Pemex Refinacion, a subsidiary of PEMEX, Mexico’s national oil company, has deployed the Active Power 900-kVA CleanSource UPS system to protect its operations at a northern Mexico repumping station. Active Power developed its CleanSource UPS system to protect sensitive equipment from voltage sags, surges and complete power interruptions.
“The lack of consistent and reliable power to support our operations was an ever-present management headache before we installed CleanSource UPS,” said Mauro Caceres, Superintendente General de Operaciones Ductos Zona Norte for Pemex Refinacion. “Since installing the Active Power system our operation has not experienced any power-related interruptions and we are very pleased with the improvement in our day-to-day operations.”
CleanSource UPS conditions the power as it comes into Pemex Refinacion’s facilities delivering a steady stream of high-quality power to run the equipment as well as providing backup power in the event of a commercial power failure. In addition, the system records commercial power glitches—164 of which occurred in the first 24 hours the UPS system was running. These can wreak havoc on sensitive equipment if the power is not conditioned properly.
“The motors and turbines in our pumping stations have very sensitive controls and quality power is crucial for efficient operations,” said Caceres. “The main commercial power supply coming in is inconsistent and unreliable, causing costly service disruptions and making accurate supply planning nearly impossible.”
Pemex Refinacion’s operation in Victoria Zaragoza in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas is one of eighteen repumping stations used in pumping crude oil, gasoline, and diesel from Tamaulipas to Chihuahua. The eighteen stations operate in series and are dependent on one another – if one is down, the others must cease pumping as well. Downtime means the oil and gas stops flowing, leading to lost revenues and potential equipment damage.
