American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2023 - 97

Resource Science
that Europe would shut down much of
its manufacturing to conserve fuel for
the winter, but we saw inflationary pressures
and wanted to shorten lead times, "
he says. " After moving forgings stateside,
we have shorter lead times than ever. "
Direct Drive Turbines
As hydraulic fracturing equipment has
become reliable enough for pumps to
run 18-20 hours a day, reducing fuel
costs has become more appealing, observes
Seth Moore, executive vice president and
chief operating officer of Catalyst Energy
Services. " Today, fuel accounts for a
third of a fleet's operating cost, " he says.
" Even small fuel savings have a huge
impact across a month. "
To deliver a step-change in operating
expenses, Moore says Catalyst developed
a fleet that runs entirely on natural gas.
" We looked at fielding a traditional
electric fleet with a single turbine powering
several pumps, but the capital cost
was too high to fit our philosophy on
spending, " he relates. " Instead, we decided
to take the direct-drive approach,
with much smaller turbines powering
individual pumps. "
Each trailer has a single pump that
delivers up to 5,000 horsepower and the
associated turbine, Moore describes. " We
pack a lot of horsepower into a small
package, " he remarks. " The trailers are
48 feet from bumper to bumper, a noticeable
improvement from conventional
fleets' 68-74 foot trailers. "
Such horsepower density means Catalyst
needs fewer pumps on site, Moore
says. " In the Permian Basin, our directdrive
fleet is running eight pumps to do
jobs that normally take 20, " he illustrates.
The footprint for the direct-drive fleet
can be as much as 55% smaller than the
footprint associated with a conventional
diesel or dual-fuel fleet, Moore calculates.
" The reduced footprint is big, " he comments.
" It saves customers money and
minimizes environmental disruptions.
We also have fewer trucks driving down
the road, so local communities benefit
as well. "
The trailers have been designed to be
reliable and easy to maintain, Moore assures.
" Not counting fuel, they should
reduce operating costs 10%-15% versus
standard fleets, " he estimates.
Emissions
When something unexpected occurs,
crews can shut off the turbines to save
fuel and mitigate emissions, Moore says.
" The turbines take less than five minutes
to bring back on line, " he explains. " This
is much faster than a traditional diesel
fleet with 20 pumps, which takes 40 minutes
to turn back on even when the equipment
is new. Most fleets take at least an
hour to shut down completely. "
That long window encourages crews
running traditional fleets to keep engines
running as troubleshooting occurs, Moore
suggests. Idling consumes fuel and increases
safety risks, but it eliminates the
chance of unnecessary nonproductive
time if the problem gets resolved quickly,
he explains.
Unfortunately, the time troubleshooting
will require can be hard to predict. " When
crew members spot a leak or other issue,
they often think, 'All we need to do is replace
the gasket, so we will be back up
in 10 minutes.' Sometimes the initial fix
works, but when it doesn't, 10 minutes
often turns into two or three hours, "
Moore relates. " If the engines have been
idling the entire time, the wasted fuel
adds up. The faster starts with our new
turbine technology help teams keep safety
front and center while minimizing nonproductive
time. "
The turbines' flexibility and the advantages
of natural gas limit emissions,
Moore says. " We are working with a
third-party group to quantify the emission
savings from burning natural gas rather
than diesel and shutting down more frequently, "
he mentions. " The results differ
from the numbers in original equipment
manufacturers' spec sheets because those
numbers are based on new equipment
operating at sea level in mild temperatures
and specific humidity levels, but what
we have seen so far has been impressive. "
The
independent testing's findings
mirror those of a dissertation at the University
of West Virginia that compares
several frac technologies and concludes
that direct-drive turbines offer the lowest
emissions, Moore indicates.
As of late November, Catalyst Energy
Services had one of the new fleets in the
field and another under construction, as
well as two more traditional fleets. Moore
says his company can manufacture direct-drive
fleets at a cost comparable
with traditional ones.
" We purchase each unit's pump, engine,
gearbox and drive train but build all the
equipment these components go into,
then tie the components together, " he details.
" In-house manufacturing lets us
keep patent-pending technology under
lock and helps us manage costs.
" The global supply chain issues we
The trailers in Catalyst Energy Services' newest hydraulic fracturing fleet carry 5,000horsepower
pumps powered by direct-drive turbines that run entirely on natural gas. This
approach shrinks fuel costs and emissions, as well on-site footprints and truck traffic
through local communities.
JANUARY 2023 97

American Oil and Gas Reporter - January 2023

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