Mechanical Paper September 2010

High Pressure Carbamate Recycle Pump

Damage Analysis Report

k Force M

Fauji Fertilizer Task Force Members

Mr. Muhammad Abdulla
Mr. Munir A. Mahmood
Mr. Muhammad Adnan Hanif
Mr. Usman Niazi

1
Introduction:
Fauji Fertilizer Company Ltd [FFC] was incorporated in May 1978 as a joint venture
between Fauji Foundation and Haldor Topsoe, Denmark. FFC is the largest urea
manufacturer in Pakistan, operating three ammonia-urea plants; two at Goth Machhi in
Punjab and one at Mirpur Mathelo in Sindh. All ammonia plants employ Haldor
Topsoe design, while urea plants are based on Snamprogetti technology. The first
ammonia-urea plant [Plant-I] was commissioned at Goth Machhi in 1982 with design
capacities of 1000 metric tons ammonia and 1725 metric tons urea per day. The plant
was successfully revamped to 122 % of design capacity in 1992. The second ammonia-
urea plant [Plant-II] was commissioned at Goth Machhi in March 1993 with design
capacities of 1100 MeT ammonia and 1925 metric tons urea per day. The third
ammonia-urea plant [Plant-III] at Mirpur Mathelo was acquired in 2002 through
privatization of the PakSaudi Fertilizers Limited. This plant has design capacities are
1000 metric tons ammonia and 1740 metric tons urea per day. The plant was
successfully revamped to 125 % of design capacity in 2008.

FFC also has a majority shareholding in a subsidiary company called Fauji Fertilizer Bin
Qasim Limited [FFBL], producing granular urea and di-ammonium phosphate, and
12.5% share-holding in Pakistan Maroc Phosphore, Morocco [a joint venture between
FFC, FFBL, Fauji Foundation, Pakistan and Office Cherifien des Phosphates, Morocco.

Abstract:
This case takes place in one of the three Saipem urea plants with a design capacity of
2105 mtpd. The high pressure carbamate solution recycle pumps, P102A/B, are two
stage centrifugal pumps manufactured by Sundstrand, USA. The two stages of the
pumps are mounted in a back arrangement on each end of the high speed shaft rotating
at 16000 rpm. The low speed shaft driven by 630 KW motor rotates at 3000 rpm These
pumps have a history of damage particularly at 2nd stage since commissioning in 1982
(09 damages at Pump A and 05 at Pump B ). In April 2007, P102A 2nd stage was
damaged after seal flush failure. After overhauling, the pump performed normal up till
April 2010 when it again damaged after seal flush failure. A multi disciplinary Task
Force analyzed the sequence of events and concluded that the pump thrust increased
due to low seal flush and a process upset. This caused rubbing of the impeller and
dynamic rotors with stators. The Bentley Nevada 72000 system could not cause tripping
of the pump due to a possible deflection in the gear box frame and mounting
arrangement of the probes. Several recommendations were made to improve the
reliability of these pumps.

2
 H
High P
Press ure Carba
C mate Recy
ycle P
Pump,, P-1002
D aged Analy
Dama A ysis Repor
R rt

Task
k Force Membe
ers:

Muham
mmad Ab
bdullah Mechan
nical En
ngineer

Munir A.
A Mahm
mood Chemic
cal Engin
neer

Muham
mmad Ad
dnan Ha
anif Process
s Engine
eer

Usman
n Niazi Inspectiion Engineer


Issued Date: May,

M 20
010
3
 Back
kgroun
nd
High pressurre carbama ate solutio
on recycle
e pumps, P-102A/B
B are two stage
centtrifugal pu
umps man nufactureed by Sunndstrand, USA. The
e two stagges of
the pump are e mounted
d in a back to back arrangemment on e
each end ofo the
highh speed shaft
s rota
ating at 16000
1 rpmm. The lo
ow speed shaft driv
ven by
630K
KW motor rotates at 3000 rpm.

Pum
mp and mottor sketch iss shown beelow;

Thesse pumpss have history h off damagee particularly at 22nd stagee since
commmissioning g in 1982.. (09 damaages at Pu ump A an nd 05 at ppump B). Initially
I
pummp failure was w attribu uted to no
on compatiibility of im
mpeller maaterial whiich was
laterr rectified in year 20000 by replaacing Titan
nium impeellers with SS-316 immpellers.
In April
A 20077, P-102A 2nd stage was dam maged afteer seal fluush failuree. After
overrhauling, the pump p performeed norma al up till April 2010 when it again
dammaged afterr seal flushh failure.

Na
arrative
e
On 5th April, 2010, Urea
a plant wa
as shut-do
own to recctify Ammmonia cond denser
E-11
10 leakagge. During g Urea Plant
P startup, higgh pressu ure Carba amate
recy
ycle pump p P-102 A tripped on
o second d stage low
w seal flussh flow security
LFIS
S-302 A affter 73 miin of norm
mal operattion. No abnormalit
a ty was obsserved

4
on vibration
v m
monitoringg system. Seal flush flow got restored a after a whiile the
pummp was staarted again
n, but it ag
gain trippeed on 2nd stage loww seal flush
h flow.
At the
t same time
t low pressure
p allarm of seeal flush pump
p P-11
11 A/B wa as also
soun
nded. Vib bration and
a thrusst remain ned unde er alarm value. Upon
mantling, 2nd stage of pump was
dism w found d severelyy damagedd.

A siimplified PFD of MP
M section is given below;
b

5
 Se
equenc
ce of Events
E s

Obse
ervatio
ons
Folllowing we
ere the ma
ain observ
vations before & aftter the pum
mp damag
ge.
Pro
ocess Ob
bservatiions:

Evidences related to pro

ocess parameters fou
und on DCS
S are as bellow;

6
Mechanica
al Obserrvations
s:

On seal flus
sh circuiit:

x Seal flu o 2nd stage found

ush flow to f 80%
% against
normall of 100%.
x Additioonal needlee valve insstalled in seeal flush
circuit in year 20007 was remmoved and d a spacer
was in nstalled. Thhe seal flussh flow beccame 100%.
x The puump shaft was
w rotated d but it wass found
seized. Thereforee pump was
w disman ntled and
followiing was ob
bserved:
Pum
mp 1st Sttage Obs ns:
servation

x On 1st stage
s the in
nducer of th
he impellerr was found
slightly
y bent.
x The dy
ynamic roto
ors & statorrs were fou
und in good
d
conditiions.
x Mechan
nical seals on oil & prrocess sidee were foun
nd
in good
d condition
n

Pum
mp 2nd stage obs
servation
ns:

x Impelleer of the 2nd

n stage wa
as found ba
adly rubbed
d
with th
he casing plate.

x peed shaft threaded portion

High sp p wa
as found
broken
n within thee impeller.
x The plaate behind
d the impelllerwas sev
verely
rubbed
d and de-shhaped
x Dynam mic rotors & stators were
w found fused with h
the shaaft. These had
h to be reemoved aftter cutting
and griinding.
x Mechannical seals on oil & prrocess sidee were foun
nd
in norm
mal conditiion.
Bea
arings:

x Bearinggs of low sp
peed shaft were foun
nd in good
conditiion.
x Float was
w also norrmal.
x High speed shaft pinion fou
und norma
al.
x Thrust bearing off 1st stage was
w found in satisfacctory condiition.
7
 x Thrust bearing 2nd
n stageside
e was foun
nd slightly rubbed.
x Journall bearing condition was
w found normal
n
x High speed shaftt float was found 0.2
29 mm (recoommended 00.27 mm)

S
Seal Flu
ush Ciircuit
To seal
s theprocess fluiid, standa ard mecha anical seaals are pro ovided att both
stag
ges. For fluushing off mechaniccal seals, flushing fluid
f has been prov vided.
Thee seal flush
h fluid is taken
t from
m P- 111A/B at presssure and d temperrature
of 32kg/cm
3 2 o
and 100 C respecttively. P-1 111 A/B iss not excllusive for P-102
A/B B, but thesse also provide flusshing fluid to otherr locationss of Urea Plant.
As failure
f waas occurred at 2nd sttage, there
efore, seal flush circcuit of 2nd stage
eing descrribed. Forr 2nd stage
is be e, the presssure and temperatu
t ure are redduced
2 Kg/cm2 and 85 oC throu
to 12 ugh restriction oriffice and h heat exch hanger
resppectively. Seal flush
h circuit P&&I diagram is given n below;

Dow wnstream of restricttion orificce, flow orrifice has been

b provvided to ensure
e
flow
w to mech hanical seaal. Normaal flow is 100
1 % on flow mete er and trip
pping
is att 50%. Flu
ushing fluiid enters the 2
t pump at 12 kg/cm . Its p pressure iss then
incrreased at a value mo ore than suction
s pressure of 2nd stage bby four
dynnamic roto ors installe
ed on highh speed shhaft. The purpose
p o
of boostinng up
the pressure isi to mixinng the flusshing fluid with pro ocess fluid
d.

Low
w seal fllush:
Folllowing are
e the posssible reaso
ons for low
w seal flussh flow;
8
 Drop in discharg
ge pressuree of seal fllushing pu
ump P-111 A/B

It was verified by the lo

ow discharge presssure alarrm sound
ded at
synoptiic panel.

The dro
op in disccharge prressure might
m have
e caused by increa ase in
consummption of flushing
f f
fluid at some other location a
at Urea Pla
ant.

Increasse in suctio
on pressurre of 2nd stage by 2 kg
k / cm2
This inccrease in pressure
p w
was reco
orded att synoptic panell. As
describbed earlierr, pressu ure of flu
ushing flu uid is incrreased by y four
dynam mic rotors so
s that it can mix wiith suctionn fluid at 2
2nd stage
When thet suction n pressuree was incrreased the
e mixing ra ate was sllowed
down dued to lesss deferentiial pressu
ure. This fuurther deccreased th
he seal
flush fllow. Thereefore low seal flush
h was occu urred.

Blockag
ge in seal flush
f circu
uit

Any blo ockage in seal

s flush circuit orrifices or in
n needle v
valves can n also
cause loow seal flu
ush flow. After
A remmoval of ne eedle valv
ve, the seall
flush flo
ow increaased from 80
8 to 100% %.

Radial Probes

There are
a dual ra adial prob
bes installe
ed at thru
ust collar towards 1sst
stage ass shown below;
b

9
The pump rottates at veery high sp
peed of 166000 rpm and it takkes one
evollution in 3.7
3 mille se
econd onlly. Vibratiion generaated at 2 d stage (for
nd a
very
y short duuration) might
m havee dampene ed out at the nd
t 2 sta age bearinng and
did not reach at probes installed on 1st sta
age bearin
ng.

Con
nclusio
on
Pum
mp thrust increased d due to low seall flush an nd processs up set. This
caussed rubbiing of immpeller an nd dynam mic rotorrs with sstators. Beentley
Nevvada 7200 0 system could
c nott cause trripping off pump ddue to po ossible
deflection in gear
g box frame
f and
d mountin ng arrange ement of pprobes.

R
Recomm
menda
ations
x Seal flu
ush failure has detrim
mental effecct on pump ps internaals and evenn after
low seal flush pu ump remains in operation for 15 second d. Thereforee, task
force reecommend ds reducing g time dela
ay to 10 secconds. Pressent trip seecurity
actuation at low seal
s flush is
i at 50 % of
o recommeended flow w. This lim
mit may
be increased to 600 %.
x One ad dditional ax xial probe towards 2nd n stage [ex owards 1st stage]
xisting is to
to be in nstalled to
o cater for any movement/defllection in tthrust bearring as
describbed in failuure analysiis. Similarly two add ditional rad dial probess at 2nd
stage sh hould alsoo be installeed to detect any vibraation produ uced at 2ndd stage.
Illustraation is sho
own below;;

x Presenttly there iss 03 second time dellay in tripp ump at axial and
ping of pu
radial probes.
p Thiis should be
b reduced to 01 secon nd.
x Additioonal needlle valves in nstalled at 1st and 2nd
n stage to be permaanently
removeed to avoid
d any flow restriction n due to steem malfunnctioning orr catch
up of fo
oreign partticle in neeedle valve.
x Pump OEM, M/s Sundstraand to be consulted
c f installattion of sea
for al flush
filters to
t minimizze blockagee chances of
o flow orifiice in seal fflush circuiit.
x Corresppondence with Sund dstrand US SA was starrted soon aafter the in
ncident
in Aprril 2010. Lo
ot of inform
mation hass been excchanged so o for. How wever,
root cause of the damage is still to be established
e d by Sundstrand.

10