Calfrac uses Allison transmission in fracking operations

The FracTran is part of the Oil Field Series product line and is purpose-built for fracturing. (Photo: Allison Transmission)

Global hydraulic fracturing company Calfrac Well Services Ltd. has introduced Allison Transmission’s FracTran transmission into its field operations. The FracTran has been integrated into Calfrac’s fracturing units to enable high-pressure duty cycles even in harsh operating environments.

The FracTran hydraulic fracturing transmission is part of the Oil Field Series product line and is purpose-built for fracturing. It has eight gear ranges and is available with multiple gear ratios to meet customer requirements. Launched with a rating of 3300 hp and 10000 lb.-ft. of input torque, Allison said the transmission is capable of up to 3500 hp with no hardware modifications required. Other features include filter and fluid life prognostics, a transmission-mounted control module, torsional diagnostics and a telematics gateway.

“Since integrating the Allison FracTran into our hydraulic fracturing pump in April, we’ve been very impressed with its performance in the field. We’ve noticed an improvement in the productivity of the Calfrac pump equipped with the FracTran compared to our other hydraulic fracturing pumps,” said Jim Weatherby, U.S. maintenance manager, Calfrac Well Services Ltd. “We look forward to collaborating with Allison in the future to continue to implement innovative solutions designed to optimize the efficiency and performance of our fleet.”

“The FracTran was developed as a result of extensive voice of customer insights as well as an analysis of duty-cycle information gathered from Allison’s decades of experience operating in oil and gas fields throughout the world,” said Kartik Ramanan, executive director, Global Off-Highway, Global Customer Support and Service Engineering, Allison Transmission. “We’re proud to partner with Calfrac to deliver a next-generation propulsion solution that will increase efficiency and, as a result, improve sustainability as fracturing fleets work to reduce their environmental footprint.”

According to Allison, the FracTran is capable of a service life of up to 25000 hours and is designed to enable a second life with no hard parts replacement required.