Pump industry November 2014

ISSUE 9

NOVEMBER 2014

pumpindustry An energy efficient future

Irrigation 5

Fire pump standards

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PIA - 50 YEARS SPECIAL LIFTOUT

Work smarter with automated handling The KETO K-BRT™ Bore Retrieval Trailer is a safe, mobile and easy to operate system to install, test and retrieve bore dewatering pumps from in-pit applications

The KETO K-BRT™ was developed in conjunction with Australia’s leading mining companies and meets or exceeds current safety specifications. Dual winches are capable of multi-speed and independent operation to deliver safe and effortless installation and retrieval. Cassette reel design allows for back to back operation and easy storage.

For more information visit www.ketopumps.com Tel +61 8 6310 4100 email info@ketopumps.com

PU MP I N DU STRY

President’s welcome W

elcome to the PIA 50th Anniversary special edition of Pump Industry magazine.

Pump Industry Australia Incorporated Kevin Wilson – Secretary PO Box 55, Stuarts Point NSW 2441 Australia Ph/Fax: (02) 6569 0160 pumpsaustralia@bigpond.com Ron Astall – President United Pumps Australia & Astech Consulting Services John Inkster – Vice President Brown Brothers Engineers Mike Bauer – Councillor Dynapumps Frankie Camilleri – Councillor John Crane Geoff Harvey – Councillor Davey Products Pty Ltd Tony Kersten – Councillor Grundfos Pumps Pty Ltd Martin O’Connor – Councillor KSB Australia Alan Rowan – Councillor Life Member

Recently, I was interviewed by this magazine’s Managing Editor, Laura Harvey, about the PIA’s 50th Anniversary and I confess that I am feeling quite privileged and humbled to be in the President’s chair at this time.

I am extremely conscious of the hard work and vision of my immediate predecessors, who have changed the face of the association, and also of the bold work of publisher Chris Bland and the Pump Industry magazine team, who I believe have dramatically raised the profile of our association and of the Australian pump industry over the last year or so.

It has also dawned on me that I must now be one of the old timers, because I can remember the early 1980s when we were drafting the first editions of the Technical and Pipe Friction Handbooks. I was also able to gather some old photographs from United’s archives of the early days of Harland and Indeng Pumps; from even before my time. Whilst sometimes quaint, the old photos clearly show a proud history of pump engineering and manufacture in Australia. Today, many aspects of the industry are quite different, but many of the issues remain the same with reliability and energy efficiency chief among our priorities.

Our 50th year has been quite productive and we are eagerly awaiting a visit from Steve Schofield from the British Pump Manufacturer’s Association, the associated seminars, our AGM and a celebratory dinner cruise.

Steve Schofield himself has contributed an article to this issue of Pump Industry, outlining some legislative changes agreed upon by the European Commission and European pump industry regarding energy-efficiency for electric motors, glandless circulators and certain water pumps.

As part of the 50th Anniversary celebration program, the PIA has organised two seminars on the theme of ‘Latest Developments in Pump Technology’. The seminars are open to PIA members, consulting engineers, government authorities, and industry users of pumping equipment and feature some of the top pump manufacturing organisations operating in Australia and overseas.

We encourage everyone that has been involved in APMA and PIA to take part in the celebrations so the old timers can swap stories, and the youngsters can absorb some of the history and experiences.

Ron Astall President, Pump Industry Australia

Keith Sanders – Councillor Australian Industrial Marketing & Life Member www.pumpindustry.com.au

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

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ISSUE 9

NOVEMBER 2014

pumpindustry Meeting energy efficiency standards PUMP I NDU STRY

Irrigation INSERT YE AR S

PUMP INDUSTRY AUSTRALIA

November 1964 – November 2014

PIA - 50 YEARS

Fire pump STANDARDS

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Editor’s welcome

t is with much excitement that the team at Pump Industry and I present this PIA 50th Anniversary edition of the magazine.

The 50th Anniversary of the association is an important milestone to reflect upon. There has been considerable change in the industry over the course of the last fifty years – most notably, we have moved from an industry heavily focused on manufacturing pumps and pump parts, to one that is focused on importing pumps and parts, and providing sales and servicing of these pumps as required.

Published by

Monkey Media Enterprises ABN: 36 426 734 954 PO Box 3121 Ivanhoe North VIC 3079 P: (03) 9440 5721 F: (03) 8456 6720 monkeymedia.com.au info@monkeymedia.com.au pumpindustry.com.au magazine@pumpindustry.com.au Publisher and Editor: Chris Bland Managing Editor: Laura Harvey Associate Editor: Michelle Goldsmith Marketing Consultant: Aaron White Creative Director: Sandy Noke ISSN: 2201-0270

It’s a significant shift, and one that has involved the consolidation of a lot of the smaller companies involved in the industry, as they have been absorbed by multi-national giants of the industry.

While adapting to this change has been challenging at times, the tariff changes from the 1970s onwards have allowed the industry to evolve, and allowed world-leading products and technologies to make their way into our country – from which our industry has been able to learn, benefit and grow.

Today the Australian pump industry remains healthy, and ongoing development in the resources and water treatment sectors, as well as an improving outlook for the rural economy, should continue to stimulate demand for pumps and compressors.

Of course the Australian pump industry dates much further back than the 50 years that the association has been established for. Australian pumps have been manufactured since the 1870s, and many of the products and

innovations developed in Australia have gone on to be embraced by the global pump community. The Warman slurry pump is probably the best example – invented in the 1930s, it is still used around the world today!

The Australian pump industry was also put to use during the two World Wars, manufacturing pumps and other associated equipment that was used by the various members of the allied forces for the duration of the wars.

Having had the chance to reflect on the long and proud history of the Australian pump industry, as well as APMA and PIA, has reminded me of what an honour it is be working alongside the members of the industry every day.

I hope you enjoy the PIA 50th Anniversary liftout special that you’ll find in the centre of this edition. We’ve spent months poring over records, speaking with industry participants and reviewing documents to put together the most comprehensive history of the association – and indeed the industry – possible. In particular I’d like to thank Ron Astall and Keith Sanders for their assistance in preparing this history, as well as our own wonderful Managing Editor Laura Harvey who took the lead in making it happen. As always your feedback is welcome.

The team from Pump Industry and I look forward to seeing as many of you at the PIA 50th Anniversary celebrations as possible; and we look forward to working with you all for many more years to come.

Chris Bland Publisher and Editor

This magazine is published by Monkey Media in co-operation with the Pump Industry Australia Inc. (PIA). The views contained herein are not necessarily the views of either the publisher or the PIA. Neither the publisher nor the PIA takes responsibility for any claims made by advertisers.

All communication should be directed to the publisher.

The publisher welcomes contributions to the magazine. All contributions must comply with the publisher’s editorial policy which follows. By providing content to the publisher, you authorise the publisher to reproduce that content either in its original form, or edited, or combined with other content in any of its publications and in any format at the publisher's discretion.

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pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

www.pumpindustry.com.au

Big on

Availability We are the world’s largest manufacturer of progressing cavity pumps.

So it’s not surprising that we also offer over 3,000,000 high quality, precision-engineered parts that fit in other brands of progressing cavity pumps.

With comprehensive inventories held throughout our international facilities and global distribution network, this provides fast turnaround to keep your pumps and processes running at peak efficiency.

www.bigonUP.com/PI1 | Tel: 1800-333-138 | ozsales@nov.com

pumpindustry President’s welcome................................................ 1

C O N T E N T S MAIN FEATURES

24 ENERGY EFFICIENCY EU legislation has major impact on pump sector..................... 24

Editor’s welcome...................................................... 2 News briefs............................................................... 6 Contracts awarded................................................... 8 Index......................................................................... 64

28

Suction specific speed and vibration performance.................. 28 Energy: we spend ours to save yours........................................ 36 Safe and energy efficient vacuum clamping............................. 38 Maximising dairy processing yield............................................. 40 Leading the way with energy efficient solutions........................ 41

42

Power generation

Pump upgrade transforms nation's largest power station.................................................... 42 Powering the Queensland Curtis LNG Project........................... 46

48

Pump users

Not all pumps are created equal................................................ 48

50

Fire protection

Developments in fire protection standards............................... 50

52

50

Technical

Condition monitoring of multi-stage pumps by measuring the balance leakoff flow........................................... 52 API 682 dual seal design configurations................................... 54

58

Irrigation

Irrigation overhauled: modernising a rural water network............................................ 58 Investing in efficiency for the future of farming......................... 60

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pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

www.pumpindustry.com.au

IS SU E 9 | N OV EM B ER 2 0 1 4

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REGULARS 10

Ask an expert

Progressive cavity pumps............................................ 10 Slurry pumps ............................................................... 11

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PIA member news

Local company takes on major Petronas job............. 12 New ‘Hydro-Spin’ gives Winnow™ Plasline series the edge in irrigation filters.......................................... 12

History liftout

STP’s struvite pump choking problems solved .......... 14 Efficient, non-clog performance.................................. 15

16

Industry news

High head Tsurumi submersible now available......... 16 Celebrate the PIA 50th anniversary in style............... 16

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Changing the filtration game....................................... 18 Hazardous area electric motors.................................. 19 Accurate and cost-effective flow control..................... 20 Grass is greener on the other side............................. 22

63

Pump school

Are there any special operational considerations for magnetically driven pumps and what are their implications?..............63

A history of the pump industry Special anniversary feature liftout!

www.pumpindustry.com.au

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

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Pump Industry News Briefs Get all the latest news at www.pumpindustry.com.au

Aaron White joins the team at Pump Industry

RET review makes solar pump recommendations

Aaron White is the latest team member to join Pump Industry magazine, taking on the role of Marketing Consultant.

The panel conducting the review of the Renewable Energy Target (RET) for the Federal Government has released its final report.

Aaron has more than twenty years’ experience in sales and marketing, where he specialised in working closely with his clients to tailor a solution to their needs.

Pump Industry Publisher and Editor Chris Bland said Aaron will play an integral role in the growth of the magazine. “Aaron is an exciting edition to the Pump Industry team. His extensive experience in sales and marketing means he is perfectly placed to assist our clients and deliver the right solution for them.”

The report assesses the operation of the RET and its impact on electricity prices and energy markets, as well as its costs and benefits for the renewable energy sector, the manufacturing sector and Australian households.

The report includes recommendations either to abolish the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) or bring forward its phase-out.

The phase-out option would mean that the last year the SRES would operate would be 2020 instead of 2030.

Should the phase-out be brought forward, the report recommends that the period for which certificates may be created for solar and heat pump water heaters be reduced by one year each year, commencing in 2016.

Year installed – Period: Prior to 2016 – 10 years; 2016 – 9 years; 2017 – 8 years; 2018 – 7 years; 2019 – 6 years; 2020 – 5 years; 2021 onwards – scheme closed.

New pipeline for WA Goldfields region

Vacuum pump manufacturer wins small business award

APA Group has announced that it will develop a new gas transmission pipeline to supply mining operations in the eastern Goldfields region of Western Australia.

Victorian vacuum pump company Emtivac Engineering recently won a Momentum/3AW Small Business Award.

APA has entered into two new long term gas transportation agreements with AngloGold Ashanti Australia for the transportation of gas from Yarraloola at the northern tip of the Goldfields Gas Pipeline to AngloGold’s Sunrise Dam and Tropicana gold mining operations. The two mines will use natural gas for local power generation, displacing diesel fuel and LNG transported by road.

The agreements underpin the construction of a new 292km gas transmission pipeline – the Eastern Goldfields Pipeline – that will connect AngloGold Ashanti’s mines to APA’s existing pipelines. Under the agreements, APA will transport gas a total distance of 1,500km to the mines through three of its interconnected pipelines – the Goldfields Gas Pipeline, the Murrin Murrin Lateral and the new Eastern Goldfields Pipeline.

APA will construct the Eastern Goldfields Pipeline and associated infrastructure for an estimated total capital cost of $140million. Engineering, design and procurement work has commenced, with completion expected prior to January 2016 when gas transportation services are due to commence.

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pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

The Dandenong-based, Australian owned engineering company was established in 1997, currently has 16 permanent employees and is one of Australia’s leading vacuum pump and system solution specialists.

Emtivac specialises in the design, manufacture and supply of process vacuum and hazardous gas compression systems.

The company recently completed a $2.5m supply contract for an alumina refinery in Saudi Arabia, to whom they provided eight liquid ring vacuum pump units. This project was recently succeeded as the company’s largest ever when the company was awarded an approximately $3.5m contract for two liquid ring compressor packages for flare gas recovery for a Malaysian oil refinery.

Momentum’s decision to give the award to Emtivac was based on recognition of its successes in light of the many issues currently being experienced by the manufacturing industry in Victoria. See page 12 for more info on the contract.

www.pumpindustry.com.au

Repair, Re-Manufacture and Re-Design Service For ALL types of Centrifugal Pumps Efficiency Improvement Reconditioning Restore Clearances Re- Engineering P f Performance T Testing. ti Services available include:

• Inspection and trouble-shooting • Case build up and re-machining • Axial A i l split lit case facing f i and d reboring b i • Axial thrust balancing • Shaft and bearing API 610 upgrades • Mechanical Seal upgrades to API 682 • Bearing housing & back cover retrofit • Lube system upgrades • Composite Wear Parts • Tighter clearances • Hydraulic Re-Rating • Rapid R id prototyping t t i • Driver upgrades (MEPS compliance) • Baseplate adaptors and rebuilding • Custom Spare Parts • Rotating Element balancing • ASME & AS1210 qualified Welding • Hydrostatic Testing • Performance Testing • FFT Vibration analysis

A.B.N. 37 006 317 979

31 WESTERN AVENUE SUNSHINE, VICTORIA 3020 P.O. BOX 348, SUNSHINE, VICTORIA 3020 • PHONE +613 9312 6566 • FAX +613 9312 6371

EMAIL unitedpumps@unitedpumps.com.au http://www.unitedpumps.com.au/

NEW S - CO N T R AC T S AWA R D E D

Multi-disciplinary Gorgon Project contract secured Downer EDI Limited announced it had secured a contract for miscellaneous works on the Chevron-operated Gorgon Project, located on Barrow Island off the north-west coast of Western Australia.

The initial term of the contract is for 12 months, with extension options. The value of the contract is not to exceed $170 million and will depend on what work orders are placed.

Under the contract, Downer expects to create up to 400 Australian jobs,

predominantly located at Barrow Island.

The new roles will be across multiple construction trades disciplines, including structural, mechanical, piping, electrical, instrumentation, and civil. There will also be a number of new project administration and functional support roles located in Downer’s Perth office.

The scope of work may include: • Structural and piping erection; • Mechanical installations;

• Electrical and Instrumentation Services; • Miscellaneous Civil works; • Pre-commissioning works; and • Commissioning and start-up assistance.

The Chief Executive Officer of Downer, Grant Fenn, said he was delighted Downer would be working on one of Australia’s largest resources projects. “Downer is a leading Australian construction contractor and we have a proven track record in oil and gas,” Mr Fenn said.

Sunraysia Modernisation Project progress A large contract has been awarded for major components of the $120 million Sunraysia Modernisation Project (SMP), the biggest irrigation upgrade in the history of the Sunraysia district.

GOLD JV, a joint venture between Guidera O’Connor and Leed Engineering and Construction, has been appointed to design and build new pipelines, decommission irrigation channels at Merbein and Red Cliffs and replace the existing 1920s pumps at Merbein Pumping Station.

An enhancement to the project is also being made, which will allow the entire

Merbein Irrigation District to have access to irrigation water 365-days a year.

Federal Local Member for Mallee, Andrew Broad, said rigorous valueengineering processes had allowed an expansion on the earlier plans for the Merbein pipeline.

“Earlier concept designs were based on replacing the first five kilometres of the main Merbein channel, which would have given about two-thirds of the district access to year-round supply,” Mr Broad said.

“But the ultimate result of the valueengineering process is that we are now able to do over a two kilometre extension to the Merbein pipeline to give 365-day access to all of the Merbein irrigation district.”

Detailed design by the contractor is now underway and is due to be finished by the end of the year.

Site work is expected to begin early in 2015, with the entire SMP to be finished by June 2016.

Mine Site Supervisor Comments-

PUMP’s quality of parts and service, including out of hours, has equalled or surpassed my expectations ... we are getting better life from our components, an increased pressure and a reduced rework at a 27% less component cost

www.prestigepumps.com.au FREE CALL: 1300 4 PUMPS

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pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

www.pumpindustry.com.au

REDUCE YOUR OPERATING COSTS AND SAVE

ENERGKY CHEC

GS ON SIGNIFICANT SAVIN LL AND YOUR ELECTRICITY BI ONLY BE CO2 EMISSION MAY A FEW STEPS AWAY...

Realise the hidden savings in your pumps with a FREE Grundfos Energy Check. By a simple inspection of your pump installation, we can calculate potential savings and recommend high performing, energy efficient solutions. A free report is included with every Grundfos Energy Check detailing your current pump installation and operation costs and the potential savings you can achieve.

A GRUNDFOS ENERGY CHECK IS QUICK & EASY:

How do you benefit from a Grundfos Energy Check?

FINANCIAL BENEFITS • Typically 30-50 % reductions in energy costs • Short pay-back time (1-5 years) • Reduced risk related to increasing energy prices • Reduced operating and maintenance costs

OPERATIONAL BENEFITS • • • • •

1. ONSITE INSPECTION

2. ENERGY CHECK REPORT

3. REALISE SAVINGS

3-4 hour inspection of your pump installation.

The inspection requires no down time to your system.

Current installation and operating costs, along with potential savings are detailed in a FREE energy check report.

Realise potential savings energy efficient Grundfos pumps can offer.

For more information or to book a Grundfos Energy Check, please contact our Energy Optimisation Coordinator on (03) 9544 3655

Reliable operation Low failure rates Reduced down-time Reduced repair costs Complete overview of pump installations

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS • Typically 30% reduction of CO2 emissions • Green corporate image • Pump life-cycle analysis and documentation • Compliance with energy regulation

E X PE RT

The pump industry relies on expertise from a large and varied range of specialists, from experts in particular pump types to those with an intimate understanding of pump reliability; and from researchers who delve into the particulars of pump curves to experts in pump efficiency. To draw upon the wealth of expert knowledge the Australian pump industry has to offer, Pump Industry has established a panel of experts to answer all your pumping questions.

Progressive cavity pumps

Our progressive cavity pump expert is Peter Vila, Managing Director of seepex Australia.

Peter has been involved with pumps for 35 years. He spent the first five years repairing them and the subsequent 30 years directly in technical sales, of which the past 15 years has been predominately involved one way or another with seepex progressive cavity pumps.

Can you give me five good reasons why using a progressive cavity pump should be considered over other designs?

Only five? Of course I’m biased, but here goes . . .

1. Wide application range

Progressive cavity pumps are particularly suitable for handling abrasive and even aggressive substances with all degrees of viscosity. They can be used on fluids at temperatures of between -20 °C and +180 °C and can transport products at capacities of 0.1L/h, up to 500 m3/h, independent of the discharge pressure or the DS content of the product. Differential pressures of up to 48 bar (and higher in special cases) are available.

Hopper style progressive cavity pump with feed screw.

2. Gentle, precise and trouble-free

Handling sensitive products often requires a pump with specific characteristics incorporating low shear rates, accurate metering/flow and minimum pulsation. Progressive cavity pumps incorporate all these qualities.

Additionally, they have no check valves to clog the cavities within the pump, allowing the progress of pumped media from the suction to the discharge without restriction.

3. High suction lift capabilities

Progressive cavity pumps typically have excellent self-priming characteristics, even on gaseous liquids, with reliable operation at up to nine metres lift.

4. Versatile

Integration of a progressive cavity pump into any facility is easily accomplished, as they can be installed horizontally, vertically or in almost any position.

Pump flow is reversible with shaft rotation. Their versatility can be further enhanced by fitting various options, including open hoppers and numerous feeding arrangements, to assist non-flowable products into the pumping elements, the rotor/stator.

5. Service-friendly

Cutaway of progressive cavity pump showing rotor, stator with dry-run protection, coupling rod with universal joints (one side with joint protector) and plug-in shaft with seal area.

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pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

Well-designed progressive cavity pumps are known to be very servicefriendly. Typical features include: a drive shaft plug-in connection, robust universal joints, reliable shaft sealing arrangements and more recently, the incorporation of special rotor/stator designs which greatly increase service www.pumpindustry.com.au

E XPERT Slurry pumps

Our slurry pump expert is Andrew Collins, Technical Director of KETO Pumps.

Andrew has 25 years’ experience in the global mineral processing market. He has previously worked for Flowserve supporting ‘white side’ pumps in the alumina industry, as well as pumps for general mining applications. Whilst Engineering Director for ITT Blakers, he oversaw all ITT Goulds pumps being supplied to the oil and gas industry, the supply of all white side pumps to Comalco Alumina Refinery and the supply of Hazleton

life, while at the same time allowing in-situ rebuilds, thereby significantly reducing maintenance downtime.

6. Oh, that’s right, you only asked for five reasons, but hey, I’ve already said I’m biased and yes, I could happily keep going . . .

For more information on Progressive Cavity pumps, please contact seepex Australia on (02) 4355 4500 or pvila@seepex.com.

slurry pumps to the Australian market.

quickly wears conventional shaft sleeves.

Andrew founded KETO Pumps in 2004, which has since expanded to the worldwide market and is now majority owned by engineering firm Clyde Blowers (who also own renowned companies such as David Brown, Hydreco, and Moventas). Andrew was behind the research and development of the KETO severe duty slurry pump and advanced pump upgrade range. He is now the Technical Director of KETO Pumps and leads the engineering and research and development teams.

In slurry pumps, a lantern restrictor is located between the gland packing and the impeller. It works as a lantern ring, but at the same time has clearances that restrict the flow into the pump.

These clearances result in significantly more flush water being required, as there is no longer the interference fit between the ring of gland packing and the pump shaft.

Are shaft sleeves available that improve centrifugal pump reliability?

Shaft sleeves are one of the simplest and lowest cost parts in a pump. Their impacts on reliability, pollution control, water consumption and safety are often overlooked.

Most modern ‘clean liquid’ pumps now use mechanical seals. The advent of mechanical seals resulted in shaft sleeves no longer being subjected to abrasive wear from gland packing.

Accordingly for many applications, shaft sleeve wear is no longer an important consideration. This is not the case however with slurry pumps; the majority of which still use gland packing that runs on shaft sleeves.

Gland packing developed from greased rope, which was used in the first centrifugal pumps, developed in the 17th Century. In order to seal the rotating shaft, the packing is compressed against it, and requires a constant drip to enable sufficient cooling.

The compression of the packing results in abrasion of the rotating shaft, hence the use of a sleeve to protect the shaft.

Clean liquid pumps which still use gland packing normally use one ring of packing between the lantern ring and the impeller and several rings between the lantern ring and atmosphere. The ring of packing between the impeller and lantern ring is simply to throttle the flush water so less is consumed, and often for clean liquids, no external flush is required at all.

This method is seldom recommended in severe slurry services because the slurry gets entrained under the first ring of packing creating a grinding paste that

Latest design in progressive cavity pumps allows in-situ rebuilds and also offers longer service life due to re-clamping capability. www.pumpindustry.com.au

By using a lantern restrictor, if the gland flush is always on, at a higher pressure than in the pump wet end and the flush water is clean, the packing never encounters slurry and the sleeve and packing life is usually acceptable.

Because the sleeve remains in good condition, the leakage is acceptable.

With the amount of flush water consumed in slurry pumps, it is seldom practical to ensure clean treated water is used to flush the gland. Most operations will have a small percentage of solids in their flush water, which is enough to get caught up in gland packing. As soon as solids are trapped in the packing, abrasion of the sleeve occurs. The higher the pump pressure, the tighter the packing is compressed, and the higher the resulting abrasion.

Frequently sleeves last only a few days in these services, excessive water is consumed and significant leakage occurs. However, advances in shaft sleeve materials provide a solution to the problem.

‘Ceramic coated’ sleeves, using PTA welding or similar, have been used with some success for many years, but these still have many limitations.

New ‘solid tungsten carbide’ shaft sleeves are now available, in a grade selected specifically for shaft sleeves.

This is not a coating, but a solid sleeve.

Field results have seen sleeves that were lasting days last for more than a year.

They can be used in the vast majority of corrosive services, and are not more expensive than ceramic coated sleeves.

The reduced flush water consumption, reduced pollution, increased reliability and ease of maintenance is being well received globally. They are quickly becoming the sleeve of the future.

Pump Industry is seeking qualified experts in various areas of pumping to join our Expert Panel. If you're an expert in your field, or know an expert, contact Laura Harvey at laura.harvey@monkeymedia.com.au. pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

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PUMP INDUSTRY PARTNER SOLUTIONS

PIA MEMBER N E WS

Local company takes on major Petronas job

Recently, vacuum pump and system solutions specialists, Emtivac, relocated to new, larger premises in Dandenong South, Victoria, after outgrowing their old facilities.

E

mtivac’s new facilities are significantly larger and include a 25 tonne crane. This is especially vital given the rapid growth the company is currently experiencing, as they take on larger and larger jobs.

Emtivac is currently finalising their largest ever project – delivering two liquid ring compressor packages to be used for flare gas recovery at a Malaysian oil refinery.

The contract, worth approximately $3.5 million, was awarded to Emtivac

by Malaysian oil and gas company Petronas.

The system recovers waste gas, which would otherwise be burnt up in the refinery’s flare stack, and puts it to use for heating during the refinery process. This saves money and reduces emissions.

New ‘Hydro-Spin’ gives Winnow™ Plasline series the edge in irrigation filters Winnow Group is pleased to announce the availability of the new and unique Hydro-Spin screen and disc filters to irrigators in Australia and New Zealand.

I

ncorporating a patented filter inlet system, Hydro-Spin is an innovative design that has taken manualcleaning irrigation filters to a new level.

This design creates a continuous and rapid circular motion of water within the filter housing. The resulting hydrocyclone effect, and a turbulent crossflow current over the filter element surface, work together to substantially increase the operating time interval between filter services.

Sediment particles are kept in suspension and gradually migrate to the bottom of the filter housing. This means they can be flushed by opening the 12

manual drain valve, without having to depressurise or shut the system down.

The Hydro-Spin technology is available with selected screen and disc filters in the Winnow™ Plasline series, which can handle flow rates between 5m³/h and 70m³/h. Hydro-Spin filters are available with 1½”, 2”, and 3” BSP connections, and have a filtration range between 85 and 400 microns.

The growing demand for greater water efficiency in the irrigation sector means more efficient and effective filtration has never been more important.

with drip or spray irrigation. Over the last five years, they have been tested across an extensive range of irrigation and industrial applications in Europe and the Middle East, and have proved themselves a better filter choice for irrigator productivity.

For further information, please contact a consultant at Winnow Group on phone: 1300 134 812, or email: solutions@ winnowgroup.com.

View the Winnow Group website: www.winnowgroup.com

Hydro-Spin filters are ideal for use

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

www.pumpindustry.com.au

PIA MEMB ER N E WS

PUMP INDUSTRY PARTNER SOLUTIONS

The flare gas recovery unit consists of: •Two flare gas compressors, 2,000m3/hr each; •500kW WEG flameproof electric motors; •Three-phase air/water hydrocarbon separator vessel.

The packages are designed and manufactured to meet both the API 681 standard and stringent additional specifications provided by Petronas.

They will be delivered complete with all the electrical controls and wiring required.

All engineering, design and fabrication work on the baseframes, piping and vessels was carried out by Emtivac in partnership with other local businesses from the Dandenong area.

This is not the first such job for the growing company, who recently completed a project involving the design, fabrication and supply of eight liquid ring vacuum pump units for a new Saudi Arabian aluminium refinery.

www.pumpindustry.com.au

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

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PUMP INDUSTRY PARTNER SOLUTIONS

PIA ME MBER N E WS

STP’s struvite pump choking problems solved The operators at the Somers STP, on the eastern outskirts of Melbourne, were having maintenance issues with their pumps, caused by struvite build-up in them. It would take struvite as little as 30 days to build up enough to trigger maintenance events.

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naerobic sludge digestion releases ammonium, magnesium and phosphate, which can form struvite in digesters and downstream dewatering facilities. Struvite formation occurs when the conditions are such that the concentration product exceeds the struvite conditional solubility product and can result in scaling in pipelines and on the walls of process equipment such as pumps.

Struvite forms in the supernatant liquid and adheres to exposed metals within pumps and pipes, which was the problem being experienced at Somers.

Submersible pumps used to transfer the supernatant needed constant and continuous attention to keep them running. Lale Rogeon, Operation & Maintenance Coordinator, said that the plant had tried coating pump internals, which extended pump life, but after a month, they still needed to be removed from service and cleaned.

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Lale said that the continuous need to clean the pumps was costing the plant between $3,000 and $4,000 per month. The plant operators thought there should be a better way and were ready to investigate an alternative.

SE Water decided to go with GormanRupp Super T Series self priming pumps with an internal coating to attempt to slow the struvite growth. These pumps can be installed above the liquid (high and dry) to enable operators to easily access and monitor at ground level.

They have a large removable coverplate to enable inspection and repair in minutes. Since installation, operators have not had to perform any de-scaling operations. The 'experiment' was a complete success, delivering enormous savings as well as improving OH&S conditions associated with keeping these pumps operational.

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

BEFORE: A submersible pump impeller completely choked with struvite.

AFTER: Inside a Gorman-Rupp self primer after more than 12 months in exactly the same application choking the submersibles.

www.pumpindustry.com.au

PUMP INDUSTRY PARTNER SOLUTIONS

PIA MEMB ER N E WS

Efficient, non-clog performance Vaughan Company, a market leader in manufacturing centrifugal chopper pumps since 1960, has designed and developed the Vaughan Triton Screw Centrifugal Pump – combining Vaughan’s reliability and 50 years of solids pumping experience with highly efficient, non-clog performance.

W

hile the Vaughan Chopper Pump has solved some of today’s toughest solids pumping problems and continues to replace conventional non-clog pumps in a variety of municipal and industrial applications throughout the world, not all solids pumping applications require its chopping action. Certain difficult-topump or abrasive media can benefit from a gentler, fluid pumping motion.

The Triton’s screw centrifugal impeller is ideal for applications that require the transportation of thick or aerated sewage sludges, large or stringy solids, shear sensitive fluids, and delicate or highly abrasive materials while at the same time remaining clog-free.

Unique features of the Triton include steep performance curves, non-overloading power characteristics, heavy-duty power frames, a patent-pending back cutter system, and Vaughan’s flushless cartridge seal.

Low NPSH requirements minimise suction requirements, while high hydraulic efficiencies offer energy savings. In addition, like its chopper pump counterpart, the Vaughan Triton incorporates a back-pullout casing for easy access to wear parts without disturbing pipework.

chemicals and resins, and oil field salt water treatment.

For more information on the Vaughan Triton Screw Centrifugal Pump contact authorised Australian distributor, Pump Systems Ltd or visit www.chopperpumps.com.au.

The Triton Screw Centrifugal Pump is available in a number of installation configurations including horizontal end suction, submersible, vertical dry pedestal, and vertical wet well. Pump sizes range from 4” to 12” discharge sizes for flow rates from 20 m3/hr up to over 2,000 m3/hr for the largest models.

Key applications for the Vaughan Triton include municipal wastewater collection systems, plant influent areas, RAS, WAS, thickened and aerated sludge transfer, fruit and vegetable processing (transportation of whole delicate solids), paper stock slurries, industrial sludges,

The Vaughan Triton.

UNMATCHED RELIABILITY

VAUGHAN CHOPPER PUMPS For more than half a century, the patented chopping action of the VAUGHAN® Chopper Pump has solved some of the world’s toughest solids pumping problems.

With the unique ability to chop all solids at the pump suction, VAUGHAN® Chopper Pumps can handle higher solids concentrations than standard non-clog pumps, providing peace of mind for critical applications.

AUTHORISED DISTRIBUTOR: PUMP SYSTEMS LTD Freephone: 1800 121 452 Email: sales@chopperpumps.com.au

WWW.CHOPPERPUMPS.COM.AU

www.pumpindustry.com.au

✓ Capacities of up to 880 L/s ✓ Multiple configurations available ✓ Discharge sizes from 3” up to 16”

✓ Fast payback on investment ✓ In use throughout Australasia ✓ GUARANTEED not to clog

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

15

PUMP INDUSTRY PARTNER SOLUTIONS

IND U STRY N E WS

High head Tsurumi submersible now available The new LH4110-W Tsurumi heavy duty dewatering pump, which can deliver heads of up to 200m, is now available through Australian Pump Industries.

T

his new model will change the way mining engineers, quarry and construction operators carry out dewatering duties. Aussie Pumps is the sole Australian distributor for Tsurumi, the world’s biggest manufacturer of submersible pumps.

Those features include a fully lubricated dual silicon carbide mechanical seal enclosed in an oil chamber. This eliminates spring failure caused by corrosion or abrasion and keeps both surfaces of the mechanical seal lubricated and cool.

“Being able to use one pump to get up to a 200 metre total head is a huge breakthrough,” said Aussie Pumps’ Craig Bridgement. “To think that Tsurumi have been able to achieve this with a pump that provides a 1,000 litre per minute maximum flow, but is only 23 inches (592mm) in diameter is a revolution.”

A unique oil lifter guide vane inside the oil chamber ensures the mechanical seal is lubricated even if the oil level falls. This reduces the frequency of routine pump maintenance, and dramatically extends operating life.

Tsurumi’s LH-W series are a super high-head version of the existing LH range. They feature two abrasion resistant, high chrome closed impellers and a centre mounted discharge flange that ensures the pump is balanced for lifting. Pumps in the LH-W range are available with discharge ports of between 50-100mm (2 to 4 inches) and have a slim line design which enables the pump to be used in bores and wells, with major cost reductions for users.

The big benefit for operators is the pump’s ability to move water from substantial depths without needing to stage dewatering through ponds or tanks. That creates a huge opportunity for cost reduction for contractors.

The LH4110-W incorporates all of Tsurumi’s standard reliability features.

The anti-wicking cable block on the cable entry is another major Tsurumi breakthrough in dewatering pump design. The block prevents water incursion due to capillary wicking, should the power cable be damaged or the end submerged. Tsurumi claim this eliminates around 40-50% of submersible pump failures, again delivering lower operating costs and significantly improving reliability.

The pump comes with a two pole, 415 volt motor, driving the impeller through a high-tensile, stainless steel shaft supported by deep groove ball bearings.

Tsurumi Pump, based in Osaka, Japan, currently operate plants with a capability of producing up to 1.4 million pumps per annum. They are considered the most advanced submersible pump manufacturer in the world with a focus on dewatering, construction, sewage and waste water.

With heads to 200m, the new Tsurumi twin impeller slim line pump is a game changer.

The company is working on a 316 stainless steel version of the big LH-W high end pump for mines with specific corrosive liquid issues. A 1000 volt version may also be available in coming months.

For further information, including a free selection guide to submersible pump applications and engineering data, is available from Australian Pump Industries at www.aussiepumps.com.au.

Celebrate the PIA 50th anniversary in style As part of the PIA’s 50th Anniversary celebration program, two seminars will be taking place in Sydney and Melbourne as well as a cocktail party and a river cruise in Melbourne.

T

he seminars will cover topics including energy efficiency, building services, pressure sewage systems, metering and much more. The dates and venues for the events are: • Melbourne Seminar: Tuesday 11 November at Engineers Australia, John Connell Auditorium, 21, Bedford Street, North Melbourne, VIC, 3051.

16

• AGM and cocktail party: Tuesday 11 November at The Mercure Hotel North Melbourne, Crn Flemington Rd and Harker Street. 5:30 for the AGM and 6:45pm for the cocktail party.

• River Cruise: Wednesday 12 November, departing Federation Wharf, Melbourne at 6pm

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

• Sydney Seminar: Thursday 13 November at Rooty Hill RSL, 55 Sherbrooke St, Rooty Hill, NSW, 2766.

For more information and registrations visit the PIA website (www.pumps. asn.au) or email to Kevin Wilson at pumpsaustralia@bigpond.com.au.

www.pumpindustry.com.au

TECO have the complete package NOW including the MAX-E3H66 High Efficiency and Hazardous Area Motors to 450kW Drives to IP55 Contactors to 630 Amps Vibrators to 23,000Kg Force SYDNEY

MELBOURNE

emd@teco.com.au

BRISBANE

PERTH

www.teco.com.au

PUMP INDUSTRY PARTNER SOLUTIONS

IND U STRY N E WS

Changing the filtration game

by David Thompson, Amiad Water Systems

A new automatic filter from Amiad Water Systems is providing users with a range of unique and innovative benefits.

T

he cleaning cycle of an automatic filter is determined by the quality of the water it is filtering, the selected micron size of the screen, the screen area of the filter and its cleaning ability.

The majority of hydraulically-operated auto suction filters rely on single screen technology and one to one drive systems.

This means the speed of your scanner rotation is directly proportional to the speed of your drive device (paddle or rotor). In many applications, these systems do not clean effectively because their scanner rotation and linear movement speeds are too fast.

How efficiently a screen is cleaned relates to the amount of clean water reversed through the screen via the nozzles (the flush flow rate) and the concentration of this flow. One to one drive systems have very fast linear movement and rotation speeds, which do not allow reverse flow to be concentrated on the screen for long enough.

18

As previously mentioned, screen area and the ability to clean the screen will determine the flush cycle and the amount of water used. If a filter can be fully cleaned with one scan then both the overall amount of water required to flush and the need for repeat flushes will be reduced.

Smart drive geared operation

Changing the game – Sigma 6000 Multi-screen design

The new generation 100mm Sigma Hydraulic Multi Screen Filter has five screens, resulting in a total screen area of 6,000cm2. This is more than double the screen area of a single screen filter in the same size body.

Smart drive geared operation

The Sigma range of filters incorporates a ‘smart drive’ gear system with a six-to-one reduction ratio. The average speed of rotation for a conventional hydraulic filter will be approximately

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

Polymeric construction

360-400rpm at 3 bars, whereas the Sigma filter’s rotation speed will be around 60-70rpm.

The Sigma smart drive system allows operating pressures of 15 metres during flush, the lowest on the market today. Lower operating pressures for primary filtration can enable lower overall operating pressures for the system, reducing power costs.

www.pumpindustry.com.au

PUMP INDUSTRY PARTNER SOLUTIONS

I N DU STRY N E WS

Hazardous area electric motors TECO has unveiled additional models to join its established range of MAX-E design electric motors. Like the rest of the MAX-E range, the new motors meet the stringent International Electrotechnical Commission safety standards for electrical equipment used in hazardous areas.

Multi-screen design

Polymeric construction

Sigma is manufactured from highgrade polymeric materials, meaning the filter is much more resistant to harsh water qualities, such as might be found in cases where fertilisers and chemicals have been injected into irrigation systems.

Reduced footprint

The Sigma’s multi-screen design provides a much larger screen area than a single screen design. This, coupled with the Sigma’s vertical design, allows an extremely small footprint.

For instance, a Sigma 6000 Triple can handle 300 m3/h on most water qualities and has a footprint of only 2x1 metres.

For more information on the new generation Sigma, visit Amiad Water Systems at www.amiad.com/DC.

N

ew TECO electric motors are available from 0.18kW to 450kW on a short lead-time or up to 560kW on a build to order basis. These complement the existing IEC Ex certified TECO MAX-Ex de range of flameproof stock motors.

Certification available

The new low voltage series is IEC Ex certified from frame sizes D71 up to D355 with certification also available in the following hazardous areas: • TECO MAX-Exe; increased safety • Exe e, Zone 1, Gb, IIC, T3, 40°C ambient to IECS60079.7: 2006-2007 • TECO MAX-ExnA; non sparking • Ex nA, Zone 2, Gc, IIC, T3, 55°C ambient to IECS600795: 201D • TECO MAX-ExtD; dust ignition proof • Ex tD, Zone A21, T135°C IP66, 55°C ambient to IECS614241.1: 2004 • Certificate Nos: IEC Ex TSA12.

D016X, TSA 12 0017X, TSA12.0018X Whether modified in Australia, or supplied direct from TECO's factory in Taiwan, TECO can now adapt the MAX-E2

or the latest MAX-E3-H66 Premium High Efficiency, Class H insulated, IP66 mining duty motors to meet the safety requirements of most hazardous areas.

Meets numerous applications

The MAX-Ex range of stock motors can be modified to meet numerous application specific requirements including foot (B3) or flange (BS-B14) mounting options, auxiliary protection such as thermistors, RTD's for stator or bearing temperature monitoring, anti-condensation heaters, separate terminal boxes for accessories, or even special paint finishes.

High efficiency

With the addition of the MAX-Ex hazardous area motors, TECO now offer a complete range of electric motors combining the highest levels of environmental safety with the lowest possible running costs. With a proven and sophisticated electromechanical design and high efficiency, the MAX-E3-H66 range is perfect for the rugged conditions required by the Australian mining sector and other demanding applications.

TECO Australia supplies a complete range of electric motors, variable speed drive systems and motor controls for all industries.

The

experts in

dewatering

& pump hire

Phone 02 4966 0737 www.vortexhire.com.au www.pumpindustry.com.au

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

19

PUMP INDUSTRY PARTNER SOLUTIONS

IND U STRY N E WS

Accurate and cost-effective flow control Many water treatment processes require an accurate and inexpensive method of controlling flow rate. The Maric Flow Control Valve has been developed to provide a constant preset flow rate regardless of pressure levels and fluctuations.

M

aric’s flow control valves are used in a variety of processes including reverse osmosis, media filtration and chemical dosing.

The Maric valve ensures a constant flow of water regardless of the pressure variations that might occur in the system. Their simple design, with no wearing parts, is well suited to desalination plants and water treatment systems. The valves are also tamperproof, and require no adjustment or maintenance.

One typical application for Maric valves in water treatment is to control backwash flow rate and prevent loss of media in the media filters when the same pump is used for service duty and backwash. During backwashing, it is essential to maintain the correct flow rate as specified by the filter manufacturer. The correct rate ensures the ideal upflow velocity and bed expansion of the filter media for optimum cleaning.

Too high a flow rate will wash the media bed out of the tank, where it will be lost to waste, rendering the media filter useless. A flow control valve fitted in the backwash circuit ensures optimum media cleaning, and prevents loss of media.

MAK Water is a recognised Australian desalination and wastewater treatment specialist. According to the Engineering Manager, MAK Water regularly installs Maric Flow Control Valves in their water treatment plants.

“Doing so enables us to use the media filter feed pump as a backwash pump, resulting in cost savings by avoiding the need to install a dedicated backwash pump, whilst still controlling the backwash flow rate and protecting the pumps from damage.”

Typical cost savings range from $2,000 to more than $10,000, depending on the flow rates involved.

The Maric flow control valve in a water treatment application.

“The Maric Flow Control Valve is also critical in circumstances where the MAK Water Treatment Plant is designed to accept pressurised feed water supply; it provides a cost effective and reliable way to control the backwash flow rate without the need to control the client’s feed pump.”

Need to control water flow?

Maric valves control flow to a constant pre-set rate regardless of pressure Water Authorities

Irrigation Flow Control Pump Protection

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20

Phone: 08 8431 2281 www.maric.com.au Email:mail@maric.com.au

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

www.pumpindustry.com.au

Comprehensive Pump Support Reliable & Responsive Service Engineered Pump Rebuilding Since 1969, Hydro has built its worldwide pump service organization by bringing a high level of engineering expertise and quality service to the pump aftermarket. Hydro Australia works with our customers to evaluate and understand the root causes of pump degradation or failure and to provide unbiased engineering analysis, quality workmanship and responsive field service for improved plant operation.

Certified Service Centre Hydro Australia has always been committed to Quality and Occupational Health & Safety. Hydro Australia holds the AS:NZS ISO 9001:2008 certificate in addition to the AS:NZS 4801 and AHSAS 18001 certificates.

Turnkey, Field Service and 24/7 Emergency Response Hydro Australia’s Field Service team has extensive knowledge of pumps from most major manufacturers and provides turnkey service, installation / start-up supervision, field machining, vibration analysis, laser alignment, pump system troubleshooting and emergency field response 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Pump Parts When you require a part and are facing a long lead time, Hydro Australia can meet your needs in a reduced time frame through our reverse engineering, patternless casting and integrated manufacturing processes.

Hydro's engineers review and evaluate all parts to offer important upgrades and apply new technologies that will reduce wear and improve reliability.

Pump Testing - Managing Risk Ensure your pump will perform as required. Hydro’s 5000HP Performance Test Lab, located in the United States, is compliant to API610 and Hydraulic Institute standards and can test horizontal, vertical, and submersible pumps.

Training Hydro teaches practical solutions and troubleshooting techniques for common pump problems and offers specialized hands-on training programs. View upcoming courses online at www.hydroinc.com.

Call Hydro Australia at (03) 51650 390 with your pump service inquiries or contact Ross Bertoli mobile: (0418) 581190 email: ross@hydroaustralia.com.au.

Hydro Australia, Pty. Ltd. A Hydro Company

Hydro Australia Pump Service Centre Morwell, Victoria 3840 www.hydroaustralia.com.au (03) 51650 390

I NDU STRY NE WS

Grass is greener on the other side Crusader Hose was recently able to play a role in the rebuilding of a Healesville farm, savaged by the Black Saturday bushfires.

L

aurence operates a small cattle farm in Healesville, approximately 50km from Melbourne, Victoria. In 2009 the area, along with many other suburbs just outside of Melbourne, was attacked by the worst series of bushfires the state has ever seen.

After losing everything, the task to rebuild his farm has been long and difficult. However from this tragedy, Laurence was provided with the opportunity to rebuild everything from scratch – and fit out his farm with some

of the best equipment available.

Laurence decided that a solar powered pump was the best fit for his farm, allowing him to pump water to where it was needed and tap into the benefits of solar power.

Laurence worked with an agent in the Melbourne suburb of Box Hill, who recommended a Lorenz pump, which was imported from Germany.

To complement the solar pump, a desire for a flexible system for pumping the

water around his farm led Laurence to consider Crusader Hose’s Flexibore range. Flexibore connects directly to the Lorenz pump (as well as most other brands of solar pumps) and can transport water from depths up to 150m.

To Laurence, part of Flexibore’s appeal was the fact that the hose can be easily installed with the pump – in fact, Laurence was able to make a mini roller and get the system up and running in just 2 hours.

The layflat hose rolled out.

22

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

www.pumpindustry.com.au

I N DU STRY N E WS Benefits of Flexibore

One of the main benefits of Flexibore is that it can be very easily retrieved in case of servicing. In actual fact, Laurence plans to lift it himself when the pump is due for service.

Crusader Hose designed and manufactured the flexible riser to replace metal rigid riser pipes, as well as poly pipes, which can be costly to install and cannot be easily retrieved.

Flexibore is an economical solution that makes pump handling and maintenance an efficient exercise.

The grass is greener

For Laurence, the main benefit of using Flexibore combined with a solar powered pump is evident in the appearance of his farm today. From being totally decimated a little over five years ago, today, the paddocks are green and the cattle are thriving – thanks in part to the solar powered pump/Flexibore solution.

Connecting the hose to the pump.

For solar pumps, which are becoming increasingly popular in the Australian market, Flexibore offers the only solo solution for farmers needing to service the bore pump. Therefore, if a farmer in the outback comes across his water trough that is empty, he can pull up the pump alone to check for faults.

The other main benefit Flexibore offers over steel pipes is that it is resistant to rust and encrustation. In areas with high iron bacteria, scaling can build up inside rigid pipes and this is not the case with Flexibore.

FLEXIBORE 100 FLEXIBLE RISING MAIN

22 Industry Place Bayswater VIC 3153 Australia Phone: +61 3 9720 1100 Email: sales@crusaderhose.com.au

www.crusaderhose.com.au

INSTALL YOUR BORE PUMP ALONE www.pumpindustry.com.au

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

23

E N E RGY EFFI C I E NCY

EU legislation has major impact on pump sector

by Steve Schofield, Director and Chief Executive of the British Pump Manufacturers' Association (BPMA)

In 2006 the European Commission organised various studies on ways to improve energy efficiency in a number of sectors identified as large users of electricity. The outcome of Lot 11, which specifically looked at motor-driven systems, resulted in new EU legislation in regard to electric motors, glandless circulators and certain water pumps. In this article, Steve Schofield helps explain the legislation and its implications to those who specify and install such equipment.

T

he new legislation covers several categories, so we’ll address the situation in relation to motors, next glandless stand-alone and boilerintegrated circulators, and then water pumps.

Motors

The EU has now established implementing energy-efficiency measures for standard motors.

Regulations apply to the following motor types/categories: • Rated voltage up to 1,000V • Single-speed, three-phase, 50Hz • 2, 4 and 6-pole • Rated output from 0.75 to 375kW • S1 duty.

Regulations do not apply to motors designed to operate: • In potentially explosive atmospheres as defined in Atex Directive 94/9/EC; • As brake motors; • In ambient air temperatures outside the range (-15°C - +40°C); 24

• In altitudes exceeding 1,000m as; • At maximum operating air temp above 400°C. The Commission has moved away from the voluntary scheme EFF 1-3 ratings and moved to IE classes which are defined in the IEC/EN 60034-30 standard.

This regulation should increase the market penetration of electric motors, leading to estimated electricity savings of 135TWh by 2020, compared to a situation where no measures are taken.

Glandless stand-alone and boilerintegrated circulators For glandless stand-alone and boilerintegrated circulators, regulations will ensure technologies that can significantly reduce the life-cycle environmental impact of circulators are placed on the market. This will lead to estimated electrical savings of 23TWh by 2020, corresponding to 11 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.

The two main technology changes resulting in these energy savings are:

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

• Moving away from standard induction motors to permanent magnet motors (see Figures 1 and 2); • Moving from standard speed technology to variable speed technology.

The regulations for these products are in two phases.

Phase 1 – from 1 January 2013, glandless stand-alone circulators, with the exception of those specifically designed for primary circuits of thermal solar and of heat pumps, shall have an energy efficiency index (EEI) of not more than 0.27.

Phase 2 – from 1 August 2015, glandless stand-alone circulators and glandless circulators integrated into products (such as boilers) shall have an EEI of not more than 0.23.

Water pumps

As far as water pumps are concerned, in December 2011 the European Commission agreed on proposed legislation that will see 40 per cent of inefficient water pumps – in accordance with a Mean Efficiency Index (MEI) – removed from the market. www.pumpindustry.com.au

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Increase what’s possible. Select your horizontal multistage solution at lowara.com.au/e-hm today.

xyleminc.com | Lowara © 2013 Xylem Inc. Lowara is a trademark of Xylem Inc. or one of its subsidiaries.

ENERGY EFFI CI ENCY Phase 1: From 16 June, 2011 Phase 2: From 1 January, 2015

Motors must meet the IE2 efficiency level Motors with a rated output of 7.5 - 375 kW must meet EITHER the IE3 efficiency level OR the IE2 level if fitted with a variable speed drive Motors with a rated output of 0.75 - 375 kW must meet EITHER the IE3 efficiency level OR the IE2 level if fitted with a variable speed drive

Phase 3: From 1 January, 2017

This was agreed upon with the European pump industry and will be enacted according to the following timetable: From 1 January 2013 – MEI ≥ 0.1 (cut-off 10 per cent).

From 1 January 2015 – MEI ≥ 0.4 (cut-off 40 per cent).

Lots 28 and 29

The European Commission has recently finished further studies identified as Lots 28 and 29.

Lot 28 will encompass pumps for public and private waste water (including buildings, networks and treatment facilities), and for fluids with high solids content.

Lot 29 will encompass pumps for private and public swimming pools, ponds, fountains and aquariums, as well as clean water pumps larger than those regulated under Lot 11.

BPMA initiatives

The BPMA's prime mission is to influence the business environment in the interests of the competitiveness and profitability of the Ireland and UK pump industry.

This is achieved through a range of services including commercial, marketing, technical, environmental, educational and energy, together with regular meetings of members.

The BPMA also pioneers progressive initiatives which benefit the entire building services spectrum. The latest of these was the development of a clearly-defined energy strategy policy that includes a systems-based approach to the energy efficiency of pumps.

Having investigated the standards that are available to carry out pump system audits worldwide, and also the training available to ensure the person carrying out the audit is adequately trained, the BPMA concluded that the most appropriate way forward would be in accordance with the USA Department of Energy Pump System Assessment Tool and ISO 14414 Pump System Assessment Standard.

The BPMA launched the scheme in the UK under the banner of Certified Pump System Auditor and further details can be found at www.bpma-cpsa.co.uk. For full details about the BPMA log onto www.bpma.org.uk.

Figure 1. Typical induction motor technology.

Figure 2. Typical permanent magnet technology.

Steve Schofield can also be contacted by email at: s.schofield@bpma.org.uk

The Most Advanced AODD Today

scan to watch the video

Distributed in Australia by Hurll Nu-Way Visit www.hnw.com.au or call our Customer Service line on 1300 556 380

26

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

www.pumpindustry.com.au

E NE RGY EFFI C I E NCY

Suction specific speed and vibration performance

by David Cowan, Hydraulics Engineer, ITT Goulds Pumps; Simon Bradshaw, Director of API Product Development & Technology, ITT Goulds Pumps; and Thomas Liebner, Hydraulics Engineer, ITT Goulds Pumps

Figure 1a. Effect of larger D1 on suction recirculation strength.

Figure 1b. Unstable NPSHr characteristic.

Re-examining accepted knowledge

comparable to the original tests). Vibration performance over the pump operating range was then recorded. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis was then used to further examine the performance of each impeller.

The most commonly used hard limitation for pump suction specific speed is 11,000 (US units). This hard limit grew out of the recommendations from a 1982 reliability study by J.L. Hallam (Hallam 1982). Following this, testing of the vibration performance of an OH2 4x6-11 pump occurred using impellers designed for different suction specific speeds (Lobanoff and Ross 1985). This study showed that all things being equal, a strong relationship existed between suction specific speed and the pump vibration at off best efficiency point (BEP) operation.

Given that significant changes have occurred in impeller design methods and computational tools during the subsequent three decades, a group of researchers decided the time was ripe to examine how these new methods/ tools have affected the relationship between suction specific speed and pump vibration.

To do this, they performed experiments using a series of impellers designed for different suction specific speeds using modern design techniques. These impellers are mounted in a subject test pump also an OH2 4x6-11 in order to be 28

Developing the suction specific speed/vibration relationship

The suction performance of a centrifugal pump is an extremely important consideration for optimal pump performance. Good suction performance allows for the use of smaller piping, lower tank elevations, less excavation and a general optimisation of plant design. These optimisations can lead to significant cost savings.

From the 1950s to 1980s the impeller design methods available to pump designers were more limited than they are today. Impeller designs from that era were notable for achieving good suction performance through the use of large impeller inlet diameters (D1). It was not understood until later that enlarging the impeller inlet diameter impaired the impeller performance at flow rates lower than the best efficiency point (BEP). This impairment exhibited itself as significantly increased vibration and in some extreme cases an unstable NPSHr characteristic.

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

00

00

40 -1 13

00

30

20

-1

-1 11

12

0

0

00

140

10

120

-1

40 60 80 100 Pump Flow % of BEP

10

20

00

0

00

Figure 1a: Effect of larger D1 on suction recirculation strength

90

D1

10

D1

8-

D1 D1

0.5

9-

NPSHr

Failure frequency

Today’s most commonly used limitations for suction specific speed and the well-accepted relationship between suction specific speed and vibration are based on studies undertaken in 1982 and 1985, respectively. A recent study sought to revisit the tests and examine them in relation to changes in impeller design techniques and the improved design and construction standards that have been introduced since the experiments were originally undertaken.

Suction specific speed ranges (US units)

Figure 2. Failure frequency vs suction specific speed.

The landmark paper by Warren Fraser (Fraser 1981) brought the consequences of relying on large impeller inlet diameters into focus.

Pump users had already become increasingly concerned that while such designs minimised plant first cost, it was at the price of reliability and overall life cycle cost. However, no large scale study of the phenomenon in an actual pump population had occurred and hence the nature of the trade-off between suction performance and reliability was unclear.

This changed when Jerry Hallam (Hallam 1982) published the results of a large scale reliability study of 480 pumps over a five year period at the Amoco Texas City refinery. He found that the reliability of a pump was meaningfully related to its suction specific speed (Nss).

Specifically pumps with an Nss>11,000 (S>213) failed twice as often compared to lower suction specific speed pumps.

Figure 2 shows the failure rate versus suction specific speed.

Hallam concluded “This study indicates that caution should be exercised when purchasing hydrocarbon or small water pumps with a Nss greater than 11,000 unless operation is closely controlled near BEP”. www.pumpindustry.com.au

EN ERGY EFFI C I ENCY 55

16 Test Pump Test Pump

Stable Operation Window

8

25

6

2

20000 (387)

1.0E+00

0

5 0

20

40

60

80

100

120

1.0E+02

1.0E+01

4

15

Older generation Pump Older generation Pump

1.0E+03 L3/d4 (in-1)

10

NPSHr (m)

NPSHr (ft)

12 35

API 610 line line API 610App. App.K Kacceptance acceptance

1.0E+04

14

45

1.0E+01

140

1.0E+02

1.0E+03

1.0E+04

1.0E+05

QH/N (USGPM x ft / RPM)

Pump Flow % of BEP

Figure 3. Stable window according to Lobanoff & Ross.

Figure 4. L3/d4 for an overhung pump rotor.

Figure 5. Excerpt from API 610 11th edition Appendix K.

This conclusion was supported by the results of testing an OH2 configuration 4x6-11 (100x150-280) pump in the book Centrifugal Pumps: Design & Application (Lobanoff and Ross 1985). For this testing a series of eight impellers with differing suction specific speeds were designed and tested at 3560 RPM. The range of suction specific speeds varied from Nss=7000 (S=135) to Nss=20,000 (S=387). For each impeller the flow was varied until the pump vibration level exceeded the API 610 allowable level of 0.3 inches/sec (7.6 mm/s) peak. Those limiting flow rates are shown for each impeller in Figure 3.

The testing showed that the impeller operating range with acceptable vibration characteristics was strongly related to suction specific speed.

A number of authors have over the years studied and reported that the influence of suction specific speed on pump reliability is now diminished [(Stoffel and Jaeger 1996), (Hirschberger and James 2009), (Hergt et. al. 1996), (Gulich 2001) and (Balasubramanian et al.

2011)]. Central to their claim was the premise that modern impeller design techniques, all else remaining unchanged, allowed attainment of higher suction specific speeds without resorting solely to enlargement of the impeller inlet diameter. However none of this work has altered the widespread view that the original Nss=11,000

In the years following the publication of Hallam’s work the Nss=11,000 (S=213) limit was widely adopted as a hard limit in the oil and gas industry to the extent that it is rare to see a specification that does not invoke it in some form. It is common to see the limit applied rigorously to the extent that (for example) a pump with Nss=10,950 (S=212), is viewed as acceptable while a pump with Nss=11,050 (S=214), is viewed as unacceptable.

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pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

29

ENERGY EFFI CI ENCY

Figure 6 . Pump foot fully compliant to API 610 11th edition.

(S=213) number is the main criteria that should be used in assessing a pump's quality.

It is noticeable (by its absence), that no similar follow-up large scale study of refinery pump reliability has taken place in the past 30 years. This is concerning, given the increased emphasis on safety, life cycle cost and minimising emissions.

Changes in impeller design techniques

Impeller design techniques and tools have improved significantly in the last 30 years, allowing impellers to attain a required suction performance while minimising the increase in impeller inlet diameter.

While not intended to be an exhaustive list, some of the design options available to today’s designers include: • Small incidence blade angles coupled with small blade and approach flow angles (for better NPSH behaviour at part-load operation).

• Low blade loadings in the inlet region up to the impeller throat area. These help prevent the formation of low pressure zones where cavitation will begin.

• S shaped developments of the impeller camber line in order to achieve the required impeller throat area while minimising the eye diameter.

• Backward swept blades to reduce the volume of any cavitation that develops at the leading edge.

• Impeller leading edge carried well forward at the impeller hub in order to reduce the formation of cavitation at part load operation.

• The deployment of better controlled leading edge profiles.

These profiles effectively limit 30

Figure 7. Pump foot design typical of a pump designed to pre-API 7th edition standards. the leading edge pressure spikes and are less sensitive to part load operation. For example prior research by the author's company (Balasubramanian et al. 2011) has shown that optimised impeller leading edge profiles improve suction specific speed without requiring larger impeller inlets.

• Utilising computational analysis techniques the impeller inlet design can be optimised for a given set of conditions, thus allowing greater control and understanding of the flow and pressure characteristics in the impeller passageway.

Changes in design and construction standards

Pump standards (e.g. API 610 11th edition), have continued to evolve and modern designs are more robust than designs existing in the 1980s.

Specifically, the L3/d4 ratio has been reduced in order to limit shaft deflection at the seal chamber to 0.002” (0.05mm) under any operating condition. L3/d4 is calculated from the impeller overhang (L) divided by the shaft diameter at the mechanical seal (d), see Figure 4. This mechanical constraint was driven by the need to improve mechanical seal reliability and the use of L3/d4 as a cost factor weighting representing lifecycle cost.

It is not unusual to see pumps designed to earlier versions of API 610 having L3/d4 ratios that are three to six times higher than the industry average today. For example, in a comparison between the 4x6-11 (100x150-280) tested in this paper and a similar pump from a model line designed to an earlier version of API 610, the older design had an L3/d4 of 213 in-1 (8.4 mm-1). This is five times greater than the value of the pump tested for this paper, which has an L3/d4 of 42 in-1 (1.65 mm-1).

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

Figure 8. Cross-sectional assembly of the Test Pump.

API 610 11th edition introduced non-binding criteria for L3/d4 in Appendix K of the standard. The criteria plots L3/d4 versus a factor composed of the pump flow x head/speed. The location of the test pump is plotted on the graph in Figure 5 as compared with an older generation pump.

API 610 7th edition (1989) also introduced the current requirements for limiting the deflection of the pump under specified nozzle loads including optional testing. API 610 9th edition (2003) specifically prohibited the use of rear bearing housing supports on OH2 pumps. This required an improvement of the overall rigidity of the pump casing, bearing frame and baseplate.

Figures 6 and 7 contrast the arrangement of a casing foot typical of current designs with that of an older design. Consequently the improved rigidity tends to improve overall pump reliability and vibration performance.

Hence it was timely to examine how these changes have affected the attainable acceptable flow range as it relates to suction specific speed.

Test pump setup

The test pump selected for the study was a 4x6-11 (100x150-280) in a single stage overhung configuration with centreline mount (OH2). It was fully compliant with 11th edition of API 610.

In terms of overall construction it was unremarkable though consistent with the current best practice for a full compliant API 610 OH2 design. Figure 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the test pump.

The characteristics of the test pump are listed in Table 1.

The pump was installed in a standard testing station in the large hot water tank (LHWT) test loop of company’s R&D facility. The test setup complied with HI 14.6 test standards. Figure 9 shows the test pump as installed in www.pumpindustry.com.au

EN ERGY EFFI C I ENCY NSS = 8000 NSS = 13000 NSS = 11000 NSS = 15000

Figure 9a. Pump installed in the test loop.

Figure 9b. Pump installation (bearing housing view).

Figure 10. Overlay of meridional geometries.

the test loop. It is important to note that all test loop setups are temporary constructions and the vibration levels measured on the pump will necessarily be higher than those achieved in the final site installation. The absence of a large permanent foundation and grout reduces the ability of the test setup to attenuate these vibrations effectively. Additionally, all of the fluid energy imparted by the pump needs to be dissipated within the test loop. This tends to cause vibrations that are fed back to the pump, and in extreme cases acoustic resonances can occur in the typically short pipe runs.

These vibration values would be used to determine the allowable operating range of each impeller.

The impellers were designed with varying suction specific speed (Nss) constraints, notably 8,000 through 15,000, with the intent to maintain a standard generated head and best efficiency flow rate.

Hydraulic Institute recognises this fact in their vibration standard 9.6.4, which has higher allowable levels for factory testing than for site testing. API 610 makes no such distinction and requires the same low levels be achieved in the factory test loop as in the final permanent site installation.

For the purposes of the testing, the allowable vibration levels shown in Table 2 were used, in accordance with API 610 11th edition.

Impeller design

For the test rig, four single entry end-suction impellers were designed.

Details of the key geometry information are tabled below. Constraints were placed on the maximum outlet width dimension to ensure each impeller could fit within the standard 4x6-11 case being utilised as well as ensuring similar radial thrust values.

Maintaining a similar meridional geometry between impellers is not possible due to the large increases in suction specific speed. As such, the impeller eye diameters gradually increase causing differences in the overall meridional shape.

Parameter Running Speed BEP Head BEP Flow BEP power @ 1.0 SG Specific Speed Ns (nq) Design Pressure Materials of Construction Shaft dia. @ mechanical seal L3/d4 ratio

Value 3560RPM 450ft (137m) 1670 USGPM (380m3/h) 232HP (173kW) 1489 (28.8) 750 psig (51.7 barg) API 610 code S6 2.362” (60mm) 42 in-1 (1.65 mm-1)

Table 1. Test Pump Specifications.

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pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

31

ENERGY EFFI CI ENCY

.

Figure 11a. Nss= 8000 nominal impeller.

Parameter Overall unfiltered in the flow range 70% to 120% of BEP Any discrete frequency in the flow range 70% to 120% of BEP Overall unfiltered in the flow range MCSF to < 70% and > 120% of BEP Any discrete frequency in the flow range MCSF to < 70% and > 120% of BEP

Vibration level 0.12 in/s (3.0 mm/s) 0.08 in/s (2.0 mm/s) 0.156 in/s (4.0 mm/s) 0.10 in/s (2.6 mm/s)

Table 2. Vibration criteria for acceptable performance under API 610 11th edition.

There was some variation in discharge angle and discharge width between the different designs. B2 and β2 are strongly dependent, and were adjusted to achieve the appropriate discharge area while accommodating the variation in inlet geometry.

Figure 11b. Nss= 11000 nominal impeller.

Figure 11c. Nss= 13000 nominal impeller.

The inlet diameter for the highest Nss impeller was almost 20 per cent larger than the lowest Nss design. An overlay of each of the impeller meridional shapes can be seen in Figure 10.

As discussed previously, in research by the authors’ company (Balasubramanian et al. 2011), it was demonstrated that cavitation is better controlled and higher Nss values achieved by employment of optimised leading edge profiles. As such, a parabolic leading edge profile was adopted for each of these designs, but the benefit of the leading edge profile was not considered in the impeller design calculations (and impeller design system utilised for these designs), as the exact improvement that could be realised was uncertain.

To reduce variability between the impellers, a constant wear ring diameter has been used (see Table 3). Wear ring clearances were in conformance to API 610 11th Edition Table 6.

Nominal Nss (S) Figure 11d. Nss= 15000 nominal impeller.

Figure 12. Sample mesh used during computational study.

D2 Impeller outlet diameter (in) B2 Impeller outlet width (in) β2 Impeller vane angle @ outlet (deg) D1 Impeller inlet eye diameter (in) β1t Impeller vane angle @ inlet (deg) D1/D2 Impeller inlet/impeller outlet dia.

In standardising the wear ring geometry the consequential volumetric loss is constant across the four impellers.

This ensures a standard fluid damping effect. Wear ring length has been held constant across the impellers to normalise the favorable centering ‘Lomakin’ effect. While API 610 does not allow this effect to be considered when calculating the shaft deflection, it does provide some additional stiffness and damping and hence it was necessary to keep it constant for all impeller designs.

The impellers were manufactured directly from the 3D model using rapid investment casting techniques (pattern less manufacture) and the cast impellers using SLA rapid prototyping process.

Pictures of the resulting impellers are shown in Figures 11a to 11d.

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) To verify the hydraulic designs, a computational study, conducted within the framework of the ANSYS-CFX solver, [ANSYS CFX-14.5, 2012], was undertaken. The initial motivation for the computational analysis was to ensure that each design achieved its target Nss at the best efficiency point (BEP) while maintaining comparable performance. Additionally, the CFD

Design 1

Design 2

Design 3 Design 4

8,000

11,000

13,000

15,000

(155) 11 1 24

(213) 11 0.9 26.3

(252) 11 0.85 29

(290) 11 0.95 27.5

4.9 29

5.3 13.2

5.5 14.7

5.8 11.7

0.44

0.48

0.5

0.53

Table 3. Basic dimensions for the four impeller designs.

32

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

www.pumpindustry.com.au

EN ERGY EFFI C I ENCY results can provide insight into the development of cavitation on the leading edge of the blade and into the onset of recirculation within the impeller.

The onset of suction side recirculation as the flow rate through the impeller is reduced should signal an increase in vibration characteristics.

For simplicity, a single blade-centered passage with a steady-state flow condition was utilised for this analysis. This has certain limitations as it neglects the effect of the casing and any unsteady characteristics including blade pass and system response. However, it makes the size of the mesh and the time to convergence manageable so that multiple flow conditions could be analysed.

Mesh Structure

An unstructured mesh with tetrahedral mesh elements was generated using the Simmetrix grid generation software [Simmetrix MeshSim, 2012]. A boundary layer mesh with hexahedral mesh elements was placed on wall surfaces. A minimum ∆y was established such that the average y+ value on the vane surface was between 10-20. The k-ω model with the shear stress transport (SST) adaptation is utilised to model the turbulence and near-wall structures. For this

Mesh Size Nodes 164,000 332,000 590,000 p eh Hnu /NPSHrnu

Predicted Head Ho/Hnu 1 0.99 1 -2 5.33 509.3

Predicted 3% NPSHr NPSHr/NPSHrnu 1.19 1.05 1.01 -2 -2.67 13.83

Table 4. Mesh refinement sensitivity study.

turbulence model, a y+ of less than 30 has produced repeatable results while sufficiently capturing the nearwall characteristics. The global size is chosen as 0.015x the maximum length of the passage. This allowed for an average of 5 cells across the width of the passage. The mesh size for the four models varied between 450,000 and 600,000 nodes.

As described in the book Centrifugal Pumps by Johann Güilich, approximating a grid independent solution (Hnu), the discretisation errors (eh) and the order (p) of the solution can be calculated utilising solutions of grid sizes that differ by a factor of 2. The equations are listed below.

A grid refinement study was performed for one of the design cases to ensure that the mesh was properly constructed and would produce results of sufficient accuracy.

Three meshes of increasing refinement were utilised. The results of this sensitivity study are described in Table 4.

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pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

33

E NERGY EFFI C I ENCY Nss (nominal) = 15000 (290) Q @ 100% BEP

TDH [ft]

100% 95% 90%

NPSH NPSH3% 3% Break BreakPoint Point

85% 80%

0

50 100 Suction Pressure [ft]

150

Figure 13. Single-passage CFD model for analysis.

Figure 14. Typical head breakdown curve.

CFD solver criteria

below an RMS value of 10-4. Each of the trial runs required between 200 and 400 iterations to achieve convergence.

The analysis of the four designs was performed using the ANSYS-CFX solver.

The homogeneous two-phase mixture model is employed to model cavitation.

The cavitation model is based on the Rayleigh-Plesset equation with source terms for the generation and destruction (vapourisation and condensation) of vapour bubbles [Bakir et al., 2004]. The model solves for two phases, vapour phase (αvapor) and liquid phase (αwater), at each control volume location, with the sum of both phases equal to one (αvapor+αwater=1) at each location. The basic assumption of the model is that all phases share the same velocity and a mixture equation is solved for the conservation of momentum.

High resolution fluxes are chosen for the discretisation of mean flow and turbulence equations. The shear stress transport (SST) turbulence model is used for modelling turbulence.

Simulations are performed for a single passage of the impeller geometry as shown in Figure 13. For the analysis, no slip boundary conditions are applied at the hub, shroud and blade; total pressure is set at the inlet with the volume fraction of water as 1.0 and vapour as 0.0; mass flow rate is specified at the exit; and rotational periodicity is applied at the periodic interfaces (passage boundaries) as shown in Figure 7.

Convergence for the velocity and momentum residuals was determined

Nominal Suction Specific Speed

Multiple runs were conducted for each of the impellers. Four different flow rates were investigated at 60 per cent, 80 per cent, 100 per cent, and 120 per cent of the target best efficiency point (BEP) for each of the four designs. At each of these flow rates, the inlet total pressure was gradually reduced to compute the head drop performance curves, essentially simulating a typical NPSH test run. Figure 14 demonstrates a typical head drop curve predicted by the computational analysis.

Prediction of recirculation by the Fraser Method and CFD

Warren Fraser (Fraser 1981), provides an estimate for the onset of suction recirculation within centrifugal pumps based on major dimensions within the impeller. The equation for this is shown below. There is mention made in the paper that the equation was developed using observations of suction recirculation in a special test pump equipped with a transparent suction pipe. It is not clear from the paper as to exactly how observations made on test pumps were correlated with the resulting formula. Specifically there is no mention as to how extensive the recirculation zone must be to assure experimental observation. This makes it difficult to correlate with the CFD determinations of the recirculation zones.

Fraser Suction Recirc.

CFD

8000 (155) 11,000 (213)

(% of BEP) 48% 60%

Suction Recirc. (% of BEP) ≈48% ≈63%

13,000 (252) 15,000 (290)

66% 75%

≈63% ≈74%

Table 5. Recirculation predictions based on Fraser & CFD. 34

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

Figure 15a. Small recirculation cell ahead of vane at 50% BEP Flow, 8000 Nss (S=155) design.

Figure 15b. Recirculation cell ahead of vane at 65% BEP Flow, 11,000 Nss (S=213) design.

Figure 15c. Recirculation cell ahead of vane at 65% BEP Flow, 13,000 Nss (S=252) design.

Figure 15d. Recirculation cell ahead of vane at 75% BEP Flow, 15,000 Nss (S=290) design. www.pumpindustry.com.au

EN ERGY EFFI C I ENCY Thus for the purposes of comparison, the impeller under CFD analysis is deemed to be recirculating when the recirculation zone extends upstream of the leading edge of the impeller vane, which presumably would have been observable in Warren Fraser’s test pump.

For each impeller design, single phase CFD runs were performed where the flow rate was reduced in 5 per cent increments from BEP. Figures 15a to 15d show samples of the resulting output. The results were compared for each impeller and a determination made regarding the flow at which recirculation extended beyond the vane leading edge. This flow rate was deemed to be ‘recirculation onset’.

Predictions for the onset of recirculation are shown in Table 5 for both methods.

The flow rate at which suction side recirculation occurs increases with increasing suction specific speed. This is to be expected as the higher suction specific speed impellers have larger impeller inlet eye (D1) diameters.

It can be seen that the values predicted

by CFD and Fraser’s equation show substantive agreement. This appears to validate the choice of CFD recirculation criteria.

Next issue: In Part 2 of this article the results of the retesting are revealed and we discover whether the limitations accepted since the 80s still apply today.

About the authors David Cowan is a Hydraulics Engineer with ITT Goulds Pumps responsible for applied research and hydraulic design of engineered API process pumps. His responsibilities include the development and analysis of new and existing hydraulic products through traditional and computational methods. He is also jointly responsible for continuous development of the computational fluid dynamic analysis techniques. Prior to joining ITT Goulds, he worked as a Hydraulic Engineer for ClydeUnion Pumps. Mr Cowan has a BSc in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Glasgow.

Simon Bradshaw is the Director of API Product Development & Technology

for ITT Goulds Pumps, in Seneca Falls NY. His responsibilities include the design and development of new products and processes. Prior to joining ITT Goulds, he worked for both Sulzer Pumps and Weir Pumps, where he held various positions of engineering and contractual responsibility. Additionally he has supported the Hydraulic Institute in the development of pump standards and best practice guides. Mr Bradshaw has a BEng (Hons) degree (Mechanical Engineering) from Heriot Watt University.

Thomas Liebner is a Hydraulics Engineer with ITT Goulds Pumps responsible for applied research and hydraulic design of engineered API process pumps. His responsibilities include – new product design, computational modeling, and hydraulic analysis for performance prediction. Dr Liebner has a B.S. in Mechanical and Aerospace Eng. from SUNY at Buffalo.

He completed his studies for his doctorate in Mechanical Engineering at Penn State University.

This paper was originally presented at the 29th International Pump Users Symposium at Houston, Texas in 2013.

Research informing this paper was conducted at the 42nd Turbomachinery Lottery.

Part 2 of this article will appear in the February 2015 edition of Pump Industry.

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pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

35

PUMP INDUSTRY PARTNER SOLUTIONS

E NERGY EFFICIENCY

Energy: we spend ours to save yours FluidFuture® is KSB’s comprehensive energy efficiency concept for your entire hydraulic system, aimed at optimising your plant’s overall efficiency. To make this happen, KSB has developed five interlocking modules, which enable KSB to identify and achieve savings right through the life cycle of your pumps and valves.

Maximising the efficiency of pumping systems

KSB has elaborated and tested a compact energy efficiency concept to tackle ‘high energy consumption’. The idea is not to pick out individual components and investigate them without regard for the rest of the installation, but to optimise the entire hydro-mechatronic system (Figure 1). FluidFuture covers everything from analysing pumping requirements and selecting the right

pump, to adjusting the impeller's diameter, implementing automatic, demand-driven speed control and using high-efficiency synchronous motors.

pump systems, the following five general aspects must be given due consideration (Figure 2).

Due to the countless variables in each individual case, there is no such thing as a standard solution for reducing the energy consumption of pumps, no matter what the application. In order to fully exploit the available saving potentials and optimise the cost efficiency of

For end users, centrifugal pumps tend to be something of a black box. Viewed from the outside, there is no way to tell whether they are working efficiently or just eating up energy. Consultants are often criticised for not taking into account fluctuating operating conditions

System analysis

Figure 3. Intelligent differential pressure sensor with load profile memory.

36

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

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PUMP INDUSTRY PARTNER SOLUTIONS

EN ERGY EFFI C I ENCY

when they select pumps for a given project. Procurement managers are often accused of ignoring life cycle costs. The real problem, however, begins before the pump is selected and installed.

For both the consultant and the user, the pump has to be a "transparent" machine. It must provide feedback on its own performance, so that this information can be gathered and the experience applied to future pumping solutions, all the while continuing to conform to EN 50001. One way to obtain the requisite data is to install intelligent pressure sensors.

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Figure 1. General aspects for reducing energy consumption. www.pumpindustry.com.au

the necessity to install any additional pressure sensors or pressure gauges.

The operating point is determined by calculating the pump head from the difference between the two pressures, including the dynamic head share. This calculation also takes into account that less slip occurs in cases of low flow operation of the centrifugal pump, and an accordingly low load on the motor, than in cases of heavier loads. We can make use of this relationship to calculate the operating point.

First, the precise speed of the pump set is derived from the pressure pulsation caused by the passing impeller vanes.

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pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

37

PUMP INDUSTRY PARTNER SOLUTIONS

E NERGY EFFICIENCY

Safe and energy efficient vacuum clamping During the machining process in woodworking applications, vacuum clamping is commonly used as a safe and easy method of clamping workpieces on CNC routers or other machines.

Here we compare the effectiveness and cost efficiency of various types of vacuum pumps available on the market for this application.

R

Rotary

Ultimate vacuum: the lowest pressure a vacuum pump can achieve.

Power requirement: mechanical vacuum pumps are driven by electric motors, which consume different amounts of energy depending on the design and efficiency of the vacuum pump.

To achieve maximum efficiency, it is important to use vacuum pumps designed for the specific requirements of an application. At the same time, energy consumption must be kept to a minimum.

Commonly used vacuum pumps

The following types of vacuum pump are often used for vacuum clamping: Oil lubricated rotary vane vacuum pumps These vacuum pumps (Figure 1) have been used in woodworking applications for many decades. They achieve a very high vacuum of <1 hPa (mbar). They therefore guarantee ample suction capacity and are characterised by fast clamping and being less sensitive to major leaks in the line system. The internal oil lubrication requires some maintenance effort, such as an oil 38

van

pump acuum

acuum

0 0

nning

dry ru

100 0,1

200 0,2

300 0,3

400 0,4

500 0,5

600 700 800 900 1000 [hPa (mbar)] 0,6 0,7 0,8 0,9 1 [bar]

Vacuum (ultimate pressure)

Figure 5. Comparison of the performance data of the different vacuum pumps.

250

p

cuum pum

w va running cla Mink dry (4.5 kW )

200

Suction capacity [m3/h]

Suction capacity: this figure determines the amount of air that a vacuum pump can supply or discharge in a certain period of time. The higher the suction capacity, the faster air is discharged and the faster the ultimate vacuum can be obtained. In everyday work, this means that a high suction capacity will reach the required clamping force faster. In addition, a high suction capacity can help to compensate for leaks in the clamping system.

0

ring v

20

um p e vacu

Pressure range for vacuum clamping

Rotary

40

claw v

pump

60

Liquid

Vacuum pumps are primarily characterised by three technical parameters:

ump,

80

Mink

Technical parameters

Rotary vane vacuum pump, oil-lubricated

100

Suction capacity [%]

egardless of whether vacuum clamping is performed using grid tables, table carrier systems with vacuum blocks, suction through an MDF panel or by using templates, all vacuum clamping systems have one thing in common â&#x20AC;&#x201C; they require a vacuum pump to build up the vacuum.

vane ing rotary Dry runn mp (5.5 kW ) pu vacuum

150

100

Pressure range for vacuum clamping

50

0 0 0

100 0.1

200 0.2

300 0.3

400 0.4

500 0.5

600 0.6

700 0.7

800 0.8

900 0.9

1000 1

hPa [(mbar)] [bar]

Vacuum (final pressure) = additional suction capacity for fast, safe clamping

Figure 6. Comparison of the performance data of a dry running rotary vane vacuum pump and a Mink rotary claw vacuum pump. change and filter replacement every six months.

Dry-sealed rotary vane vacuum pumps The operating principle behind dry-sealed rotary vane vacuum pumps (Figure 2) is the same as that of the oil-lubricated versions described above, but without the necessity of oil lubrication. The advantage of operating without any operating fluids is, however, counterbalanced by the disadvantage of a less powerful vacuum and increased vane wear. The vacuum and the suction capacity are reduced during operation

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

due to higher wear. After 2,000 operating hours, a dry-sealed rotary vane vacuum pump achieves only 85 to 90 per cent of its original suction capacity. This must be taken into account when designing the vacuum pump. If the vanes are not replaced regularly enough, they can suddenly break due to wear.

This will cause immediate standstill of the vacuum pump and result in production downtimes. Despite these disadvantages, these vacuum pumps are still commonly used.

Liquid ring vacuum pumps

Liquid ring vacuum pumps (Figure 3) www.pumpindustry.com.au

EN ERGY EFFI C I ENCY usually use water as the operating fluid, which is pumped in a closed circuit.

These vacuum pumps are very rugged and resistant to inducted humidity and vapours. However, their power output depends on the temperature of the operating fluid. Ideally, the water temperature must remain between 15 to 20°C. If water evaporates, the salts contained may be deposited in the system. Medium-density fibreboard (MDF) dust that enters the water circuit may also collect in the vacuum pump as sludge. For this reason, the water level of liquid ring vacuum pumps must be checked and refilled regularly. When processing MDF, it is necessary to regularly replace the water and clean the vacuum pump.

Lobe claw vacuum pumps Lobe claw vacuum pumps from Busch (Figure 4) are dry-sealed vacuum pumps that operate without oil or water as operating fluids. The most significant difference between these pumps and dry-sealed rotary vacuum pumps is that the moving parts do not touch each other. This means there is no friction and therefore no wear. Therefore, only minimum maintenance work (or none at all) is required and there are no costs involved due to wearing parts. This makes claw vacuum pumps the most efficient pump type and also has an extremely positive effect on required drive power. Lobe claw vacuum pumps are the only vacuum generation systems for woodworking applications that can be equipped with efficient variable-speed motors. These vacuum pumps can therefore be optimally designed for the process in question. This offers further energy-saving potential and makes it possible to increase the suction capacity by approximately 20 per cent.

Performance comparison

Figure 5 compares and contrasts the performance characteristics of various vacuum pumps. It shows that oil lubricated rotary vane vacuum pumps still produce maximum suction capacity in an operating range of 200 to 400 (hPa) mbar, whereas dry-sealed rotary vane vacuum pumps only produce 45 to 75 per cent suction capacity within the pressure range in which clamping is carried out. If the two most commonly installed vacuum pumps are compared with each other after an operating time of 2,000 hours (Figure 6), it is clear that the performance of the dry-sealed rotary vane vacuum pump decreases considerably. This performance loss can only be compensated by a larger rotary www.pumpindustry.com.au

PUMP INDUSTRY PARTNER SOLUTIONS

vane vacuum pump. This in turn has a negative effect on energy consumption.

Energy cost calculation

In addition to technical comparisons, the economic efficiency of vacuum production is also crucially important, as energy consumption accounts for the largest share of costs. The motor ranges serve as basis for the calculation, i.e. the data stated on the type plates of the vacuum pumps. For example: Vacuum pump with 250 m3/h suction capacity Energy price: 0.09 euros/kW/h

Figure 1. Oil lubricated rotary vane Fig. 1: Ölgeschmierte Drehschieber-Vakuumpumpe vacuum pump.

Fig. 2: Troc

Capacity: two shift continuous operation Oil-lubricated rotary vane vacuum pump: 5.5kW Dry-sealed rotary vane vacuum pump: 11kW* Liquid ring vacuum pump: 8.2kW Lobe claw vacuum pump 4.5kW *The next-higher pump size was selected to take into account the fact that a dry-sealed rotary vane vacuum pump reaches an ultimate pressure of 200hPa (mbar) and that the suction capacity decreases due to wear during operation.

Fig. 1: Ölgeschmierte Drehschieber-Vakuumpumpe

Energy costs for oil lubricated rotary vane vacuum pump:

Fig. 4: Min

Fig. 3: Flüssigkeitsring-Vakuumpumpe

Figure 2.Trockenlaufende Dry running rotary vane Fig. 1: 2: Drehschieber-Vakuumpumpe Fig. Ölgeschmierte Drehschieber-Vakuumpumpe vacuum pump.

5.5kW x 0.09 euros x 16 hours x 240 days = 1,900.80 euros Energy costs for dry-sealed rotary vane vacuum pump: 11kW x 0.09 euros x 16 hours x 240 days = 3,801.60 euros Energy costs for liquid ring vacuum pump: 8.2kW x 0.09 euros x 16 hours x 240 days = 2,833.92 euros Energy costs for lobe claw vacuum pump: Fig. 3: Flüssigkeitsring-Vakuumpumpe

4.5kW x 0.09 euros x 16 hours x 240 Fig. 1: Ölgeschmierte days = 1,555.20 eurosDrehschieber-Vakuumpumpe

Fig. 4: Mink Klauen-Vakuumpumpe Fig. 2: Trockenlaufende Drehschieber-Vakuumpumpe

Figure 3. Liquid ring vacuum pump.

Fig. 3: Flüssigkeitsring-Vakuumpumpe

Conclusion

In many cases, vacuum pumps are thought of only as additional devices on machines and do not receive sufficient attention. In principle, all the vacuum pump types described here can be used for clamping wood and all types reach the required operating vacuum.

However, choosing the right technology and keeping energy costs in mind can significantly reduce costs and make production more efficient.

Fig. 3: Flüssigkeitsring-Vakuumpumpe

Figure 4. Rotary claw vacuum Fig. 4: Mink Klauen-Vakuumpumpe pump Mink.

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

39

PUMP INDUSTRY PARTNER SOLUTIONS

E NERGY EFFICIENCY

Maximising dairy processing yield

By Wallace Wittkoff, Director, Global Segment Management – Hygienic, The Pump Solutions Group

The current trend in the dairy industry for value-added products has highlighted the benefits of maximising yields and reducing product waste. Mouvex eccentric disc pumps can play a vital role, recovering yield and helping to reduce operational costs.

W

hen you think of the dairy industry, the products that first come to mind are likely the staples; products like milk, butter and ice cream. Meanwhile, there has been growth in the demand for newer, ‘valueadded’ products like Greek-style yogurt, probiotic-heavy dairy foods and highprotein dairy-based beverages.

As the dairy industry evolves, so is the need for hygienic production and handling processes with higher yields. This can be accomplished with optimised product recovery. Product recovery is defined as the high yield of products or ingredients by substantially eliminating waste that would otherwise remain in suction or discharge process lines during changeovers or at the end of production runs.

If the new, value-added dairy products have one thing in common, it is that they are made from expensive ingredients and are sold at premium prices. This means that reducing waste at both the suction and discharge ends of the production line’s pumping system has to be a top priority if both production costs and end product sales are to be optimised.

Hand in hand with the need to make dairy-production operations more effective in terms of product recovery is the necessity for the plant operator to decrease overall production costs. This can be accomplished through reduced cleaning and maintenance costs, and decreased utility expenditures.

All these goals can be achieved by one pump technology: the eccentric disc pump, specifically the SLS and C Series models from Mouvex®. Mouvex eccentric disc pumps provide low-shear, precise-flow operation for use with a dizzying array of food ingredients like flavours, yeasts, starches, creams, cultures and fruit jams, as well as finished products like yogurts, milk, toppings, fillings and ice creams. Typical product-recovery rates for Mouvex pumps are around 60 to 80 per cent or more.

These recoveries can save a large volume yogurt manufacturer $US100,000 or more per year in product for each individual process line. Recently, in a dairy product plant, 16 locations for product recovery were identified, worth a value of more than $4 million per year for the entire facility.

In addition, eliminating the loss of product during production runs means lower cleaning costs by reducing the necessary time, labour and water/ chemical usage. For applications normally requiring double mechanical seals, Mouvex’s sealless design eliminates the need for water-flush mechanical seals. This can equal annual water savings upwards of $10,000 per pump for manufacturing operations. Finally, because eccentric disc pumps do not suffer from slip when transferring lower-viscosity products, they are one of the most energy efficient pump styles available, resulting in lower operating costs.

To learn more about the benefits that Mouvex Eccentric Disc Pumps can offer in dairy production applications, contact Hurll Nu-Way, on 1300 556 380 or visit www.hnw.com.au.

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• Epoxy Coated Steel, 304 Stainless Steel, 316 Stainless Steel, Duplex, and Titanium models available.

• Patented Inlet Design creates a rapid circular motion of water – causing a hydro-cyclone affect and turbulent cross-flow current over the filter surface.

• Substantially Increased Filter Service Intervals.

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40

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

www.pumpindustry.com.au

PUMP INDUSTRY PARTNER SOLUTIONS

EN ERGY EFFI C I ENCY

Leading the way with energy efficient solutions

by Spiro Fkiaras – Product Manager LV Motors at WEG Australia

Often overlooked is the fact that with any reduction in pump speed and pump load, there will also be a reduction in motor efficiency. Power consumed throughout the speed range is therefore higher than expected, thus extending the Payback Period.

To address this very issue, WEG has further developed its highly successful CFW11 ‘Optimal Flux’ drives. The new technology allows WEG motors to maintain high levels of efficiency irrespective of pump speed and load, thus significantly improving Return On Investment. Figure 1 demonstrates the efficiency gains realised through the use

of WEG motor and drive packages.

For installations where super high levels of efficiency are mandated, the ultimate energy efficient solution comes in the form of a WEG WMagnet/CFW11 motor/ drive package. WMagnet is WEG’s latest range of Permanent Magnet AC Motors delivering IE5 efficiency levels. By comparison to alternative technologies including Switched & Synchronous Reluctance, WMagnet delivers smoother operation, reduced audible noise and reduced supply current draw, as outlined in Figure 2.

Efficiency x Speed - Quadratic Torque 100 95

Efficiency (%)

Continuing to lead the way in Energy Efficient Solutions, WEG understands that many installations do not comprise Variable Speed Drives and cannot benefit through the application of same.

To that end, WEG offers a full range of IE4 Induction Motors. These deliver high efficiency and high starting torque and unlike other IE4 motors on the market, are also suitable for Direct on Line & Soft Starting application.

90 85 80 75 70 65 60

375

600

800

1125

1500

Speed (rpm) Induction - IE4 - 30kW - 200L

Induction - IE4 - 30kW - 200L - Opt. Flux

Figure 1.

Current x Speed - Quadratic Torque 80 70

Current (A)

R

educing the speed of a pump to deliver required levels of flow or pressure can result in significant energy savings. Whilst this statement is generally true and readily accepted by industry, those scrutinizing Return On Investment and Payback Periods have often found them to be much longer than originally anticipated. Why?

60 50 40 30 20 10 0

375

600

800

1125

1500

Speed (rpm) Induction - IE4 - 30kW - 200L - Opt. Flux

SRM - IE4 - 30kW - 200L

Figure 2.

For more information please consult your nearest WEG office.

Motors | Automation | Energy | Transmission & Distribution | Coatings

Highly Efficient Solutions for the Pump Industry

WEG Australia MELBOURNE | SYDNEY | BRISBANE | ADELAIDE | PERTH

www.pumpindustry.com.au

IE2 IE3 IE4 IE5

www.weg.net/au

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

41

P OWE R GE NE R ATI O N

Pump upgrade transforms nation's largest power station

by Dave Kinsey, Mechanical Projects Manager, Eraring Operations and Greg James, Sales Manager New South Wales, Queensland & New Zealand, Hydro Australia

Eraring Power Station underwent a significant upgrade from 2010 to 2012, increasing the output of all four generating units from 660MW to 720MW each, and establishing Eraring as Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest power station.

E

raring Power Station, located in the coal belt area at Lake Macquarie on the central coast of New South Wales, began generating in 1982, with all four units commissioned between 1982 and 1984. Formerly state-owned under the banner of Eraring Energy until mid-2013, the station is now owned by Origin Energy, one of Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest electricity generators and retailers.

Condensate extraction pumps

The pumps are the standard arrangement of condensate extraction pump used in the power generation industry: underfloor, vertically mounted, canned design, four stages with a double suction impeller with inline suction and discharge ports. Each of the four generating units has two 100 per cent duty pumps, operating on a duty/ standby arrangement, each driven by an 1850kW four pole electric motor.

Problems

For more than a few years, the life of the thrust bearing has been subjected to scrutiny, after causing numerous premature failures and constant concern for the station operators, maintenance engineers and management. The thrust bearing design was typical for the period that the pumps were manufactured, back to back tapered roller design incorporating both thrust and radial loads and the drive coupling configuration as part of the bearing cartridge.

Under the original bearing design, 42

As received Vertical Condensate Extraction Pump.

Eraring was experiencing two failures per year for approximately ten years, then three failures per year for the last two years leading up to the bearing upgrade. Each time a condensate extraction pump (CEP) failed, it took an average of five weeks to repair and cost many thousands per pump in spare parts (including replacing the destroyed bearing), labour and overhaul of the damaged wet end.

It also took a toll on the staff responsible for the CEPs, due to the inability to prevent or predict the failures, and the fear of losing two CEPs on a single unit, bringing that unit out of service for a significant interval. The reason for the failures appeared to be negligible design margin, and the initial dry start-up of the bearing (rollers above oil bath, requiring rotation of the pump to lubricate rollers, hence no lubrication

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

at start-up, where highest thrust loads are placed on the bearing).

Station engineers had been researching the upgrade design options for a period of time, calling on the original equipment manufacturer, aftermarket service centres and bearing manufacturers for input and options to overcome this troublesome plant and work towards the best possible solution.

Contract overview

Eraring developed a draft bearing design after consultation with bearing manufacturers. Then three companies were invited to tender for confirmation of the design, supply of the bearing, overhaul of each wet end and installation of the upgraded pumps.

All three companies had previously overhauled CEP wet ends for Eraring.

The tenders were judged on price, www.pumpindustry.com.au

P OWER GEN ER ATI O N previous experience at similar jobs elsewhere (references), technical expertise, safety performance and previous experience on site (conduct under previous orders/contracts with Eraring).

The project included a sizeable work scope including design and supply of a new white metal bearing cartridge with an appropriate pedestal and several other new components. The contract specifications required maintaining the same pump drive coupling, electric motor, mechanical seal cartridge and as many of the original pump components, meaning there was substantial engineering work required by the Hydro Australia engineers.

Contract award

Hydro Australia, located in the Gippsland region in Morwell, Victoria, was awarded the contract late in 2012.

Hydro Australia was awarded this contract for the following main reasons: Relationship with Eraring – knowledgeable and friendly staff, easy to deal with, professional and courteous manner, open and always available for discussion on related technical matters.

Equipment always returned on or ahead of schedule.

Technical expertise – high quality of service on previous wet end overhaul jobs, including professional reports, site visits by key technical staff to explain issues and develop strategies, willingness to have Eraring staff visit Morwell workshop to inspect job progress, meet staff and understand the processes Hydro undertake to overhaul/repair Eraring equipment.

www.pumpindustry.com.au

New bearing set up for installation.

Cost effectiveness – previous experience shows that Hydro job estimates are fully inclusive. Not always the cheapest quote, but always the highest quality job for the most competitive price. Where Hydro’s competition offer reduced initial pricing, Eraring experience shows that delays and variations have always caused the job to end up costing more than the initial quote from Hydro.

The contract runs for a period of four years, with the first pump installation completed in April 2013 and the final pump due for installation in 2016.

Additional requirements and spare pump

With the knowledge and experience of Hydro Australia with the supply of engineered spare parts, a major undertaking was to supply and

complete new discharge head, a first for Hydro Australia. The 2.5m high, 1.7m wide discharge head is the most significant component of the pump, as it ties everything together. Other new components were manufactured

by Hydro Australia including impellers, stage cases, wear rings, couplings and shafts. The new components complete with the stations spare parts, enabled a complete spare pump to be manufactured. This spare pump gives flexibility and relieves time critical exchanges and on the run maintenance.

Long-term relationship

Hydro Australia had a long relationship with the Eraring Power Station, having refurbished several condensate extraction pump hydraulic wet ends and several main boiler feed pump cartridges over the previous five years. All the Hydro repair methods,

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

43

P OWER G E N ER ATI O N

Wet End after assembly.

Two angles of the first stage impeller manufactured by Hydro Australia.

procedures, inspection parameters, reporting formats and attention to detail that the Eraring engineers have become accustomed to in the previous Hydro Australia refurbishment work will be used to the utmost detail in this contract.

New design bearings

Hydro Australia worked closely with Michell Bearings in the UK during the tender process and settled on a water-cooled AV series bearing design from their standard range with a few additional customised inclusions to suit. The bearing cartridge includes all the instrumentation typical on new plant including RTDs imbedded in the thrust and journal bearings, oil temperature sensors in the oil chamber, oil level alarms and trips, cooling water temperature sensors and a proximity probe located adjacent to the bearing cartridge.

Installation issues

With the power station design, difficult location of the pumps plus the size and weight of the pumps, removal and installation was a long procedure requiring the pumps to be partly dismantled in-situ. The pumps (without motors) are approaching seven metres long and weighing 10,700kg.

Removal and reinstallation is a lengthy process which requires removing the motor, splitting the pump in two parts, removing the discharge head first, then the wet end.

Installation solutions

Hydro Australia’s engineers came up with several designs to make life easier, quicker and safer. The first 44

modification was to cut the shaft in two pieces making the handling of the hydraulic wet ends easier and to reduce the possibility of damaging the costly shaft when handling and transporting, this requires the use of a hydro designed sleeve style muff coupling.

Installing the pump in two pieces, setting the end float, setting up the bearing, mechanical seal and drive coupling all in a difficult location can be a cause of error and concern.

The site of the installation is difficult because the pumps are several levels below the crane that lifts the pump through an opening in the floor. Hydro Australia engineers, working with the site contractors, PPI, and the station engineers devised a way of installing the fully assembled pump in one piece thus enabling the entire pump to be built, setup and ready to go in the hydro workshop. Only the motor is fitted in-situ now. The method saves over a week of disassembly, assembly and set up time on site on each pump change.

Attention to detail

Another Hydro Australia solution was manufacturing a testing jig to check the concentricity and parallelism of the 2.5m tall discharge heads. After 30 years in operation, a concern was that some of the discharge heads may be found to have become distorted.

Since inception, Hydro Australia has pushed the need on multistage pumps for concentricity and parallelism of all components to ensure the entire pump rebuild is set up perfectly. This custom built testing jig saves a significant

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

period of time on every rebuild and can be used time and time again long after the contract is finished.

Successful operation

The first pump completed on the contract was built up with site spares and some of the newly supplied components manufactured by Hydro Australia. The pump was successfully upgraded and installed during an outage in April/May 2013. Following this, pumps have been installed in September 2013 and April 2014, all three on time and operating as well as anticipated with low vibration levels measuring around 50 to 70 micron on all the pumps, a very pleasing result to all concerned.

Eraring is very happy with the high quality service from Hydro Australia under this contract. Technical discussions with Hydro Australia’s engineers have led to many improvements, including single piece CEP removal, spare discharge head and spool piece manufactured to allow a full spare pump overhaul. Hydro’s experience with the nuts and bolts of site works has also added great value to the site installation process. The process of the overhaul and upgrade is continually improving, which is a credit to Hydro that they are not resting on their laurels after the first successful installation, but are seeking to improve with each pump. Regular catch-up phone calls and site visits show that Hydro Australia is genuinely keen to get the best result for Eraring.

According to Eraring’s Project Manager, David Kinsey, the performance www.pumpindustry.com.au

P OWER GEN ER ATI O N

Bearing pedestal (left) and new bearing, pedestal, and coupling (right). from the three installed upgraded CEPs has been above expectations.

1A CEP has seen over 12 months service (approximately 6,000 service hours). The only faults experienced have turned out to be red herrings, caused by incorrectly calibrated instrumentation or operator lack of familiarity with the new equipment.

CEPs no longer gain attention as a critical, high risk failure item of plant at Eraring Power Station – this is the best possible outcome for this project.

Working partnership

The trust and open communication between the Eraring Power Station and Hydro Australia staff, working together in partnership toward a common goal, has been extremely beneficial to the project. A long standing relationship has been further built on by this contract and hopefully far into the future.

Lessons learned

Pump design, materials, components and specifications have come a long way in the past 30 years. Initial instinct when a piece of equipment has failed is to replace like for like. With the advances in technology, materials, components and the experience of Hydro Australia being one of the most experienced non OEM pump rebuild companies worldwide, there are always options to improve, upgrade, build to a better standard and prolong the life of existing pump equipment. Hydro has proved this sentiment time and time again all around the world.

Sterling Submersible Motors.

Engineered and proven in the toughest conditions

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2 pole, 4 pole, 6 pole and 8 pole 415v, 1000v, 3300v, 6600v and 11000v.

All motors are wet stator re-windable.

Materials of construction include: Cast Iron, 304ss, 316ss, Duplex 2205, Super Duplex 2507, CuNi 90 10, NiAl Bronze, Zeron 100.

Sterling Pumps is an ISO9001 certified company.

Manufactured in Melbourne · service facility in Melbourne & Perth

14 Sharnet Circuit Pakenham Victoria 3810 Australia P +61 3 9729 5044

F +61 3 9729 3522 E info@sterlingpumps.com.au

WWW.STERLINGPUMPS.COM.AU www.pumpindustry.com.au

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

45

PUMP INDUSTRY PARTNER SOLUTIONS

P OWER G E NER ATION

W&C 500kVA Blackstart generator with mains synchronization.

Powering the Queensland Curtis LNG Project Recently, diesel generator and pump control panel specialist Welling & Crossley were awarded a contract to design and build a 500kVA black start generator for the Queensland Curtis LNG project’s Northern Water Treatment Plant.

T

he Queensland Curtis LNG (QCLNG) contract was awarded by private construction firm Laing O’Rourke, who were engaged by project majority owner and operator QGC. This coincides with another important contract in Queensland, where Welling & Crossley supplied Lister Petter centre pivot gensets to several agricultural networks across the state so that they could utilise the water from the QCLNG project’s Central Water Treatment Plant.

QCLNG and Northern Water Treatment Plant

The QCLNG project is a world first in converting coal seam gas (CSG) into liquefied natural gas (LNG). The LNG will then be shipped out to both domestic and export markets.

As a by-product, QGC’s coal seam 46

gas extraction process produces considerable volumes of water per day from over 6,000 coal seam gas wells.

This water must be treated before it can be used for crops or drinking. This is where the Northern Water Treatment Plant – one of two major water treatment plants – comes in.

The water treatment plant is currently one of the largest such plants in Australia and can treat up to a capacity of 100 million litres of water per day.

The treated water is then distributed for industrial, agricultural and community use. This facility is expected to treat water from coal seam gas extraction for approximately 20 years.

500kVA Blackstart Generator

The 500kVA black start generator with mains synchronisation was supplied

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

to the Northern Water Treatment Plant Project at Woleebee Creek, about 35km south-west of Wandoan in Central Queensland. The unit took a month to design and two months to build, test and deliver.

Features of the generator include: • A Doosan P180LE engine with a Crossley SLG354F 670kVA alternator • A 2,600L fuel tank • Two 316SS exhausts • A rain hat • A DSE 8620 control panel in an enclosed canopy.

Black start generators are designed so that they can start without an external electricity supply. The black www.pumpindustry.com.au

P OWER GEN ER ATI O N

PUMP INDUSTRY PARTNER SOLUTIONS

About Welling & Crossley In the business for 88 years, internationally recognised leader Welling & Crossley has a long history and in-depth knowledge of generator and pumps. An Australian owned and operated company, Welling & Crossley specialises in the manufacture and supply of diesel generating sets, industrial backup generators, portable petrol generators,

Centre Pivot genset powering a four span centre pivot irrigator in south western Queensland. start generator is then able to energise transmission lines and ultimately service is restored to the plant’s normal operations.

Generator synchronisation is the process of electrically connecting to an existing power supply. Generator synchronisation for the Northern Water Treatment Plant is required to enhance reliability and to ensure operating efficiency with mains.

Centre pivot gensets

On the agricultural end of the water treatment process, Welling & Crossley supplied six Lister Petter TR2 powered gensets for a project near Chinchilla on Queensland’s Darling Downs.

The gensets are being used to power the drive wheels and electronics on large pivot irrigators up to ten spans or 500m long.

inverter generators, diesel engines, tractor driven

The water is delivered from the Central Water Treatment Plant (the other major water treatment plant of QGC’s QCLNG project) located at the Kenya operational facility. This plant can treat up to 92 megalitres a day before pumping out to the centre pivot irrigators. This innovative water source has enabled over 500 hectares of previously marginal dry land to be used for crops of cotton, sorghum and wheat.

On another agricultural site near Chinchilla, W&C supplied over twenty Lister Petter gensets to power centre pivot irrigators. These irrigators also use the gas water coming from the Central Water Treatment Plant. The centre pivots can measure up to 900m long and irrigate what was previously dry land. The farmers in this area are now able to grow almost any crop that requires irrigation.

alternators, fire control panels and fire pump products.

For more information on Welling & Crossley visit www.wellcross.com.au or call 1300 656 276.

Welling & Crossley’s Lister Petter powered generator sets were chosen because of the brand’s reputation for durability over extended periods under harsh conditions such as those represented by this remote and unforgiving environment. The excellent fuel consumption figures and low maintenance costs were also a contributing factor when calculating the return on investment of this large-scale project.

Extensive professional pump industry knowledge attained through years of hands on experience •

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Servicing the pump industry for more than 40 years

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www.pumpserv.com www.pumpindustry.com.au

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

47

PUMP U S E RS

Not all pumps are created equal

by Chris Tritton, Hydraulic Engineer, Cushway Blackford & Associates

Hydraulic consultants are often called upon to specify pumps to their clients. However, this is only one aspect of their role and most are not pump experts. Cooperation and trust between hydraulic consultants and pump suppliers is vital for the best possible results.

T

he role of a hydraulic consultant can vary widely depending on the type of work they have been commissioned to carry out. However, in most cases, it will involve one or more of the following: • Preparing design layouts for new or refurbished buildings • Carrying out quality control inspections of installations they have designed • Carrying out inspections of existing installations and making comments on their condition, compliance and expected future repair and maintenance requirements.

In regard to the first dot point, our clients expect us to produce a costeffective design that meets or exceeds their requirements, is fully compliant with all relevant codes and authority/ regulatory requirements, and minimises the future maintenance needs of the installations. Therefore, hydraulic consultants often try to reduce the number of pumps we need to install because they can be a high cost installation item and involve ongoing maintenance expenses. I'm sure this is the last thing pump professionals want to hear! Nevertheless, the installation of pumps has become the norm rather than the exception due to the recent reduction in the performance of utility and council owned water infrastructure.

Pumps are only one component of hydraulic services systems – but they are a very important one. Hydraulic 48

consultants have many codes, standards and authority requirements that we are required to understand thoroughly. In addition, the field of hydraulic services covers many types of plumbing, fire protection and gas systems. Because pumps are just one component of the overall design, most hydraulic consultants would not consider themselves pump experts.

We mainly know how to calculate the performance requirements for an application and have a general understanding of the overall construction of a pump station and the associated controls. Because of this limited knowledge, we are very reliant on pump companies, and their representatives, to provide pumps that are fit for purpose, compliant with all the relevant Australian standards and are of a quality that will not have our clients coming back to us with concerns and complaints.

The pumps hydraulic consultants select are generally based on their past experiences or the manufacturer’s reputation. There are pumps on the market that are well regarded for their quality, performance and life expectancy and, not surprisingly, it is these pumps that consultants lean towards. Pump selections are also based on the relationships formed over the years with the representatives from pump companies. These relationships, however, are no substitute for pump quality. As I said before, we are reliant on pump companies and their representatives to provide the right

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

pump for the right job. Relationships will be short-lived if we are provided with specifications of poor quality and/ or non-compliant pump stations that jeopardise our relationships with our clients.

Apart from the design of hydraulic systems, consultants are also involved with carrying out progressive quality control inspections of new installations. These inspections involve all components of the hydraulic services including, when installed, pumps and their associated controls. When carrying out inspections involving pumps, we need to identify that the installation is in accordance with our drawings, meets relevant Australian standards and authority/regulatory requirements as well as maintaining at least a minimum standard of warranted workmanship.

When reviewing existing pump installations, consultants will generally admit to having limited ability to sight any faults or compliance issues. It is at this juncture that hydraulic consultants are critically reliant on the reputation of the pump product. However, this generally only becomes an issue for us if an alternative pump has been installed to the one we have specified in our design.

By substituting products, neither the consultant nor the client can have complete confidence in non-specified wares. In these instances, I would love to personally call on the representative of the pump I specified in my original design and have them accompany me www.pumpindustry.com.au

PU MP U SERS to the site to view the installation and comment on whether the pump station is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;equalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to what we specified.

However, given the ethical dilemmas, I have been reluctant to go down this path. Nonetheless, I have gladly had pump representatives accompany me during inspections of existing installations (as noted above). Apart from compliance issues, this also assists me in understanding the condition of the plant, any immediate repair and replacement issues, and any future maintenance needs.

At a recent meeting of the Pump Industry Association, concerns were expressed to me about cheap, non-compliant pump units being imported into Australia. Maybe if consultants and the representatives of the reputable pump companies worked together, we could put a stop to these sub-quality imports or, at a minimum, force the manufacturers of these inferior products to improve the quality and compliance of their installations. Ultimately, this would work in everybody's interest, most of all our clients â&#x20AC;&#x201C; those who are actually putting up the money for the pumps.

www.pumpindustry.com.au

Chris Tritton has been a practising hydraulic consultant for nearly 40 years working on many high profile projects in Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Papua New Guinea.

He started his career as a cadet with Ledingham, Hensby & Oxley, advancing to Director and is currently an Associate at Cushway Blackford & Associates, a multidiscipline building services consultancy, managing their Hydraulic division.

Chris has consulted and given presentations on the various aspects of hydraulics in building and planning both within in Australia and internationally.

He has been a member of the Association of Hydraulic Services Consultants of Australia (AHSCA) for over 30 years and was recently elevated to Fellow. He has served as National President of the AHSCA and, since 2011, has been President of the Queensland Chapter of AHSCA.

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FIRE PROTECTION

Developments in fire protection standards PIA’s Executive Officer for Standards Ken Kugler outlines the latest developments in AS 2941, Fixed fire protection installations – Pumpset systems.

T

he latest editions of AS 2941 have effectively banned the application of pressure relief valves (known in other industries as pressure sustaining valves) in fire protection pump applications. There are certain exceptions to this requirement, but overall it does appear to be a confused belt and braces approach.

But first, let’s not confuse the requirements in a fire pump system for a circulation relief valve (or closed head valve as it is known in EN standards) and the pressure relief valve. These two valves (specified in AS 2941 section 3.7) provide totally separate functions despite the fact that they may operate in a similar way.

Circulation relief valves

All centrifugal pumps, especially automatically started fire protection pumps, whether electrically or diesel driven, require protection against damage if operated under a closed discharge valve condition. This may occur due to a false start signal or occur in system testing when the fire water demand is actually zero. A circulation relief valve is required to bypass a small amount of water to prevent the catastrophic pump damage that results from the pump overheating and the water boiling.

It should also be understood that any centrifugal pump operating at very small flows, say less than 10 per cent of its best efficiency point, is operating under a stressed condition.

Not only does the water within the pump heat up, but bearing loads are high due to increased radial load, recirculation within the pump and, possibly, increased NPSHR. Operation under this condition will not be tolerated by, for instance, a process pump which is constantly in use because wear is substantially increased and minimum flows are usually restricted to about 30 per cent of best efficiency.

Pressure relief valves

A pressure relief valve (PRV) is required to protect a fire system from over-pressurisation caused by the pump operation. So why did the committee presiding over the standard consider the deletion of pressure relief valves necessary?

The committee’s decision appears to be based mainly on the assumption that if a PRV fails while fully open it will prevent any water entering the protection system – a total disaster.

PRV suppliers might argue otherwise, but often installed PRVs are found to have incorrect pressure settings; either too high (providing insufficient water) or too low (providing insufficient pressure) which may actually cause overloading of the pump drivers. Thus, the secondary consideration is obviously to remove the maintenance issue by deleting the PRV altogether and substituting it with an improved initial pump and piping 50

Fire pump in a large commercial building. system design.

A third consideration is how to size the PRV. For a fixed speed pump this is relatively easy, but for an over-revving diesel pump the size of the PRV may need to be increased to allow for the additional flow that needs to be bypassed. This requirement for correctly sizing PRVs for diesel driven pumps is not so easily understood.

The committee addressed this by specifying an automatic overspeed shutdown control for the diesel engine.

If a pump’s suction is supplied by a storage reservoir and it’s electrically driven at a fixed speed, for example 2,950rpm, then good engineering design of the piping system should ensure the pump never over-pressurises the system under any flow condition. A PRV is thus not required – it has no job to do.

However, should the pump suction be provided by a town main, then the pump discharge pressure varies in accordance with varying town main’s pressure. Again, good engineering piping design practice should be able to ensure the system piping is designed to an adequate pressure rating to accommodate the variations.

A fire pump driven by a diesel engine is initially locked to a fixed speed at the testing and commissioning of the system.

However, the engine itself is a variable speed driver and the speed could inadvertently be increased, say during maintenance (mechanics always like to rev an engine) and the discharge pressure could increase to the square of the speed.

As mentioned earlier, this pressure issue is addressed by specifying automatic overspeed shut down of the engine, thus ensuring overspeed and over pressurisation never occur.

This is the theory, but what appears to happen too often is that the designed fire water pressure demand is based on the minimum guaranteed pressure for the town main, while the daily maximum pressure in the main is some hundreds of kPa greater than that nominated. It is often said that “water

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

www.pumpindustry.com.au

FI RE PROTECTI O N Pumpset driver type Electric Electric with variable speed drive Compression-ignition – air/radiator cooled Compression-ignition – heat exchanger cooled Compression-ignition – air/radiator cooled with variable speed drive Compression-ignition – heat exchanger cooled with variable speed drive

Circulation-relief valve Always required Always required Always required When required by Clause 3.7.4.1 Always required

Pressure-relief valve Not required Always required Not required Not required Always required

When required by Clause 3.7.4.1

Always required

Installation of circulation-relief and pressure-relief valves. boards” are unable or reluctant to provide the anticipated maximum town pressure at a particular location, or that where it is nominated it is found to actually be higher in practice.

The AS 2941 method to address applications with highly variable suction pressures is to provide pumps with variable speed drives (VSD). Effectively, it would appear that when PRV’s went out, VSD’s came in. Keeping the pump discharge pressure constant under varying suction pressures is obviously helpful to the fire engineer, enabling pressure to be controlled more precisely, especially in multi-story buildings.

These issues are addressed by the use of VSDs and are specified in the NFPA standards (in the US), and are now included in AS 2941 in Australia. However, both these standards require a fire pump to have a PRV as back-up if driven by electric or diesel VSD drivers. There appears to be doubt about the reliability of VSDs – if the VSD is to fail then the driver is required to operate at the normal design speed (based on the advised minimum suction pressure) causing the pump to over-pressurise the system – thus the requirement

for a PRV. Whatever happened to the kiss (keep it simple stupid) principle to avoid over complication? There is a solution to avoid VSDs and PRVs altogether for pumps operating under varying suction conditions from town mains.

An expensive solution is the installation of a relatively large suction storage tank of required capacity to provide the running time as specified by the sprinkler and/or hydrants codes. But a smaller ‘break tank’ between the town main water supply and the pump set can also solve the problem.

The break tank accepts a flow of water from the main under varying suction pressures and the pump operates under a constant suction pressure.

Unfortunately AS 2941 does not allude to the break tank or even note the possibility of its usefulness for these applications. However, section 8 of the fire pump tank standard AS2304 specifies the requirements for these very useful break tanks.

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C O NDITI O N MO NITO RI NG

Condition monitoring of multistage pumps by measuring the balance leakoff flow

By Ray Beebe, MCM Consultants and Federation University

A previous article (Optimise overhauls of pumps to save energy, Pump Industry, October 2012) showed how quantified performance information can be used to optimise the time of an overhaul. Measurement of the balance device leakoff flow has long been recommended as a simple way of inferring the internal condition on multi-stage pumps with this feature.

However this method may not always give the correct information on pump condition. Here Ray Beebe explains the balance flow method and discusses important considerations from his experience of it.

Introduction

Igor Karassik, the late American pump guru, was often asked when a pump should be overhauled. His advice was that an overhaul is justified when the internal clearances were twice the design value, or when effective capacity has been reduced by about 4 per cent. However, before such a guideline can be used, a pump operator needs to correlate measured performance with as-found condition. A better way to balance the cost of overhaul against the cost of wasted energy was described in the earlier article.

Multi-stage pumps of split casing, ring-section design usually have all the impellers facing towards the suction end. To overcome the resulting axial thrust, some discharge flow is led through an annular clearance to act against a balance drum or balance disk. The resulting force is self-adjusting with pump flow or speed, and results in a smaller residual thrust loading on the bearings. Figure 1 shows such an arrangement.

Karassik also recommended that, where it applies the balance device leakoff, flow should be measured as a guide to pump condition and that overhaul should be considered when the flow has doubled.

This flow will increase as the annular clearance between the device and the pump casing increases with wear. Karassik said that it is therefore likely that the clearances of the wearing rings at each impeller will also have worn at the same rate. This is particularly so with the older generation pumps rotating at nominal 3,000r/min and having up to 11 stages.

52

Figure 1. Cross-section of horizontally-split multi-stage pump, showing thrust balance device.

The attraction of this method is that the balance leakoff line is quite small relative to the main flow line, and a permanent flow metering device is therefore not expensive. Devices such as Annubarâ&#x201E;˘ flow elements have been fitted, relaying the flow to a panel meter or the control room.

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C O N DITI O N MO N ITO RI NG

Figure 2 (above). Data plot of balance device leakoff flow, multi-stage pump.

Figure 3 (left). The balance line from a multi-stage boiler feed pump.

Case study

At a power plant with several such variable speed pumps, permanent balance flow metering was read regularly and trended using a computer program originally bought for trending vibration data.

Initially, the plotted flows were erratic, until tests were run to find that the flow varied directly with the pump speed, the relationship being very close to linear (i.e. 20 per cent more speed, 20 per cent more flow). This means that for routine monitoring, the speed must be measured and the flow corrected to a standard speed value before trending.

Figure 2 shows the trend over some years of service. A nominal leakage flow of 17 L/s was selected as the indicator of the need for overhaul. As this flow is equivalent to 11 per cent of the duty flow, when balance device leakoff flow reached that level, an extra 250kW of power was being consumed. This is in addition to the power wasted due to internal recirculation, assuming that the wearing ring clearances were also worn.

Unfortunately, during the resulting overhaul the rings were replaced without measuring the clearances. As with all condition monitoring, it is important to find the actual condition so that this can be correlated with the predicted condition.

The method described in Optimise overhauls (October, 2012) could be used here to calculate when the investment in overhaul would be balanced by the savings in wasted energy.

Some problems

Elsewhere, on another set of pumps of a multi-stage design, both head-flow and balance flow were measured for some years, but no correlation was found between the indications of condition.

Condition monitoring by performance analysis using www.pumpindustry.com.au

head-flow was developed for another six pumps of a different type. These pumps had eleven stages, and operated at constant speed of nominal 3000 r/min. The head was measured using standard test quality pressure gauges, and the flow found using differential pressure measurements across the permanent orifice plate installed in the suction line. This flow element was provided to initiate the operation of the minimum flow device. Although it was not installed in the long straight pipe runs as required in flow standards, this achieved the repeatability required for condition monitoring.

During routine tests, one pump showed a test point well below the datum curve. The pump was duly dismantled, and with what I perceived as ill-concealed glee, the maintenance engineer reported that the interstage clearances were not worn. Our faith in the value of our tests suffered a credibility crisis!

A day later, the balance seat area was reached. It was found to be severely eroded, showing that water had flowed through the stationary annular gap between the balance device sleeve and casing, and left the pump behind the screws which retained the balance seat. Balance leakoff flow had obviously been very high, and if measured would have pointed to this damage. Extensive building up and machining of the casing was required. The pumps were modified to incorporate an O-ring seal on the stationary gap.

It seems that it would be unwise to rely on measurement of balance flow alone for condition monitoring. Both head-flow and balance flow should be measured for the best total picture of condition. Calculation of the optimum time to overhaul could be based on a higher than normal balance leakoff flow. The balance valve/sleeve/seat should be dismantled for inspection and replacement without opening the pump, where this is possible. Retesting afterwards would reveal whether the pump has to be fully dismantled for its interstage clearances to be restored. pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

53

API 682 dual seal design configurations TEC HNI CAL

Part 2 of 2: Developments in pusher seal technology

by Richard Smith, Director, AESSEAL plc, Rotherham, England and Heinz P. Bloch, Consulting Engineer, Westminster, Colorado 80031*

Although seal face cooling and the other vital requirements discussed in Part 1 of this article (Pump Industry magazine, May 2014) may often appear to be at odds with each other, innovative designs are now available to satisfy all criteria. Computational flow techniques (CFD) and testing have facilitated an understanding of best available solutions that don’t require compromise. All underlying design concepts discussed in this article have been fully validated in field studies.

Achieving seal balance

One method of achieving seal balance involves placing O-rings on the outside of the seal faces. This is now common practice in the chemical process industries. Making the sleeve also serve as the face holder is now possible with modern computer numerically controlled (CNC) machining techniques.

These design and manufacturing techniques facilitate a more compact design, open up the inner seal envelope and provide a deflector baffle (Figure 1). Separating the barrier flow inlet and outlet causes the cooler barrier fluid to migrate towards the inner seal faces and can be critically important to promoting extended mechanical seal life.

The exact configuration of the deflector baffle shown schematically in Figures 5 (Part 1) and 1 (Part 2) was actually refined and optimised through the use of modern flow optimisation techniques, typically called computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The before-versus-after results are shown in Figure 2.

Since it is, of course, desirable to maximise fluid flow in contact with the inboard seal faces, the end of the deflector was re-profiled to a triangular sharp edge. The analysis plotted in Figure 2 indicates radial motion next

Figure 1. Flow of barrier fluid with deflector baffle. Flowrate increases are made possible by the tapered pumping device shown here (www.aesseal.com). to the extremity of the deflector. This re-circulation reduces the flow path and prevents some fluid close to the deflector nose from escaping before even reaching the seal faces. Compared with the original round shape, the triangular sharp edge shape promotes vortex motion and redirects additional coolant flow to the seal faces.

Circulation device performance for API Plan 52 and 53 systems

Dual wet seal barrier fluid circulation can be achieved by external means per API Plan 54. It can also be achieved

by internal circulating devices per API Plans 53 a, b, and c, and also per API Plan 52 (see Refs. 1 and 2; also Bloch/ Budris, Pump User’s Handbook, 4th Edition, 2013). All of these seal flush plans are available from recent editions of API 682; virtually every plan conveys the need to ensure cooling of the seal faces. Effective seal cooling depends upon the barrier fluid circulation devices’ efficiency. Internal devices are part of the seal cartridge and their performance can be affected by many factors, summarised in Table 1.

*Derived, by permission from a segment in Bloch/Budris Pump Users Handbook 4th Edition, 2013, Fairmont Press, Lilburn, GA. The segment was compiled and contributed by Richard Smith, AESSEAL plc, Rotherham, UK, who obtained valuable input from The American Petroleum Institute (which granted permission to use illustrations from API-682; Michael Munro, EEMUA Machinery Committee; Albany Pumps, Gloucestershire, England; Jaguar Automobile Manufacturing Company, Halewood, England.

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C O N DITI O N MO N ITO RI NG

b

a

c

Figure 3. Parallel slot pumping device (a), helical pumping device (b), and tapered vane bi-directional pumping ring (c). bi-directional large clearance “tapered vane” pumping ring provides muchimproved circulation.

The head versus flow performance of a 100 mm seal with the three different pumping devices in Figure 3 is plotted in Figure 4. The tapered vane device excels with its higher head and higher flow capability.

Figure 2. Deflector performance before flow optimisation (bottom) and after making modifications for flow optimisation (top).

Traditional internal circulating devices (Figures 3a and 3b) fall into two groups, parallel slot (castellation, Figure 3a) and helical vane (Figure 3b). Parallel slot devices induce radial flow and must be positioned adjacent to the barrier outlet orifice; they can be bi-directional only if used with radial ports. Helical vane devices are unidirectional, provide axial flow, and are less dependent on port proximity.

However, the use of multi-axis CNC machine tools has given designers far more freedom to devise considerably more efficient arrangements. Figure 3c illustrates a very important option that now presents itself. Here, a modern

Practical application and limitations of circulating devices Tangential porting arrangements can offer improved performance on all three types of devices and utilising this feature on large between-bearing pumps is often straightforward. On smaller units port orientation can be more problematic since gland stud position and pump frame casting will often interfere. Regardless of the pumping device chosen, its respective performance can be optimised by modifying the internal cavity. Suitably positioned cutwaters and eccentric or taper-bored seal environments (pump housings) merit attention. Due to gland plate machining costs these optimisation practices tend to be found primarily on engineered API-610 compliant pumps.

Reductions in internal radial clearance can also improve device performance.

However, there are safety implications and sufficient clearance is highly desirable to prevent contact between rotating and stationary components.

While not normally occurring, such contact is possible under fault conditions. For many years API-682 had specified a minimum radial clearance of 1.5 mm (Ref. 1). But in their quest for increased device efficiency, some seal manufacturers lobbied for reduced clearances, although unduly small internal clearances tend to impede adequate thermosiphon action when the shaft is not rotating. It should be noted that such fluid flow motion (i.e. thermosiphoning), is required to prevent the seal overheating just after shutdown (when a pump will still be at full temperature) or during warm up.

The flow required in actual service depends largely on the amount of heat that must be removed from the seal by the barrier fluid system. Formulas for seal face temperature heat generation and heat soak from the process to the seal chamber are widely published. On small higher temperature pumps the heat load on the seal barrier system

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TEC H N I CA L

Figure 4. Head versus flow performance of a 100 mm seal with the three different pumping devices (shown earlier in Figure 3). will primarily be thermal soak and the cooling requirements are little affected by changes in shaft speed.

As with any pump impeller, the performance of a circulating device is a function of its diameter and shaft rotational speed. Performance becomes critical to seal reliability on smaller pumps and those operating at four-pole motor speeds or with variable speed drives. Circulating devices must operate efficiently at lower speed on smaller shafts with large clearances and radial porting. Well-engineered circulating devices represent the widest potential application group. Bi-directional designs (Figures 1 and 3c) help eliminate installation errors on between-bearing pumps and can reduce spare parts inventory requirements.

The original tapered vane bi-directional device of Figures 1 and 3c has been in successful commercial service since 1999. Notice that the vanes in early designs were straight. However, research into vane profiles and vane angles has subsequently allowed flow increases of up to 40 per cent. In fact, the vanes furnished after 2011 are contoured into a “swan’s neck” shape, which prevents reverse flow on the back edge of the vane. The performance of this device with its “swan-neck” vanes is virtually equal to that of a similarly configured unidirectional tapered vane. It has been tested at different shaft diameters and shaft speeds. As mentioned above, the relatively liberal radial clearances of 1.5 mm (0.060 in) between the rotor and stator are of interest. The design thus fully conforms to Ref. 1 and best reduces the risk of seal-internal stationary components being inadvertently contacted by sealinternal rotating devices. Test results obtained with a 50 mm 'swan-neck' tapered pumping device design (typical 56

Circulating or pumping device design Direction of rotation Seal size Seal type Shaft speed Barrier fluid density Barrier fluid viscosity Barrier fluid containment vessel (or cooler) Seal cavity flow path, concentricity, contour Gland port orientation ports: top/bottom, tangential Connecting pipe size & layout (bends/distances) Fittings connections & roughness of pipe bore Table 1. Factors that can affect circulation flow. of many medium-size pumps) are readily available from www.aesseal.com.

Case studies involving dual mechanical seals

Case studies where implementing some of the discussed design elements has resulted in improved reliability are always of interest.

Face-to-back replacement of back-to-back configuration

There are many published examples that demonstrate improved reliability after replacing older back-to-back seals with modern face-to-back geometries.

For instance, back-to-back seals had been installed in circulation pumps used on industrial laundry machinery manufactured in the UK by Thomas Broadbent and Sons, Ltd. The duty for these ISO-compliant pumps (Ref. 1) would be considered “light” in most industries. They operate at 85°C with a seal chamber pressure of 3 bar and have two seal sizes, 28 mm and 65 mm. The pumped fluid, however, was contaminated with fibers typically known as “lint”. These fibers would enter the seal chamber and become packed near the inside diameter of the inner seal faces.

The resulting seal face hang-up caused premature failure. After retrofitting dual seals with face-to-back orientation, the pump MTBF (mean-time-between-failures) improved more than six-fold.

Replacement of back-to-back with advanced face-to-back technology including flow deflector baffle

A complex reactor circulation duty at a chemical plant in Wales, UK, demanded that a twin-screw pump (made by Albany Engineering) be used and fitted with four dual seals. Conditions included process temperatures between 25-180°C, seal size 54 mm, seal chamber pressures

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

ranging from slight vacuum to 3.5 bar, viscosities ranging from 0.5cP to 5000cP, and shaft speeds ranging from 180 to 1500 rpm.

Light silicon oil was selected as the barrier fluid. This had proven problematic on other applications due to its poor lubricity and heat transfer properties at elevated temperatures. However, silicon oil had to be used for reasons of compatibility with the process fluid. An external pumping device Plan 54 configuration (Refs. 1 and 2) was selected for these variable-speed driven pumps.

Several variants of back-to-back bellows cartridge seals were tested, but failures occurred typically after six months. These failures were primarily attributed to pressure reversal issues, as described earlier. Since then, faceto-back seals with deflector baffles have been successfully used at this facility, replacing both traditional face-to-back and back-to-back designs in these screw pumps. Not only have the pumps achieved extended process runs in excess of two years, but the seal faces were still in pristine condition when examined after almost three years.

Traditional face-to-back vs. advanced face-to-back with internal pumping Plan 53 in an automotive paint facility

Superior coating technologies are used in the automotive industry. Today, automobile body corrosion is virtually unheard of. One of the reasons for this is full immersion in primer dip tanks with an electrical charge applied.

However, facilities were challenged by sealing issues in the electro-coat primer circulation pumps. The paint contains sub-micron abrasive particles, making it necessary to use hard-faced wear-resistant materials on the inner www.pumpindustry.com.au

TEC H N I CA L seal. The paint temperature has to be maintained near a process temperature of 25°C ±10°C. Upwards excursions in temperature are risky and could cause paint to rapidly congeal. Dual seals are used for this sealing duty and ultrafiltrate, essentially de-ionised water with other chemicals acting as a thinner, is used as a compatible barrier fluid.

End suction pumps with a 50 mm shaft are employed. At first, seal cooling and poor circulation device efficiency had prevented reliable operation of conventional face-to-back seals and API Plan 53a systems (Refs. 1 and 2). The paint is tenacious and tends to overcome the barrier fluid film pressure between the inner seal faces. Heat generated by these faces causes the paint to congeal or polymerise. As the paint particles migrate, they cause the seal face gap to widen and, although the faces are undamaged, excessive leakage results.

While it would seem logical to simply increase the barrier fluid pressure, this would increase temperature generation and the added heat load would merely accelerate problem development.

Reliable sealing has traditionally been achieved by using moving pressurised barrier fluids at the high flow rates

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achievable with API Plan 54 (Refs.

1 and 2). However, these relatively complex external barrier fluid circuits often require instrumentation ensuring that equal flow reaches each seal in the many pumps installed for parallel operation. Individual seal fault diagnostics can be difficult and cost-intensive with Plan 54 because a centralised pressure source provides external barrier fluid circulation to several pump sets.

These concerns then prompted plant designers and operators to seek alternative solutions. Modern face-toback cartridge seals with high efficiency circulation devices and barrier fluid flow separation baffles will give superior performance in such duties with API Plan 53a (Refs 1 and 2). API Plan 53a systems offer many advantages in terms of cost and simplicity and these systems have been successfully installed in five automotive plants in Europe and on other continents. In fact, advanced faceto-back seals have, as of 2012, seen flawless operation for over seven years at one UK automotive plant.

Experience shows that mechanical seal technology continues to develop and that application of sound principles is useful

in all sectors of industry. Highly reliable face-to-back designs are now available with enhanced cooling features. These developments have greatly expanded the application range for this advantageous dual-seal configuration. Well-proven developments combine API Plan 53a with tapered vane pumping devices.

These devices certainly merit close consideration in many pumping services.

Note: Our footnote again mentions the Pump User’s Handbook (4th Edition, 2013) because flush plans of interest to dual seals can be found in this text.

Another source is API 682 and websites including API, AESSEAL, and others. The co-authors again acknowledge the kind permission of API and the hard-working, experienced volunteers who keep the standards up-to-date.

References (for Part 2 of article): 1. API Standard 682/3rd Edition; also ISO 21049, (2004): Shaft Sealing Systems for Centrifugal and Rotary Pumps, API (American Petroleum Institute), Alexandria, VA. 2. API Standard 682/2nd Edition, (2002): Shaft Sealing Systems for Centrifugal and Rotary Pumps, API (American Petroleum Institute), Alexandria, VA.

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I RRI G ATI O N

Construction work on the wet well for the Faraday pump station.

The concrete slab for the Barkers Creek pump station.

Irrigation overhauled:

modernising a rural water network

T

he small rural town of Harcourt is located in the Central Highlands region of Victoria, located approximately 121km from Melbourne.

It is the foremost apple growing region in the state and home to developing wine and cider industries.

For the last 100 years, the town and surrounding regions have been supplied with water for irrigation via a system of open concrete and earthen gravity channels. However, as a secure and reliable water supply is vital in order to underpin the agricultural growth in the region, the need to replace this ageing infrastructure with a more modern and efficient system was identified.

Replacing the channel system with 58

a network of underground pipes will give irrigators access to a yearround pressurised water supply, and is expected to save around 3,000 megalitres of water per year. These savings include an estimated 950 megalitres of water loss and a further 2,000 megalitres from water licences that rural customers sold to Coliban Water in 2013.

Coliban Water formed the Harcourt Water Services Committee in November 2008, composed of Harcourt rural customers who provided advice and guidance on modernisation. In 2012 the business case to modernise the irrigation system was approved by the Victorian Government and works began at the site in March 2014.

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Contractors and works

The project involves the supply and installation of approximately 65km of pressurised pipeline underground, as well as two pump stations and a balancing storage tank.

The contract for the supply of pipes and fittings was awarded to Pentair in 2013, including various fittings, valves and 19 kilometres of ductile iron pipes and fittings to be used to construct the backbone of the new modernised rural pipeline system. All pipes and fittings have been supplied to the site.

The tender for the supply of pumps was awarded in two parts; one for each new pump station site.

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I RRI G ATI O N

Concrete being poured for the Faraday pump station.

Xylem was contracted for the Faraday site and KSB for the Barkers Creek site.

The total cost for both pump supply contracts was around $600,000.

The size of each motor is 290kW and the capacity for one pump is 145L/s at 103m head. Overall pump efficiency is 72 per cent.

These contracts involved the supply of the pumps and motor sets needed for the new pump stations.

The water for the Faraday pump station is drawn from the Coliban Main Channel, which is a gravity-fed channel supplied from Malmsbury Reservoir and the new pump station will have the capacity to run two pumps at a time depending on customer demand.

The contract to construct the pipeline and pump stations was awarded to Redline Group.

Faraday pump station

For the Faraday pump station, Xylem was contracted to supply three Flygt CP3240 submersible pumps. These pumps have the motor and hydraulics integrated into one unit with cast iron casing and double sealing technology, effectively floodproofing the pump station. www.pumpindustry.com.au

Barkers Creek pump station

KSB was contracted to supply four Omega 200-670B pumps and four 355kW WEG motors for the Barkers Creek pump station.

These pumps have cast iron casings and bronze impellers. They have a

capacity of 127L/s at 133m head.

Overall pump efficiency is 77 per cent.

The water for the Barkers Creek pump station is drawn from Barkers Creek Reservoir. The pump station will have the capacity to run three pumps at a time depending on customer demand.

Current status

All pumps for the project have been supplied and both pump stations are currently under construction. Coliban Water aims to have both stations operational by the end of 2014.

Once the stations are ready, the ongoing operation and maintenance of the pumps will be handled by Coliban Waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s service delivery and infrastructure team.

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I RRI G ATI O N

Investing in efficiency for the future of farming Life on the land can be tough, especially in times of drought. Water is too important to the operations of rural industries to be used inefficiently. The rural water use efficiency-irrigation futures (RWUE-IF) initiative is a partnership between rural industries and the Queensland Government that aims to improve the on-farm use and management of irrigation water. It also helps irrigators reduce the energy consumption of their pumping applications.

T

hrough the RWUE-IF initiative, the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines provides grants to industry groups throughout rural Queensland. The groups then use these funds to develop programs to improve irrigators’ water and energy efficiency.

The Queensland Government has allocated $8 million to the initiative over four years (starting in July 2013).

RWUE-IF operates across the state, except in Queensland’s section of the Murray-Darling Basin, which is already covered by the Healthy HeadWaters program.

Priority is given to areas where improved water efficiency is most immediately necessary, such as those where water allocations are reduced.

The overall aim of the program is to make the Queensland irrigation sector more competitive, profitable and sustainable and help it take advantage of various reforms such as water trading.

The stated objectives of RWUE-IF are to: • Engage with irrigators and others through mechanisms that maximise participation in the program.

• Improve on-farm water 60

management by promoting and demonstrating precision irrigation that achieves water and energy efficiency gains.

• Secure benchmark levels of production per megalitre of water.

• Encourage the involvement of the irrigation agribusiness sector in the program so it can improve the technical capacity of on-farm products.

These objectives are achieved largely through the assessment of irrigation systems and the promotion of high-standard developments and technologies.

Forging efficient partnerships The following industry groups are involved in the initiative: Queensland Cane Growers Organisation, Queensland Dairyfarmers' Organisation, Growcom, Queensland Turf Producers Association, Flower Association of Queensland and Nursery and Garden Industry Queensland.

Irrigation Australia and the National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture also support the industry programs by fostering the development and uptake of new technologies and practices in the irrigation sector, and improving the

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

technical capacity of service providers.

Some of the ways these groups assist irrigators include: • Providing information on best practice through workshops, field days, fact sheets and web-based tools on ways to improve water and energy efficiency.

• Conducting assessments on irrigation and pumping systems to determine their efficiency and to identify where water and energy savings can be made.

• Offering financial incentives to irrigators to encourage them to make system and practice changes.

• Providing advice on managing agricultural wastewater, including the management of nutrients applied through irrigation.

Assessing irrigation systems

All the industry programs funded through RWUE-IF involve assessing irrigators current irrigation systems in order to identify where efficiencies can be realised. This involves examining distribution uniformity and hydraulic performance.

The results of assessments are recorded in specially developed web-based tools – the Irrigation www.pumpindustry.com.au

I RRI G ATI O N

Performance Audit and Reporting Tool and the Irrigation Pump Evaluation and Reporting Tool – that are used for evaluation and collating in-field irrigation application system performance data.

recommendations are implemented, the recommended changes can achieve energy savings of up to 70 per cent, with the average achievable target around 40 per cent.

Generally, irrigators receive a report generated from these tools along with advice on inadequacies in the system and potential solutions.

Common efficiency pitfalls

Solutions can involve improved irrigation scheduling, adoption of precision irrigation techniques and modern technologies, improved irrigation system performance and modifying irrigation or pumping systems to reduce their energy consumption. Examples of recommended changes might include rationalising the pump and motor and matching the pumping system to the irrigator’s requirements to deliver a predetermined application rate.

When the need for new pumping equipment is identified in an assessment, the industry groups dealing with irrigators don’t recommend specific brands of pump. However, they do specify a duty range and local retail outlets for the irrigator to pursue.

So far over 400 assessments of the hydraulic performance and energy consumption of irrigation pumping systems have taken place. When the www.pumpindustry.com.au

According to a spokesperson from the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines, there are a number of inefficiencies that are found quite frequently.

For instance, the irrigation systems of many farms often display poor uniformity of distribution.

Another common problem is pump inefficiency or performance shortfall caused by: • The wrong pump being used for the required application (e.g. the pump not matching required duty, variable rate pumping used where duty is constant or alternatively not used where there is varying duty).

• Cavitation affecting the service life of pump.

• Problems with engine drive – engine best efficiency point not matched to pump best efficiency point, causing incorrect flows and pressures in-field and reduced service life.

Energy efficiency is another challenge.

One project in the Burdekin, targeting efficient in-furrow irrigation by reducing set times, has reportedly resulted in energy savings of more than 35 per cent.

Case study: designing a centre pivot to balance energy with the capital cost

The farm in question was set up in the late 1970s to operate 4½” travelling irrigators with 400m runs and lane spacing of 80m. In its day, this design was considered efficient, as the focus was given more to the drill lengths for cultivating and harvest operations.

The farm’s current owner recognised that he needed to update this irrigation system. His main motivation in doing so was the potential energy saving this change could deliver. Therefore, he had a centre pivot installed using the existing distribution system, then decided to call in an expert to review the design.

The assessment found that using the existing mainline, the required system capacity could not be achieved at peak demand without irrigating during peak power costs.

System capacity is an essential consideration during the assessment

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IRRIG ATION

progress – along with power tariffs, water availability on controlled systems, mainline delivery systems and pump suitability. In this case, a 9mm per day application rate was set as the target.

The design review considered three calculated scenarios for this 22ha block: • Using the old equipment the farmer would need to run his traveller for 18.5 hours per day 30L/s for approximately six weeks at peak demand with a pump efficiency of 67 per cent best efficiency point (BEP). The pumping cost for off-peak power for 462 hours at $0.12kWh = $2326.81 and 315 hours at $0.22kWh = $2908.52, a total of $5235.33.

• A centre pivot using the existing infrastructure would need to run for 14 hours per day at 40 L/s with reduced pump efficiency well below the BEP to 40 per cent. Pumping cost for off peak for 462 hours at $0.12kWh = $2761.46 and 126 hours at $0.22kWh = $1380.73, a total of $4142.19. With this scenario however, the application efficiency of the pivot has been compromised as it will have a very high instantaneous application rate at the end of the machine 62

which exceeds the infiltration rate of the soil. The farmer was able to negotiate with his energy supplier for a lower tariff between peak and off-peak that allows him to run the system longer.

• A centre pivot and upgraded pumping system to match the duty with a constant use tariff of $0.17 per kWh. The pivot is operated for 22 hours per day at 25L/s.

Replacing the pump could achieve a high efficiency at the duty point of 75 per cent, and the pumping cost has been reduced to a total of $2505.42 to irrigate the 22ha.

The last option was implemented, and the pumping system was changed to a 100x65-200 ISO pump coupled to a 22kW motor.

This resulted in a saving of approximately $3234 per annum in energy alone. The new pump cost around $6800 (including upgrading the power panel for the smaller motor).

Overall this is a not a bad investment over a typical life expectancy of 15 years, equalling around $450 per annum capital investment to save $3234.

Recent rises in energy costs mean that the savings continue to increase significantly.

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

After using the old 75HP (55kW) pump for so many years, the farmer was surprised that the smaller modern pump could run the pivot.

The next step in working with the farmer is irrigation scheduling, which indicates savings of one ML per hectare and more savings on energy costs.

Demonstrating real efficiency improvements

The results demonstrated by the RWUE-IF initiative thus far highlight the substantial water and energy savings that can be achieved for irrigators by implementing best practice and ensuring the right equipment is being used for the right job and in the right way.

For an industry that relies so heavily on water, and where water use and the energy consumed by pumps make up a substantial percentage of costs, increased efficiency results in increased productivity, profit and sustainability.

When water is restricted and as energy costs rise, rural industries cannot afford to be inefficient: an investment in efficiency is an investment in the future.

For more information on the program, contact the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines on 13 74 68 or visit dnrm.qld.gov.au. www.pumpindustry.com.au

PUMP SCHOOL Question:

Are there any special operational considerations for magnetically driven pumps and what are their implications?

Answer:

In terms of the pumping action, there is no difference between normally sealed pumps and magnetically driven pumps. There are, however, a number of operational situations that could cause significant damage to magnetically driven pumps.

These are:

Dry running – magnetically driven pumps must not be run dry. There are two types of magnetic couplings on the market; synchronous couplings and torque ring couplings. Both couplings generate heat with the torque ring coupling by far the more significant. Magnetically driven pumps have internal bearings that are lubricated by the product pumped.

Running the pumps dry will cause serious damage to internal bearings with subsequent possible contact between the inner magnet ring and the containment chamber. It may also cause contact between the impeller and the casing if the rotating impeller assembly moves forward toward suction due to axial bearing failure. Some manufacturers may make pumps that have dry run capability but this is only for short run periods.

Operation with a closed discharge valve – the heat generated in the magnetic coupling will increase the temperature of the liquid with subsequent vapourisation. This will cause bearings to run in vapour with subsequent damage similar to dry running. Additional damage may be caused due to increased internal

www.pumpindustry.com.au

pressures from the vapourisation with subsequent ballooning of the containment chamber causing contact with the outer magnet ring.

as previously detailed may occur.

The shattered ceramic bearings may also cause severe erosion of internal components.

Entrained gases – the problem caused by entrained gases is similar to that of dry running. The gases interfere with lubrication of internal bearings causing bearing failure with damage as detailed earlier.

Temperature – temperatures above the recommended limits from manufacturers can cause damage to the magnetic coupling. The magnet strength and permanence is affected by increased temperature. Magnets retain most of their strength up to the manufacturer’s maximum temperature. As the temperature increases the magnet will lose some force, possibly resulting in the decoupling of the pump. Once the Curie temperature is reached, all magnetic strength is lost.

Cavitation – apart from the normal mechanical damage to the impeller and casings, additional problems will be encountered with the internal bearings.

The mechanical shocks from the cavitation may cause the shattering of internal bearings particularly if bearings are made of ceramics such as alumina, silicon carbide and tungsten carbide.

Contact between internal components

Article courtesy of Kelair Pumps Australia – When Pump Knowledge Matters. For more information call 1300 789 466 or visit www.kelairpumps.com.au.

pump industry | November 2014 | Issue 9

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Australian Pump Industries...............57

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Brown Brothers Australia ..................31

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I NDE X

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Hydro Innovations..............................14 Inpro-Seal...........................................H Kelair Pumps Australia......................35

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November 2015 Main feature

Hydro Australia ..................................21

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August 2015 Pump manufacturing Imports & exports

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Crusader Hose ...................................23

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Busch Australia .................................49

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Brown Brothers Australia ..................H

seepex Australia ................................33

Instrumentation, control & monitoring

Pressure and temperature gauges Vibration instrumentation Flow meters Condition monitoring sensors

Pump Products Pump protection

Sterling Pumps...................................45 Stevco Seals & Pumps Victoria ........29 Teco Australia ....................................17 United Pumps Australia.....................7 United Pumps Australia.....................H Vortex Hire..........................................19 WEG Australia ....................................41

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