American Oil and Gas Reporter - March 2018 - 80

SpecialReport: Advancing Shale Science

EKU Power Drives' engine standby controller lets diesel engines shut down and restart
quickly. By installing the device, the company says pressure pumpers can keep engines
from idling between stages to extend engine life while cutting fuel costs and emissions.

we minimized system vibrations up stream
and down stream of the pump," he explains. "Customers tell us they never
have seen a pump run so smooth. In fact,
in one West Texas field test, a triplex ran
so much more smoothly than nearby
quintuplexes-which are generally considered smoother-that the crew sent someone out to confirm it was running."
The Thunder series pumps are durable
enough that their maintenance intervals
coincide with those for the engine and
transmission, Degginger says.
Engine Standby Controller
When a modern car stops at a red light,
the engine shuts off temporary. Once the
light turns green, it comes back on with
enough speed that drivers rarely notice it
has been asleep. With technology from
German startup EKU Power Drives, hydraulic fracturing pumps have gained the
same ability to shut down and start up,
says Edward Eichstetter, the company's
U.S. distributor and one of its three founders.
"After each stage, frac pump engines
generally are idled rather than being shut
down because the crew needs to restart
the pump as soon as it is time to frac the
next stage," Eichstetter says. "Most engines
spend 40-60 percent of their time idle. In
a year, that idle time can add up to 2,0002,300 hours. By shutting the engine down
during those periods, our engine standby
controller (ESC) can reduce emissions,
80 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER

maintenance and fuel consumption."
Bringing engine run time in line with
pump time could extend engine life from
three-five years to five-seven, Eichstetter
says.
"Eliminating idle time also reduces
emissions," Eichstetter says. "This is a
benefit for customers that are transitioning
to Tier 4 Final engines, which have huge
exhaust systems that are sensitive to
idling. To stay in compliance when they
are idle, these engines must heat the exhaust system, a task that consumes considerable fuel."
With a typical engine consuming 1214 gallons of fuel an hour when idle,
Eichstetter estimates that eliminating idle
time will save $60,000-$80,000 a year.
The ESC is invisible to the user, Eichstetter says. "When a stage ends, the system shuts down the engine automatically
but keeps it ready for operation at any
time," he describes. "When operators
want to start the engine, they do it the
same way they would now, setting the
revolutions per minute or throttle up in
the data van."
It takes less than a second for the engine to start, Eichstetter reports. "We
are able to do this through a change in
hardware," he says. "Instead of a hydraulic start system, ESC pumps use an
electric system powered by a lithium
ion battery."
The lithium ion battery, like a car's,

charges when the engine is in use. If
the pause between stages lasts more
than two or three hours, ESC detects
the battery's low capacity and restarts
the engine to perform a fast charging
process. When that happens, the system,
which controls both the engine and
transmission, shifts into brake to keep
the pump from rotating.
Other safety measures include a light
that indicates when the system is in auto
mode and could start at any time, as well
as a beacon sound before engine start,
Eichstetter adds.
"Traditional hydraulic start systems
require a wet kit installed on a tractor in
front of the pump trailer. This tractor is
not necessary with our system, so we
can reduce the equipment's footprint by
30 percent," Eichstetter says.
The ESC has performed well in North
Dakota's subzero temperatures and the
heat of West and South Texas, he reports.
"Our customers are happy, and we learned
of benefits we did not expect. For example,
field crews like the system because it reduces noise between stages. They also
appreciate that there are fewer fuel trucks
driving to and from the location."
The field tests also revealed a safety
benefit, Eichstetter recalls. "Before, field
hands often would do small repairs while
the engine was running because stopping
and restarting it was such a pain. The
ESC made them more comfortable shutting
down the engine. They know they can
bring it back up quickly and easily, so
there is no reason not to."
The ESC may help fleets gain better
insight into their operations, he adds. "As
an electronic system that interfaces with
the engine and the transmission, it can
create a digital record of pump activity.
For example, we can count the number
of stages each day, as well as how many
hours the pump spent pumping.
"Monitoring the pump gives us the
option to do condition-based maintenance.
Today, if the engine's alternator fails, the
battery will drain completely in a few
hours, and the engine will shut off unexpectedly. To prevent that, our system detects alternator failures and sends an email to the electric tech on site so he can
address the issue."
The ESC also detects when one of the
two starters fails and alerts a technician to
replace it, Eichstetter says. "We are working
on predicting when the power end's lubrication needs to be changed so pressure
pumpers can base maintenance on need
rather than schedules," he adds.
r



American Oil and Gas Reporter - March 2018

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