Engineering Services
From its inception, Hydro has maintained a strong focus on engineering as an essential part of the repair process, providing hands-on engineering support in the field and on the shop floor.
As a result, Hydro has pioneered many specialized repair processes, reliability improvements and engineering upgrades. As an independent company, Hydro offers unbiased engineering analysis in each repair situation.
Design Review & Upgrade
Rotor Dynamic Analysis
If a pump rotor is not properly balanced or if the running clearances are too open, the natural frequency of the rotor can match its running speed and create vibration. This phenomenon can create catastrophic failure in a multi-stage pump. Rotor dynamic analysis can be performed on any pump rotor to determine the lateral and torsional critical speeds. This analysis in turn leads to harmonic analysis and transient analysis
Hydro has diversified and in-depth pump knowledge that we believe is unique in our industry. While OEM’s traditionally focused on repairing their own equipment, Hydro has from the outset developed a knowledge base that includes experience across a broad spectrum of pump manufacturers and pump designs.
We realized that as an independent company, we had the unique capability of understanding the different designs and materials employed by various OEM’s as well as their successes or failures in specific applications and operating environments. Based on this data, Hydro was in an excellent position to improve OEM designs for their intended service.
Our high rate of repeat business is a testimonial to the performance improvements that Hydro has been able to achieve.
Stress Analysis
Stress analysis is an engineering discipline that determines the stress in materials and structures when subjected to specified static or dynamic forces or loads. It is performed to determine whether a structure can safely withstand the specified forces.
Hydraulic Analysis & Rerates
To identify root causes of pump problems, Hydro combines our very thorough and detailed inspection process with an evaluation of a pump's field operating conditions and maintenance history. This more in-depth approach can prevent costly forced outages by revealing latent conditions that may be causing repeated failures.
Hydro's engineering team has the knowledge and experience to analyze the existing problems and to recommend a quality solution based on sound engineering analysis and proven practices.
Hydro is one of the only independent pump rebuilding companies with the in-house capability and experience to perform hydraulic design modifications and upgrades.
Many of the engineered pumps in operation today were designed and manufactured 30-40 years ago. Due to an increase in energy demand, these pumps are operating at higher flows, farther from their best efficiency point. As a result, the original impeller design and its hydraulic characteristics many no longer be as effective for the plant’s new requirements.
Hydro utilizes advanced hydraulic design software at its service centers to analyze and optimize a pump’s hydraulic performance, enabling us to develop and test new impeller designs in a much shorter time period that previous methods allowed. With a proven track record and 40 year history, we have an extensive drawing database and library with proven reverse engineered drawings
Computational
Fluid Dynamics
Hydro utilizes Computational Fluid Dynamics software to evaluate and predict flow patterns within a pump, allowing us to project performance under a given set of circumstances.
This tool provides the opportunity to test many variations in an effort to attain an optimal design before physical prototyping. CFD allows Hydro to not only evaluate more design alternatives and opportunities for performance improvement, but also offers a faster turnaround time.
Mechanical Upgrades
Improving fits and tolerances can reduce pump vibration and extend a pump's mean time between repairs. Hydro will evaluate your individual pump to determine the possible benefits to be gained from a mechanical upgrade. Mechanical upgrades can be performed to reduce vibration, increase bearing and seal life, or reduce power consumption.
Our engineers review the design of your pump, check the existing geometry and make recommendations to change any of the variables which can affect your pump's strength and ability to meet performance requirements.
Precision Split Rings
Interference Fits
Establishing Concentricities
Establishing Perpendicularities
Metallurgy
An upgrade or change in metallurgy can extend a pump’s mean time between repairs. Hydro's engineering team will evaluate the metallurgy of your pump components and recommend material upgrades specific to your pump’s application.
Upgrades in metallurgy can:
- Improve a pump’s ability to withstand the corrosive or erosive effects of the liquid being pumped.
- Improve a component’s tensile strength and prevent premature failure.
- Improve a pump’s performance through reduced running clearances.
- Prevent pump seizures during dry run events.