|
|
After time in the field, a traditional frac pumper cooling module gets grimy and its efficiency plummets. One of the best upgrades a company can make is to replace a standard horizontal cooling module with a compact cube configuration that is more efficient, lighter weight, easier to clean and safer to maintain.
API Heat Transfer’s cube construction features all-aluminum cooling modules with aluminum bar plate and/or tube bar (Tbar) heat exchanger technology for maximum efficiency. API also engineered its cube to include a custom-designed cab-side door for easy access for cleaning and maintenance. This feature, which helps increase a unit’s reliability and extend its longevity, is only available on cutting-edge API cube cooling modules.
Proper maintenance and routine cleaning are absolutely necessary for frac pumper cooling modules used in oil field applications. Cooling components get very dirty, and if the coolers are
not properly and thoroughly cleaned, undue strain is put on the engine, which compromises its performance and ultimately leads to engine failure.
The side-door feature of API’s cube design makes it easy to clean all unit components—including the heat exchanger cores—in the field at any time. In addition, all coolers in the cube are mounted vertically instead of horizontally as in a traditional model, so the cube’s components are better protected against damaging field elements such as dust, mud, and hail.
“When you clean a horizontal unit, you have to climb under it and on top of it. With a cube, you can just stand outside with a hose, open the door and spray inside for cleaning,” said Mohammed Sherid, business unit manager for Energy, Power Generation and Engine Cooling Division at API.
The side door also makes routine maintenance and plumbing much simpler and safer for the operator.
“Downtime is serious business and very costly in a frac application,” added Sherid. “API’s proven cube design is more robust and reliable compared to a traditional horizontal unit, which significantly lowers operational costs.
API’s proven cube design is more robust and reliable compared to a traditional horizontal unit, which significantly lowers operational costs.
The cube module is an all-aluminum cooler design, so it is up to 20 percent lighter in weight and more durable than a traditional unit that has copper brass cores and a steel tank. Aluminum is also preferred over copper brass due to its natural corrosion resistance, which helps to extend equipment life.
When it comes time to replace the traditional horizontal cooling module on a frac track, consider a compact cube unit. The innovative cube design offers many advantages over the standard, horizontal module, including higher efficiency, better reliability, easy-access cleaning, and a longer lifecycle.