Services

Safety assessments and tooling expertise

In an effort to increase safety across our global customer base, NCS can provide any specialized or correct tooling kits required during maintenance. We will provide these items at a transparent markup of only 5%, even if we are not hired for the job! We want to ensure you get the job done in the safest and most precise way possible.

OEM third-party witness inspection

Hiring NCS as a third-party witness provides you with the representation of a skilled engineer independent of the OEM. NCS will oversee the testing and assembly operations to ensure compliance with the client's specified standards. NCS’s proactive approach starts with a pre-operation meeting to verify the work scope and to address any questions or concerns prior to execution. We specialize in, but are not limited to, the following operations at the OEM or approved sub vendor: hydro testing, foot valve testing, fit testing, dimensional verification, dynamic balancing of impellers, inducers, and shaft rotors, radiographic and other NDT operations, motor polarization index (PI), surge, phase resistance, and insulation resistance (Megger) testing, rotor bar continuity verification, witness disassembly and visual inspection, factory acceptance testing (FAT), weight verification and packaging inspection.

NCS also conducts OEM documentation review, including but not limited to, Inspection and Test Plan (ITP), Vendor Data Book / Manufacturing Record Book (MRB), Instruction and Operation Manual (IOM). 

OEM expediting

In the event of a project delay, NCS can supply a qualified engineer to perform on site expediting of the manufacturing of the submerged motor cryogenic pump. At NCS, we are well versed in the manufacturing, procurement, engineering, logistics, and documentation of supplier and sub-vendors within the LNG submerged motor pump industry. We provide our customers with a voice on location that applies appropriate pressure and fosters creative thinking. Having NCS as an independent expediter ensures that your project is accelerated as quickly as possible and that you have the most up-to-date knowledge about the situation. 

Pump and system installation

When it comes time to install the final submerged motor cryogenic pump, having the right help can make a project run much smoother. NCS’s trained engineer specialists ensure that there are no incidents during the construction and prevent any workmanship related issues at startup. Installation is a crucial moment – it is the last opportunity to spot deficiencies or future costly problems. Having NCS on site ensures an independent assessment at this critical stage.

Commissioning and startup services

When preparing to transition the site from construction to commercial operation, perfection is key. NCS is dedicated to helping our clients develop a comprehensive commissioning plan for the submerged motor cryogenic pumps within their facilities. We do this in the pre-commissioning phase by reviewing procedures and performing OEM documentation inspection. At the facility, NCS performs P&ID verification, instrumentation ID tag verification, and visual inspection of the installation to confirm readiness for commissioning. Lastly, a site performance test, also known as the site acceptance test (SAT), is performed.

Vibration monitoring / condition monitoring (CM) specification, set up, and verification

Vibration monitoring systems are now highly advanced and continually improving. Opportunities to upgrade are constantly available. NCS advocates for our clients to ensure that vibration monitoring system upgrades will provide the benefits promised. Having a third-party advocate is also critical during project design stages. Contacting NCS gives you the security of knowing that your equipment will come from the supplier with the most advanced and reliable systems.

Vibration monitoring is essential to the predictive maintenance of LNG, LPG, LEG, or other submerged motor compressed gas cryogenic pumps. NCS reviews and recommends the correct settings for the supplied instruments to assure that the correct data is collected once the plant is online. NCS also provides secondary verification services with independent analyzers to confirm a fully functional system that meets your requirements and the needs of the future operators. 

Predictive maintenance (PdM)

These pumps are very different from many pumps in the world – even within the oil and gas sector. Part of their uniqueness stems from their product-lubricated bearings and product submerged motors. The product fluids can be as cold as -195.8 C. To top it off, these pumps cannot have any traditional preventative maintenance. Designs include rated flow rates of over 2800 cubic meters per hour, high pressure send-out pumps with head in excess of 3100 meters, and motors of up to 2.5 megawatts. This adds up to a lot of potential to cause self-inflicted catastrophic damage. If a proper planning and predictive maintenance program is not performed correctly, high repair bills and dauntingly long maintenance periods will result. NCS works with these long-term interests in mind. Having a proper predictive maintenance program in place early on can significantly reduce your risk, decrease maintenance costs, and shorten turnaround time.

Technically, having a vibration monitoring system and waiting for it to alarm is not predictive maintenance – it is simply an expensive form of reactionary maintenance. Developing a custom designed program for the unique installation and operation is necessary to truly have a predictive maintenance program. Having operators and maintenance staff trained in the active monitoring of pump conditions is necessary for a successful and cost-reducing PdM program. NCS enthusiastically partners with plants to set up the PdM programs for their submerged motor cryogenic pumps. NCS will provide training and also set the base lines for condition monitoring along with the necessary data acquisition times. After these fundamentals are in place, NCS will arrange to perform remote live monitoring or data review on a regular basis to guarantee your most critical assets are under appropriate proactive watchful eyes.

Basic to advanced maintenance services, including technical support and troubleshooting

NCS specializes in providing field service support for all maintenance activities for your cryogenic product pump. Removal of these pumps is very resource intensive, making their repair a one-shot operation. The size of many of these pumps means that even the slightest of errors in the most basic maintenance operation can potentially have long lasting or catastrophic effects. Having NCS on site will ensure risks are minimized. NCS will ensure that the required attention is given to the appropriate details while providing process control and documentation above OEM standards. NCS will lead the inspection process with an eye to extend pump life, reduce costs, and eliminate repeat problems. Maintenance of these pumps is critical and high risk, but having NCS provide experience, passion, and commitment assures that the job will be completed to the highest level of quality available in the industry.

Have a question? NCS also provides technical support. Not sure why your pump is not behaving the way it used to? Feel free to start the conversation with NCS for comprehensive technical support and troubleshooting. Our goal is to build long-term relationships with satisfied customers. Sometimes, these relationships start with technical support and troubleshooting, so do not hesitate to contact us with your query even if we have not worked together before. Please remember to provide the pump’s general arrangement drawing, the pump cross-section, and the pump data sheet if they are available.

Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA)

Providing disciplined Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA) for every maintenance period is one of the pillars of ensuring both long-term reliability and having a successful predictive maintenance program. You may ask if a formal RCFA is required for even the most basic of failures, and the answer is yes. When better to practice (most importantly, document) a disciplined RCFA process than with the simplest and most routine causes for maintenance? When NCS is onsite, we will provide this automatically as part of our services during a field service call. NCS can also consult on high level RCFAs as a Subject Matter Expert and will deliver unique views to your team. Please feel free to contact us for a further discussion of the benefits of RCFA. 

Training for maintenance and operations personnel

Customized training provided by NCS will increase the knowledge of your operations and maintenance personnel. This will benefit your organization by standardizing effective work processes, improving safety, and reducing your lifetime maintenance costs. Training will improve technical communications between your team, as well as improve personnel’s in-depth understanding of the operation and maintenance of the pump. Course lengths are flexible, and NCS is easily adaptable to shift schedules. Rudimentary to advanced classes are available and involve a mixture of field work and classroom instruction. This training will provide a thorough understanding of the equipment, its maintenance, and the system it operates in. 

Spare part and maintenance planning support

These pumps are high value capital assets and their operation is essential to your process. Downtime needs to be minimized as lost revenue, customer dissatisfaction, and public safety hazards are very costly. Having the correct spare parts on hand is critical to ensure maximum uptime in the event that there is an unplanned failure especially within the submerged motor cryogenic pump industry. These pumps are highly specialized, and even the simplest parts can take weeks for repair or procurement. NCS will review operating history, pump conditioning monitoring data, plant operation, past maintenance history, operation protocol, and current spare inventory to provide an independent recommendation for what parts are required to ensure maximum uptime.

Long-Term Service Agreements (LTSA)

NCS tailors our maintenance contracts to suit each client’s individual need so that you can control your maintenance cost. All of our LTSAs emphasize that the predictive maintenance agreement with NCS remains fundamental. Keeping the PdM central to our agreement creates a reduced overall cost to the client by only undertaking maintenance when required, thus creating savings above and beyond standard contractual maintenance programs. NCS is your partner in decreasing cost and increasing performance. In addition, having an LTSA with NCS allows for emergency callout service.