Baker Hughes announces FLEXPumpER extended-range pump

World Pipelines, Tuesday, 16 September 2014 10:45

Baker Hughes has announced the commercial release of the FLEXPumpER™ extended-range pump, which expands the operating range of a single electrical submersible pumping (ESP) system. The new pump operates efficiently in a wider flow range to improve production and reduce operating costs, particularly in the dynamic production conditions characteristic of unconventional resource plays.

Combatting declining production rates from unconventional wells

As production rates from unconventional oil wells decline, operators typically switch out pumping units, or even artificial lift production methods to accommodate the various flow ranges. The FLEXPumpER technology can operate with a flow range from 2,900 to 50 barrels per day.

The production stream in unconventional oil plays also can contain high levels of gas entrained in the fluid, which can impact ESP system efficiency and reliability. The pump’s design features patent-pending advanced turbulence mitigation (ATM) technology to increase pumping efficiency and reduce gas locking, as well as a redesigned bearing system to withstand the high temperatures generated in the pump during short-term operation with gas slugs. Particle swirl suppression ribs in the diffuser provide abrasion resistance by reducing the build-up of abrasives that can cause erosive wear.

FLEXPumpER^TM technology