Charge Up Your Mud Pump Performance:

A Pulsation Dampener Challenge

By IRE & PPC

 IRE – International Rig Equipment

• Stocking Distributor
• OEM Service Provider
• Focused on Innovative Products and Services
• Specialised in Value-Added/Cost Saving Solutions
PPC – Performance Pulsation Control
• 22 year old private company
• Manufacturer of pulsation dampeners and related
technologies
• Holder of several established industry patents
• Community Focused
 Why We Are Here

Enhancing Mud Pump 1. Prevent Downtime

Performance = 2. Reduce Costs
3. Improve reliability
 What problems do we face with mud
pumps?
• HIGH MAINTENANCE • INTERFERENCE WITH MWD
• HIGH SPARES COST SIGNAL
• FREQUENT DOWNTIME • EXCESSIVE VIBRAITON
• UNPREDICTABLE • EXCESSIVE WEAR FOR
HIGHER
• UNSAFE PRESSURES/PERFORMANCE
COMMON DATA ON NPT AND FAILURES

LOCAL CONTRACTOR, 16 RIGS OVER 2 YEARS

- 620 hours NPT billed

- 258 failures leading to NPT
- 63% failures due to wear and tear of parts
DAMPENER EXPLOSIONS
The Benefits of Good Pump Performance
 Better Performance
 Faster Wells
 Less Maintenance Cost
 Less Expense – More Profit
 Less Hazards
 Less Vibration in your fluid path
 Better MWD signal = HAPPY
CLIENT!!!
How do we get better pump performance?
• Improve type of fluid
• Improve design of pump
• Better quality spares
• Less heat
• Less pressure
• Pulsation Control…
REDUCE PULSATION – IMPROVE PUMP PERFORMANCE
 Fluid Dynamics
Fluid end damage from Pulsation – How Does it
Happen?
Pulsation – Discharge
• Huge spike in flow/pressure into manifold upon valve opening
• High fluid velocity/pressure from high acceleration at valve opening
wears the valve seats
• Spike levels reduced by having dampener in proximity
• Dampener introduces capacitance to the discharge line.
• Capacitance gained by through adding gas or fluid mass in the system
 Fluid Dynamics
Fluid end damage from Pulsation – How Does it Happen?

Suction – Stabilizing – most discharge concerns start on the

suction side
• Drawing in fluid to fill cylinders could lead to cavitation
• Some pressure destabilization due to higher piston stroke velocity.
• Higher stroke velocity requires more/faster fluid intake which
increases risk of cavitation.
• Vapor bubbles can form which affects cylinder fill volume creating
variable fluid delivery on discharge (turbulence)
• Variable fluid delivery places greater demand on pulsation control to
limit the pressure spike variation.
Fluid Dynamics
 The Dampener Effect
Case Study: 6.5” plungers before and after discharge dampener @5000psi operating pressure:

Without Dampener With Dampener

1350 psi Pressure Variation 175 psi Pressure Variation

Potentially violent and unsafe

72% improvement
piping system vibration
Prolong Pump Life and Maximize
Pumping System Efficiency
Pulsation Dampening Options in
Today’s Market
 1. Gas Charged – How it works?
Gas-charged bladder pushes back against
pressure variation to absorb spikes

High Pump Pressure Mid-Pressure/Transition Low Pump Pressure

 1. Gas Charged

PROS
• Inexpensive
• Readily available
• Easy to install
• Small and convenient to
install
CONS
• Frequent bladder failures
• Unsafe with potential for oxygen
• Not effective at high pressure
• Reliant on correct pre-charge
setting
2. Maintenance Free (Reactive) – how it works

Pumped media reacts with system/fluid mass for pulsation reduction –

Liquid Only – No Moving Parts
Sized to Application
 2. Maintenance Free (Reactive) - Benefits
Improved Safety
Gas-Charging Eliminated
• No Bladders
• No Valves/Gauges
Simple, Safe, Service
• No Cover Removal Required
• Minimal Annual Inspection
• Simple Components
• Easy Refurbishment
ASME Div-1 and Div-2 Code
Stamped
Improved Performance
Better Pulsation Control
• Lower DP – 3-5% (8-10+% for Gas)
• Consistent Across Full Discharge
Pressure Range – No High Pressure
Degradation
• -20 to 650F (Temp Range)
Easy Operation - Long Duty Cycles
• Always Ready to Use
• No Adjustments Required
• Few, Long-Wear Components
• Lowest Life Costs
No MWD Signal Interference
2. Maintenance Free (Reactive) - Installation

Legacy Installations
• Space and Support is Key
• Flow-Through In/Out Piping Required
Maintenance-Free
Historical Retrofit Challenges Flow-Through
• Appendage-Mounted Gas Units Discharge
Eliminated
• Pump Skids/Piping Modified
• Space Made In Pump Room
• Expensive
 2. Maintenance Free (Reactive)

PROS CONS
• Least vibration • Large space need to install.
• Least pulsation/harmonics • Piping modification often required
• Maximum Dampening Effect • Most expensive solution
• No maintenance
• 20+ year old proven
technology
Gas Charge vs. Maintenance Free: Pressure Fluctuations
3. Charge Free Dampener (Reactive) – how it works
• Uses compression and
kinetic energy exchange
• Install gas-infused cellular
compression blocks or
wedges (not rubber or
plastic) that compress and
react at different pressures
• Amplify energy exchange
and compression through
an larger surface area than
traditional bladder
3. Charge Free Dampener (Reactive)

PROS CONS
• Inexpensive, uses • Not Maintenance Free
existing dampener • MWD interference still an issue
• Easy to install • Pre-charged wedge blocks are
• Reactive pulsation limited in compression capacity,
control less effective at higher pressures
• No Gas Charge • INEFFECTIVE OVER 500 PSI
 4. Suction Stabilizers
High peak to peak
variation =
• poor pump
operation
• Possible cavitation
Tighter control of
suction flow =
• 1. More efficient
pump operation
 5. System Dampener (Reactive) –
How it works?
• Sized through design analysis (DA) and located downstream
of legacy pump/dampening equipment
• Bladder removed from gas charged dampener and
converted to fluid filled maintenance-free
• No Piping/Pump Mods
• Standalone maintenance reactive dampener placed in
Discharge Network
• Retrofit Optimized Through DA/PPC Engineering
System Dampener (Reactive) - FEA

Dual 80-gal Single 80-gal Single 100-gal

 System Dampener (Reactive)
PROS CONS
• Gas-Charged Vessel Retained • Require design analysis to
– Bladder Removed be done on piping system
• Cost Effective
• Eliminates safety issues from
gas charging
• All existing pipework retained,
no modification req’d.
 What next??
If you want to succeed at anything, you have to???

MEASURE IT!
 COMPLETE
MUD PUMP MONITORING SYSTEM
MUD PUMP MONITORING SYSTEM – HOW IT WORKS

Install instrumentation and digital readout device

Analyse and record data. Provide pump diagnostic

reports correlated to drilling conditions

Set up triggers and alarms to notify driller of unusual

activity… PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE

Continuously record and analyze data. Constant

learning for optimized performance
MUD PUMP MONITORING SYSTEM – HOW IT WORKS
• Data sensors installed at strategic
locations around the pump
• Monitor performance effectively
from drillers control room or HQ.
• The data is processed through
automated learning software which
learns the data signatures that lead
to failure. Then it can learn to
predict failures before they happen
and initiates a trigger or alarm to
notify rig personnel.
• Can be monitored from field or
office.
MUD PUMP MONITORING SYSTEM

Coming soon… 
 THANK YOU!
DAN J ASHER JON SEGELHOST
MD– IRE BDM– PPC
danjasher@iretrading.com jsegelhorst@performancepulsation.com
+971 50 559 6934 +1 972-896-4383