News

Modifying Existing Equipment to Maintain Operational Standards

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Many aging manufacturing facilities have witnessed changes in market demand that have altered their product slate and capacity. These changing system demands often cause equipment that was previously well-sized for the application to run significantly away from the operating range where peak efficiency and reliability are achieved. Running in this mode drives up the life cycle cost of equipment due to short maintenance cycles and wasted energy. In cases where reliability is severely compromised, equipment operating costs can also be accompanied by risk to production due to mid-cycle failures and unavailability of equipment.

To maintain safe, reliable and cost-effective operation, it is important to ensure pump systems are optimized. When approached with the need to optimize a pump system, many end users will look to purchase new equipment for the changed demand. This can be a costly and time-intensive endeavor, as new equipment installation is often accompanied by baseplate and piping modifications that require the system to be taken offline. In contrast, modifying the existing equipment to meet the new system needs provides a custom solution that maintains the original footprint, can be completed on a more aggressive timeline and often provides a more custom fit to the system.

The decision to perform one such modification was made by a major Gulf Coast oil refinery that was running at a significantly lower flow than the original system demand. The site reliability team worked with Hydro to design and implement an extreme downrating of the existing equipment. The result was an optimized system that improved reliability of not only the pump, but other affected system components. 

Read our latest case study published with Pumps & Systems magazine where Hydro’s Sergio Ramos outlines how the process for this downrate and what the final outcome was for the end user.

Learn more about Hydro’s engineering services.

Lunch & Learn: Understanding the Capabilities and Limitations of Condition Monitoring

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Join Hydro as we chat with Vince Marino of Empowering Pumps about the capabilities and limitations of condition monitoring.

Condition monitoring isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a vital part of keeping your equipment running smoothly. Robert and Jim explain how understanding its capabilities and limitations can enhance overall efficiency. They discuss how condition monitoring fits into a broader maintenance strategy, ensuring a cohesive approach to equipment upkeep and reliability.

You can watch the full lunch and learn here.

To learn more about Hydro’s Centaur condition monitoring, visit our Centaur webpage or contact us with questions.

We understand that hands-on experience is important in making an investment in a new technology, and provide end users with “test drives” of our monitoring solution through a commitment-free 90-day free trial. Interested in trying it out yourself? Apply here.

Podcast: Preserving Expertise, Harnessing AI, and Training the Next Generation

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Hydro joined Empowering Pumps for another insightful discussion on preserving experience through innovation.

Listen to the latest Empowering Industry podcast, where Charli Matthews chats with our President of Total Solutions, Mike Mancini, about the challenges facing the industry today, including workforce training, technology adoption, and the exciting potential of AI.

Watch the interview below, or listen to the podcast here.

 

Capability Spotlight: Addressing Obsolescence

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A dependable source of quality parts supply is critical to maintain safe, reliable, and profitable operation of industrial facilities. However, aging equipment and pressure on the global supply chain have created a challenging environment in the replacement parts.

Obsolescence and loss of supplier experience have resulted in many plants rethinking the idea that the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) should be the go-to source for parts supply. Consolidation of OEMs and retirement and down-sizing on the supplier side have led to loss of capability, compromised quality, and slower response times. Ordering parts through the OEM is also a highly transactional process that rarely engages engineering. Without engineering involvement, there is no opportunity to determine if new technology or design improvements are available that can improve the reliability of the component.

Hydro helps end users meet the challenges of obsolescence with hard-earned reverse engineering expertise, an extensive library of parts drawings across OEMs, a global engineering network, and a dedicated parts division that delivers industry-leading turnaround times for cast components.

When sourcing an alternative for quality parts, it is important to understand that reverse engineering goes beyond simple replication and must engage an experienced engineering team. Advanced technologies can help significantly in the process of reverse engineering critical parts, but relying on these technologies alone is not enough to ensure proper design and manufacture. Geometry, metallurgy, hardness, tolerances, and coatings should all be considered and they add to the complexity of the reverse engineering process. Reproducing the part without reviewing the hydraulic, mechanical, and material characteristics of the component can lead to incorrect geometry or failure of the part when placed in service.

Hydro’s reverse engineering procedures ensure that a comprehensive engineering review is completed during the reverse engineering process. We are also able to leverage our library of known failure mechanisms and proven solutions to improve component design and performance.

Read about how Hydro helps end users overcome the challenges of obsolescence and other supply chain challenges in our case studies with Nuclear Engineering International here and here.

Discover our Hydro’s Parts Solutions division here.

Ahlstrom Makeup Liquor Pump

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Application: Make-Up Liquor
Pump Details: Ahlstrom Model 2LRS-20
Pump Type: 2-Stage Overhung

When a pulp mill’s make-up liquor pump failed, it was sent to Hydro’s Scotford facility for refurbishment and upgrade to restore reliability.

Hydro’s standard disassembly and inspection process uncovered a path for abrasives to reach the wear rings. Heavy localized wear was identified at the casing, behind the casing wear ring.

 

Additionally, the pump was experiencing excessive leakage of the seal water and black liquor. The millwrights were unable to properly adjust the packing gland because the 2-bolt packing gland follower was cocked on the studs due to the high pressure of the seal water. This misalignment also caused significant wear to the diffuser vane tips.

Hydro manufactured new wear rings without slots to prevent the abrasive material from damaging the case and minimize wear behind the casing wear rings. The worn areas of the casing and a new sleeve were overlaid with tungsten carbide to prevent further damage.

Hydro designed and machined a 4-bolt split packing gland follower to help maintain alignment of the packing gland follower with the stuffing box. A special material was installed to help cool and lubricate the seal to allow the proper distribution of seal water.

The diffuser vane tips were welded to restore them to their pre-wear length and the impellers were balanced to a stringent level of 2 W/N. The 2 stage pump was built vertically to ensure centerline compatibility of stationary components.

This engineered rebuild provided improved reliability for the makeup liquor pump.

Learn more about Hydro’s focused improvements for the pulp and paper industry here. Read more about Hydro Scotford here.