A leading industry magazine has published a timely article by us highlighting how the design and supply of filtration technology protects and improves production processes.
The piece is in the autumn edition of Oil & Gas Innovation, widely read by senior decision makers and technical personnel at production companies and suppliers across the world.
We explain why a natural focus on cost control at this challenging time should be tempered with the need to ensure equipment performs efficiently over the longer term.
Our Project Specialist Padrig O’Hara is quoted discussing the benefits of working with clients to specify the most appropriate housing and filter design.
He argues it is better to procure housings through a reputable filter company that designs and manufactures both filter media and housings, rather than a vessel fabricator or a supplier who only makes one or the other. The reputable company will, says Padrig, understand how the equipment will be used and the critical interaction between the filter cartridge and housing.
He warns that inappropriately designed filter housings can lead to very high year-on-year repair and maintenance costs that can quickly dwarf any saving made on capital. A properly designed housing may well cost more but the difference is tiny compared to the additional operational expenses, process risk and downtime costs involved in sorting problems associated with poor design.
Padrig summarises how we apply our extensive project management expertise to guide oil and gas customers through the process of selecting and installing optimal filtration solutions. And he discusses our successful strategy of working with local third-party manufacturers worldwide, adding: “A common approach to mitigate risk with filtration performance has been to manufacture the pressure vessel locally and the filter internals in the UK."
“We have taken exactly this approach on a wide variety of filter installations and applications. Locally manufactured pressure vessels can be the most appropriate way to minimise capital cost, reduce the carbon footprint of freight and ensure a high percentage of local content to support local economies.”
Also quoted in the article is Neil Pizzey, Amazon Filters’ Managing Director.
He dscusses how recent investments in ‘quick and able’ manufacturing capacity at our Camberley, Surrey, production centre, are helping us provide continuity of supply.
In particular, Neil outlines the background to the autumn 2020 launch of SupaSep LG, our new range of liquid/gas coalescers. These high-performance filters can be supplied complete in a bespoke housing or as consumable retrofits for products such as the Pall Seprasol and Parker Peco Dynaceptor range.
Incorporating a patented process for interpleat and meltblown drainage and a barrier to re-entrainment, SupaSep LG filters provide exceptional efficiency.
Neil explains that the relationship between housing design and filter is critical when it comes to coalescing technology, both liquid/liquid and liquid/gas. A perfectly good coalescer cartridge can be rendered useless if installed in an inappropriate housing where velocities result in entrainment and high operating differential pressures.
He adds: “We design our solutions to the client’s specific requirements combining empirical data with coalescing theory. We have over 100 years of experience in coalescer design. Our engineers work with academics at the forefront of design research. This ensures we always provide the best combination of performance and cost.”
The article concludes with our strong advice that when selecting a process filtration supplier, it is essential to view the design in terms of OPEX and not just capital. A company that specialises in both housing and cartridge design and manufacture will ensure the solution performs to the customer’s specification in the most cost-effective manner.
The article, Performance boost: how the design and supply of filtration technology protects and improves production processes, appears on pages 36 and 37. Click here to read the article
For more information on our solutions for oil and gas, visit www.amazonfilters.com/coalescers or call +44 (0) 1276 670 600.
