (Predicted)
Ø84” + Improved CWI
4X life increase
4000h MTBM
1000h MTBM
Impeller Life stage Beginning Middle End
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Other Wet End Components • Need to strike a balance in the wear
life of all components • Casing (Cutwater) • Suction liner • Impeller back shroud
• Lower pump RPMs address some of these areas
• Others addressed by: • Design improvements • Increased metal thicknesses • Using improved materials
Casing
Suction liner
Impeller
Back liner
GIW TBC 84 SP
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Aurora Super Pump
Syncrude driven development effort… • Spring 2011 – Vendor discussions / issued RFP • October 2011 - Proposal evaluations completed • November 2011 – Purchase order issued for 3 pumps
GIW design (GIW TBC 84 SP) selected • First 3 Pumps installed in March/April 2013 • 1700 hour inspection in July 2013 • 3000 hour (brief) inspection October 2013 • 4000 hour inspection ~ January 2014
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Aurora Super Pump
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Installation Challenges The pumps are larger and heavier.
• Needed to upgrade 15t crane to 25t • Part handling procedures were modified • Maintenance openings in buildings were enlarged • Foundations were OK (dynamic and static loading)
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Installation Challenges This was a retrofit of existing equipment.
• Re-used existing reinforced concrete foundations and cast-in anchors (no time for major modifications) • Rebar, cast-in beams, floor drains
• Creative anchoring design was required, with much more engineering effort than anticipated • Tensile and spacing limits of Hilti-style anchors
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Learnings from First 3000h
1. Impeller life span has considerably increased 2. First 2 stages see significantly less head (solids) de-rating
than before – and virtually no de-rating below 30% Cv 3. Progressively less difference between 57” and 84” impellers
as you move downstream from G1 to G4 • Head loss (de-rating) is primarily due to lumps and wear,
not sand d50 or solids concentration 4. Un-expectedly, the new pumps (TBC 84 SP) see frequent
plugging events, particularly in the first 500 hours
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Head Ratio
Old pump life span
New pump
Rapid drop off due to internal wear
Old pump life span
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Head De-rating G1: Start of the Line • Slurry still very lumpy • Large difference between old and new G1 impeller sizes
Old Pump
New Pump solids de-rating is considerably less
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Head De-rating G2: 4m Downstream of G1 • Some lumps broken by G1 • Reduced difference between old and new G2 impeller sizes
Old Pump
New Pump
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Head De-rating G4: 1.5km Downstream of G2
• Lumps substantially ablated • Very small difference between old and new G4 impeller sizes
New Pump Old Pump
Super Pumps see less Head De-rating due to lumps
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Solids Effect – Head Ratio
Lumps ablate as they move down the pipeline (solids effect is reduced)
G1
G2
Head ratio for each pump position is also significantly improved
G4
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Unanticipated Lump Blockages • 5” screen openings don’t control all three lump dimensions
• Many oblong 5”x5”x10” and even 5”x5”x15” lumps get through to pumps
• Lower rpm is providing improved hydraulic performance & lower wear rates, but has had the unintended consequence of increased plugging due to inability to break the lumps on impact with the vane leading edges
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Sphere passing clearance is the largest sphere that can fit between the impeller vanes
Sphere Passing Clearance
Φ84” 4-vane impeller schematic
Ø210mm
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Pump Model Sphere Clearance
% Time Blocked
Old G1 TBC 52 (4-vane) 183mm (7.2”) < 5% New G1 TBC 84 SP (4-vane) 210mm (8.3”) ~20%
Old G2/G4 TBC 57.5 (4-vane) 155mm (6.1”) < 5% New G2/G4 TBC 84 SP (4-vane) 210mm (8.3”) ~10%
Theory as to why blockages are occurring despite larger vane clearances: Lower rpm of Super Pumps results in fewer lumps being
broken, and more being ‘caught’
Sphere Passing Clearance
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Effect of Blockages on Head
Frequency & duration of blockages reduce over time as internal clearances increase due to wear
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
New G2 @ 2950 hours 9” wear, 72” remaining > 6000 hour life span
Old G2 @ 1900 hours 27” wear, 23” remaining 2000 hour life span
Impeller Vane Wear – Old vs. New
27”
9”
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Impeller Lifespan
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Overall Pump Wear No failures expected before 6000 hours • Impeller vane thinning is minimal near the leading edge
• Vanes will be made thinner to reduce blockages • Impeller back shroud: 5-12 mm/1000hr • Suction liner wear is even/smooth
• Wear rate is 2-10 mm/1000hr • Hub liner wear is minimal • Casing wear is even/smooth
• Cutwater: 15-20 mm/1000hr • Max wear at K,L,M:
• 9-14 mm/1000hr
Casing
Suction liner
Impeller
Back liner
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Major components have been laser scanned to create precise 3D solid models for ongoing condition monitoring…
• Follow-up scan at 1700 hours (also at 4000h and end-of-life) • Will be able to analyze metal loss & operating data to improve wear model
accuracy, and ultimately feed back into the pump design…
Model Refinement
Super Pump Impeller 3D Solid Model (from Laser Scan)
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Aurora Super Pump
• 3 retrofits into Aurora (Train 1 HT) in Q1 2013
• Predicted 3X increase in pump life • 1700 and 2950 hour inspection results confirm predicted life span
• All pumps expected to achieve 6000 hour design life
GIW TBC 84 SP First Inspection
Calgary Pump Symposium 2013 The Oil Sand Hydrotransport “Super Pump” Part 2: Installation and Performance D. Wolfe & R. Cleminson, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Thank-you!
TBC 84 SP (first assembly) – GIW Hydraulics Lab (July 2012)