“We are thrilled to announce the opening of our new state-of-the-art service center in Bucharest, which marks another significant milestone for Oil Dynamics”. With these words, Danut Tudora, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Oil Dynamics GmbH, Heidelberg/Germany, officially inaugurated the company’s new ESPRO facility in Romania (Figure 1). Top management representatives from Oil Dynamics, OMV Petrom attended the event along with most of local Oil Dynamics staff and colleagues from Germany.
The new Oil Dynamics Service Center brings a whole new level of service to Eastern European customers. The new facility features a warehouse with selected inventory, an inspection and testing area, a delivery preparation section, an equipment repair and overhaul shop and a DIFA zone among others.
“The new subsidiary is established to expand our business activities in Eastern Europe and is ready to also serve as an international hub if required,” explained Tudora in his opening speech.The Oil Dynamics COO sees many opportunities in a broad market to be developed not only in the O&G industry, but also in form of a growing number of geothermal projects especially in Hungary, Croatia, Romania and Poland.
“This strategic move strengthens our service and presence for customers, especially in Eastern Europe, and also provides valuable opportunities for the local community,” Tudora concluded.
Earlier this year, Romania’s largest O&G company and Oil Dynamics GmbH signed two additional five- year supply and service contracts for over 180 Electric Submersible Pumps (ESP) to Romania. Along with complete standard and slim-line pumps (ESP), the contract includes the supply of Variable Frequency Drives (VFD) as well as transformers, sensors, cables and other accessories.
Service is provided from the company’s new branch in the Bucharest area: Oil Dynamics Service S.R.L. Fully equipped and stocked, it serves as base for the experienced local field service teams and pump shop. The Romanian subsidiary receives engineering support from the headquarters in Heidelberg, Germany, while technical assistance is supplied by the Testing and Logistics Center in Hockenheim, Germany.
The two new contracts follow an earlier agreement signed in 2023 for the supply of over 50 Electric Submersible Progressive Cavity Pump (ESPCP) systems for the same customer. In the meantime, several ESP and ESPSP have been delivered, installed, and are in productive operation.
The head office of Oil Dynamics in Heidelberg. Photo: Oil Dynamics
Once again, the Oil Dynamics GmbH has been approved of two important certifications: ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management System) and ISO 14001:2015 (Environmental Management System). The renewed verifications referring to the factory in Hockenheim and the head office in Heidelberg will be valid for the next three years.
The Oil Dynamics factory in Hockenheim. Photo: Oil Dynamics
The long-term recertification process succeeded under the systematic supervision of Alexander Reichert, Manager Quality and Process at Oil Dynamics. He ensured in every little detail that the QM- and EM system will comply with the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015. The company’s manager for Total Quality Management signs responsible for the establishment of the quality and environmental targets and monitoring their progress. Moreover, Reichert improved and further developed the current QM- and EM-System, as well as initiated necessary corrective actions.
For recertifying its ISO 9001 the German company had to record any training, skills, experience and qualification as well as monitor measuring results amongst others. Furthermore, these process steps were on trial for the ISO 14001: development of an environmental policy, identification of how the organization interacts with the environment, identification of actual and potential environmental impacts, monitoring and measurement of the progress, reviewing the EM-System etc. In comparison to former years, the ISO 9001 demanded this time the implementation of a new NCR portal and the introduction of an internal audit system. Furthermore, the update for the ISO 14001 included the introduction of HSE (Health, Safety and Environment) and improvement of Oil Dynamics’ ecological footprint.
Jürgen Schulz, Managing Director of Oil Dynamics, demonstrates high confidence in such implementations for the company. “These lately updated certifications will consistently increase our competitiveness worldwide and especially our customer’s acceptance and satisfaction.”
Installation on site in Bochum. Photo: Oil Dynamics
The new MARK 51°7 industrial park in Bochum, Germany, is to be equipped with one of the most sustainable energy concepts in Europe: energy from mine water will supply the district with heating and cooling.
The tailor-made pumping system to lift the mine water to the surface was engineered, built and installed by innovative artificial lift specialist Oil Dynamics GmbH.
Electric submersible pumps (ESPs) were installed in two wells to supply several new buildings with heating and cooling in a sustainable and climate-friendly way. For heating, mine water at a temperature of around 30 °C is pumped up from an 810-metre-deep tunnel and further heated by heat pumps to around 48 °C before being fed into the district heating network.
For cooling, mine water at a temperature of around 18 °C is pumped to the surface from a shallower 340-metre-deep gallery and then cooled down to 10 °C.
The main challenges in realizing the customized pump systems were the extremely wide operating range for centrifugal pumps and frequent load variations. The energy demand of MARK 51°7 varies greatly depending on the time of the year, time of day, weather, day of the week, among other factors. The different energy requirements are served by flow rates between 30 and 150 m³/h.
Motor and sensor entering the drill caller during pump installation. Photo: Oil Dynamics
The pump speed is to be constantly adjusted. While in winter the system mainly pumps from the deeper, warmer well, and in summer mainly from the shallower, colder borehole, for spring and autumn it is assumed that the system will operate in multiple changes of direction. For example, on a typical German spring day, when it is still cold at night and in the morning, but sunny and warm from noon onwards, the system has to switch from heating to cooling mode. A control system for the pumping system that is gentle on the equipment and at the same time efficient for operation is currently being optimized with the support of the Oil Dynamics software lab.
The pumping tests performed with Oil Dynamics equipment, field service engineers were successful, and when soon in regular operation, the energy contained in the mine water will cover more than 75 % of the heating and cooling needs for all connected buildings on the former coalfield. The difference will be added from a local heating network and conventional cooling systems.
Developed by Fraunhofer IEG and Stadtwerke Bochum and supported by Oil Dynamics, this is the first major industrial zone receiving integrated heating and cooling generated by a combination of geothermal energy, district networks, underground storage and large heat pumps.
Pretty clean water from the mine pumped up during welltest. Photo: Oil Dynamics
Fifth generation heating and cooling networks, also called cold district heat networks, are particularly efficient because they only have a very low operating temperature of the circulating fluid. Heat pumps in the individual buildings can thus draw heat or cold from the network as needed.
Compared to natural gas and electric refrigeration at MARK 51°7, energy from mine water will avoid the emission of approximately 3,200 tonnes of CO2 per year.
The potential for this energy concept can be related to the large number of existing closed mines in Europe and worldwide. Existing infrastructure, often located beneath major cities, can be reused relatively quickly and cost-effectively for sustainable heating and cooling.
