CIRCOR International, Inc. has announced a significant addition to its renowned IMO pump portfolio with the introduction of the LB6D three-screw pump series. Specifically engineered for lease automatic custody transfer (LACT) boost applications in the oil and gas industry, these new pumps promise to deliver superior reliability, reduced maintenance costs, and enhanced performance in the harshest field conditions.
Built for the Toughest Crude Oil Challenges
LACT systems are the critical handshake point where crude oil changes hands from producer to pipeline, requiring absolute precision and reliability. The IMO LB6D has been purpose-built to excel in this demanding environment, where pumps must handle challenging crude oil viscosities and contaminants that would quickly wear down conventional solutions.
Chris Sahlman, CIRCOR’s Vice President and General Manager for Pumps Americas, emphasized the strategic importance of this launch:
“CIRCOR has a long legacy of providing robust heavy and medium gravity crude oil pipeline pumps with our IMO brand. The LB6D allows us to better serve the market on lighter crudes.”
Outperforming Traditional Gear Pumps
The IMO LB6D represents a significant technological leap over typical gear pump solutions commonly used in LACT applications. The three-screw design delivers superior high-pressure boost capabilities while offering dramatically improved resistance to the abrasive contaminants prevalent in raw crude oil.
The secret to this enhanced durability lies in CIRCOR’s innovative pump technology, which forms protective closures around contaminants. This design feature effectively shields critical components from direct wear, reducing or eliminating the costly maintenance intervals that plague traditional gear pumps. Based on competitive laboratory accelerated wear testing, the LB6D Series demonstrates significantly increased service life compared to alternative solutions.
Engineering Excellence Drives Down Costs
Beyond just durability, the LB6D is engineered to minimize total cost of ownership throughout its operational life. The pump features advanced materials, including surface hardness comparable to ceramic in the housing bores and a silicon carbide mechanical seal design engineered for limited distortion under pressure.
Kent Jackson, Senior Product Manager at CIRCOR, highlighted the financial benefits of these technological advancements:
“Advancements in CIRCOR technology have allowed us to develop a proprietary manufacturing process which extends the mean time between failure. Our new design greatly reduces our customers’ operating life cycle costs.”
Versatile Specifications for Diverse Applications
While optimized for LACT boost operations, the IMO pump platform’s versatility makes it suitable for an exceptionally wide range of fluid handling challenges. The pumps can handle:
- Viscosity Range: 1.5 to over 100,000 centistoke (cSt)
- Temperature Range: 0 to 500°F
- Flow Rates: 2 to 3,300 gallons per minute
- Pressure Capabilities: Up to 2,500 pounds per square gauge (psig)
This broad operational envelope ensures that the LB6D can adapt to varying crude oil characteristics and changing field conditions without compromising performance or reliability.
Looking Ahead
As oil and gas producers face increasing pressure to optimize operations and reduce downtime, CIRCOR’s IMO LB6D three-screw pump offers a compelling solution. By combining superior wear resistance, extended service intervals, and lower lifecycle costs, this new pump series is poised to become the new standard for LACT boost applications, ensuring accurate custody transfer while keeping operational expenses in check.
