Pump idling technology pilot reduces CO₂ in Saudi Arabia

In a pilot project in Saudi Arabia, the implementation of the PumpIRIS™ pump idling reduction intelligent system successfully reduced pump idling during fracturing operations by up to 63%. When deployed across the entire fleet, the technology reduced carbon emissions and frac pump fuel consumption by more than 3% per fleet, per year.

In Saudi Aramco's tight shale reservoirs, hydraulic fracturing treatments are used to improve well production. Due to the need to maintain pump efficiency between fracturing stages, pumps are often left running continuously to minimize time-consuming start and stop operations. The fuel consumed by idling pumps between stages leads to increased carbon emissions. To address the issue and align with Saudi Aramco's net-zero emissions targets, the PumpIRIS system from SLB was deployed on a fracturing fleet.

The PumpIRIS system allows for pumps to be remotely activated as well as automatically switched to standby mode during periods of inactivity. This automated solution enabled SLB to monitor pump status from a control cabin, reducing pump downtime, cutting CO₂ emissions, saving fuel, and eliminating the need for personnel to be in high-pressure areas. When fully integrated across the entire fleet, it led to a 41 to 63% reduction in pump downtime on each pad, resulting in more than a 3% decrease in carbon emissions and fuel consumption for the fleet annually.