Increasing MTBR Under Emergency Conditions

Posted on October 30, 2019

As the nuclear industry continues to adapt to new requirements under the Nuclear Promise, it is of key importance for utilities to strengthen existing safety protocols and execute efficiency improvements in day-to-day operations and maintenance to optimize overall costs.

One such nuclear plant found themselves struggling in regards to a planned outage of a vertical service water pump, providing cooling water to safety-related heat exchangers in the power generation process. In this case, the operating pump was actively exhibiting performance issues and was reaching the end of its lifecycle, requiring their reserve unit be placed into service under expedited conditions.

The principle goal for the plant was increasing Mean Time Before Repair (MTBR) of their pump system to optimize efficiency and reduce costs. Unfortunately, upon initial review of the reserve unit, it was identified that it had a history of poor performance issues under previous use.

Authored by Faisal Salman.
Source: nuclearplantjournal.com

Asset Monitoring Improves Reliability & Visibility

Posted on August 14, 2019

A major pipeline transmission company found itself reconsidering the effectiveness of its maintenance strategy. The company faced a challenge: optimizing asset visibility and implementing remote condition monitoring of equipment health while avoiding a high-cost investment and installation disruptions.

This particular pipeline transfers a variety of products, ranging from gasoline to jet fuel, serving customers via pump stations and storage tanks across the United States. For this customer, it is imperative to ensure that pumping assets are efficient, reliable and safely maintained consistently. The pipeline supports the needs of more than 50 cities, thus making the pumping assets critical to the availability and overall operation.

Technology plays a vital role in day-to-day operations in supporting end user activities, ensuring strict safety regulations, optimizing maintenance and providing data on equipment health. In this case, the pipeline company wanted to significantly improve and innovate upon its current maintenance approach in two ways: by monitoring asset visibility in real-time and trending data for their critical pumping equipment.

Authored by Ares Panagoulias and Ken Babusiak.
Sourced: pumpsandsystems.com

HydroTex Deer Park Service Center Relocating to La Porte, TX

Posted on September 18, 2017

The new 33,000 square building in La Porte, Texas.

HydroTex, a subsidiary of Hydro, Inc., announces the move of its Deer Park operation to a new 33,000 square foot building in La Porte, TX.

The new service center will offer expanded capacity for analysis, engineering, rebuilding and repair services for pump systems and rotating equipment as well as climate controlled storage of pumps and parts.

Located near the busy Houston Ship Channel, the new facility is ideally situated to serve the needs of surrounding industries using pumping equipment of any capacity. To learn more about the new facility or to schedule a shop visit, please contact HydroTex.

Source: pumpsandsystems.com

The Importance of Feed Pump Barrel Inspections

Posted on December 28, 2016

Written by: Greg James
Publisher: Pump Industry / November 2016

Rebuilding a typical boiler feed pump cartridge and returning the running clearances to specification is a critical process for effective and efficient plant operation. The cost to rebuild a cartridge – supply new mechanical seals, bearings and consumables, the lost production, down time and the labour costs – is a significant investment.

After rebuilding a cartridge and returning all operating clearances to specification, the good work can be greatly affected by installing the cartridge into a distorted barrel and/or discharge head combination.

Continue reading →

Close Inspection Solves High Thrust Bearing Temperature Problem

Posted on September 15, 2016

Careful analysis identified the issue with this multistage, oil transfer pump.

Written by: Gary Dyson (Hydro, Inc.)
Publisher: Pumps & Systems / August 2014

A multistage BB5 diffuser machine in oil transfer service in the Middle East had been in operation for many years without problems. After a routine maintenance strip down and rebuild, the pump experienced a high thrust bearing temperature of 105 C, which caused it to alarm and shut down. The temperature range had previously been 75 C to 85 C.

This case study describes the method used to solve the high bearing temperature problem and outlines the flow physics that contributed to the high thrust bearing temperature. The customer contacted an engineering services company after the original pump manufacturer failed to remedy the problem.

The company’s forensic approach to this problem involved two distinct methodologies:

Diligent and in-depth analysis of site data relating to  the problem
Rigorous scrutiny and analysis of the pump geometry and build against the background

The engineering services company identified several scenarios that could cause this temperature rise, then narrowed down the list to establish a root cause.

Site Data Analysis

The behavior of thrust bearing pads during startup is seldom investigated. The temperature rise of the pads can be attributed to two distinct causes—thrust developed during startup and environmental and oil conditions (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. Behavior of thrust bearing pads based on thrust and environmental conditions (Article images and graphics courtesy of Hydro Inc.)

The significant finding from this data was the temperature rise associated with thrust. The pump could not achieve the temperatures measured prior to maintenance in its current condition. The total thrust bearing temperature includes the oil temperature and environmental conditions.

Based on comparisons with previous site data, both the thrust and oil cooling had altered. Analysis of the temperature data at the motor bearings, which were experiencing oil temperature increases of 10 to 15 C, further supported the conclusion. Continue reading →