Interested in pump training? Hydro’s got you covered. Providing aftermarket-focused training is an important part of our commitment to our customers. We offer training on a range of topics from pump fundamentals to more specialized hands-on programs for high pressure multistage pumps.
Hydro’s training helps you do what you do – better. Visit our training page to view our upcoming seminars!
Pump Training Seminars | Hydro, Inc. from Hydro, Inc. on Vimeo.
The West Central Association recently invited George Harris, President and CEO of Hydro, Inc., to be a guest speaker for their 100th anniversary.
The WCA is the Chamber of Commerce for the West Central Area. They are also a delegate agency for Chicago’s Department of Planning and Economic Development. They promote the area to encourage healthy business and a growing community.
George Harris also received an award in recognition of his contributions to the community and to the development of businesses and networking within Chicago’s West Central Area.
George has always been one of the key pillars of the community. He has lived and worked within the city of Chicago all his life and graduating from the University of Illinois with a degree in Engineering. The association was pleased to celebrate the growth of Hydro.
Though it started as a small locally based business, it is now a global company with 19 locations worldwide. Congratulations, George, on an award well deserved!
Two trusted names in the industry have formed a powerful partnership for supporting diesel fuel and lube oil pumps. Leistritz, a global leader in the manufacturing of specialized screw pumps and technologies, has formed a powerful partnership in defeating obsolescence with Hydro.
Due to the age of pumps in the industry today, many become obsolete and unsupported by their manufacturers, while still actively in service. This poses safety issues. Through engineering and integrated manufacturing, Hydro can now meet your needs quickly, without any changes to your system. Quality assurance backed by ASME III and Z299 certifications.
Source: nuclearplantjournal.com
Vibration issues with a two-stage pump forced a major steel manufacturer to remove the pump from service. Due to incorrect weights welded on an impeller, a steel manufacturer called upon Hydro to repair and balance a two-stage pump.
Written by: Ken Babusiak (Hydro, Inc.)
Published by: World Pumps
The pump was experiencing the vibration during the spring and summer months of 2016. The steel company sent the pump to HydroAire’s Chicago, IL facility in September of that year. HydroAire was able to determine the cause of the vibration and created a solution that got the pump back in operating condition. The pump was installed and back in service by February, 2017.
The initial testing and analysis deter-mined that the impeller had large weights welded onto it. The steel company was concerned for many reasons, especially because the staff knew that using weights was not the correct way to balance an impeller. This caused the steel manufacturer to question the manner in which the pump had previously been repaired.
Adding weights to impellers is generally not standard practice.
Where not to position the weights.
Power pump performance improved with redesign of the first-stage, double-suction impeller and twin volute.
This project has been divided into two articles. The first, published in the June 2017 Pumps & Systems; the second, published in September 2017 Pumps & Systems.
Written by: Dave Allard & Dr. Gary Dyson
Published by: Pumps & Systems
In the aftermarket business, part replication is not enough. Precision engineering combined with the latest technology are essential for manufacturing high-quality parts. A main boiler feed pump at a Midwestern United States power plant was built in 1967 using sand casting and wooden patterns, now considered outdated technology. Even though the pumps received refurbishment every six to eight years, the pumps continued to have low performance as well as vibration issues.
Using all its resources—including casting simulations, 3-D models, up-to-date foundry casting techniques and considerable engineering data—Hydro fully manufactured a complete element, performed sophisticated testing in the Pumps Test Lab Approved Program (PTLA) certified test lab, and returned the pump to operation within just 12 weeks.
This project involved the manufacture of a complete first stage twin volute and a description of the latent defects.
The pump suffered from ongoing vibration issues which were caused by pressure pulsations at vane frequency. To improve the vibration levels, hydraulic analysis and redesign were required to develop a new, improved design.
This project has been divided into two articles. The first is the manufacturing of the twin volute and the second is the design of a new impeller.
Image 1. A received bundle showing failure in the twin volute stage piece. Hydro received the internal element and casing (pump bundle, or element) of the pump. (Images and graphics courtesy of Hydro, Inc.)
The first-stage twin volute is a complicated casting, which failed during operation as a result of poor design.
Hydro re-engineered the casting by using sophisticated engineering and 3-D modeling, along with simulation software and 3-D sand printing.
In addition, Hydro identified the opportunity to improve the performance of the pump by redesigning the first-stage double-suction impeller. To improve vane passing frequency, the first-stage double suction impeller was redesigned with staggered and split vanes.
Hydro’s aftermarket services capability provided a completely new replacement element for this high-energy boiler feed pump and also redesigned the castings to eliminate the original latent defect in the casting design.
Hydro provided sophisticated hydraulic engineering improvements to increase the mean time between repairs (MTBR) of the newly manufactured element.