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
For this Wednesday Webinar, join Glen Powell as he introduces concepts and terminology related to vibration, with the goal of broadening your knowledge. This will provide you with enhanced knowledge and understanding of vibration and its importance as it relates to the reliability of machines.
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
Would you drive a car off the lot without taking it for a test drive first? Probably not. And yet so many end-users “drive” their pumps off the lot and expect it to work exactly to specification.
Pump testing is an essential step in evaluating the hydraulic and mechanical performance of a pump before installation. Testing is applicable to new pumps, refurbished pumps, or re-engineered pumps and offers insights into equipment reliability, performance and can measure the effect of design changes.
Understanding the power and benefit of aftermarket testing can be confusing. Especially without the knowledge of the various testing capabilities available. Hydro’s testing facility is designed in compliance with Hydraulic Institute Standards and API 610. It’s capable of testing horizontal, vertical and submersible pumps up to 5,000 horsepower. This webinar will focus on aspects of aftermarket testing on problem pumps by diving deep into several case studies where issues were found with a pump prior to assembly—helping save time, headache, and money.
Register at pumpsandsystems.com/webinars
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