Leistritz-ATC

United States

Remove and boost liquids when gas wells stop flowing due to liquid loading. Multiphase Blow Down Unit (MBDU) ApplicationsRemove and boost liquids when gas wells stop flowing due to liquid loading.Multiphase Blow Down UnitTypical gas wells produce not only natural gas but also liquids such as water and hydrocarbons like propane and butane. Except in wells where the gas is dominantly dry, NGLs can build up down hole, reducing the gas flow to an extent where the well is shut in and cannot buck the line pressure of the export flow line. The conventional method for alleviating this down hole liquid restriction is to disconnect the well from the pipeline and then free flow the well into a portable tank until the gas begins to free flow again. The pressure in the tanks is usually lowered by venting directly to the atmosphere releasing VOCs and creating environmental permitting issues. The liquids trapped in the tank then require removal, typically by truck. This increases heavy traffic, often in sensitive areas, and significantly impacts production costs. This conventional blow down method, increasingly under attack in many states, is costly to execute and leads to potentially dangerous work environments. Other possible solutions, such as soap sticks, plunger lifts, pump jacks and ESPs are not always effective and expensive to install and maintain.

Lower overall gathering system inlet pressure, allowing low producing wells to overcome flow line pressure from high producing wells.Reduce the amount of gas lift andor differential pressure on down hole pumps.The Leistritz Multiphase Gathering System (MGSs) are expandable versions of the MWS, designed to handle production from multiple wells. Individual MGSs handle total flow rates up to 550, 000 bpde and differential pressures up to 1400 psi. These systems are fully automated and can be expanded to operate multiple MGSs in parallel for facilities requiring additional flow capacity.

Increase inflow to a beam pump producing oil with a high GOR.Oil wells produced by beam pumps tend to experience frequent or extended outages due to associated gas. If too much gas accumulates down-hole, the beam pump will simply shut down until enough gas passes up the annulus into the flow line. A typical method of assisting the gas through the annulus is to install a compressor. However, liquids also tend to come up with the gas, which can overwhelm the compressor, tripping their shutoff and causing the beam pump to shut in production. The beam pump mounted compressors are an alternative solution to this problem, but their limited ability to draw down the wellhead pressure reduces their long-term effectiveness. A versatile and effective solution to boosting the associated gas is a Multiphase Annulus Gas Unit (MAGU). These self contained units efficiently boost gas and liquids coming up the annulus and boost the multiphase flow directly into the flow line back to the satellite or battery. By lowering the bottom hole pressure, substantially more liquids flow from the formation into the beam pump, increasing overall production. Since the MAGUs handle every phase from 100% gas to 100% liquid, they cannot be overwhelmed by a liquid slug, and operating the unit with an optional speed control allows greater production flexibility over the life of the well.

Hard part machining is the manufacturing process that many industries are turning to. The Aerospace segment uses CBN cutting tools to make landing gear struts, also Automotive manufacturers use it for steering worms and worm gears, the Medical field for implants and the Machine Tool industry for ball screw manufacturing. All rely on Cubic Boron Nitride (CBN) inserts to machine hardened material. Todays CBN grades are far more versatile than they were a few years ago. Manufacturers used to avoid using CBN even on mildly interrupted parts because of its fragile nature, but now CBN grades can cut through even severely interrupted parts without a problem. Using a Cubic Boron Nitride cutting tool material, steels as hard as 65 HRc can be machined. CBN has a uniform high hardness and excellent abrasion resistance in all directions. Edge retention permits more effective cutting with less tool wear, which helps maintain part geometry of greater precision and consistency. An innovative break-through has been the introduction of CBN cutting tools into the whirling process. The combination of todays latest CBN material with the smooth tangential cutting action of whirling results in a revolutionary process for cutting threads in hard materials.

Leistritz, the machine tool builder most known for whirling machines, has collaborated with several well drilling equipment and tooling companies to improve manufacturing and find a solution to machining problems long associated to Power Section Rotors. These rotors connect directly to the drill bit in directional drilling for oil and gas discovery deep below the earths surface. The power section is a positive displacement mud motor combined with directional technology to steer the drill motor using tilting joints and sophisticated, telemetric, sensors. The motor converts the drilling fluids hydraulic energy into mechanical energy in the form of torque and rotational speed. This conversion is accomplished through the use of a spiral rotor that fits into a stator of similar shape, to form a tight seal. These systems are now capable of drilling within 0.15 over depths to 18, 000 ft. The rotors within the mud motors are called power section rotors, which are typically 5, 7 or 9 lobed with smooth spiral profiles in lengths as long as 8m with long leads of up to 40. Fit snugly into an elastomer stator having one additional lobe contour with the same lead creates a moineau style progressive cavity positive displacement rotary drive unit. When the water based drilling fluid or mud is pressurized at the surface and pumped down the hole to the power section an extremely high torque low rpm drive is created to rotate the rock crushing drill bits.

The Leistritz CNC, Universal Internal, Milling and Turning Machine model INNOVATION 200 with Integrated Oscillating Internal Whirling Head IWO-100 for hard or soft machining of internal threads of nuts with the following dimensions: 25-100 mm Internal Diameter* and 200 mm Total Length.PERFORMANCE BENEFITS: Complete machining by combining Internal Whirling, Turning and MillingExtreme reduction of the machining and total process timeHighest machining precision due to a rigid and stable machine designVery high cutting performanceIntegral Gantry automated loading systemUn-manned shift operation by workpiece bufferHard and soft machining capabilitiesFinish tolerances in one process Step (roughing not required)

Short, comma shaped chips resulting from the tangential cutting of whirling, help to carry away heat generated by machining. This in combination with the speed and high precision of Leistritz whirling machines enable heavy cutting without coolants or lubricants. Whirling, inherantly a power lean process, outperforms milling by a factor of 3 times. But the primary economic advantage of this young process is the enormous cost savings for the purchase and disposal of coolants and cutting fluids. Additionally one must consider the devastating consequences of pollutants to the environment. Coolant retrieval and filtration costs can today be as high as $1, 500 per ton! So much that the use of coolants can more than double the overall costs involved in some manufacturing processes. But costs are again only half the story, the energy consumption needed to originally produce these coolants, the environmental impact in coolant disposal, and the health hazard to machine operators, are somewhat less tangible but no less important. Every liter of coolants used endangers humanity and the environment. No company realizes this more than the large manufacturing plants of the automobile industry, where coolant costs can be staggering. So much so that Leistritz has recently sold 5 whirling machines to Ford, USA for the production of steering worms. One of the deciding factors in winning this order is that the Leistritz machines operate 100% dry. Ford has taken the responsibility to lead the industry, by reducing coolant and cutting fluid usage by 80%. To the pessimistic, this may appear to be an unattainable, but with help from Leistritz, Ford is proceeding.

Producing both aerospace flight control actuators and commercial ballscrew assemblies for linear motion control, companies like Thomson Industries and Umbra Cuccinetti have eliminated several processing operation steps by whirling the ball threads in hardened materials without previously roughing. Whirling using CBN cutting inserts with either a full round or gothic arch profile has allowed them to produce finish quality screws in a single pass. Leistritz, a machine tool builder in Nuernberg, Germany with offices in Allendale N.J. has developed a unique process solution by combining precision follower rests, an economic re-sharpenable tool system & high speed whirling head with a rigid and accurate CNC controlled machine tool. With bed lengths up to 8m long ball screws can be whirled to finish tolerances in a single pass in full material. By clamping the finished outer diameter in carbide "V" jaws, the follower rests on either side of the cut guarantee near zero concentricity of the thread. Whirling is a dry cutting process and coolant is not used, thus saving the expense of maintaining a coolant system and disposing of toxic grinding swarf. The tangential cutting action of the whirling process combined with optimum speeds & feeds permit machining of steels as hard as 65hrC with minimal heat transferred to the workpiece. After whirling the material is only slightly warm to the touch with an increase of approx. 20-25F above ambient. Since whirling is done cutting from the tailstock towards the chuck, any slight lead variation due to this temperature increase is "behind" the cut not effecting the coolstable bar yet to be whirled. Lead accuracies of 0.0005"foot are easily attained when cutting stable materials. Leistritz machines are laser calibrated at the factory and installation site to insure positioning accuracy.

Worm designs and manufacturing methods have changed very little over the past half century. Finishing a worm in soft material then hardening offers huge savings to worm manufacturers, but has not been considered viable because of distortions in the material from heat treating. Thread grinding has long been used as a finishing operation to removing a mere 0.01-0.02 to achieve the necessary worm tolerances for Lead, Pitch Diameter, Run-out, etc. Grinding, which comes at a big cost is no longer required.Today however, there is progress. To compete with imports mostly from Asia, U.S. manufacturers are reevaluating their products. Gear worms can be produced much better and more economically using non traditional methods. Focusing in on speed reducers, specifically right-angle worm reducers, many well know suppliers have raised the bar of performance and pricing. They have done so through whirling, induction heating, and new design approaches. WhirlingThe little known process of whirling is showing impressive returns in producing worms for gear worm reducers. Methods such as hobbing or thread milling are actively being replaced by this relatively new cutting process. Improvements in many areas of manufacturing, including cutting tool materials and geometry, the machine tools themselves and induction hardening procedures, have all allowed manufacturers to reduce the number of process steps by 60% or more. By machining the worm to finished tolerances and surface roughness using the whirling process then induction hardening, the worms are not only produced faster, less expensively, and with fewer handlings but to greater tolerances than ever before. This method completely eliminates the need for thread grinding. Cylindrical grinding of the bearing journals can also be eliminated by turning the soft blanks to finished tolerances and surface roughness prior to whirling the worm section. The journals can remain soft and thus do not require subsequent finishing operations. The induction heating process of hardening then quenching only the worm section does not distort or add stress to the material. The worm shaft does not require straightening which eliminates yet another, normally manual operation.

Over the past several years we have seen the whirling process come of age, so to speak. This very efficient and fast method of producing threads has recently been integrated into swiss type screw machines. This combining of operations goes against the "lean" ideals of high productivity by performing as many operations in a single machine. It is the philosophy of Leistritz, arguably the most renown and experienced machine builder in the field of whirling, that separating operations is more productive! The very features that make swiss-type turning centers unbeatable for turning small diameter and long shafts, screws or spindles are exactly what make them less efficient whirling machines. Feeding of the bar material through a guide collet has the disadvantage of not permitting continuous rough and finish turning over a long length, so whirling a long screw requires incremental turning and whirling steps until the whole screw length is achieved or whirling the screw without turning the blank to the thread major diameter first! Both of these alternatives are not only time consuming but inaccurate as well. The Leistritz concept is to turn bone screws blanks in existing swiss-type turning centers without the thread. This would allow an even shorter cycle time and greater throughput per machine. Then, with a whirling only machine, whirl the thread. Leistritz whirling machines have the necessary following supports to permit whirling of screws with any profile in virtually unlimited lengths in the shortest possible time. Whirling by Leistritz can outperform whirling in a turning center by a factor of 2 or possible 3:1! Most Bone Screws even in their longest designs and in either 316L stainless steel or Titanium are whirled in under 60 seconds!

In today's injection mold industry, designs of multi-segmented Extruder Screws are more complexed than ever, and so are the demands on how these screws are to be manufactured. Ideally removing the maximum amount of material in the shortest possible time, while still leaving a high quality surface finish thus eliminating not only a costly but, very time consuming grinding operation.Now those previously unattainable goals have all come together into one advanced machine from Leistritz, the LWNM multipurpose machining center line. This CNC controlled multipurpose machine combines Whirling, Milling and Turning all on a single space saving vertical bed design.Ralph Wehmann, National Sales Manager of machine tool sales at Leistritz Corporation, describes the advantages of this multipurpose machine: "Whirling is the fastest machining method for producing extruder screws, and if you compare whirling with milling, there is a big improvement in surface finish due to the smooth tangential cutting action you get by whirling." By improving profile finish, there is an elimination or at least a reduction in the need to grind or hand polish. Since these operations are normally very time consuming, the cost savings can be tremendous.

In many aging plants, old pumps, with their high-wear parts, cost more to repair and maintain than any other equipment in the plant. And the problem is even greater if the old pump models are no longer being manufactured. Spare parts, if available at all, have long lead times, and are often extremely expensive. The alternative - replacing the old pump - may be a big problem, too. Namely, the high costs involved. In most cases, the piping, mounting plate and driver have to be changed. Valves, strainers and other auxiliaries have to be moved. And even re-classification or re-certification may be required. Now there is another alternative: the Leistritz re-engineered pump. It's a brand new screw pump specially designed for adaptation as a perfect-fit replacement for the old pump. The pump consists of two basic elements: the outer casing and a standard cartridge containing the rotating assembly with liner, end cover and seal. To adapt this pump to the old pump installation, Leistritz takes dimensions from the old pump, does a few calculations, and then fabricates an outer casing with the pipe flanges and footprint positioned exactly as they were on the original pump. Only the outer casing is customized to fit the installation. The cartridge is a standard replacement unit. With the Leistritz re-engineered pump, normally no piping or base plate changes are required. No auxiliary components need to be moved. And in most cases, the same driver can be used. In short, your troublesome old pump will be replaced at lowest cost, and you'll realize substantial savings through reduced repair and parts costs and improved operating reliability.

Leistritz Machine Tool Division focuses on 3 distinctive machine groups. Leistritz has over a century of experience in high technology niche products serving various global industries. Whirling Machines perform a highly productive process cutting threads, worms, augers, actuator screws, etc.Virtually anything with a helix can be whirled faster and more accurately than any other cutting or grinding process. Whirling Machines are sold throughout the world to small, medium and high volume manufacturers.Many models are available with integrated parts loaders and gauging systems. Rolling Machines use heavy duty hydraulics to form materials between 2 rotating dies to create threads, worms, splines and knurls.Rolling Machines produces an extremely strong thread very quickly and accurately.Long actuator screws can be rolled in a through feed process in limitless lengths.Leistritz has unique CNC controlled models for ease of set-up and greater repeatability. Keyseating Machines have a well proven track record of producing close tolerance keyways as wide as 150mm.Leistritz technology combines powerful hydraulics with the fine control of modern electronics and controls with precision chrome plated slides, to provide machines that manufacture with decades of uninterrupted service.CNC control opens the possibility to shape cut a more varied array of components, such as multiple keyways, internal splines, tapered grooves, or helical contours.

Boost declining well pressure to buck pipeline pressure.Reduce the amount of gas lift andor differential pressure on a down hole pump.The Leistritz Multiphase Wellhead System (MWS) is a proven and economical method of artificial lift that accelerates production by lowering wellhead pressure andor boosting discharge pressure to buck pipeline pressure. MWSs handle total flow rates up to 100, 000 bpde and differential pressures up to 500 psi. These fully automated systems have a small footprint and eliminate flaring, local separation facilities and water storage, allowing operators to take advantage of more cost effective centralized process facilities.