Enhancing Performance Through Flow Reduction

Operating a pump off its design point has many drawbacks. Inefficiency and wasting energy across a throttled valve bothrequire more horsepower than an optimized system. Running away from the best efficiency point increases risk of degradation, which may cause recurring premature component failures due to higher radial loads, hydraulic instability, and other influences. These factors negatively affect reliability while simultaneously driving up the cost of equipment operation and maintenance. For this reason, opportunities to optimize a pump are extremely beneficial and have a very short payback period.

The benefits of modifying pump performance to better match system demand were demonstrated in a recent project undertaken at a Gulf Coast refinery. The refinery had a single-stage, double suction (BB2) pump where the required output had been greatly reduced from the original design. The mechanical seals were repeatedly failing, which resulted in frequent maintenance and seal replacements. The refinery partnered with Hydro, Inc to perform a field evaluation of the pump and develop a design upgrade to increase reliability and efficiency.

Read the full case study in World Pumps’ January/February digital edition to learn what steps were taken to effectively reduce flow for this “bad actor”, returning the asset to reliable operation and significantly reducing the cost to operate the equipment.

Do you have an initiative to save energy and reduce the lifecycle costs of your equipment? Hydro’s Energy Edge is a comprehensive program where we work hand-in-hand with end users to understand opportunities for asset optimization and develop plans to execute on chosen solutions.

Podcast: Picture Pump Efficiency in Terms of Trees and Cars

When it comes to pumping systems, efficiency must be viewed in terms of measurable savings taken as a whole-system approach. Organizational buy-in and leadership support are crucial.

Tune in to Dr. Gary Dyson’s recent conversation with editor Traci Purdum on the Chemical Processing Distilled podcast where he helps us understand how best to achieve efficiency and how pump users can update their thinking when approaching the subject.

Read Chemical Processing’s Industry Perspective or listen to the podcast.

 

Pump System Optimization Guide

By some industry estimates, the average pump in an industrial production facility is operating at less than 40% efficiency, and 85% of pumps are not optimized to their system. This subpar performance translates to real money lost in the form of higher energy costs and premature wear and tear on overstressed valves. This excess stress on system components can lead to shorter mean time between repairs, higher maintenance costs and more unplanned downtime.

To learn expert insights on optimizing your pump system for maximum efficiency and cost-effectiveness, download the Pump System Optimization ebook that Hydro co-sponsored with Plant Services magazine.

 

Modifying Existing Equipment to Maintain Operational Standards

Many aging manufacturing facilities have witnessed changes in market demand that have altered their product slate and capacity. These changing system demands often cause equipment that was previously well-sized for the application to run significantly away from the operating range where peak efficiency and reliability are achieved. Running in this mode drives up the life cycle cost of equipment due to short maintenance cycles and wasted energy. In cases where reliability is severely compromised, equipment operating costs can also be accompanied by risk to production due to mid-cycle failures and unavailability of equipment.

To maintain safe, reliable and cost-effective operation, it is important to ensure pump systems are optimized. When approached with the need to optimize a pump system, many end users will look to purchase new equipment for the changed demand. This can be a costly and time-intensive endeavor, as new equipment installation is often accompanied by baseplate and piping modifications that require the system to be taken offline. In contrast, modifying the existing equipment to meet the new system needs provides a custom solution that maintains the original footprint, can be completed on a more aggressive timeline and often provides a more custom fit to the system.

The decision to perform one such modification was made by a major Gulf Coast oil refinery that was running at a significantly lower flow than the original system demand. The site reliability team worked with Hydro to design and implement an extreme downrating of the existing equipment. The result was an optimized system that improved reliability of not only the pump, but other affected system components. 

Read our latest case study published with Pumps & Systems magazine where Hydro’s Sergio Ramos outlines how the process for this downrate and what the final outcome was for the end user.

Learn more about Hydro’s engineering services.

White Paper: Performance Prediction for the Aftermarket

Pumps are often expected to run at low flows and on many occasions can spend their entire operating lives there. It is important to understand the complex behavior of fluid and how that affects performance and reliability so that modifications can be made to achieve optimal performance in these challenging conditions.

By combining reverse engineered data, analytical tools and engineering expertise, a comprehensive approach can be developed to understand and modify hydraulic performance. This process allows pumping equipment to function exactly as required by the system that it fits within.

Download our latest white paper published with Pumps & Systems magazine to read Dr. Gary Dyson’s discussion of how low flow affects performance and what can be done to optimize operation and reliability.

Learn more about Hydro’s engineering services.