PUMPS, VALVES & HYDRAULICS
Thordon Bearings Prove Their Worth in Abu Dhabi Offshore Platform Pumps
Thordon Bearings’ water- lubricated elastomeric polymer bearings have been installed to well pumps aboard an undisclosed offshore oil platform operated by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).
Five KSB three-stage mixed flow impeller-type pumps were each retrofitted with Thordon pump bearings – 13 SXL intermediate bearings, four Composite bearings and a single SXL throttle bearing – replacing the original silicon carbide bushes.
Dubai-based engineering firm Ocean Power International (OPI), Thordon’s authorized distributor in the Middle East region, received the full scope of supply direct from Thordon’s plant in
Burlington, Canada, just four weeks after placing the order.
“The problem with silicon carbide bearings is that they have a long lead time, and are brittle which means there is a risk of the bearings chipping and breaking. They are simply not as robust and are very expensive to replace,” said Rafid Qureshi, Managing Director, OPI.
“By comparison, Thordon SXL and Composite bearings resolve the price and lead time issues, are very durable, and they are also more considerate to the environment as they don’t require lubricating oil or grease.”
After OPI gathered all the parameters and reviewed the pump drawings, the Thordon bearings were delivered well within the requisite time frame, allowing KSB, the original equipment
manufacturer (OEM), to carry out the retrofit installation work and commission the pumps in quick time, avoiding any rig downtime.
KSB Abu Dhabi has now refurbished all five pumps with the new Thordon bearings, the last of which was completed in August 2022. However, the company has been converting its pump bearings over to the Thordon polymer material over the course of the last 10 years.
Performance Under Pressure
The hostile environments and high technical demands of the Oil & Gas sector require quality, dependable high-pressure pumps. Cat Pumps positive-displacement pumps meet those harsh requirements, combining low life-cycle costs and high performance for:
• Reverse Osmosis Seawater Desalination • Oil Well Stimulation • Hose Pressure Testing • Enhanced Gas & Oil Recovery • Umbilical & Control Line Flushing • Divers’ Hot Water Suit Umbilical Feed • Chemical Injection • TEG Dehydration Pumping • Deck Wash-Down & Marine Growth Removal • HPUs For Water & Water-Glycol Hydraulics • Accumulator Charging; Blow-Out Preventers • Equipment for Use In Explosive Atmospheres (Zones 1/21 & 2/22)
Cat Pumps — Taking On High-Pressure Offshore UK: +44 1252 622031 |
sales@catpumps.co.uk |
www.catpumps.co.uk ©2021 Cat Pumps (U.K.) Ltd. All Rights Reserved. 21212 9/21
December 2022
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