NISOC Indigenizes Advanced Pumps

Pumps used in the oil and gas industry that are intricate in terms of design and manufacturing have been indigenized by the National Iranian South Oil Company (NISOC), Chief Executive Officer Bijan Alipour said.

"NISOC has completed the design, casting and production of 'BB3' multistage centrifugal pumps. The pumps have passed the API 610 standard tests," Alipour was cited as saying on Thursday by the official news portal of the National Iranian Oil Company.

API 610 standard specifies requirements for centrifugal pumps for application in petroleum, petrochemical and gas industries. Indigenization of multistage pumps is part of efforts to save foreign currency spent on purchasing oil and gas equipment from foreign companies, the official noted.

Multistage centrifugal pumps have turned into an integral part of most modern petroleum facilities. They have a flexible range of flow for liquids and at each stage of pumping, the pressure increases. The more stages the pump has, the higher the final discharge pressure. BB3 pumps are also maintenance intensive, requiring skilled workforce to ensure their continuous operation. The Oil Ministry has taken measures to help improve and expand domestic manufacturing of oil equipment in an effort to stem the outflow of capital.

In 2014, a committee was set up to pursue the production of 10 major categories of equipment for the key oil and gas sector, including turbines, compressors, pumps, control valves, pipes, smart pigs used in cleaning the pipes, oil and gas measurement tools as well as equipment associated with health and safety. Officials say domestic companies can meet 85% of the needs for oil and gas equipment despite their technological and financial shortcomings in the past few years because of international sanctions.