Using Latest Technology to Refurbish a 50-year-old Pump Element

Posted on December 26, 2017

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pump at a Midwestern United States power plant was built in 1967 using sand casting and wooden patterns, now considered outdated technology.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.

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Hydro Middle East performs swift re-build on fire-damaged circulating pumps

Posted on December 26, 2017

Hydro Middle East, specialists in pump rebuilding, particularly in the oil and gas industry and other industrial markets was called in to assess the damage and redesign and rebuild the fire-damaged pumps. Hydro’s engineers first evaluate the causes of any pump damage or failure and then provide expert engineering analysis and a responsive field service.

Written by: Thomas Arakal (Hydro Middle East)
Published by: World Pumps

Two fire damaged pumps arrive at the Hydro Middle East Service Centre.

Analysis & recommendations

In the case of the fire-damaged pumps, once the fire was under control, Hydro immediately sent a field engineer to the site to conduct a root cause analysis and make recommendations to ensure that the equipment would be restored within the very fast turnaround that the company required.

The engineers discovered that the fire had been so severe it had completely burned out all of the oil in the bearing housing. In addition, the baseplate was also warped because of the excessive heat. A turnaround of between two and three weeks for redesign and rebuild was proposed, subject to mechanical seal availability and the two hot oil circulating pumps, along with the baseplate and the motors were shipped to Hydro Middle East’s facility in Dubai, U.A.E.

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Hydro Inc. is Carving out their Niche in the Global Pump Aftermarket

Posted on September 16, 2016

Written by: Sarah Schroer
Publisher: Pump Engineer / June 2015

Pump Engineer spoke with George Harris, Hydro Inc.’s CEO and Founder, to learn more about what sets them apart from other pump aftermarket services. “Hydro has developed a unique niche where we have the capabilities, the engineering support, and the lab for testing purposes to provide comprehensive support for customers, while providing prompt capable service on a global basis,” says Harris. Hydro Inc. makes customers the cornerstone of their business. “Everything that we do is focused on the needs of the customer,” explains Brian Scorer who is the Executive VP at Hydro Inc. “We make sure we are entrepreneurial, fl exible, agile, and very quick in the way that we go about our business. We provide world class quality, world class delivery, and we wish to be competitive on cost. The foundation for what we do is built upon engineering excellence and technology. We also have some of the world’s best pump engineers.”

Werner Barnard and Dr. Gary Dyson of Hydro, Inc.

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Advanced Engineering Boosts Reliability in Boiler Feed Pump

Posted on September 15, 2016

This approach incorporated reverse engineering, design verification and casting simulation to address equipment failure.

Written by: Dr. Gary Dyson and Jesse Stinson (Hydro, Inc.)
Publisher: Pumps & Systems / December 2015

Pump technology requires the extensive use of castings to form the complex shapes needed to guide process fluids through the machine. The shape of these passages is crucial to the machine’s performance.

Pump designers spend extensive time designing and optimizing the shapes of these passages to optimize the machine’s efficiency. Unfortunately, casting processes cannot always represent the pump engineer’s true design intent, and the manufacturing processes have a direct impact on the machine’s reliability and design integrity. Designers take these processes into account when proposing their designs, but sometimes the deficiencies of the casting process become apparent after a major equipment failure.

One example involved determining the root cause behind the first-stage failure of a Worthington 12-WCND-166 six-stage boiler feed pump. The pump exhibited high vibration and performance degradation, and it was taken out of service. The inspection determined that a crack had resulted from a welded core plug. Continue reading →

New 3-D Casting Methods Produce Spare Parts Faster

Posted on March 2, 2015

Additive manufacturing also improves geometric tolerances.

Written by: Jesse Stinson (Hydro Parts Solutions) & Werner Barnard (Hydro Inc.)
Publisher: Pumps & Systems / March 2, 2015

An increasing number of industrial plants are reducing the spare parts inventories stored at their facilities. At the same time, they are replacing fewer pumps because of capital constraints and have determined that remanufacturing existing equipment is the best path forward. Many of the pumps within these facilities have exceeded 50 years of service. This drives the need for replacement parts and, in some cases, emergency replacement parts. Considering the age of these pumps, the replacement parts from the manufacturer are likely obsolete and may not be easily available. Further complicating the situation is the location of manufacture. Many cast parts are manufactured outside the U.S and have long lead times.

To address these challenges, many companies are developing technologies to meet the specific and growing demands of the industry. Many of these advanced tools, including coordinate measure machine (CMM) technology, allow for quicker emergency repairs, faster deliveries and higher quality pump parts.

Image 1. New bronze impeller casting (Images and graphics courtesy of Hydro Inc.)

Figure 1. Reverse engineering raw scan data

Emergency equipment repairs are common throughout the industry. Having fewer spare parts makes this classification of repair more challenging. Standard equipment repairs typically take six to eight weeks, while emergency repairs must be completed within one day to three weeks, depending on the severity of the situation.

This type of repair often drives the need for rapidly supplied cast parts, which traditionally require long lead times because of the use of wooden tooling to create the mold to manufacture the casting.

Recent advancements in 3-D technology, known as additive manufacturing, allow the cast parts manufacturer to meet customer demands by eliminating the need to create traditional tooling.

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