American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2024 - 71

Most of the time, engineers must balance
functional requirements against what customers
consider most important. Field
serviceability always has been particularly
important to users of these products, but
field serviceability is often not as important
as product longevity and initial product
cost is often not as important as the total
ownership cost. The truth is, in situ
product maintenance is usually not as
cost-effective as it may seem.
Extending Service Life
Because of their limited service lifespans,
products such as clapper check
valves must allow easy field repair. The
industry has responded by employing a
top entry design to facilitate repair with
the check valve still connected to flowlines.
This configuration is suboptimal,
however, and places the flap sealing element
directly in the flow path, where it
is subjected to erosion that compromises
the check valve's functionality.
In addition, the very turbulent flow
from each of the PD pumps causes severe
flutter and vibration of the flap, resulting
in substantial abrasive wear in the hinge
mechanism. The combination of erosive
and abrasive wear can lead to the failure
of clapper check valves.
Similar to what is observed in clapper
check valves, erosive and abrasive wear
also leads to valve and seat failures in
PD pump fluid ends. Erosive and abrasive
wear eventually prevents the valve sealing
element from providing adequate sealing
effectiveness, despite its conical shape.
Historically, most pressure pumping
service providers have focused on minimizing
operational expense, driving buyers
to focus on the initial price tag for
products and rebuild kits. As with any
product, the lowest-cost option rarely
equates with the best operating performance,
which leads to never-ending maintenance
cycles. Now, the industry is beginning
to transition to a new paradigm
by looking at total cost of ownership
models for making product and equipment
investments.
In some instances, pressure pumping
companies are pursuing rental models
for equipment, compared with owning
the assets. This allows product experts
to manage discrete products that are
used during a pressure pumping campaign.
Suppliers that specialize in pressure
relief and flow control product
rentals allow the pressure pumper to
focus on its core business of executing
frac campaigns. This also allows the
rental supplier to learn about how its
respective products are performing,
which helps foster the identification
and development of product improvement
opportunities.
Shifting the timing of when equipment
is maintained thanks to increased product
service life offers many benefits, including
less human effort, fewer opportunities
for safety incidents and reduced equipment
downtime. All these benefits lead
to increased equipment utilization. Performing
maintenance is much easier and
faster when more space is available
around the equipment. Personnel can
take advantage of forklifts and telehandlers
to remove and replace heavy components,
helping eliminate back injuries
and other safety concerns. Performing
maintenance after all equipment is shut
down is not only safer, but much faster
because of the ability to communicate
with co-workers without the need for
noise-suppressing devices.
Considerable innovation has transpired
in recent years in the pressure
pumping market. This innovation must
continue to unlock additional efficiency
gains. In addition to product innovation,
shifts in ownership of pressure pumping
equipment will continue to occur through
the equipment rental model. Having
specialized rental suppliers for pressure
relief and flow control products has
driven product focus, resulting in improved
performance. This continual improvement
in product performance is
the key to achieving even greater operational
efficiencies and jobsite safety
objectives going forward.
❒
RYAN
BLUDAU
Ryan Bludau is chief technology officer at Houston-based Gilmore. Before joining Gilmore
in 2019, he had more than 25 years of experience leading new product and technology
development and supply chain management at Weatherford International, TechnipFMC, FMC
Technologies and a GE Aviation company. Bludau brings a unique mixture of manufacturing,
technical, operations and business management experience. He holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering
and an MBA from Texas A&M University.
JANUARY 2024 71

American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2024

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