World Pumps - Pump solutions to meet today’s petrochemical challenges

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How Trillium Flow Technologies, through its legacy brands Gabbioneta Pumps and Termomeccanica Pompe, collaborates with operators to enhance plant operations worldwide.

The petrochemical sector, along with the entire downstream sector, faces many challenges. These encompass managing global economic uncertainties, mitigating supply chain costs and disruptions, complying with increasingly stringent environmental regulations, and striving for cost-effective production.

In this complex environment, plant operators actively seek to partner with suppliers who can drive greater operational efficiency and sustainability.

Olefin complex

Trillium Flow Technologies recently contributed to one of Europe’s most innovative, energy-efficient, and sustainable olefin complex projects. The company supplied horizontal and vertical API 610 pumps with related spare parts and ancillary services to perform the general water services at the ethane cracker plant. Each pump is high efficiency to address the plant’s request for CO2 emissions reduction. The horizontal BB5-type pumps are high-energy boiler feed water pumps (>1.5MW), while the vertical VS1-type pumps are circulating water pumps.

The company conducted a model scale test for the vertical pumps before production. The aim was to reduce design risk and ensure the developed design fully met the customer’s requirements. Although computational fluid dynamics (CFD) can often serve as a substitute for these model studies, Trillium offers both to minimize design and contractual execution risk.

Polyolefin complex

Trillium also showcased its unique expertise in water-related services, systems integration, and testing capabilities in a petrochemical plant project in the Middle East. The project was an expansion of an innovative polyolefin manufacturing complex that transforms crude oil derivatives into plastic for various industries. Trillium supplied API 610 VS1-type seawater cooling pump packages with a high level of systems integration, including a condensing steam turbine, reduction gear coupling API 614 lube oil system, sealing system with accessories (Plan 11/61), and a steam condenser with relative ancillaries.

Simplified procurement and comprehensive testing

When partnering with Trillium, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors are afforded a simplified pumping systems procurement and management opportunity. With a systems integrator, they collaborate with a single expert interface for their plant’s complete pumping systems, inclusive of all critical components necessary to their operation, whether installed on the pump skid or outside it.

The ability to perform the string test in-house was also crucial in securing the contract. This test guarantees that the complete package functions properly as one unit at operating conditions before shipment and installation.

Through-life service

Trillium goes beyond original equipment; it provides comprehensive through-life service to maximize customer support and pump output value throughout the life cycle. For instance, the company recently upgraded the material of medium-pressure hot water circulation pumps at a petrochemical plant in Latin America. The pumps were experiencing excessive erosion of their casings, resulting in reduced reliability and performance. Trillium provided new pump casings and covers with an HVOF tungsten carbide layer. This increased the casings’ surface hardness while maintaining their pressure boundary resilience, thereby reducing erosion and improving lifespan.

By working closely with experienced suppliers, plant operators can leverage specialized knowledge and resources to optimize operational efficiency, ensure safety and reliability, and achieve long-term sustainability objectives in a rapidly evolving industry landscape.

About the author

This article was provided by Trillium Flow Technologies.

This article first appeared in the September/October 2024 issue of World Pumps magazine. To read the full issue, click here.