State of the Art Parts: Hydro Parts Solutions recently supplied a new impeller as part of a project to improve the operation of a pump that was not performing per the OEM curve. The first step in the process was reverse-engineering the used sample impellers. The reverse-engineered model was used by Hydro’s Global Engineering team to perform a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis to determine the best possible hydraulic design for the plant’s expected operating range. Continue reading
A critical vertical pump for a 750 MW unit was sent to Hydro South in mid-December 2012 for inspection and repair. The massive pump weighed more than 66,000 lbs. and was 32 feet long and 12 feet tall. When the pump was disassembled, Hydro South’s engineers discovered that a large 42” x 68” section of the discharge elbow was broken, allowing direct flow to bypass the turning section and flow directly into the stuffing box area.
The discharge elbow was made of casted cast iron and could not be welded. A replacement of this size would take around eight months to order and receive. Continue reading
The destroyed sample used for reverse engineering
State of the Art Parts: A Gulf Coast refinery had the primary pump for a critical system at the HydroTex Golden Triangle facility for refurbishment. While the primary pump was in the shop, the backup pump operating on-site began to show signs of failure. The impeller of the pump being repaired had extreme wear and was unable to be reused. The shop needed to source an impeller in an expedited timeframe to complete the repair ahead of schedule and get the primary pump back in service before the backup pump failed. Continue reading
State of the Art Parts: Hydro Parts Solutions recently supplied a new bearing cartridge and adaptor piece for an OH2 pump from a Caribbean rum distillery. The customer had no spares for these components and was in a critical situation because both parts had failed and were unusable.
The OEM had provided a minimum delivery time of 10-12 weeks for both parts. Because these parts were necessary for the equipment to be returned to service, the customer sought out a qualified vendor who could provide the components in a shorter turnaround time. Hydro Parts Solutions was able to offer a 5-6 week delivery.
This job was particularly challenging because there were no samples to reverse engineer, only rough sketches from the customer. While it is standard to request samples to reverse engineer, because of the tight timeframe, Hydro Parts Solutions created a model using the sketches and the design experience and engineering resources within Hydro. Continue reading
When the experts at Hydro were called on to reverse-engineer parts for a large circulating water pump in the Caribbean, they were concerned to discover an OEM-provided suction bell had failed during service. All internal ribs were lost and the bearing holder was found loose within the assembly. Not only had the suction bell failed, but the customer was facing excessive lead times for the parts needed for the refurbishment of the pump.
After a meticulous review of the suction bell design, it became clear that low manufacturing costs had been prioritized over reliability. Instead of providing the customer with a cast component, the OEM had provided a suction bell that had been fabricated, resulting in an excessively thin wall thickness. Continue reading