TROUBLESHOOTING PUMP

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CONTENTS
Introduction Pump classification Centrifugal pump Pump cavitations Pump Trouble shooting

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INTRODUCTION TO PUMP
A pump is one such device that expends energy to raise, transport, or compress liquids. The earliest known pump devices go back a few thousand years. One such early pump device was called Noria, similar to the Persian and the Roman water wheels

The ancient Egyptians invented water wheels with buckets mounted on them to transfer water for irrigation.

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PUMP APPLICATIONS
Some of the more common types of pumps required in industrial plants are:

1.

Boiler feed water pump - supplies the boiler with feed water as required. It must be capable of forcing this water into the boiler against the pressure existing in the boiler. 2.Fuel oil pump - used in oil-fired boilers to pump fuel oil to the burners. 3.Lubricating oil pump - used to circulate oil to the bearings of a machine such as a turbine, engine, pump, or compressor. 4.Circulating water pump - also called a cooling water pump. It is used to pump water through a heat exchanger such as a condenser or an oil cooler. 5.Chemical feed pump - small capacity units are used to pump chemicals into boilers; larger units are used as process pumps. 6.Fire pump - used to supply water to plant fire lines. 7.Domestic water pump - used to supply water to plant washrooms, etc. 8.Irrigation: To make dry lands agriculturally productive. 9.Water supply: To supply water to inhabited areas.

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PUMP CLASSIFICATION
Pumps can be classified on various bases. For example, a typical classification of rotating shaft (kinetic) pumps is given in Appendix. Pumps based on their principle of operation are primarily classified into:

Positive displacement pumps (reciprocating, rotary pumps) Roto-dynamic pumps (centrifugal pumps) Others.

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PUMP CLASSIFICATION
Positive displacement pumps, which lift a given volume for each cycle of operation, can be divided into two main classes, reciprocating and rotary.

Roto-dynamic pumps raise the pressure of the liquid by first imparting velocity energy to it and then converting this to pressure energy. These are also called centrifugal pumps. Centrifugal pumps include radial, axial, and mixed flow units.

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Pump Classification

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Pump Classification

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Pumps Classification

Screw pumps
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Pumps Classification

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Gear pumps

Pumps Classification

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Vane pump

Pumps Classification

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CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS

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1-CENTRIFUGAL PUMP
A centrifugal pump may be defined as a pump which uses centrifugal force to develop velocity in the liquid being handled. The velocity is then converted to pressure when the liquid velocity decreases. As kinetic energy is decreased, pressure is increased.

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Centrifugal Pumps

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Working Mechanism of a Centrifugal Pump

Construction: 1-Impeller:

The impeller of the centrifugal pump converts the mechanical rotation to the velocity of the liquid. The impeller acts as the spinning wheel in the pump. It has an inlet eye through which the liquid suction occurs. The liquid is then guided from the inlet to the outlet of the impeller by vanes. The angle and shape of the vanes are designed based on flow rate.

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2- Impeller suction

In general, an impeller has one eye or a single opening through which liquid suction occurs. Such impellers are called as singlesuction impellers. Pumps with a single suction impeller (impeller having suction cavity on one side only) are of a simple design but the impeller is subjected to higher axial thrust imbalance due to the flow on one side of the impeller only.

3- Flow outlet from impeller

The flow direction of the liquid at the outlet of the impeller can be: Radial (perpendicular to inlet flow direction) Mixed Axial (parallel to inlet flow direction).

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4- Volute casing:

Volute casings when manufactured with smooth surfaces offer insignificant hydraulic losses. In pumps with volute casings, it is possible to trim down impeller vanes and shrouds with minimal effect on efficiency. In volute casings, the kinetic energy is converted into pressure only in the diffusion chamber immediately after the volute throat. The divergence angle is between 7 and 13. The volutes encountered can be of various cross-sections .

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5- Wearing rings:
The impeller is a rotating component and it is housed within the pump casing. To prevent frictional contact, a gap between these two parts is essential. So there exists a gap between the periphery of an impeller intake and the pump casing. In addition, there is a pressure difference between them, which results in the recirculation of the pumped liquid. This leakage reduces the efficiency of the pump. The other advantages of lower clearance is that reduced leakage prevents erosion due to suction recirculation and also provides a much better rotor dynamic stability to the pump.

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Usually, these are required when impellers are provided with balancing holes in order to minimize the axial thrust coming onto the pump impeller and consequently onto the bearings. The arrangement of the wearing rings on the back of the impeller is shown

Wearing ring location

The material of the wearing rings is selected to prevent seizure on frictional contact. As a result, materials like SS-316 which have galling tendencies are not considered for this application.

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6- Shaft

The pump rotor assembly comprises of the shaft, impeller, sleeves, seals (rotating element), bearings or bearing surfaces, and coupling halves. The shaft, however, is the key element of the rotor. The prime mover drives the impeller and displaces the fluid in the impeller and pump casing through the shaft. The pump shaft is a stressed member for during operation it can be in tension, compression, bending, and torsion. As these loads are cyclic in nature, the shaft failure is likely due to fatigue. 7- Stuffing boxes The stuffing box is a chamber or a housing that serves to seal the shaft where it passes through the pump casing. In a stuffing box, 46 suitable packing rings are placed and a gland (end plate) for squeezing and pressing them down the shaft.

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The narrow passage, between the shaft and the packing housed in the stuffing box, provides a restrictive path to the liquid, which is at a high pressure within the pump casing. The restrictive path causes a pressure drop, prevents leakage resulting in considerable friction between the shaft and the packing, and causes the former to heat up. It is thus good practice to tighten the gland just enough to allow for a minimal leak through the packing.

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This figure shows the basic construction of a stuffing box which holds five rings of packing. The gland holds the rings in place and can be adjusted to put pressure on the packing by tightening of the adjusting nuts.

8- Mechanical seals and seal housings

The stuffing boxes described above have many disadvantages and these include: A persistent leakage and loss of product if the shaft surface is not smooth. If the gland is too tightened, the shaft/sleeve gets hot and there can be rapid wear of the surface. They require constant supervision.
As a result, the use of gland packing is being phased out but is still used in noncritical and low-power applications. In most of the applications, mechanical seals are used. Most of the disadvantages of packing are eliminated by the use of mechanical seals.

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Overhung impeller pumps usually employ anti-friction bearings only. In a typical bearing housing arrangement, the radial ball or cylindrical roller bearing is located adjacent to the impeller or inboard position. It is arranged to take only radial loads.

9-Bearing:

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Couplings for pumps usually fall in the category of generalpurpose couplings. General purpose couplings are standardized and are less sophisticated in design. The cost of such coupling is also on the lower side. In addition, there are special purpose couplings that can be used on turbo machines and are covered by the API 671 specification.

10-Couplings

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MULTI STAGE CENTRIFUGAL

PUMP

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CAVITATION
General Symptoms of Cavitation and its Affect on the Pump Performance and Pump Parts 1-Reduction in capacity of the pump 2-Decrease in the head developed 3-Abnormal sound and vibrations

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Cavitation

Mechanism of Cavitation

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Cavitation

Collapse of bubbles

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Cavitation
4- Damage to pump parts

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Cavitation

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CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS TROUBLESHOOTING

To effectively troubleshoot poorly performing pumps , follow these steps:
1- Clearly define the problem based on observations and accumulated information. 2- Review available historical system operation 3- Identify and obtain any additional information and analysis that may be required. 4- Identify and list potential root causes and consider each. 5- Deduce the root cause based on the accumulated information. 6- Execute corrective action.

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CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS TROUBLESHOOTING The pump is not producing enough capacity to satisfy the application
The Problem is in The Pump Its Self 2. THE PROBLEM IS ON THE SUCTION SIDE OF THE PUMP 3. Problems On The Discharge Side of The Pump Including The Piping
1.

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THE PROBLEM IS IN THE PUMP ITS SELF

The impeller diameter is too small 2. The impeller width is too narrow 3. The impeller speed is too slow. Check the voltage and frequency 4. The impeller is damaged. 5. The impeller is clogged. 6. The open impeller clearance is too large. 7. The impeller has been installed backwards . 8. Air is coming into the pump suction through the packing. 9. Air is coming into the pump suction through an unbalanced mechanical seal. 10. The pump was not primed prior to start up.
1.

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THE PROBLEM IS ON THE SUCTION SIDE OF THE PUMP

There is too much piping between the pump suction and the source tank. 2. There is an elbow too close to the pump suction. 3. A filter or strainer is clogged. 4. Intermittent plugging of the suction inlet 5. A foot valve is stuck 6. The tank float is stuck. Showing a higher tank level that does not exist. 7. The tank vent is partially shut or frozen. . 8. A check valve is stuck partially closed 9. Solids have built up on the piping walls. 10. A globe valve has been substituted for a gate valve. 11. A check valve is stuck partially closed 12. Solids have built up on the piping walls
1.

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PROBLEMS ON THE DISCHARGE SIDE OF THE PUMP INCLUDING THE PIPING

Extra piping has been added to the system to accommodate extra storage capacity. 2. A bypass line has been installed in the pump discharge. 3. Piping or fittings have been added to the discharge side of the pump. 4. An orifice has been installed in the discharge piping to reduce the capacity or produce afalse head. 5. A gate valve has been substituted for a globe valve in the discharge piping. 6. A check valve is stuck partially closed. 7. An orifice has been installed into the piping to restrict flow. 8. The piping was collapsed by a heavy object that hit the outside of the piping.
1.

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CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS TROUBLESHOOTING

Pump takes excessive power. -Engine speed too high. -Obstruction between impeller and casing. Viscosity of liquid being pumped too high

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CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS TROUBLESHOOTING

Pump ceases to deliver liquid after a time. 1. Suction lift too great. 2. Insufficient water at suction inlet. 3. Suction inlet or strainer blocked. 4. Suction hose collapsed. 5. Excessive air leak in suction line. 6. Mechanical seal / packing drawing air into pump. 7. Obstruction in pump casing/impeller. 8. Delivery hose punctured or blocked.

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CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS TROUBLESHOOTING

Pump does not prime 1. Suction lift too great. 2. Insufficient water at suction inlet. 3. Suction inlet or strainer blocked. 4. Suction line not air tight. 5. Suction hose collapsed. 6. Non return valve ball not seating. 7. Mechanical seal / packing drawing air into pump.

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CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS TROUBLESHOOTING Pump vibrating or overheating 1. Engine speed too high. 2. Obstruction in pump casing/impeller. 3. Impeller damaged. 4. Cavitation due to excessive suction lift.

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SUGGESTED MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE

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SUGGESTED MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE

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REFERENCES
pump wisdom by heinz p. bloch Improving Pumping System Performance, A Sourcebook for Industry-Second Edition Centrifugal pump design and applications-Second Edition

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Thank You

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