News

Gearbox Refurbishment Solves Performance Problems in Australia

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Not only does Hydro Australia service centrifugal pumps, but for over twenty years, the team has been refurbishing gearboxes for their clients. Being part of Hydro’s worldwide network of service centers enables Hydro Australia to achieve great success by working alongside fellow engineers for technical support, expedited parts solutions, and the shared wealth of Hydro’s cross-OEM experience. On this particular gearbox refurbishment, Hydro Australia called upon Hydro Richards in Canada to manufacture two new white metal bearings. Continue reading →

Condition Monitoring Uncovers Misalignment Issues

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Hydro, Inc. is currently supporting a major refinery by providing remote condition monitoring on their critical rotating equipment. Centaur, Hydro’s condition monitoring solution, continuously collects real-time vibration and surface temperature levels on the customer’s pumps and drive trains. With these sensors, Hydro can work directly with the local technicians to utilize and take action upon the data to optimize rotating equipment maintenance strategies.

Alarm thresholds are chosen based on API standards. Hydro’s monitoring software is programmed to automatically report any alarm or emergent issue to Hydro’s engineering team and to the engineering team of the refinery. The graphs showcase a startup event with elevated vibration amplitude levels above the alarm 2 thresholds (>0.300 ips RMS) at the pump inboard and motor inboard sensor locations in the horizontal direction. Continue reading →

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Testing Brings a Long-Term Solution

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When an oil and gas vertical firewater pump suffered heavy abrasion and wear due to significant sand and particulate matter from a nearby river, HydroTex Golden Triangle, based in Beaumont, Texas, solved the problem, meeting the hydraulic requirements of the firewater system.

 

In this case, the impellers were severely worn, which meant that replacements and upgrades were needed if it was to meet the National Firewater Protection Agency (NFPA) hydraulic requirements. The critical pump was removed from service and classified as an emergency. The removal naturally resulted in ­downtime at the local site, so a quick turnaround was vital. Continue reading →

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Introducing Hydro Richards

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Specializing in babbitt bearing manufacturing and service, precision machining, fusion welding, fabrication, and reverse engineering for pump components and rebuilds. 

Hydro Richards was founded in 1942 and originally focused on meeting the machining needs of the forest industry and the war effort. Over the past century, we have grown and diversified to meet the needs of our expanding and evolving industrial world.

Our 13,000 square foot production facility is located in the city of Port Coquitlam. This provides us with quick access to material suppliers, subcontractors, the Trans-Canada Highway, the United States border, and the Vancouver International Airport.

Hydro Richards is an active supporter of the provincial Machinist Apprenticeship Program, employing only provincially qualified journeymen machinists.  We are compliant with ISO 9001, AWS D1.1, CWB W47.1, and fully support a continuous quality improvement philosophy.

Check out the Hydro Richards website here.