ABSTRACT
Positive Displacement Archimedes’ Screw Pumps and Flow Enhancing
Techniques. Essential Tools in Response to Spills of Heavy Oil and Bitumen.
The perspective of this paper is to provide responders and authorities
with a broader understanding of the most advanced pumping technologies and
techniques that are available for one of the most difficult tasks in
mechanical response to spills of heavy and extreme viscosity oil: Extreme
viscosity pumping.
The so-called positive displacement Archimedes’ screw (PDAS) pumps have
within the oil spill industry for several years been considered superior to
other pumps as regards the transfer of debris laden and often very viscous
and difficult-to-deal-with oil or water-in-oil emulsions. Their ability to
handle viscous oils, solids, to cut debris, and to pump oil and water
without causing the creation of emulsion has together with relatively low
weight and small dimensions - when compared to the performance - cemented
the position of these pumps in the market. There are presently four PDAS
pump brands on the oil spill response market, which all have their origin in
a patent, which was taken by Goodyear in 1955.
This presentation will describe their historical development and provide
insight to the technology: From the design of the original Goodyear pump,
based on a gear box principle, to the DESMI and GT cooperation on the first
Destroil screw pump. It will cover their split-up following GT’s design of
its own version, and DESMI’s reaction with the launch of the DOP pump
type. It will go through FOILEX’ special variant, and will complete the
picture with the new Lamor GT-A. The technical differences between the
pumps, their capacities, pressure ratings, availability of performance
curves, and selection of materials will be discussed. Increased awareness of
the need to respond to spills of high and extreme viscosity oil, has led to
the development of new flow enhancing water injection techniques, which
enable the PDAS pumps to transfer even the most extreme viscosity oils and
emulsions at operational pumping rates over operational distances. Summary
results from full scale tests of the new techniques will include testing at
manufacturers and at the Canadian Coast Guard / Environment Canada in
Ottawa, February 2002. All four pump brands and all the existing and new
flow enhancing techniques will be tested in the coming Joint US and Canadian
Coast Guard Viscous Oil Pumping System testing that will take place in the
US late 2003.
F. Hvidbak - flemingCo environmental aps
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