Pumped up growth

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One of three 1.4 MW pump sets, part of a Hydrolink fire suppression solution for an offshore support vessel.

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Bryden says the region demands high specs.

The pump is the second most commonly manufactured machine in the world today. A busy oil and gas industry, flush with cash from sustained high prices, is placing great demand on those who make, service and supply the equipment.

At a manufacturing level competition is tough. Pumps have been around for a long time and the global market is fragmented. In its World Pumps report for 2005, the McIlvaine company found that around 10000 firms were manufacturing industrial pumps. Only five, however, achieved pump sales over US $1 billion for that year - ITT, Grundfos, Flowserve, Ebara and KSB - all are active players in the region.

With such competition, providers are turning their attention to high value-added services, in a bid to stand out from the crowd. With the regional rental market for pumps booming - major operators report a utilisation rate of more than 80% - high levels of technical performance are also necessary. Applications range from ultra high pressure (UHP) pumps being used for surface preparation and cleaning, to low pressure, high-flow pumps performing flushing operations on pipelines.

"Reliability is paramount," said Alan Bryden, director corporate services for Hydrolink, a pump rental company. "While there may be specific difficulties in each installation, reliability is a common requirement. From a pump packager's perspective, producing a solution that optimises reliability, without compromising application requirements is our goal."

This reliability has to be achieved in demanding conditions. Extremes of temperature and pressure determine the quality of the materials and equipment needed. In the Middle East dust is an ever-present enemy.

"Pumps have to be built to a higher specification," said Bryden. "As a local packager of pump sets, we look to provide designs that are compliant with local conditions and always consider the necessary extra filtration and cooling requirements of the region.

"In the Hydrolink range, the technological advances in the materials employed in UHP pumps and accessories have probably seen the most significant change. The modern duplex steels, our ability to x-ray head blocks and advances in hose and fitting technology have had a very positive impact on reliability and part life."

Hydrolink's research and development work has extended the life of high wear items. Running a rental fleet, the company gets feedback direct from operators. This goes straight to its engineers to help them target specific performance improvements.

Standards and safety

Such performance improvements are driven by two things: demanding and educated customers - Bryden sees the oil and gas industry as one where customers are very knowledgeable - and tougher standards. For example, API (American Petroleum Institute) standards have gone from the sixth to the eleventh edition in the past decade.

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