75%–80% of frac pump bearing failures are related to the lubrication system; oil contamination is the single biggest cause. A correctly designed lubrication system, innovative technologies, regular oil monitoring, and timely oil changes can dramatically increase pump life, improve efficiency, and lower operating expenditure.
The lubricating oil is selected to ensure suitable viscosities across the entire operating range. Lubrication systems designed for a particular climate should not be used in a different climate without reviewing important design parameters, including the oil type and thermostat. Effective oil cooling, filtration, delivery pressure, and flow rate are critical to operations.
Frac pumps must be designed to deliver improved performance and reliability under 24/7 operating conditions. Ben Shuck, Pump Principal Engineer and John McCrady, Senior Engineer at Weir, explain further in this downloadable white paper.
Modern hydraulic fracturing operations are placing increasingly rigorous demands on equipment. Pad drilling, round-the-clock completion operations, longer horizontals, more stages, higher-pressure requirements, and greater proppant consumption per well have significantly increased the operational intensity of completions. There is growing demand to maximize equipment uptime and reduce cost by optimizing maintenance intervals.
Because frac pumps are one of the most crucial items of equipment in a hydraulic fracturing operation, they must be designed to deliver improved performance and reliability under the 24/7 operating conditions and extended exposure to high-rate, abrasive, proppant-laden fluids. While hydraulic fracturing has provided access to hydrocarbons once considered impossible to produce, continuing to lower the cost of operating a frac pump is critical to reducing the cost per barrel of oil in a tight market.