Hundreds of Subsea Projects with Thousands of Pumps Moving Forward Despite Shrinking Oil Prices

The recent plunge in oil prices has caused some subsea projects to be canceled or delayed but there are more than 100 projects moving forward. The subsea vessel industry is currently expanding at 7%/yr. Over 54 percent of the active fleet has been delivered over the past eight years. There are also an additional 115 vessels under construction.  The status of projects is continually reported in Oil, Gas, Shale and Refining Markets and Projects published by the McIlvaine Company.

Pump companies play a critical role in the movement of working fluids and product.  Their subsea activities are analyzed in Pumps World Market.

A number of large pump orders have been recently awarded.  Lewa has won a €30-million ($41.6-million) order for 40 process diaphragm pumps for two large gas fields offshore Saudi Arabia. The development project is designed to process 70 MMcm/d (2.5 bcf/d) of ethane, propane, butane, and natural gas from the two fields, producing on average around 50 MMcm (1.8 bcf) of market-ready gas. However, peak demand could reach 86 MMcm (3 bcf).

The Lewa pump systems will be installed on 13 wellhead and two tie-in (drilling and export) platforms and will work at operating pressures of 140 to 500-plus bar (2,030 to 7,252 psi) to inject monoethylene glycol (MEG) and sulfur solvent. The MEG will circulate continuously between the platforms and the glycol regeneration units in the onshore preparation facilities, reducing the risk of hydrates in the two subsea pipelines.

One issue is that the sulfur content of the two gas fields is at a significantly higher concentration than in other areas, and starts to solidify at high temperatures. To prevent blockage of the pipeline and ensure reliable transport on land, a solvent for the sulfur must be injected continuously and reliably.

Sulzer Pumps Ltd and FMC Technologies, Inc. have an exclusive collaboration agreement to further leverage leading-edge technology including world-class pumps from Sulzer Pumps, pump services, and subsea systems and advanced permanent magnet motor technology from FMC Technologies.  Over the last several years, Sulzer Pumps and FMC Technologies have developed, built and qualified a new, high-speed helico-axial multiphase subsea boosting unit based on Sulzer Pumps' topside pump designs.

ANDRITZ completed an order from two Chinese shipyards, Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding, Shanghai, and China Merchants Heavy Industry, Shenzhen, with twelve submersible motor pumps for use on jack-up rigs. The submersible motor pumps (multi-stage centrifugal pumps in combination with maintenance-free submersible motors) pump the raw water for the drilling platform from a depth of ten to 20 meters below sea level.

Flowserve has won orders for water injection and liquid transfer pumps for Sabah Shell Petroleum’s Malikai oil field project, 110 km (68 mi) offshore Sabah, Malaysia.

The order comprises pumps for seawater lift, firewater, drain caisson, flare knockout drum, circulation, and sump services.

Flowserve will provide four variable-speed drive barrel pumps constructed from super duplex stainless; two WIK (BB5) multi-stage double-case diffuser pumps supplying high-pressure deoxygenated water for well injection; and two HSO (BB5) multi-stage, double-case volute pumps to transport crude from the field to the KBB processing facility.  Additionally, the company will provide six WUC (VS6) vertical, double-case, multi-stage pumps, six Pleuger super duplex submersible pumps, and six HPX (OH2) single-stage API process pumps.

Subsea Production Alliance, combines Aker Solutions' offerings in subsea production and processing with Baker Hughes' strengths in well completions and artificial lift.  The alliance will steer subsea well management planning away from heavy workover systems to light intervention, with easier access to subsea trees. As for boosting subsea recovery, the alliance can offer a wide range of single or multi-phase pump solutions combined with different types of intelligent completion and artificial lift solutions.  The alliance would work on technologies including subsea-optimized downhole electric submersible pumps; integration of ESPs into subsea well jumpers for single-well boost or dual-boost applications, potentially in existing brownfield wells; medium-cost light intervention risers deployed from a rig, and ultimately riserless intervention; and on ways of lifting oil longer distances to platforms.

For more information, click on:

N049 Oil, Gas, Shale and Refining Markets and Projects

N019 Pumps World Market

Pharmaceutical Companies to Raise Cartridge Purchases to $2.1 Billion in 2015

Next year pharmaceutical companies will spend more than $2.1 billion for liquid cartridges.  This is the latest forecast in Cartridge Filters: World Market published by the McIlvaine Company.  (www.mcilvainecompany.com)

Pharmaceutical Cartridge Revenue ($ Millions)

Bottom of Form

Subject

2015

Total

 2,155

 Carbon

 129

 Membrane

 1,078

 Metal

 43

 Non-Woven

 819

 String Wound

 86

Cartridges are used both to purify water needed in pharmaceutical plants and to separate product from liquids during manufacture.   The smallest particles are removed with membrane cartridges.  This market will be in excess of $1 billion next year.  Non-woven cartridges remove particles as small as a few microns but are not as efficient as membranes.  Metal cartridges are used for high temperature filtration.

The largest growth is coming in Asia where there is a construction boom centered on generic drug manufacture.  The major drug companies of the world are building generic production facilities in China, India and other Asian countries.

There are four trends driving the rapid growth in the Asian market:

·       Increasing ability to pay for drugs

·       Low per capita expenditures in the past

·       New focus on health care

·       Tighter restrictions forcing more cartridge expenditures per unit of production

There is growth in Latin America as well.  The Chilean pharmaceutical market is increasing at a compound annual growth rate of more than 10 percent.  This rate is expected to continue over the next five years.  Chile's pharmaceutical landscape is small but highly competitive.  The pharmaceutical market is dominated by prescription drugs, with a smaller share of the market for nonprescription, over-the-counter medicines.

For more information Cartridge Filters: World Market, click on: http://home.mcilvainecompany.com/index.php/markets/2-uncategorised/117-n024

Headlines for Utility E-Alert –October 24, 2014 

UTILITY E-ALERT    

#1197 – October 24, 2014                                        

Table of Contents

COAL – WORLD

 

GAS/OIL – US

 

GAS/OIL – WORLD

 

CO2

 

NUCLEAR

 

§  Two UK Nuclear Power Plants Shut Down to Stop Boilers from Cracking

§  Turkey to build Third Nuclear Power Plant

§  180,000-pound CA05 Structural Module placed at Vogtle Unit 3

BUSINESS

 

HOT TOPIC HOUR

 

For more information on the Utility Tracking System, click on:  http://home.mcilvainecompany.com/index.php/databases/2-uncategorised/89-42ei

McIlvaine Hot Topic Hour Registration

On Thursday at 10:00 a.m. Central time, McIlvaine hosts a 90 minute web meeting on important energy and pollution control subjects. Power webinars are free for subscribers to either Power Plant Air Quality Decisions or Utility Tracking System. The cost is $300.00 for non-subscribers.

See below for information on upcoming Hot Topic Hours. We welcome your input relative to suggested additions.

 

DATE

SUBJECT

 

November

6

Coal-fired Power Plant NOx Reduction Innovations

13

Power Plant Cooling

December

18

Boiler Feedwater Treatment

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Bob McIlvaine
President
847-784-0012 ext 112
rmcilvaine@mcilvainecompany.com
www.mcilvainecompany.com