IMPROVING FRACKING POWER & EFFICIENCY
Power quest: Innovations
in frac equipment push
horsepower boundaries
As 5,000-hp becomes the norm, manufacturers focus on delivering
pumps and engines with higher power density, durability
BY STEPHEN WHITFIELD, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
I n US unconventionals, pressures to reduce well costs while
maintaining or improving production remain high. In the
frac sector, pressure pumpers and engine manufacturers real-
ize that they must design more durable and higher-horsepower
systems, even as the definition of “high horsepower” continues to
change. Manufacturers of frac pumps and engines are now mov-
ing past 2,500 and 3,000 hp, and 5,000-hp pumps are becoming
the norm.
These new systems allow for increases in power density –
meaning that they can maintain the same level of power, or
Highlights
To run frac operations longer without
straining equipment, demand for
horsepower is moving past 2,500-3,000 hp
into the 5,000-hp realm.
Combining battery systems with natural
gas gensets, along with an automated
microgrid controller, can increase load
capacity while optimizing fuel consumption.
New equipment coating, longer pump
stroke lengths, modular, simpler and
multimotor designs, and curved power
frames are among new equipment
features. 30
increase power as needed, within a smaller physical footprint.
A high-horsepower system also allows operators and directional
drillers to run frac operations for longer continuous periods, with-
out maxing out on capacity and straining their equipment.
“Companies want the most reliable fleets in the industry. Even
if they’re looking to run a lower-horsepower operation, they still
want the 5,000 horsepower because they know that thing is
designed to run well above what they want,” said Turner Hall,
Engineering Manager – New Product Development at GD Energy
Products. “It’s all about extending the life of a system well beyond
what a traditional 2,500- or 3,000-horsepower system can do.”
Manufacturers are also touting that their high-horsepower
systems can reduce fuel consumption, lower maintenance costs
and enable longer continuous runtimes. Such benefits are key as
operators stay focused on capital discipline.
“In the past, when the industry ran on higher margins, we
weren’t forced to be efficient. Customers weren’t talking about
running our engines at their most efficient point,” said Scott
Woodruff, VP of the Oil & Gas/Mining Business at Rolls-Royce
Power Systems. “But especially since this last downturn, well
services companies and drillers have become super focused on
being efficient. We want to get the most work out of each stage
fracked as we possibly can.”
Designing the 5,000-hp pump
GD Energy Products entered the high-horsepower space in 2019
with its first 5,000-hp pump, the Thunder 5000 HP Quintuplex frac
pump. It can cut the size of a frac spread by 30% compared with
a 3,000-hp pump, according to the company. With fewer pumps,
transmissions and engines to maintain, the system also reduces
M A R C H/A P R I L 202 2 • D R I L L I N G C O N T R AC T O R