LFH Engineering, which is based in Scotland, has invested £250,000 to develop a specialist pump for the oil and gas industry, utilising expertise which it has built designing and manufacturing pumps for diesel engine cooling systems used on international shipping vessels, locomotive and emergency diesel generators to the nuclear industry.
LFH Engineering has an established pump design legacy dating back over many decades which includes pumps for water treatment plants and aircraft fuelling systems which it still supports with replacement pumps and spares.
With 75% of its business overseas, LFH Engineering has built an enviable worldwide reputation for the design and manufacture of high-performance pumps to cool large diesel engines which propel large ships and locomotives for leading diesel engine manufacturers, including Bergen Engines Caterpillar and MAN Energy Solutions.
Having successfully met the demands of the world’s leading diesel engine manufacturers for the past ten years, the company has now launched a wellbore testing transfer pump system for the oil and gas industry.
The LFH-1000 electric driven centrifugal pump improves flow performance and solids management, processes, overcoming many of the operational difficulties associated with traditional pump systems. The compact design can be mobilized quickly and takes up less space than older-style pumps. Furthermore, the centrifugal design maximizes fluid recovery and maintains a constant flow rate. The pumps are designed to cope with a wide range of fluid transfer applications.
CEO of LFH Engineering, Les Hill, says the company’s expertise in pump design, manufacture and testing puts it in an enviable position to introduce the new generation of pumps to the oil and gas market. “Pumps are what we do – and in particular pumps which are designed to safely withstand extreme pressure, temperature and vibration, all of which are seen in the oil & gas environment.
“Our design calculations determine the pumps capability to withstand a 10g shock load which is necessary for the nuclear industry, so we can ensure the performance we offer is fit for the most demanding working conditions.
As part of its commitment to the oil and gas sector, LFH has appointed business development manager Neil Williamson, who brings with him over 20 years of oil and gas industry experience. Neil adds: “The LFH-1000 has been under development for a number of years with input from major well service companies, and we are now in discussion with oil and gas operators and contractors to utilize our pump unit either on or offshore.
“By working closely with a customer, LFH can make minor adjustments to ensure optimum performance. LFH applies detailed finite element analysis to ensure pumps are capable of performing at peak productivity.
“This is a very exciting time for LFH as we are confident that we have designed and built a pump system which is truly unique and meets the needs of a wide variety of offshore and onshore situations.”
The Zone 1 electric driven centrifugal pump unit is ATEX and DNV 2.7-1 certified and is capable of handling 11,500 barrels per day (21.2 litres per second) at 489 PSI (33.7 bar).
