US based Romeo Engineering has developed a fixed displacement vane pump with Altivar VSD control for use in test drilling as a lower cost/lower energy solution to the more normal variable displacement piston pump.

Varying speed according to pressure

Working with Schneider Electric, the Romeo Engineering team developed an automated solution for a fixed displacement vane pump —utilizing an Altivar 71 drive, Modicon M340 programmable logic controller (PLC), using pressure transducers that adjust pressure by changing the RPM of the motor.

Unlike the variable displacement piston pump where the motor ran at nameplate rating, the Altivar drive on the fixed displacement vane pump soft starts the motor and only generates the required fluid power based on the pressure setting and flow requirements. Romeo Engineering’s innovative solution has allowed the fixed displacement vane pumps have run as low as 12 percent of power at the maximum pressure of 3,500 lb/in2 — a significant 88 percent savings for a 150 hp motor.

Monitor and manage variables

Since the solution was automated, it also gave the oil services company a window into the health and welfare of the solution. The M340 PLC sends data to a Magelis™ XBT GT human machine interface (HMI) where operators can manage any number of variables, including the RPM of the motor to dial in the gallons/minute, the percent of energy the motor is using for each pressure setting, the temperature of the oil in the intake, the pressures of the return manifold, and the pressure and temperature in the heat exchanger. The system brings up an alarm if conditions exist outside of the set parameters.

While the energy-saving benefits of the fixed displacement vane pumps certainly are considerable, there are also other significant advantages including shorter lead time and smaller size. The replacement cost for a fixed displacement pump is approximately 10 times less than for a variable displacement piston pump.

Rugged and reliable solution

Additionally, says Romeo’s Ed Martell it’s also a more rugged and reliable solution. Pressure compensated piston pumps are especially susceptible to contamination in the working fluid that can result in piston or swash plate damage. The fixed displacement pump solution is also smaller than the industry-standard piston pump with the same flow rating — a huge benefit since space is always at a premium. Fewer plumbing connections and a lower total part count account for the smaller size.

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