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how do I estimate flow boost from added pipeline pump?

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bockris

Petroleum
Mar 17, 2004
1
I’m trying to calculate the increased flowrate that would result from adding a booster pump. We have a 1 ½ mile (measured between SCADA meters) 8” pipeline that runs at approximately 1550 bbl/hr when the sending tank (20 yards upstream from only pump) is full (45 ft of API 30) and the receiving tank is empty. Under these conditions pressure at the sending SCADA meter (20 yards downstream from the only pump) is 145 psig and pressure at the receiving SCADA meter (50 yards upstream from the receiving tank) is 5 psig. The pipeline is 8” between the two meters; the rest of the system is 12”. The plan is to add a second pump on the receiving side between the SCADA meter and the receiving tank. From experience this second pump will achieve a flowrate of 3000 bbl/hr with an inlet pressure of 5 psig (nearby sending tank with approx. 13 ft of API 30) and an empty receiving tank. How would I go about estimating the increase in flow (if any) from this new setup?
 
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You have two pumps in series - Hydraulically it does not matter where you locate the second pump providing it has sufficient NPSH.

You need the pump curves for both pumps. You add the head produced by the second pump to the head produced by the first pump at each flow rate on the curve to produce the combined pump curve. You then plot the system curve onto the combined pump curve. (the system curve is the friction head loss plus static lift at each flow rate). The intersection of the two curves is the flow rate.

You can then go back to the individual pump curves and look up the heasd for the derived flow rate and this will give you the head generated by each pump. you can now check the pipeline hydrulics and ensure that the head at the inlet to the seconfd pump gives sufficiient NPSH.

I would comment on the data given but I don't understand FPS units (feet and yards, bbl's etc)


Brian

 
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