MUSCAT -- PCM, a leading international manufacturer of positive displacement pumps and fluid-handling equipment for oil and gas industry, is showcasing the world's first all-metal progressing cavity pump, PCM Vulcain, at the Oil and Gas West Asia Exhibition. The exhibition which was opened on Monday at the Oman International Exhibition Centre concludes today. The pump can withstand the extreme downhole temperatures of thermal oil recovery.
PCM Vulcain with an all-metal design is capable of pumping extremely hot (350°C/660°F) and extremely viscous fluids. It is estimated that half of the world's known oil reserves are made up of unconventional oil, ranging from viscous heavy oil to nearly solid bitumen. These oils cannot flow unless they are heated. Thermal recovery methods, such as steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) and cyclic steam stimulation (CSS), are used to inject heat into the reservoirs, enabling the oil to flow to the well. The oil pumped to the surface is extremely hot.
"Standard progressing cavity pumps (PCP), sucker rod pumps (SRP) and electrical submersible pumps (ESP) are limited in terms of maximum operating temperature. In contrast, the PCM Vulcain is the only pump that works efficiently at the high temperatures of thermal recovery," explains Nicolas Parise, Director, PCM Oil and Gas Business Unit. "Elastomer stators make standard progressing cavity pumps unsuitable for use at extremely hot temperature -- and other existing pump technologies are not as inherently efficient or reliable as progressing cavity pumps," he added.
Thanks to its patented all-metal design, PCM Vulcain solves both sides of the equation by providing all the natural advantages and flexibility of progressing cavity pump technology at extreme temperatures. The rotary action of PCM Vulcain outperforms beam pumps in overall system efficiency and it is less fragile than electric submersible pumps.
By Staff Reporter
© Oman Daily Observer 2008
