The Haynesville Shale play has been a significant source for unconventional shale gas activity in East Texas, leading producers in the region to expand their drilling programs. This involves the installation of gas plants, gathering stations, and NGL pipelines that require high-pressure amine and NGL pumps.
SLB recognized the need for reliable NGL equipment and modified the Reda HPS horizontal multistage surface pumping systems to fit NGL production needs. The Reda HPS pumps are a trouble-free alternative to commonly used vertical centrifugal pumps that require costly and timely maintenance.
MarkWest Energy Partners, L.P., provides natural gas and NGL gathering, processing, fractionating, and transportation services to multiple producers across East Texas. Exploring NGL production options, MarkWest chose to use the new Reda HPS horizontal multistage surface pumps for its producers.
In 2006, MarkWest Compression NGL Plant in Carthage, Texas, installed a 23-stage Reda HPS pump with a variable speed drive for handling varying pipeline pressures. It continues to successfully pump NGL with a specific gravity (SG) of 0.5 into the outgoing pipeline today. The unit flows 13,500 bbl/d with inlet and outlet pressures of 900 psi and 1,500 psi, respectively. In 2009, a second plant was brought into operation, which uses two Reda HPS pumps in series to deliver 5,300 bbl/d of NGL with a SG of 0.47. A 45-stage pump raises the pressure from 300 psi to 1,080 psi and the subsequent 31-stage pump raises it further to 1,400 psi. In addition, a lean amine unit is installed at this plant to treat gas and remove impurities in the gas stream.
These pumps have been in continuous operation since they were installed at the two plants, more than 5 and 2.5 years ago, without any downtime other than regularly scheduled oil changes.
Recognizing the clear advantage, MarkWest now uses Reda HPS pumping systems for all its NGL pipeline, ethane pipeline, and amine circulation operations.
