How to save a country's worth of electricity with better pump efficiency

Driven largely by rising production in energy-intensive industrial subsectors, global energy consumption is growing, increasing the urgency for energy efficiency. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), energy efficiency measures could contribute up to 50% of the CO₂ emission reductions needed by 2030, while also reducing energy bills by a third – but the pace of improvement needs to double.

How to save a country’s worth of electricity

Industrial pumps are installed in so many applications, yet often go unseen. This equipment represents a major energy efficiency opportunity, accounting for more than 20% of the world’s electricity demand. Even a 1% improvement in pump energy efficiency would save around 59 TWh – equivalent to New Zealand’s annual power needs – while also saving around 28 million t of carbon dioxide. The potential impact is immense – and in some instances the improvement could be as much as 20 - 30%. This is particularly the case for pipeline operators, whose networks often span thousands of miles and rely on hundreds of pumps that operate under highly variable conditions. Yet, many operators across oil and gas assume that if a pump is operating reliably, it is also efficient.

However, a recent sample of over 400 pumps monitored with Sulzer’s BLUEBOX™ predictive maintenance platform found that 68% were operating outside of their preferred operating region for over half the time, with 10% of pumps across upstream, midstream and downstream operations capable of saving over US$100 000/yr, if only they were operated more efficiently.

In addition, 56% of BB3 pumps, 26% of BB1 pumps and 25% of BB2 pumps across the sample were estimated to have potential energy efficiency savings of US$50 000 or more.

Opportunities for pipeline operators

The data found that pipeline operators could make some of the largest savings among all pump users – potentially saving millions of dollars. This is due to several factors, including the large number of pumps required to operate a network of pipelines, the typical age of pipeline infrastructure and the variability of operating conditions that cause operators to throttle pumps or tolerate different temperatures and viscosities than originally designed for.

The research found that on average, a pipeline operator could save US$38 825/yr per pump by improving the efficiency of their main line or booster oil line pumps. If every pump across the entire network were to be improved, this could equate to hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars a year.

For example, one pipeline operator in the USA was found to have potential savings of over US$1 500 000/yr if it were to address the energy efficiency of its fleet of 38 BB1 pumps. Similarly, a pipeline operator in Pakistan could achieve up to US$500 000 in savings annually by improving the energy efficiency of just four BB3 multistage pumps. This was not an outlier; several pumps serving oil and gas operations within the analysis were identified as having the potential to achieve savings of between US$150 000 and US$465 000.

With a wide range of potential savings, operators should consider undertaking an energy efficient audit to gain a holistic view of their pump operations. Pipeline operators are also particularly strong candidates for energy efficiency improvements due to changes in fluid viscosity, additives and evolving fuel types – such as the blending of e-fuels to create more sustainable forms of aviation and maritime fuel.

As more fluid types and applications emerge, pipeline operators and pump manufacturers will need to continually adapt. For example, several countries including Japan, Australia, the USA, the UK, Denmark, Norway, Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany are all pursuing projects to repurpose existing oil and gas infrastructure to support hydrogen transport and carbon capture and storage which will have implications for the efficient operation of pipelines.

An end-to-end approach to energy efficiency

Optimising pump efficiency offers substantial financial benefits – potentially into the millions of dollars in fuel saved. However existing efficiency programmes tend to focus on ‘big ticket’ items such as boilers, turbines and other process critical equipment, overlooking the collective impact of high energy pumps. Some will only take a snapshot in time, without understanding the historic data. Others will not provide the after support required to ensure the savings are delivered as predicted or use the latest digital technologies to analyse and monitor.

Altogether, there is room for a new best practice standard of sorts that brings together the fundamental steps in achieving energy efficiency into one end-to-end process – from consultancy and retrofitting services through to ongoing monitoring. By combining digital analysis, machine learning and ongoing monitoring with hands on technical experience, there are many more benefits that can be unlocked in the process, such as improved reliability, reduced energy intensity and increased mean time between failure.

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Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/special-reports/23062025/how-to-save-a-countrys-worth-of-electricity-with-better-pump-efficiency/