TPK 2200 Mud Pump Series – An Aker Wirth Bestseller
15 December 2011 marks the delivery of the 250th Aker Wirth mud pump from the TPK 2200 series. Following its successful trial run, the jubilee pump is now on its way to Korea, where it will be installed on the Tungsten Explorer deepsea drilling vessel from Vantage Drilling, under construction at the Daewoo Shipbuilding & marine Engineerin (DSME). The DP3 vessel, slated for a Q2 2013 delivery, will be able to operate in water depths up to 3,600 m with a drilling depth of over 12,000 m.
Development of this model significantly contributed to making the Oilfield & Pumps product group the most successful business unit at Aker Wirth GmbH today. The company generates more than 50% of turnover solely with products for the oil and gas industry.
Range Of Applications
The successful TPK 2200 model is used in a widely diversified range of applications. The mud pump is used all over the world on drilling platforms, jackups, semi-subs, drilling vessels and onshore drilling rigs which drill for oil and gas deposits. The TPK 2200 has a driving power of 2,200 hp and can pump up to 1,640 l of drilling emulsion per minute at a maximum pressure of 517 bar. It operates from min. temperatures of -40°C to max. temperatures of +60°C. In addition, use of a new water jacket motor with direct water cooling has enabled the reduction of noise, with the level now lying below 83 dBA.
Outstanding
Customer analyses which document the availability of the systems during operation confirm the high reliability and efficiency of Aker Wirth pumps, with availability rates of 99.9% being achieved. Outstanding personnel are a prerequisite for such outstanding performance. Over 70 experts from Aker Wirth contribute with their know-how to the success of each individual pump – over the entire production chain and beyond through an optimum maintenance and spare parts service.
Significant Contribution
The jubilee pump will also make a significant contribution to company turnover in future with so-called life cycle services. These are services that come into their own after the sale of the product and affect the entire life cycle of the product. Frank Lengersdorf, vice president sales, explains that “commissioning, services, the spare parts service and training seminars provide the perfect environment in which our highly qualified skilled employees can demonstrate their technical know-how and many years of experience”.
Twelve Pumps
Bill Thomson, VP Technical at Vantage Drilling says: “We now have twelve of these pumps in operations and are due to have a further eight pumps on the Tungsten Explorer and Dalian Developer come into operation in the next eighteen months. It is clear to us that Aker Wirth has the experience and personnel to provide a superior product. We greatly appreciate the openness and willingness to listen to feedback from their customers to further enhance the success of this design.”
Recruitment
18 new service personnel will be recruited in 2012 to ensure that our high standard of quality is maintained. These employees are trained and suitably qualified in our company competence center prior to their field operations around the world. However, we are also looking for dedicated employees in the sales and sales support. The Oilfield & Pumps product group will expand by a total of 140 employees in 2012.