Weir Oil & Gas and the Rolls-Royce Power Systems company MTU announced they will form a new joint venture company to oversee the development of their new power system to make hydraulic fracturing operations more efficient. Weir is the leading manufacturer of hydraulic fracturing pumps, and MTU is a market leader in heavy-duty industrial diesel engines. This broadens the relationship from the collaboration agreement announced in May of 2014.

The new joint venture will serve as a one-stop shop for the oil and gas exploration industry for sales and service of a system that will be used for hydraulic fracturing operations during the well completion stage of shale oil and gas projects.

The agreement was announced today at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston where the first model of the combined system is on display at conference booth #344.

The Weir-MTU power system integrates the engine, transmission and hydraulic fracturing pump into one purpose built power system for fracturing. The new joint venture company, which will be named at a later date, is expected to be in operation by the beginning of 2016.

The Weir-MTU agreement builds on Weir’s newly launched SPM® QEM3000 pumping technology and the performance of the new MTU Frac Pack, which integrates the MTU Series 4000 diesel engine and the ZF 8 TX transmission. This combined solution addresses customer demand for more efficient continuous duty equipment.

Keith Cochrane, Chief Executive of the Weir Group, said “Weir has been using our engineering expertise to make our customers more efficient for nearly 150 years. This joint venture again shows our ongoing commitment to innovation which reduces our customers’ total cost of ownership and improves productivity. By combining the frac pump, transmission and engine into one power system and supporting it using MTU and Weir’s service networks, we will deliver significant benefits for our oil and gas customers.”

“The new joint venture between MTU and Weir Oil & Gas will provide easier access to a completely integrated pumping power system that addresses the challenges faced by frac site operators,” said Dr. Ulrich Dohle, CEO of Rolls-Royce Power Systems. “Not only have we brought our best engineering minds together to design a solution that enhances run times for the engine, transmission and pump, but we have also brought our best business minds together to provide customers with an exciting new source of innovative frac solutions.”

The market will be updated regularly as development work on the new integrated power system’s progress.

Weir Oil & Gas

Weir Oil & Gas, a division of The Weir Group PLC, is the leading supplier of pressure pumping equipment to the North American upstream oil and gas market. The division also provides superior products and service solutions to Oil & Gas customers in production, transportation, refining and related industries. Upstream products include pressure pumping equipment & services from SPM, Mesa and Novatech.  Seaboard and Mathena provide pressure control products & rental services. Downstream products include API 610 pumps & spare parts for refining and petrochemical industries from Gabbioneta. Engineered mechanical and rotating equipment repairs & upgrades, oilfield and drilling equipment repair and certification, spares parts including asset management & field services are delivered globally by Weir Oil & Gas Services. The Weir Oil & Gas division is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. Find out more at weirinaction.com.

The Weir Group is one of the world’s largest engineering companies employing more than 15,000 people and operating in 70 countries. It serves oil and gas, minerals and power end markets. Founded in 1871, Weir has more than 200 manufacturing and service facilities globally. At the heart of the Group’s strategy is a commitment to innovation, collaboration, value chain excellence and global capability. Weir’s mission is to be wherever and whenever our global energy and resource customers need us, delivering innovative products and services and becoming their trusted partner of choice.

MTU

MTU is part of Rolls-Royce Power Systems within the Land & Sea division of Rolls-Royce. MTU high-speed engines and propulsion systems provide power for marine, rail, power generation, oil and gas, agriculture, mining, construction and industrial, and defense applications. The portfolio is comprised of diesel engines with up to 10,000 kilowatts (kW) power output and gas engines up to 2,530 kW. MTU also offers customized electronic monitoring and control systems for its engines and propulsion systems.

Rolls-Royce Power Systems is headquartered in Friedrichshafen in southern Germany and employs around 11,000 people. The product portfolio includes MTU-brand high-speed engines and propulsion systems for ships, power generation, heavy land, rail and defence vehicles and for the oil and gas industry. Under the MTU Onsite Energy brand, the company markets diesel gensets for emergency, base load and peak load applications as well as cogeneration plants using gas engines for the combined generation of heat and power. Bergen medium-speed engines power ships and power generation applications. L’Orange completes the portfolio with fuel injection systems for large engines.