Case Studies

Enhancing Pump System Reliability

Identifying the root cause of unscheduled pump outages.

Industry

Oil and Gas

Year

2023

Region

Europe & Middle East

Solutions

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Overview

In 2023, engineers from Oceaneering’s Maintenance and Reliability Solutions team were tasked with establishing why the variable speed drive (VSD) motors driving business critical pumps on a North Sea facility kept tripping unexpectedly.

These unscheduled outages had significant consequences: halting production, disrupting the facility's power management systems, and requiring lengthy system restarts. Oceaneering's reliability engineers collaborated with the client’s operations team to conduct a Root Cause Analysis (RCA) of the recurring tripping issue.

Our Solution

RCA is a widely accepted systematic process used to identify the underlying reasons behind an incident or problem.

Its main goals are to identify the true cause of an issue and prevent its recurrence. By looking past surface-level symptoms, the engineers were able to pinpoint why the motors were tripping unexpectedly.

The reliability team worked closely with the client’s technical authorities, maintenance engineers, and VSD specialists to diagnose and address the issue. After thorough investigation, it was established that the motors consistently tripped when operating above 85% of their rated capability. The root cause analysis of the issue ultimately revealed a simple oversight; the maximum speed trip set point was incorrectly configured to a temporary value used during system commissioning and hadn’t been adjusted when the motors entered service.

Results

To address the issue, the team followed the client’s Management of Change (MOC) process and reset the maximum speed trip set point to the correct operational value of 92%. Since then, the pumps have operated smoothly, and all motor set point related outages have been eliminated. Implementing the agreed solution produced several positive outcomes.

Improved System Availability

By preventing motor trips, the system’s availability has been enhanced, ensuring optimal operation of VSD motors, and maximizing uptime.

Scalability

The updated system can confidently accommodate the increased throughput that is planned over the facility’s lifespan.

Lessons Learned

It was identified that a full review of all set points across the facility should be undertaken to confirm the appropriate configurations for operations are in place. Helping minimize the risk of further downtime related to similar issues across the facility. Furthermore, it was recognized that the formal handover process between the commissioning and operations teams should be reviewed to always ensure systems are configured ready to meet operational requirements.

Whether through a one-off project or embedded within an operations team, Oceaneering’s operational reliability services can be tailored to meet organizational needs, offering innovative solutions to improve operational efficiency and reliability across a wide range of plant types.

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