Weir Oil & Gas introduces new continuous duty 5000-horsepower pump

Weir Oil & Gas introduced its new SPM Quintuplex Extended Max (QEM) 5000 E-Frac Pump. This new pump is currently the only true continuous-duty electric or gas turbine-capable 5,000-horsepower pump in production.

The new SPM QEM 5000 E-Frac Pump builds on the proven power and durability of the SPM QEM 3000 platform, having nearly one billion field cycles with zero NPT reported and Weir’s nearly 150 years of engineering expertise. The new e-frac pump delivers two worldwide firsts: a frac pump designed from the ground up for electric or gas turbine and 5,000-horsepower capacity in a single unit, rated for service at 100% of rod load, 24 hours a day, even in extreme conditions.

Frac site demands have dramatically expanded in the past six years. Lateral lengths are 43% longer, the number of stages has increased 94%, sand usage is up 85% and horsepower-hours per well have increased 200%. These factors, combined with operating in increasingly complex environments, pushes conventional frac fleets to their limits with longer pumping hours and less frequent service intervals to increase daily stages. This reality requires frac pumps to provide ever-increasing durability and performance, but with diesel prices at more than $3/gallon, adding horsepower alone doesn’t fully meet operators’ needs.

The SPM QEM 5000 E-Frac Pump’s compatibility with non-standard drivers, including electric and natural gas turbines, gives operators the flexibility of tapping into the electrical grid, remote power generation or a natural gas turbine generator which reduces diesel fuel spend, emissions, overall assets on location and maintenance intervals.

The SPM QEM 5000 E-Frac Pump minimizes upfront capital investment as it can reduce a frac fleet from 20 conventional pumps and 100 bores per site to just eight pumps and 40 bores per site. With only eight SPM QEM 5000 E-Frac Pumps needed to match the output of 20 conventional pumps, maintenance, noise pollution, safety hazards, emissions and overall footprint are reduced. With intentional engineering to reduce maintenance, operators can experience millions of dollars in maintenance savings per year of use and reduce maintenance personnel costs by potentially 42%.

The SPM QEM 5000 E-Frac Pump achieves its horsepower with enhanced structural rigidity through an engineered skid and segmented frame plates that dramatically extend component life. It also features a patent-pending dual-pressure lubrication system designed to optimize delivery and distribution of clean lubricant to provide extended life and reduced non-productive time.

With a fit-for-purpose gearbox, as well as the industry’s largest bearing, the pump is capable of operating continuously at its full horsepower and higher torque applications. The patent-pending, high-ratio gearbox design allows for a small more efficient motor to be utilized. Furthermore, when utilizing an eight-inch stroke the motor size reduction is even greater. It also includes the field-proven SPM EXL Fluid End with SPM Everbore hardened-steel packing bore, which eliminates washboarding and the need to sleeve in the field.

As E&P companies seek to reduce carbon footprints and realize greater reductions in well costs, the SPM QEM 5000 E-Frac Pump is the only proven pump platform that is ready today to overcome these challenges.

“Five years from now, we anticipate frac sites will look different than they do today. We are proud to announce Weir’s new SPM QEM 5000 E-Frac Pump,” Paul Coppinger, President, Weir Oil & Gas, said.“The SPM QEM 5000 E-Frac Pump is designed with the future in mind, leveraging Weir’s unique engineering and SPM QEM 3000 platform expertise to deliver customers a pump offering that lowers the total cost of ownership and environmental impact while also increasing sustainability.”

The SPM QEM 5000 E-Frac Pump is supported by Weir Edge Services, Weir’s global service offering. With service and training centers in every US basin and every part of the globe, Weir Edge Services supports operators with a three-pronged approach that includes global access to local engineering experts, engineered repairs with highly skilled aftermarket support, and digital empowerment tools for Weir and other OEM equipment, all within a 3-hour trip.