氧化鋯使泵的壽命延長(zhǎng)了大約四倍

原油作為全球?qū)氋F資源，其供需平衡與開采技術(shù)創(chuàng)新至關(guān)重要。面對(duì)含沙原油對(duì)泵設(shè)備的嚴(yán)峻考驗(yàn)，鎂穩(wěn)定氧化鋯陶瓷材料的應(yīng)用為提升泵壽命、下降維護(hù)成本提供了高效解決方案。

據(jù)油氣產(chǎn)品10月31日消息稱，毋庸置疑，原油是一種有價(jià)值的產(chǎn)品，或者更準(zhǔn)確地說，是一種對(duì)全球所有人都非常寶貴的產(chǎn)品。未精煉的石油每天整天都從地下深處的儲(chǔ)量中抽出，并通過桶來(lái)裝載。

在需求和供應(yīng)方面，全球燃料油供應(yīng)量為9270萬(wàn)桶/天，而全球燃料油需求量為9818萬(wàn)桶/天。預(yù)計(jì)到2020年，需求將以1.8％的復(fù)合年均增長(zhǎng)率（CAGR）增長(zhǎng)。盡管所有的努力都投入到可再生能源和替代能源上，但對(duì)原油的依賴不會(huì)很快消失。

很明顯，在原油開采方面，必須繼續(xù)進(jìn)行投資、創(chuàng)新和最佳運(yùn)營(yíng)。否則，供應(yīng)就會(huì)放緩，原油價(jià)格就會(huì)因?yàn)檫@種不平衡而上漲。

幫助維持供應(yīng)的一個(gè)關(guān)鍵部件是泵。原油不同于它被加工成的光滑的產(chǎn)品，它是由粘度不同的碳?xì)浠衔锝M成的石油，以自然的形式含有石油、水和沙子。

因此，用于提取的泵必須耐用，并能承受粗糙的砂礫性石油。第一個(gè)挑戰(zhàn)是確保這些昂貴的設(shè)備具有較長(zhǎng)的使用年限，因?yàn)橹挥羞@樣才能實(shí)現(xiàn)真正的價(jià)值。

通常情況下，一個(gè)“清理油”泵(即泵出的是更純的原油)在兩次大修之間可以使用10年。然而，由于含沙量大、原油污染嚴(yán)重，泵的壽命縮短至一年。

用于制造這些部件的材料是不同等級(jí)的金屬，通常涂有耐磨噴劑。泵送時(shí)，壓力范圍從吸力時(shí)的2100kpa到排出時(shí)的15000kpa。這些壓力，再加上粗糙的沙子表層，將很快侵蝕磨損環(huán)和軸承。反過來(lái)，泵的效率就會(huì)下降。

由鎂穩(wěn)定氧化鋯(也稱為MgPSZ)陶瓷制成的部件正迅速成為首選替代材料。

在市場(chǎng)上供應(yīng)的各種等級(jí)的氧化鋯陶瓷中，部分穩(wěn)定的氧化鎂等級(jí)最適合用于重型泵。

摩根先進(jìn)材料公司的Nilcra二氧化鋯就是這樣一種鎂穩(wěn)定氧化鋯，在高磨損率的應(yīng)用中是一種耐用、簡(jiǎn)單的替代材料。通過使用這種氧化鋯陶瓷，砂質(zhì)原油泵的大修間隔時(shí)間可以從典型的1年延長(zhǎng)到4 - 6年。

泵葉輪軸上的OEM耐磨環(huán)由420不銹鋼270- 300BHH和420不銹鋼350- 400BHH組成。這些耐磨環(huán)在砂井作業(yè)中使用了12-15個(gè)月，之后需要進(jìn)行全面檢修。

同時(shí)，將Nilcra氧化鋯制成的耐磨環(huán)安裝在葉輪軸的不同部分。結(jié)果表明，與噴涂不銹鋼環(huán)相比，氧化鎂穩(wěn)定氧化鋯環(huán)的磨損大大減少。結(jié)果，泵的壽命延長(zhǎng)了大約四倍，大大減少了停機(jī)時(shí)間和維護(hù)成本，從而提高了產(chǎn)量。

曹海斌 摘譯自 油氣產(chǎn)品

原文如下：

Zirconia ceramics offer opportunities for savings in oil and gas operations

It goes without saying that crude oil is a valuable, or perhaps more accurately an invaluable product to all of us globally. The unrefined petroleum is pumped from reserves deep underground and by the barrel load, all day, every day.

In terms of demand and supply, the global fuel oil supply stands at 92.7 Mbpd (Million barrels per day), while the global fuel oil demand stands at 98.18 Mbpd. Demand is expected to increase, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.8 percent, until 2020. For all the efforts being put into renewable and alternative energy sources, the reliance on crude oil will not go away any time soon.

It is clear that investment, innovation and operational best practice must continue into the extraction of crude oil. Otherwise, supply slows down and the price per barrel of crude oil then increases due to the imbalance.

A key component that helps to keep supply up, are pumps. Unlike the slick and smooth products that it is turned into, crude oil is a petroleum composed of hydrocarbon deposits that ranges in viscosity, and contains oil, water and sand (often as the wells dry out increasingly) in its natural form.

Therefore, the pumps undertaking the extraction need to be durable and able to withstand the harsh, abrasive sandy oil. The first challenge is ensuring these costly pieces of equipment have a long lifespan, as only then can true value be achieved.

Typically, a ‘clean oil' pump - that is, a pump which is pumping purer crude oil - will last ten years between overhauls. However, with a sandy, dirtier crude oil, the pump life deteriorates to as little as one year.

The materials used to construct these parts are various grades of metal often coated with wear resistant sprays. When pumping, pressures range from 2,100kpa during suction up to 15,000kpa during discharge. These pressures, combined with the rough surfaces of the sand, will quickly erode wear rings and bearings. In turn, the pump becomes less effective and inefficient.

Parts made from magnesia stabilised zirconia (also known as MgPSZ) ceramic are fast becoming the preferred alternative.

Of the various grades of zirconia ceramic available on the market, it is the magnesia partially stabilised grade that is best suited to heavy duty pumps.

Morgan Advanced Materials' Nilcra Zirconia is one such grade of magnesia stabilised zirconia and is a robust and simple to use replacement material for applications where high wear rates occur. By using this type of zirconia ceramic, the time between overhauls for a sandy crude oil pump can increase from the typical one-year lifespan up to four to six years instead.

OEM wear rings fitted to the pump's impeller shaft were made from 420 stainless-steel 270-300 BHH and 420 stainless-steel 350-400 BHH. These wear rings lasted 12-15 months in a sandy well service, before requiring a total overhaul.

Meanwhile, wear rings made from Nilcra Zirconia were also fitted to a different section of the impeller shaft. Findings showed a huge decrease in the wear on the magnesia stabilised zirconia rings in comparison to the spray-coated stainless-steel rings. The life of the pump was extended by approximately four times as a result, with vastly reduced downtime and maintenance costs resulting in an increase to production.