Under Pressure?

Our Technical Support Manager, Richard Parley, shares information on recent developments within the Airpac Rentals rental fleet.

We have been incredibly busy working to enhance our air compressor fleet, so unfortunately it has been a while since I last sat down to write a blog. The oil and gas industry might still be feeling the effects of the downturn but we want to remain positive and look at the broad range of opportunities open to us in the energy markets. With this is mind, we have been investing heavily in high pressure equipment. 

Our main focus has been on expanding our equipment range to meet demands for markets such as LNG, pipeline, drilling and maintenance. In the first half of this year we have added 22,200 cfm of high pressure air to our existing fleet.

To support the increase of high pressure equipment we recently welcomed Kenny Stewart into the role of High Pressure Applications Manager. Kenny has an extensive knowledge in high pressure equipment and applications and is therefore well placed to support these opportunities. 

Research was carried out to ensure we purchased the correct products to meet demand. After consultation with our sales teams, utilising their market knowledge, we identified equipment which we feel will fully support a wide range of customer requirements. 

Firstly, we purchased a number of Atlas Copco XRVS 1550 units; we decided to go for a trailer mounted design as this was identified as particularly beneficial for onshore projects such as refinery, LNG, pipeline and industrial applications. When required for use in offshore environments, we also have the option to supply the compressors in a DNV 2.7-1 lifting frame. The XRVS units were also identified as a strong choice for multiple markets due to their dual pressure settings, providing air flow of 1550 cfm at a maximum pressure of 365 psi, or 1350 cfm at a maximum pressure of 508 psi.

Our second major investment to arrive this year is the Atlas Copco TwinAir Compressor, chosen for the benefit of having two high pressure air compressors contained within one 20 foot CSC/DNV container. This allows for operation of one individual compressor at 960 cfm or running them both simultaneously for a combined output of 1920 cfm at a maximum working pressure of 365 psi. 

High pressure, volume and low shipping costs were high on the agenda for the TwinAir units. In consideration of these points, combined with customer needs for reliability in the field, the Atlas Copco units were the obvious choice of compressor. The long standing relationship between Atlas Copco and Airpac Rentals has proven to be successful for over 20 years since we bought our first XRV units in 1999.  

One of our key strengths is the quality of our operators; with that in mind we have developed a training plan for the new units which is already being rolled out across our operational team. We are also providing our technical team with Train the Trainer courses so they can develop and grow competency through in-house courses, covering our entire rental fleet.

These initial purchases are just the beginning of our plans to enhance our range of high pressure primary compressors, boosters and ancillary items. We shall continue to make significant investments throughout this year, so watch this space!