Sulzer’s BLUE BOX™ was deployed to gather and analyze the operational data that is constantly being generated in the pumping stations. Sulzer’s in house technical experts supported the integration of the system, interpretation of the data and provide recommended actions for optimization.

The software doesn’t just look for anomalies that signal a developing problem, it also gives visibility of pump performance to identify bad actors or pumps operating consistently away from the best efficiency point (BEP). Collecting evidence of a situation and demonstrating how it can be resolved – supporting CAPEX projects.

In this case, the pumps at two stations were running predominantly around 150% BEP in the Restricted Operating Region above maximum flow. In effect, these pumps were creating a bottleneck in the pipeline and restricting productivity. BLUE BOX provided the supporting evidence for the retrofit that increased the performance of the pipeline. 

Identifying pumps that are operating away from BEP can:

• Reduce the risk of unplanned outage
• Reduce energy costs
• Improve throughput
• Improve reliability

Payback period of just 14 months!