Pumps and their maintenance

Contents

Chapter 1 3
1 Introduction 3
1.1 What is a Pump? 3
1.2 Pump Classifications 4
1.2.1 Centrifugal Pump 6
1.2.2 Sludge pump 7
1.2.3 Metering pump (dosing pump) 7
1.2.4 Gear pump 8
1.2.5 Vane Pumps (Positive Displacement) 8
1.2.6 Reciprocating Pumps 9
1.2.6.1 Diaphragm Pumps 9
1.2.7 Rotary Pumps 9
Chapter 2 14
2.1 Installation 14
2.1.1 Installation book 14
2.1.2 Preparation for shipment 14
2.1.3 Care of equipment in the field 14
2.1.4 Pump location 14
2.1.5 Foundation 14
2.1.6 Piping 15
2.1.7 Suction Piping 15
2.1.8 Discharge piping 15
2.1.9 Suction strainer 15
2.1.10 Instrumentation 15
2.2 Operation 16
2.2.1 Priming 16
2..2.2 Final checks before start up 16
2.2.3 Starting up and Stopping Procedures 16
2.3 Maintenance 17
2.3.1 Daily observation operation of the pump 17
2.3.2. Semi-Annual Inspection 17
2.3.3 Annual Inspection 17
2.3.4 Complete Overall 17
2.3.5 Spare and Repair Parts 18
2.3.6 Record Of Inspection And Repairs 18
2.3.7 Diagnosis Of Pump Troubles 18

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 Pumps and their maintenance

Chapter 3 18
Example for maintenance 22
Maintenance of screw pump 22
3.1 Introduction 22
3.2 Maintenance of screw pump 24
Summary 27
Bibliography 28

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 Pumps and their maintenance

Chapter One
Introduction
Despite all the care in operation and maintenance, engineers often face the
statement “the pump has failed i.e. it can no longer be kept in service”. Inability to
deliver the desired flow and head is just one of the most common conditions for taking
a pump out of service. There are other many conditions in which a pump, despite
suffering no loss in flow or head, is considered to have failed and has to be pulled out
of service as soon as possible. These include seal related problems (leakages, loss of
flushing, cooling, quenching systems, etc), pump and motor bearings related problems
(loss of lubrication, cooling, contamination of oil, abnormal noise, etc), leakages from
pump casing, very high noise and vibration levels, or driver (motor or turbine) related
problems.
The list of pump failure conditions mentioned above is neither exhaustive nor are the
conditions mutually exclusive. Often the root causes of failure are the same but the
symptoms are different. A little care when first symptoms of a problem appear can
save the pumps from permanent failures. Thus the most important task in such
situations is to find out whether the pump has failed mechanically or if there is some
process deficiency, or both. Many times when the pumps are sent to the workshop, the
maintenance people do not find anything wrong on disassembling it. Thus the decision
to pull a pump out of service for maintenance / repair should be made after a detailed
analysis of the symptoms and root causes of the pump failure. Also, in case of any
mechanical failure or physical damage of pump internals, the operating engineer
should be able to relate the failure to the process unit’s operating problems.
Any operating engineer, who typically has a chemical engineering background and
who desires to protect his pumps from frequent failures must develop not only a good
understanding of the process but also thorough knowledge of the mechanics of the
pump. Effective troubleshooting requires an ability to observe changes in performance
over time, and in the event of a failure, the capacity to thoroughly investigate the cause
of the failure and take measures to prevent the problem from re-occurring.
The fact of the matter is that there are three types of problems mostly encountered
with centrifugal pumps:
 design errors
 poor operation
 poor maintenance practices
The present article is being presented in three parts, covering all aspects of operation,
maintenance, and troubleshooting of centrifugal pumps. The article has been written
keeping in mind the level and interests of students and the beginners in operation. Any
comments or queries are most welcome.

1.1 What is a Pump?

There are many different definitions of this but this definition is best described as:
‘A machine used for the purpose of transferring quantities of fluids
and/or gases, from one place to another’.

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 Pumps and their maintenance

This is illustrated below transferring fluid from tank A to

spray nozzles B.

Another Definition: Pumps are devices

that cause the motion of a fluid, usually by
generating a change in pressure. Most Fig. 1 Typical pump installation

pumps use mechanical motion to produce

this change in pressure. The motion is
usually repetitive, and can be either

1.2. Pump Classifications:

Pumps are in general classified as Rotodynamic Pumps or Positive Displacement Pumps.

•Positive displacement •Rotodynamic

– Small flow rates Vs large heads – Modern pumps – A rotating impeller
Displacement Pumps
•Diaphragm pumps ••Flexible tube pumps •••Helical roto pumps

Rotodynamic Pumps

•Centrifugal (radial flow) pumps

••Mixed flow pumps

•••Axial flow pumps

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 Pumps and their maintenance

Displacement Pumps
Pumps

Rotodynamic
Pumps

Rotor Reciprocating Multi-stage Single-stage

Multi-rotor Plunger Double entry

Screw Diaphragm End suction

Circumferential
piston Simplex Process

Rubber
Gear Multiplex
Lined

External Submersible

External General

Rotary Lobe

Single-rotor

Piston

Archimedian
screw

Flexible
member

Vane

Peristaltic

Progressing cavity

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 Pumps and their maintenance

1.2.1 Centrifugal Pumps

General Components of Centrifugal Pumps

A centrifugal pump has two main components:

A stationary component comprised of a casing, casing cover, and bearings.

A rotating component comprised of an impeller and a shaft.

The general components, both stationary and rotary, are depicted in Figure 1. The main
components are discussed in brief below. Figure 2 shows these parts on a photograph of a pump in
the field.

Figure 1: General components of Centrifugal Pump

Figure 2: General components of a Centrifugal Pump

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 Pumps and their maintenance

1.2.2 Sludge pump

Function Description

:Application
the sludge pump is used to pump sludge from the intermediate sludge tank to the sludge
tank.

Design: the pump is an oscillating, self priming displacement pump, which pump the liquid
through the two chambers. This pumping method is especially gentle to the liquid, because
.the pump uses only the displacement effect of the diaphragm

Working Principle: A control valve guides the required pressure air to the back of the
pumping membrane, thereby forcing the liquid out of the product chamber. The diaphragm
has the function of a barrier between liquid and air. As the pressures n the pressure air and
product chambers are always equal during each pumping stroke, the diaphragms are free of
load. The backstroke of the diaphragm causes a vacuum in its chamber and liquid flows
into the chamber, the chamber is in suction position. At the same time the other diaphragm,
which is supported by air, forces liquid out of the related chamber. As both diaphragms are
connected by a piston rod, one side will always draw in liquid, while the opposite side
forces liquid out. The air is thereby used for two purposes during each cycle, for the actual
.pumping function and for sucking in new liquid

1.2.3 Metering pump (dosing pump):

It is used in the water treatment room for chemical treatment of water by addition some
chemical solution in the water.

Metering pumps introduction

Metering pumps move precise volumes of liquid in a specified

time period to provide accurate flow rates. This class of pumps moves
.liquids in two stages: the suction stroke and the discharge stroke
During the suction stroke, liquid is pulled into the pump cavity past
the inlet check valve. During the discharge stroke, the inlet valve
closes; the outlet valve opens, and the liquid is pushed out. Vary the
.flow either by changing the stroke length or by adjusting the cycle frequency

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 Pumps and their maintenance
Operating principle:
Reciprocating action is caused by the combined effect of electromagnetic force created
by pulse current from the control section and the force of the spring. This
reciprocal action is transmitted to the diaphragm directly connected with the
plunger pin, changing the volume inside the pump chamber. Thus, varied
volume inside the pump chamber and the functioning of the valves in the pump
head start and maintain pump operation.

1.2.4 Gear pump

This is a type of Rotary Force Pump. Gear pumps are extremely simple and reliable.
Depending on the number of teeth, the "idler" gear might be driven
directly by the "drive" gear. Generally with six or more teeth this is
possible. In other cases an extra gear external to the pump drives the
secondary gear at the same rate.
The teeth on Gear Pumps can be spur (straight), helical (slanted),
herringbone, etc. There can be two or more teeth on each gear -- twenty is not uncommon.
The diameter of the gears and their thickness varies widely.
The many variations have different effects on the efficiency, strength, smoothness and other
areas of operation.
This pump will pump in the reverse Gear pumps use the meshing of gears to pump
direction if you reverse the direction of fluid by displacement. They are one of the most
rotation of the gears. Two pairs of common types of pumps for hydraulic fluid power
valves can be added to make this a applications.
Reversing Gear Pump, which pumps
in the same direction regardless of which direction the gears rotate.

Types of gear pump

There are two main variations; external gear pumps which use two external spur gears, and
internal gear pumps which use an external and an internal spur gear. Gear pumps are fixed
displacement, meaning they pump a constant amount of fluid for each revolution. Some gear pumps
are designed to function as either a motor or pump

Vane Pumps (Positive Displacement)1.2.5

Lear Romec introduced the vane pump design for aerospace applications
in the late 1920's and continues to refine the technology. Today, we
produce single and multiple element vane pumps designed to operate in a
variety of demanding environments. Lear Romec vane pumps are robust
and can be used in oil, fuel, and coolant applications.

A typical vane element consists of a rotor,

liner, and vanes as illustrated. The
liner encases the rotor and vanes with the vanes sliding within their
slots in the rotor. As the rotor rotates within the liner, centrifugal

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 Pumps and their maintenance
force throws the vanes outward to form a seal with the liner. A partial vacuum is then
created at the inlet side of the pump drawing in fluid which is discharged through the outlet
side upon further rotation of the rotor. The unique geometry of the vane liner bore creates
the needed fluid flow as the rotor and blades rotate inside it.

1.2.6 Reciprocating Pumps

Reciprocating pumps can be broken down into two main subcategories,
bellows/diaphragm type pumps and piston pumps. Both of these types of pumps use a
change in the volume of the pump chamber to produce a lower pressure than that of the
reservoir to draw water in, and a larger pressure than that at the receptacle to force the water
out. Both require inlet and outlet valves to restrict fluid flow to be in one direction only.

Diaphragm Pumps 1.2.6.1

For diaphragm (or bellows or bladder) pumps the deformation of a flexible element
results initially in an increase in a sealed volume defined by the diaphragm and the pump
chamber, and thus a decrease in the gas pressure from that of the surrounding atmosphere.
This type of pump must be primed as is the case for a piston pump.

Some things to note about diaphragm pumps:

(1) The diaphragm must be sufficiently flexible so as to allow it to stretch and conform to
the shape of the chamber without cracking or tearing. It will be cycled back and forth
between two extreme positions many times, and so the material must allow this without
failing due to fatigue.

The maximum pressure applicable with the diaphragm will be limited by the strength of (2)
the diaphragm. The pressure will also cause the diphragm to distort, limiting to what extent
moving the plunger to one or the other extreme position will result in it being stretched tight
.about the walls of the container

(3) Diaphragms are typically made from an elastomer, usually a thick piece of rubber to
allow deformability, and also to act as a seal between the halves of the pump chamber.

(4) The diaphragm must be mounted securely to the plunger, either using an adhesive, or
trapping it between the plunger disk and a backup plate. A backup plate however can
increase the minimum volume attainable with the plunger completely advanced, reducing
the

(4) Fabricating the chamber is difficult, compared to some other pump designs. It must be
made in two parts which bolt together, around the edges of the diaphragm, which makes the
seal.

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 Pumps and their maintenance

1.2.7 Rotary Pumps

The most commonly used rotary pump is the centrifugal type. It consists of a
collection of curved vanes, called an impeller, which rotate at a high angular velocity.
Water enters at the center of the pump, and is directed around and outward by the vanes.
The force applied by a moving vane to a water molecule imparts a momentum to it which
after the interaction has a radially outward component. This is referred to as a “centrifugal
force”, it isn’t really an outward force of course, it’s simply that the force sets the water into
motion along a which at the instant of interaction is along the circumfrential direction, but
as the orientation of the vane continues to change, there is a component of the velocity
which is not parallel to the applied force, and is thus unaffected by the subsequent
interaction.

Although it is possible to build an operational centrifugal pump with vanes which

extend outward radially (the “Boston Pump” was an example), this configuration tends to
stir the water more causing turbulence, and resulting in less efficiency. Having vanes which
are “swept-back” increases the efficiency with which the water is directed outwards from
the center. The outward motion of the water results in a decrease in the pressure at the
center, so that water is forced by atmosphere though the inlet line and into the pump.

The impeller is enclosed within a housing called the volute. Water which is forced out
of the impeller continues around the space between it and the volute wall. The impeller
passes in close proximity to the volute at the point at which the outlet tube, called the
diffuser begins. This forces the water into the diffuser, rather than reentering the impeller
where there is an extra dynamic pressure due to the water which is exiting it.

The space between the impeller and volute wall flares outward, as does the diffuser.
From the incompressibility of water and the resulting constancy of the volumetric flow, the
velocity must decrease inversely with the increasing cross sectional area. From Bernoulli’s
equation, this results in an in crease in the pressure.

Since the motion of the pump is always in the same sense, inlet and outlet valves are not
required to control the water flow direction. A valve is typically used at the base of the inlet
line to keep the water from flowing down into the reservoir if the motion of the impeller is
halted however.

Unlike the reciprocating pumps discussed above, the volume of water pumped per cycle
is not fixed. A throttle valve can be installed after the pump, decreasing the flow without
halting the pump. The excess water merely continues to move around the pump. It is thus
not a positive displacement pump.

The efficiency of a centrifugal pump increases with rotational rate. The measured efficiency
is usually given in terms of a combination of rotational rate, volumetric flow and head
referred to as the “specific speed”

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 Pumps and their maintenance

N s  (q v ) / h 0.75 , (1)

0.5

with n equal to the impeller rotation rate (in rotations/minute), qv the volumetric flow rate
(in gallons/minute) and h the head (in feet). It clearly does not have the dimensions of
velocity, and so the name speed is deceptive. Its magnitude would be that of the rotational
rate (although in different units!) if the flow rate were 1 gallon/minute and the head were 1
ft.

The reason for using this combination of quantities comes from a dimensional analysis of
the power which could be supplied by an ideal, frictionless pump. Experimentally, for a
given design (impeller vane shape, number of vanes, volute shape) the power is found to be
a function of the density of the fluid , the rotational rate of the impeller , and the overall
size, measured by the diameter of the impeller D. If it is assumed that the power can be
written as a product of these quantities raised to different powers, dimensional analysis
allows the individual exponents to be determined.

P  C a b D c , (2)

where C is a constant of proportionality. Power has units of force times velocity, while
density has units of mass/volume, rotational rate has units of 1/time and head has units of
length, thus:
a b
 [ mass][length]  [length]   [ mass]   1 
      [length]
c
   (3)
 [time] 2  [time]   [length ]
3
  [time] 

By equating the exponents for [mass], a=1. By equating the exponents for [length], 2=c-3a,
so that c=5. By equating the exponents for [time], -3=-b, or b=3. So that

P  C 3 D 5 (4)

But the total power supplied by the pump is proportional to the volumetric flow rate times
the head. The flow rate should clearly increase both with the impeller rotational rate and the
diameter of the impeller. Again, based on dimensional arguments, and based on an
assumption of a power-law dependence we can work out the exponents:

q v  D 3 (5)

so that comparing these two equations, and using the proportionality of the power and the
product of the flow rate times the total head:

h   2 D 2 , (6)

and solving both of these proportionalities for D3:

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 Pumps and their maintenance

D 3   3 / h 3 / 2  q v / (7)

Therefore it is possible to define a constant ratio:

 2 qv
 C (8)
h 3 / 2

and its square root is also a constant, and independent of the size of the pump (but of course
not of the shape and number of vanes, shape of the volute,…)

1/ 2
 qv
 Ns (9)
h 3 / 4

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 Pumps and their maintenance

Circumferential-Piston Pump Centrifugal Pump

Hose Pump

Piston Pump

External Gear Pump Internal

Submersible
Pump

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Pumps and their maintenance

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