The Dan oil field, one of the largest North Sea chalk fields, is situated in shallow waters in the Danish sector, approximately 120 miles west of Esbjerg. Comprising 12 platforms, 38 active oil wells, and 33 active water injectors, the field has been developed in several phases to meet the evolving demands of the oil and gas industry.
Three critical Girdlestone 980 API 610 pumps on the platform that form an integral part of the oil and water cyclone separator system had reached their natural end-of-life. With Girdlestone no longer in business and their pumps rendered obsolete, the challenge was to find a seamless replacement without incurring extensive modifications to pipework and fittings. Typically, fitting new pumps involves costly and time-consuming adjustments and changes which also can also lead to significant production downtime.
To address this challenge, Amarinth drew upon its extensive expertise in replacing Girdlestone pumps to propose a bespoke version of one of its own centreline pumps. This tailored solution not only fulfilled the required duties but was designed to the API 610 edition that mirrored that of the original Girdlestone pump. Crucially, it was also engineered to be dimensionally interchangeable with the existing pump, minimising the need for modifications to associated pipework, plant infrastructure, and equipment.
Manufactured to ATEX requirements with Plan 31 seal arrangements and associated gauges, the bespoke pumps were completed within a short 26-week lead time, aligning with the required maintenance window, and ensuring minimal disruption to the continuous operation of the Dan Fox platform.
Oliver Brigginshaw, Managing Director of Amarinth, expressed satisfaction, saying, “We are pleased that we could once again use our extensive experience of replacing Girdlestone pumps along with our product agility to successfully supply new pumps which could be commissioned on the platform with minimal production downtime. The new pumps will now operate reliably for the next few decades with full support and maintenance spares available directly from Amarinth.”
