RELIABILITY OF PUMPING STATION IN OIL TRANSPORTATION FROM INHAMBANE TO MAPUTO

Gimo, M.;  Sassi, G.

Abstract

This work proposes a method to assess reliability and availability of the pumping system as a function of flow rate under design choices. Pipeline system are the most used and effective way of fluid transportation on land from an oil field to the other facilities. Pumping systems are the core of pipelines in case of low fluid energy during fluid flow.  In lifetime, system performance, equipment or system itself may experience failures. It is very important to understand the cause and operability conditions in order to avoid future failures or intervene for maintenance in case that happen again.Application of reliability techniques has made significantly importance in this analysis due to its effectiveness in correction of failures in the operational phases of an item and system. Bernoulli’s distribution function calculates the probability that a system could experience failures of 1,2,3, and 4 pumps simultaneously, arranged logically in series−parallel. This technique is new and gives the reliable flexibility distribution of flow rates as well as the reliability and availability of  the system in case of pump failures. This method is very important and simple because it combines the Reliability Block Diagram method and probabilistic Bernoulli’s equation in order to ensure new reliable and operating flow rate range. The failure of a single pump can reduce the range of flow rate available, leading to the partial functionality of the station. This failure, may leads to the failure of the whole system due to an insufficiency of energy that the pumping system can provide for maximum rate. The increasing number of the pumps arranged in series−parallel, shows higher flexible values of flow rates in the system. The probability of success by failure decreases with an increasing of number of failures.

Key words: Pumping system, reliability, failure, Bernoulli’s equation, and flow rate.