PUMP INDUSTRY NEWS

GLOBAL PUMP REPORT DELAYED TO ASSESS CORONAVIRUS IMPACT

The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on the global economy as lockdowns around the world stymie economic activity. To fully assess the impact of the pandemic on economic activity and the pump market, the publication of the Global Pump report has been delayed until the summer.

In mid-May, Oxford Economics, the report’s author, was forecasting a 4.8% contraction in world GDP, the steepest decline in living memory. This forecast entails a very weak H1 followed by a rebound in H2 and into 2021 as the spread of the virus slows, and isolation restrictions are eased, leading to the release of pent-up demand as business confidence increases.

The sharp contractions in economic activity this year point to declines in pump consumption. Risks are nonetheless, skewed to the downside. Oxford Economics reports that the economic impact of the pandemic could be much worse than forecast, especially if a resurgence prompts further lockdowns. The extent of the decline will vary across countries, pump type and end-use sector.

The Global Pump report, which is available free of charge to BPMA members, is an invaluable source of market intelligence which will help to identify the weakest markets and the worst-hit end-use sectors as well as those that will recover most strongly. It also highlights the main risks to the outlook for key markets, an important feature in these times of increased uncertainty.

A DRIVE TOWARDS THE FUTURE

GRUNDFOS HAS ANNOUNCED THAT it plans to replace about 2,600 company vehicles with all-electric versions by the end of 2025. The initiative is part of the company’s ambition to reduce its CO2 emissions by 50% by 2025 and become ‘climate positive’ by 2030. Grundfos company cars emit 14,500 tons CO2e per year, while production in comparison in 2019 emitted 80,068 tons.

Although cars are a relatively small part of the overall footprint, Grundfos believes it is important to make an environmental difference where possible.

This complete transition to all-electric vehicles will happen on a rolling basis. By making the transition to electric vehicles, Grundfos also joins EV100, an initiative of the Climate Group, which brings together forward-looking companies committed to accelerating the transition to electric vehicles and making electric transport the new norm.

SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE FOR MAJOR PUMP PROJECT

SPP Pumps has announced that the first of six pumpsets for a large clean water project in the UK has passed the fixed speed test run and will be readied for a full string test with the contract inverter.

SPP Pumps has been involved with this major pump project from the very early stage of optioneering, through the feasibility stage, on to the detailed project design and finally producing the pumpsets.

The pumpsets are from SPP’s Low Life Cycle (LLC) range of split case pumps. On this particular project, there are four LLC split case 500/79L (BS20AL) pumps fitted with a 1.4mW motor and two LLC split case 350/66L (TT3AL) fitted with a 670kW motor.

The maximum design duty for the larger pumps is 1250l/sec @ 102m head with the two smaller pumps operating at 521l/sec @ 102m head. The pumps will operate in parallel in various configurations to ensure the network water demand is met.

PROJECT TO TACKLE PUMP ENERGY USE ACROSS EUROPE’S WATERWAYS

An Interreg NWE funded project, Green WIN, has been created to address the excess energy use and high carbon emissions caused when pumping water around rivers and canals. One of the key project activities is laboratory trials which will be carried out in the University of Liège where a bespoke test tank is being constructed. The finished test rig will allow simulated pump operation to a maximum 24m depth and with a varying flow rate between 0.0524 and 0.5325m 3 /sec, allowing for different configurations of equipment to be tested for various hydrological and operational scenarios.

The benchmarking of current pumping installations at selected pilot sites in the UK, France and Ireland, will be followed by site trials, testing solutions to check how they work in real operational conditions.

The pump industry, especially SME’s, are invited to support all Green WIN activities, by getting involved directly in the laboratory or site trials, participating in an Advisory Board or the Greener Waterways Network (currently a team of other inland waterway organisations and environmental groups) or simply by helping to promote progress.

Green WIN will promote the project findings through its online Green Toolkit, encouraging more organisations across Europe to adopt identified solutions as good practice to achieve wider efficiencies and carbon reductions and make the waterways greener.

Pumps support the world’s largest underground oil storage facility

AMARINTH, A COMPANY WHICH specialises in the design, application and manufacture of centrifugal pumps and associated equipment to the oil & gas, petrochemical, LNG, chemical, industrial, power and desalination markets, has supplied four API 610 VS4 pumps to ADNOC for the Al Mandous underground oil storage project.

ADNOC is building the world’s largest underground oil storage facility with a capacity of 42 million barrels of crude oil. The oil storage mega facility in the Emirate of Fujairah, UAE, will consist of three underground storage caverns each with a capacity of 14 million barrels, deep below ground level.

Amarinth was selected following the company’s successful delivery and continued support of pumps for previous demanding ADNOC projects. The four API 610 11th edition VS4 vertical pumps are 4m long transfer pumps and are supplied with Plan 53B seal support systems.

The pumps are manufactured in D2 super duplex stainless steel to ADNOC specification, which includes Shell DEP standards. The available footprint for the pumps was limited, so Amarinth designed a bespoke baseplate on which to mount the Plan 53B seal support systems which reduced the overall space required.

WARBURG PINCUS COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF SUNDYNE

Sundyne, a global leader in the design and manufacture of API compliant pumps and compressors, has announced that global private equity firm Warburg Pincus has completed the acquisition of Sundyne, from BC Partners Advisors L.P. and The Carlyle Group.

This acquisition was initially announced on January 6, 2020. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. As stated in January, Sundyne’s current management team, led by CEO Mark Sefcik, will continue under Warburg Pincus’ ownership.

“Warburg Pincus’ and Sundyne’s interests align perfectly, and there is no better financial partner for Sundyne than Warburg Pincus,” said Sefcik.

“We are excited to continue to support our customers with our market-leading product offering of highly engineered pumps and compressors with the strong financial backing of Warburg Pincus. We have already jointly-identified several ways in which Sundyne can accelerate growth and enhance opportunities for our customers, channel partners and employees. We will be focused on executing on these opportunities over the coming months.”