01. About →
What are we talking about and why is it important.
The Problems With Pulsation Dampeners
Everyone knows that to get the most out of your pumps, you need reasonable pulsation control. Up until now, there have only been two choices available when it comes to pulsation control solutions; gas-charged dampeners or maintenance free dampeners.
Conventional Gas Charged Dampeners
Gas-charged dampeners are lightweight and have a small footprint. They can be installed directly off the discharge manifold and account for approximately 80% of all dampeners in use today. The problem is, they require a great deal of maintenance and expenses to run. If they aren’t correctly pre-charged, they won’t work correctly.
Maintenance Free Dampeners
Maintenance free dampeners are inexpensive to maintain and don’t require regular service. They are efficient through all operating pressures and are generally considered safer. The problem is, they are extremely heavy, outrageously expensive, require a great deal of space, and usually require a significant redesign of the pump skid or require additional skids to transport.
Problems With Gas-Charged Pulsation Dampeners
Traditional gas-charged pulsation dampeners have significant expenses associated with failure and maintenance. The associated “downtime” directly attributed to the pulsation dampeners for two rigs was 84 hours in twelve months on a rig survey conducted. The average bladder life was running approximately three months per pump per rig for an average of 24 bladder changes in twelve months.
DOWNTIME
Gas-charged units are expensive. Eighty-four hours represents 3.5 days, and at an average of $24,000 per day, that translates to $84,000 in downtime.
MAINTENANCE
Twenty four bladder changes through 12 months at an average cost of $3,500 or a maintenance expense of more than $84,000.
TOTAL COST
The cost of ownership for gas-charged dampeners in twelve months equates to over $108,000 in lost revenue for two rigs. That is VERY expensive!
Problems With Maintenance Free Dampeners
Maintenance free dampeners have their own set of issues. First off, they weigh, on average, up to 9000 pounds. This requires significant planning in the design of the rig. They are also, on average, over four feet in diameter. This again requires considerable planning in the design of the rig. The majority of the time, the sheer size and weight of the units need them to be mounted on an additional skid.
WEIGHT
Maintenance free dampeners are burdensome and difficult to handle. They can weigh more than 9,000 pounds, and they require special consideration for install.
SIZE
Maintenance free dampeners are also massive. With a diameter of over four feet, they require an extreme amount of space for mounting on a pump skid.
POSITIONING
Maintenance free dampeners require their installation to be within feet of the pump manifold. When they are installed too far away, significant problems will occur.
