PCM, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of positive displacement pumps for the oil and gas, industry and food sectors, today announced that its PCM Vulcain™ all metal progressing cavity pump had reached an important milestone: pumping extremely hot and viscous bitumen for over 20 months in a SAGD (Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage) trial conducted in Canada by a major oil company.

The PCM Vulcain was installed in May 2007 and has been running non-stop ever since. It is being used to pump bitumen so viscous that it will not slide out of an upturned cup. It was installed as part of a trial to find a suitable replacement for Electric Submersible Pumps that were underperforming due to the extreme pumping conditions. After 20 months of operation, the PCM Vulcain currently has a 53% volumetric efficiency at 390 rpm. In this trial, there are 9 PCM Vulcain to date having already exceeded the 12-month mark.

The PCM Vulcain™ was developed through joint research and development conducted by PCM and major oil companies. “The PCM Vulcain not only meets the high temperature requirements of all thermal production methods, but is also well suited for low pressure SAGD, where erratic flow and high/changing viscosity is often a challenge,” says Nicolas Parise, Director, PCM Oil & Gas Business Unit.

Recovery of the world's huge reserves of extra heavy oil, of which major deposits are found in Canada and Venezuela, has been made economically feasible due to the  long-term growth of oil demand in conjunction with the continuous depletion of conventional oil reserves. To extract this kind of oil, producers have been using thermal recovery processes that use heat injection to soften the bitumen before pumping it. But the high temperatures encountered in hot production present a challenge to traditional pumping technologies, such as Sucker Rod Pumps, Electric Submersible Pumps and Elastomer Progressing Cavity Pumps. Thanks to its patented all-metal design; PCM Vulcain provides all the natural advantages and flexibility of progressing cavity pump technology at these extreme temperatures.

About PCM

Based in Anjou, France with offices around the world, PCM is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of positive displacement pumps and fluid-handling equipment. It specializes in the development of pumping solutions for the lifting, transferring and dosing of abrasive, fragile, viscous, corrosive, hot and heavy products in challenging environments in the oil and gas, food and industrial sectors. PCM was co-founded in 1932 by the inventor of the Progressing Cavity Pump (PCP), René Moineau.

For more information: www.pcm.eu