Pumps & Systems

AU G U S T 2 0 15
PUMPSANDSYSTEMS.COM
SYSTEMS
The Leading Magazine for Pump Users Worldwide
OPTIMIZE SYSTEM
PERFORMANCE
4 highly engineered solutions to help
you get the most from your pumps
Component or Cartridge
Choose the Right Seal
How Remote Monitoring
Empowers Plant Employees
Trade Show Preview
Turbomachinery &
Pump Symposia
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Circle 100 on card or visit psfreeinfo.com.
From the Editor

A
s you fl ip through the pages of

This month, we welcome
this issue, the Pumps & Systems
Mike Pemberton as the
team is gearing up for a busy season of
newest member of the
Pumps & Systems team.
trade shows and travel. Next month,
With more than 25 years
we will be heading to Houston for
of experience in the pump
the 44th Turbomachinery & 31st
industry, Pemberton will
serve as the magazines
Pump Symposia (TPS), Sept. 14-17,
senior technical editor,
where optimizing pumping systems
responsible for ensuring that
including piping, lubrication,
Pumps & Systems continues
to provide readers with the most respected,
motors, drives, seals, couplings and
authoritative, relevant and timely content possible.
alignmentwill be a core focus.
A well-known leader in the pump industry and a
Because system optimization is
long-time member of the Pumps & Systems Editorial
Advisory Board, Pemberton will play a valuable role
a goal for every pump user, we are
in providing the high-quality content that makes
bringing you coverage of four highly
Pumps & Systems the leading magazine for pump
engineered solutions that will help
users worldwide.
you get the most from your pumps.
Beginning on page 60, this months cover series will highlight how technological
advances are allowing end users to cost-effectively revamp existing equipment for
more efficient operation. The series continues with 10 Things You Need to Know about
NPSH (page 68), which outlines how thorough and accurate NPSH calculations can
provide users the information they need to enhance system performance. The series
also discusses the benefits of engineered composites (page 72) and electrical inspections
(page 78) for minimizing costs, improving reliability and eliminating downtime.
You also dont want to miss our newest column, Common Pumping Mistakes, authored
by Jim Maddog Elsey. Introduced in February as a bimonthly piece, the column will
now appear in every issue. A seasoned industry expert, Elsey shares lessons learned from
40 years in the field that will help readers further improve their equipment operation.
How do you optimize your pumping systems? Drop by our booth (#1318) at TPS to
share your thoughts, ideas and best practices. Wed love to hear from you! Well also be at
WEFTEC in Chicago, Sept. 26-30, so feel free to stop by our booth (#4256) there as well.
As always, we appreciate your insight and hope to see you soon!
EDITORIAL
SENIOR EDITOR, PUMPS DIVISION: Alecia Archibald
aarchibald@cahabamedia.com 205-314-3878
SENIOR TECHNICAL EDITOR: Mike Pemberton
mpemberton@cahabamedia.com
205-314-8279
MANAGING EDITOR: Amelia Messamore
amessamore@cahabamedia.com
205-314-8264
MANAGING EDITOR: Savanna Gray
sgray@cahabamedia.com 205-278-2839
ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Amy Cash
acash@cahabamedia.com 205-278-2826
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Laurel Donoho,
Lev Nelik, Ray Hardee, Jim Elsey
CREATIVE SERVICES
SENIOR ART DIRECTOR: Greg Ragsdale
ART DIRECTOR: Melanie Magee
WEB DEVELOPER: Greg Caudle
PRINT ADVERTISING TRAFFIC: Lisa Freeman
lfreeman@cahabamedia.com 205-212-9402
CIRCULATION
AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER: Lori Masaoay
lmasaoay@cahabamedia.com 205-278-2840
ADVERTISING
NATIONAL SALES MANAGER: Derrell Moody
dmoody@pump-zone.com 205-345-0784
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES:
Mary-Kathryn Baker
mkbaker@pump-zone.com 205-345-6036
Mark Goins
mgoins@pump-zone.com 205-345-6414
Addison Perkins
aperkins@pump-zone.com 205-561-2603
Garrick Stone
gstone@pump-zone.com 205-212-9406
MARKETING ASSOCIATES:
Ashley Morris
amorris@cahabamedia.com 205-561-2600
Best regards,
Sonya Crocker
scrocker@cahabamedia.com 205-314-8276
Managing Editor, Amelia Messamore

amessamore@cahabamedia.com
PUBLISHER: Walter B. Evans Jr.
VP OF SALES: Greg Meineke
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Terri J. Gray
CONTROLLER: Brandon Whittemore
Pumps & Systems

is a member of the following organizations:
P.O. Box 530067

Birmingham, AL 35253
EDITORIAL & PRODUCTION
PUMPS & SYSTEMS (ISSN# 1065-108X) is published monthly by Cahaba Media Group, 1900 28th Avenue So., Suite 200, Birmingham, AL 35209. Periodicals
postage paid at Birmingham, AL, and additional mailing ofces. Subscriptions: Free of charge to qualied industrial pump users. Publisher reserves the
right to determine qualications. Annual subscriptions: US and possessions $48, all other countries $125 US funds (via air mail). Single copies: US and
possessions $5, all other countries $15 US funds (via air mail). Call 630-739-0900 inside or outside the U.S. POSTMASTER: Send changes of address and
form 3579 to Pumps & Systems, Subscription Dept., 440 Quadrangle Drive, Suite E, Bolingbrook, IL 60440. 2015 Cahaba Media Group, Inc. No part of
this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. The publisher does not warrant, either expressly or by implication, the
factual accuracy of any advertisements, articles or descriptions herein, nor does the publisher warrant the validity of any views or opinions offered by the
authors of said articles or descriptions. The opinions expressed are those of the individual authors, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Cahaba
Media Group. Cahaba Media Group makes no representation or warranties regarding the accuracy or appropriateness of the advice or any advertisements
contained in this magazine. SUBMISSIONS: We welcome submissions. Unless otherwise negotiated in writing by the editors, by sending us your submission, you grant Cahaba Media Group, Inc., permission by an irrevocable license to edit, reproduce, distribute, publish and adapt your submission in any
medium on multiple occasions. You are free to publish your submission yourself or to allow others to republish your submission. Submissions will not be
returned. Volume 23, Issue 8.
Augus t 2 015 | Pum ps & S yst e m s
1900 28th Avenue South, Suite 200

Birmingham, AL 35209
205-212-9402
ADVERTISING SALES
2126 McFarland Blvd. East, Suite A

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This issue
COVER
SERIES
AUGUST
Volume 23 Number 8
PUMP SYSTEM OPTIMIZATION
60 OPTIMIZE HIGH-ENERGY PUMPS WITH IMPROVED

IMPELLER DESIGN
By Bob Jennings & Dr. Gary Dyson, Hydro, Inc.
As new design and manufacturing technologies are
developed, end users can affordably upgrade their systems
and verify better performance.
68 10 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NPSH

By Simon Bradshaw, ITT Goulds Pumps
Because cavitation is unavoidable in pump operations,
understanding how to reduce it using NPSH calculations is
necessary to maintain pump functionality and health.
72 ENGINEERED COMPOSITES OFFER OPPORTUNITIES

FOR UPGRADING EQUIPMENT
By John A. Kozel, Sims Pump Valve Company, Inc.
These pumps prevent equipment from corroding, provide
lower costs and increase efficiency.
60
78 ELECTRICAL INSPECTIONS REDUCE

COST OF OWNERSHIP
By James Jette, KSB Pumps Inc.
Offline and online testing can improve reliability and reduce
downtime.
AU G U S T 2 0 15
PUMPSANDSYSTEMS.COM
SYSTEMS
The Leading Magazine for Pump Users Worldwide
COLUMNS
OPTIMIZE SYSTEM
PERFORMANCE
4 highly engineered solutions to help
you get the most from your pumps
PUMPING PRESCRIPTIONS
14 By Lev Nelik, Ph.D., P.E.
Pumping Machinery, LLC
Component or Cartridge
Choose the Right Seal
How Remote Monitoring
Empowers Plant Employees
Trade Show Preview
Turbomachinery &
Pump Symposia
Image courtesy
of Hydro, Inc.
Efficiency Monitoring Saves

Plants Millions
PUMP SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT

18 By Ray Hardee
Engineered Software, Inc.
68
PRACTICE & OPERATIONS
Piping System Controls

Last of Two Parts
102
COMMON PUMPING MISTAKES

22 By Jim Elsey
Rethinking NPSH
102 CENTRIFUGAL PUMP SAVES SAND

MINE MORE THAN $1.5 MILLION
By Chris Dunn
Crisp Industries
&
Bill Schlittler
Cornell Pump Company
104 HOW REMOTE MONITORING

EMPOWERS PLANT EMPLOYEES
By Jason Vick & Jack Creamer
Schneider Electric
2
8
82
106
107
108
112
FROM THE EDITOR

NEWS
TRADE SHOW PREVIEW
PRODUCTS
ADVERTISERS INDEX
PUMP USERS MARKETPLACE
PUMP MARKET ANALYSIS
This issue
SSPECIAL
PECIAL
SECTION
AUGUST
DEPARTMENTS
BEARINGS, COUPLINGS & SEALS
84 BUSINESS OF
THE BUSINESS
26 VALIDATE SEALING SYSTEMS FOR

OPTIMIZED PERFORMANCE
By Larry Castleman,
38 WHY BEARINGS FAIL
Precision Agriculture
& Remote Monitoring
Modernize Pump Systems
By Arun Prasath
Frost & Sullivan
By Chris Rehmann, AESSEAL
Trelleborg Sealing Solutions
Investment at the start of a project can lead

to improved safety, reliability and savings.
30 COMPONENT OR CARTRIDGE: HOW

TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT SEAL
By Eugene Vogel, EASA
The balance between cost and ease of
installation should be the major
deciding factor.
34 HOW TO INTERPRET PUBLISHED

SEALING DATA
By Jim Drago,
Modern labyrinth bearing protection

seals can protect precision elements
from contamination.
42 HYBRID BEARINGS ENHANCE
86 EFFICIENCY MATTERS
PERFORMANCE OF DRY-START
VERTICAL PUMPS
By Fumitaka Kikkawa & Yoshimasa
Kachu, Mikasa Corp. & Hiroshi Satoh,
Internal Gear Pumps Handle

Harsh Conditions
By Chrishelle Rogers
Maag Industrial Pumps
Oridea Inc.
90 MAINTENANCE MINDERS
This equipment exploits the elasticity of

synthetic rubber and ensures stable
bearing behavior.
Oil & Gas Facilities Detect

Costly Faults Early
By Cynthia Stone
GE Intelligent Platforms
48 THE BASICS OF
Garlock Sealing Technologies, LLC
Gasket information and the tests used to

generate it can help users make the best
possible equipment selections.
COUPLING SELECTION
By Robert Bramer,
92 MOTORS & DRIVES
Fischer Process Industries
Users should consider these important

factors when choosing the best equipment
for their applications.
52 POLYMER SEALS PERFORM RELIABLY
95 SEALING SENSE
AFTER YEARS OF USE

By Jim Hebel, Quadrant
Two sets of seals, in service for 11 and 15
years, still meet baseline standards.
58 COMPOSITE BEARINGS
26
Understanding System
Efficiency in Motor-Driven
Rotating Equipment
By William Livoti
WEG Electric Corporation
RESIST WEAR IN CIRCULATING

WATER PUMPS
By Greg Gedney, Greene, Tweed & Co.
A thermoplastic composition in abrasive
applications helped bearings meet end user
specifications.
Energy Efficiency of
Compression Packings
in Rotodynamic Pump
Applications
By Henri Azibert
FSA Technical Director
100 HI PUMP FAQS

Dynamic Analysis in the
Petroleum Market & Piping
Installation for Rotary Pumps
By Hydraulic Institute
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

THOMAS L. ANGLE, P.E., MSC, Vice President
Engineering, Hidrostal AG
ROBERT K. ASDAL, Executive Director,
Hydraulic Institute
BRYAN S. BARRINGTON, Machinery Engineer,
Lyondell Chemical Co.
KERRY BASKINS, VP/GM, Milton Roy Americas
WALTER BONNETT, Vice President Global
Marketing, Pump Solutions Group
R. THOMAS BROWN III, President,
Advanced Sealing International (ASI)
CHRIS CALDWELL, Director of Advanced
Collection Technology, Business Area Wastewater
Solutions, Sulzer Pumps, ABS USA
JACK CREAMER, Market Segment Manager
Pumping Equipment, Square D by Schneider
Electric
BOB DOMKOWSKI, Business Development

Manager Transport Pumping and Amusement
Markets/Engineering Consultant, Xylem, Inc.,
Water Solutions USA Flygt
DAVID A. DOTY, North American Sales Manager,
Moyno Industrial Pumps
WALT ERNDT, VP/GM, CRANE Pumps & Systems
JOE EVANS, Ph.D., Customer & Employee
Education, PumpTech, Inc.
DOUG VOLDEN, Global Engineering Director,
John Crane
LARRY LEWIS, President, Vanton Pump and
Equipment Corp.
TODD LOUDIN, President/CEO North American
Operations, Flowrox Inc.
JOHN MALINOWSKI, Sr. Product Manager, AC
Motors, Baldor Electric Company, A Member of
the ABB Group
WILLIAM E. NEIS, P.E., President, Northeast

Industrial Sales
LEV NELIK, Ph.D., P.E., APICS, President,
PumpingMachinery, LLC
HENRY PECK, President, Geiger Pump &
Equipment Company
SCOTT SORENSEN, Oil & Gas Automation
Consultant & Market Developer, Siemens Industry
Sector
ADAM STOLBERG, Executive Director,
Submersible Wastewater Pump Association
(SWPA)
JERRY TURNER, Founder/Senior Advisor,
Pioneer Pump
KIRK WILSON, President, Services & Solutions,
Flowserve Corporation
JAMES WONG, Associate Product Manager
Bearing Isolator, Garlock Sealing Technologies
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eqog"vqigvjgt"vq"oggv"{qwt"vqwijguv"ejcnngpigu0
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Discover the many ways were redefining whats possible.
colfaxfluidhandling.com/redefining

ICU"EQORTGUUKQP"U[UVGOU
NEWS
NEW HIRES,
PROMOTIONS & RECOGNITIONS
MIKE DUPUIS, JIM SMITH &
LENWOOD IRELAND, EASA
THOMAS DONATO,
ROCKWELL AUTOMATION
ST. LOUIS (June 25, 2015) The Electrical

Apparatus Service Association (EASA) announces
new international oficers for the 2015-2016
administrative year. The new oficers are:
ABU DHABI, UAE (June 24, 2015) Thomas

Donato was appointed president of Rockwell
Automations Europe, Middle East and Africa
(EMEA) region. Donato was most recently
Rockwell Automations regional vice president
in Canada. He is now responsible for driving
Thomas Donato
growth in this important region. He has 18 years
of automation industry experience and holds a Diplom-Ingenieur
degree in automation and controls engineering from the University of
Applied Sciences in Darmstadt, Germany. rockwellautomation.com
Chairman of the Board: Mike Dupuis of Morrish

Electro Mechanical Company in Windsor,
Ontario, Canada
Vice-Chairman: Jim Smith of Advanced
Electric Equipment in La Crosse, Wisconsin
Secretary/Treasurer: Lenwood Ireland of
Ireland Electric in Virginia Beach, Virginia
Mike Dupuis
Dupuis has more than 30 years of experience in

the electrical apparatus industry. He previously
Jim Smith
served as president of EASAs Ontario Chapter
and as director of Region 8. Serving on the
Executive Committee with the above oficers
are Immediate Past Chairman Doug Moore
of Kentucky Service Company in Lexington,
Kentucky; Gary Byars of Heavy Machines, Inc, in
Memphis, Tennessee; and Brian Larry of Larry
Electric Motor Services, Ltd., in Peterborough,
Ontario, Canada. easa.com
Lenwood Ireland
NORMAN ZOMBOR,
NETZSCH CANADA, INCORPORATED
EXTON, Pa. (June 25, 2015) NETZSCH Canada,
Incorporated, recently expanded its sales
force by hiring Norman Zombor as western
regional manager for the oil and gas market.
He is responsible for supporting and promoting
Norman Zombor
NETZSCH products in Alberta and British
Columbia. Zombor has a CET in mechanical
engineering and a career of increasing levels of
responsibility in the oil and gas industry. netzsch.com
STEFAN HANTKE,
SCHAEFFLER INDUSTRIAL
SCHWEINFURT, Germany (June 22, 2015)
Stefan Hantke has assumed global management
of sales and engineering of the Industrial
division of Schaefler Technologies AG & Co. KG.
In this new position, Hantke is a member of the
Industrial Divisions Management Board and is
Stefan Hantke
responsible for the global sales management
for rolling and plain bearing components and systems for about
60 industrial sectors. He is also responsible for the 27 Schaefler
Technology Centers (STC) worldwide. Hantke has more than 20 years
of sales and engineering experience in the mechanical engineering
sector, particularly in the ield of bearing and linear technology.
schaeffler.com
JOHN CONWAY, GRIFFCO VALVE

AMHERST, N.Y. (June 19, 2015) Griffco Valve,
Inc., announced the appointment of John
Conway as its new national sales manager for
North American Sales. In this role, he will be
responsible for the sales and promotion of Griffco
Valve chemical-feed accessories across the U.S.
and Canada. Conway has an MBA from Canisius
College in Buffalo, New York. griffcovalve.com
John Conway
SHAWN KELLY, PIONEER PUMP

CANBY, Ore. (June 25, 2015) Pioneer Pump
appointed Shawn Kelly as the regional sales
manager for the South Central Region.
Kellys responsibilities will include managing
distribution and increasing the regions sales in
all markets, including industrial, municipal, oil
and gas, and rental. Kelly has more than 20 years
Shawn Kelly
of experience in pump rental and sales and has
been instrumental in managing large municipal, industrial and utility
bypass projects. Kelly has also lead multiple major lood recovery
efforts following events such as Hurricanes Katrina and Ivan.
pioneerpump.com
MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

FCX Performance, Inc., acquired Process Control Services, Inc.
June 16, 2015
Sulzer acquired Precision Gas Turbine Inc.
June 4, 2015
Jason Industries acquired DRONCO GmbH.
June 1, 2015
What makes the ?DAI*LNK

a Superior Diaphragm Metering Pump?
GENE KOONTZ, AWWA

ANAHEIM, Calif. (June 17, 2015) Gene Koontz
of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, recently began his
one-year term as president of the American
Water Works Association (AWWA). A specialist
in water quality and treatment, Koontz oversees
the national water market for Gannett Fleming,
a global infrastructure firm that provides
planning, design, technology and construction
management services for a diverse range of
markets and disciplines. Koontz has been an
AWWA member since 1982. awwa.org
Leading Edge Features and Materials.

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motor. None of thee
hammering problemss
common with
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solenoid pumps.
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NATURAL
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WETT
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WETTED
PARTS
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optimum
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chemical
resistance.
ROBERT RICHTER, LEISTRITZ

ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES CORP.
ALLENDALE, N.J. (June 15, 2015) Leistritz
Advanced Technologies Corp. appointed
Robert Richter as chief financial officer. His
responsibilities include the pump, machine tool
and turbine component business units based
in Allendale, New Jersey, as well as the extruder
business unit based in Somerville, New Jersey.
Richter is a graduate of Lehigh University in
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. leistritzcorp.com
JAYANTHI IYENGAR,
XYLEM INC.
STEVE MARTINEZ, DAN ADAMS &

PAT TRENTLER, DXP
HOUSTON (June 10, 2015) As part of its
western region expansion, DXP/Quadna has
promoted and assigned several leaders to
new responsibilities. Steve Martinez, an area
manager based in Farmington, New Mexico,
and Dan Adams, an area manager based in
Denver, Colorado, will jointly manage sales and
operations for DXP branches located in Minot,
North Dakota; Billings, Montana; Gillette and
Rock Springs, Wyoming; Farmington, New
Mexico; and Boise, North Dakota. Pat Trentler, an
area manager, will oversee sales and operations
for Casper, Wyoming; and Dickinson and
Williston, North Dakota. dxpe.com
To have a news item considered, please
send the information to Amelia Messamore,
amessamore@cahabamedia.com.
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A smooth
full stroke
everytime
helps reduce
the risk of
vapor lock.
PRIMING/
PR
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DEGASSING
VALVE
riming
Facilitates priming
ure
under pressure
vin
ing
g
and in removing
e
gas from the
system.
DOUBLE
D
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B LE
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Oversized for increased
accuracy less
susceptible to clogging.
PVDF DIAPHRAGM: PATENT PENDING

Single piece injection molded design with zero breakdown or
g field maintenance requirements
q
delamination,, reducing
and down time.
Pump head: PVDF head
and diaphragm and FKM
or EP o-rings, are the only
wetted material in the
Chem-Pro pump head.
This reduces issues of
chemical compatibility.
Manufactured 100% inhouse exclusively for use
on Chem-Pro Diaphragm
Metering Pumps.
5300 Business Drive, Huntington Beach, CA 92649 USA

714-893-8529 fax: 714-894-9492 sales@blue-white.com
www.blue-white.com
p u mpsa ndsyst ems.c om | Au gu st 2015
RYE BROOK, N.Y. (June

15, 2015) Xylem Inc.
has appointed Jayanthi
(Jay) Iyengar as senior
vice president and chief
innovation and technology
Jayanthi
officer. In this newly created
Iyengar
position, Iyengar will lead the
companys global research and development,
technology, and innovation activities. Iyengar
has a bachelors degree in mechanical
engineering and two masters degrees in
mechanical engineering.
xyleminc.com
10
NEWS
AROUND THE INDUSTRY

Nidec & IBM Japan to Jointly
Develop IoT Technology
KYOTO, Japan (June 22, 2015)
Nidec Corporation announced that it
has launched a joint development of
a big data analysis technology with
IBM Japan with the main purpose of
improving production ratio via early
detection of problems and shortening
downtime via better factor analysis
eficiency for various production
equipment and machinery equipped
with the Nidec Groups motors.
Nidec is executing a strategy of
equipping its groups products with
Internet of Things (IoT) functions to
increase their added value in order to
create new, large-scale businesses to
achieve the groups 10 trillion yen sales
target set for the iscal year ending
March 31, 2031.
This joint project aims to establish
a system which, by analyzing data
obtained based on correlations among
various sensors, will detect problems
before humans do and execute
measures for such problems even before
they occur. Eventually, they plan to start
offering this technology to companies
outside of the Nidec Group as well.
nidec.com
Water Crisis Leads to

Development of New Way to
Connect Industry Leaders
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (June 19, 2015)
The challenges of the water crisis have
led to the creation of an online deal
platform, watercluster.com, designed to
connect technology, talent and investors
that can solve urgent water problems
compounded by record drought on the
West Coast.
Founder Thomas Schumann was
inspired to launch the online venture
by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency Water Technology Innovation
Cluster Program and seeks disruptive
collaboration through the website,
which allows members to work together
and match needs with solutions in a
real-time environment.
The watercluster.com platform enables
water industry leaders, tech companies,
investors, universities, corporations,
utilities, governments, NGOs and service
providers to connect, communicate,
collaborate and conduct business.
watercluster.com
HI Publishes New Guidebook

for Wastewater Treatment
Plant Pumps
PARSIPPANY, N.J. (June 15, 2015)
The Hydraulic Institute (HI) recently
published a guide on wastewater
treatment plant pumps. Wastewater
Treatment Plant Pumps: Guidelines for
Selection, Application, and Operation is
intended to assist in the understanding
of the general layout, components
and operation of a typical wastewater
treatment plant. The book also provides
readers with the guidance necessary to
select pump types, pump materials and
auxiliary components so the pumping
system performs effectively, eficiently
and reliably in the various plant
operations.
Topics in this guidebook include, but
are not limited to:
Processes, applications, and pump
selection in an aerobic wastewater
treatment plant.
Proper pump selection for each
application including information
about the materials of construction.
Proper motor and mechanical seal
selection to improve overall system
reliability. pumps.org
DOE Releases New Pump

Energy Index Calculation Tool
PARSIPPANY, N.J. (June 12, 2015)
The Hydraulic Institute (HI) and its
members have worked closely with the
Department of Energy (DOE) throughout
the rule-making process for the Energy
Conservation Standard on Commercial
Industrial Pumps.
As part of that process, HIs Pump
System Performance Metric committee
worked with the DOE to develop a tool
to evaluate the pump energy index
(PEI) of pumps. This tool will help pump
manufacturers evaluate how their pump
eficiencies stack up to the proposed
minimum eficiency levels which will be
set in the Energy Conservation Standard.
The DOE released the PEI calculation
tool to the public June 12. pumps.org
Asahi/America Opens
New Headquarters
LAWRENCE, Mass. (June 11, 2015)
Asahi/America, Inc. oficially opened
its new headquarters in Lawrence,
Massachusetts, on April 23 with a
ribbon-cutting ceremony and open
house. Guests from across the U.S.

and around the world gathered for
the celebration.
Asahi/Americas Chief Financial Oficer
Stephen Harrington emceed the opening
ceremony which included remarks
by Asahi/America President and CEO
Daniel S. Anderson, City of Lawrence
Mayor Daniel Rivera, and Koji Fujiwara,
president of Asahi Organic Chemical,
Asahi/Americas parent company in
Japan. During his remarks, Anderson
previewed what guests would see inside
the renovated 200,000 square-foot
facility including corporate ofices,
warehousing, valve and actuation
assembly shops, fabrication, skid
assembly, powder-coating, a clean room,
and machine shop. He also spoke about
the companys goals and intentions for
the future.
We are intensely focused on customer
satisfaction. We strive to be innovative,
goal driven, and trustworthy, said
Anderson said. We will be an asset to
our community, we will be a charitable
company, and we will respect the
environment where we conduct our
business. asahi-america.com
Clean Water Rule Protects

Streams & Wetlands
WASHINGTON (May 27, 2015) In May,
the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army
inalized the Clean Water Rule to protect
the nations streams and wetlands from
pollution and degradation. The rule
ensures that waters protected under
the Clean Water Act are more precisely
deined and predictably determined,
making permitting less costly, easier
and faster for businesses and industry.
The rule does not create any new
permitting requirements for agriculture
and maintains all previous exemptions
and exclusions.
After receiving requests for more than
a decade from members of Congress,
state and local oficials, industry,
agriculture, environmental groups,
scientists, and the public, the EPA and
the Army have taken action to provide
clarity on protections under the Clean
Water Act. Speciically, the Clean Water
Rule does the following:
Clearly deines and protects
tributaries that impact the health of
downstream waters
11
A Clean Water Act permit is only

needed if a water is going to be polluted
or destroyed. The Clean Water Rule
only protects the types of waters
that have historically been covered
under the Clean Water Act. It does
not regulate most ditches and does
not regulate groundwater, shallow
subsurface lows, or tile drains. It does
not make changes to current policies
on irrigation or water transfers or
apply to erosion in a ield. The Clean
Water Rule addresses the pollution and
destruction of waterwaysnot land use
or private property rights. epa.gov/
cleanwaterrule and army.mil/asacw
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ITT expands Westminster, S.C.,

Manufacturing Operations
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (May 21, 2015)
ITT Corporation announced that it is
expanding its manufacturing operations
in Westminster, South Carolina, by
investing approximately $1 million to
build a new test facility. The investment
is part of a total of $2.5 million that the
company expects to invest in the facility
during the next ive years.
The addition provides a new specialized
testing facility for natural gas vehicle
(NGV) components, which are part of the
companys Conolow brand of products.
These NGV components consist of
compressed natural gas pressure
regulators and liquid natural gas
regulators for heavy vehicles. itt.com
SEPCO Awarded for Excellence

in International Trade
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (March 25, 2015)
SEPCO (Sealing and Equipment Products
Co., Inc.) was recently awarded the
Governors Trade Excellence Award by
Alabama Governor Bentley. SEPCOs
accomplishments, which include
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" Gcukn{"Jcpfngu"Ckt1Nkswkf"Okzvwtgu"
" Tcrkfn{"Rtkogu"cpf"Tg/rtkogu"
Tg/Rtkogu"eqorngvgn{"wpcvvgpfgf0
Ngctp"oqtg"cdqwv"E{enqugcn."Tgfk/Rtkog."cpf"cnn"qwt"
qvjgt"kppqxcvkqpu"cpf"gzrcpukxg"rwor"ugtkgu"cv
YYY0EQTPGNNRWOR0EQO
EQTPGNN"RWOR"EQORCP[""-3"725/875/2552
"EQTPGNN"RWOR"EQORCP["4237"
Eqtpgnn"Rwor"Eqorcp{"ku"cp"UQ";223<422:"Tgikuvgtgf"Eqorcp{
Provides certainty in how far

safeguards extend to nearby waters
Protects the nations regional water
treasures
Focuses on streams, not ditches
Maintains the status of waters
within Municipal Separate Storm
Sewer Systems (The rule does not
change how those waters are treated
and encourages the use of green
infrastructure)
Reduces the use of case-speciic
analysis of waters
12
NEWS
exporting Alabama-made mechanical seals and compression packing to customers around

the world, reflect the states economic growth strategy and have contributed to state job
creation. Award winners are selected based on a wide range of criteria such as their level
of export sales as a proportion of total sales, sustainable growth in export sales, quality
of export marketing strategy, senior management commitment to export development,
and exporting innovations. Established in 2005, The Governors Trade Excellence Awards
Program recognizes Alabama manufacturers and service companies for excelling in
international trade. SEPCO was one of eight companies awarded in 2015. sepco.com
EVENTS
ALL-TEST Pro, LLC, Electrical
Reliability Training Seminar
Aug. 10-14, 2015
Holiday Inn Orlando
Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
860-399-4222 / alltestpro.com
5th Annual Pumps Hands-on
Training: Maintenance, Energy
and Reliability Conference
(PumpTec-Israel)
Aug. 18 19, 2015
Tel Aviv, Israel
770-310-0866
pumpingmachinery.com/pump_school/
pump_school.htm
IDA World Congress
Aug. 30 Sept. 4, 2015
San Diego Convention Center
San Diego, Calif.
wc.idadesal.org
TPS 2015
Sept. 14 17, 2015
George R. Brown Convention Center
Houston, Texas
979-845-7417 / tps.tamu.edu
Pumps & Systems Webinar
Presented by Baldor
Sept. 24, 2015
pumpsandsystems.com/webinars
WEFTEC
Sept. 26 30, 2015
McCormick Place
Chicago, Ill.
240-439-2554 / weftec.org
Pack Expo (PMMI)
Sept. 28 30, 2015
Las Vegas Convention Center
Las Vegas, Nev.
703-205-0480 / packexpolasvegas.com
Centrifugal And Positive
Displacement Pumps (Basics)
Oct. 28 29, 2015
Pumping Machinery Training Center
Norcross, Ga. / 770-310-0866
pumpingmachinery.com/pump_school/
pump_school.htm

13
14
Troubleshooting & repair challenges
By Lev Nelik, Ph.D., P.E.
Pumping Machinery, LLC, P&S Editorial Advisory Board
Efficiency Monitoring Saves Plants Millions

Part 2
Editors Note: While running a pump at its best efficiency point saves money, reduces downtime and improves performance, many plant managers
are unaware of how their equipment is actually performing. This series, which began in the July 2015 issue of Pumps & Systems, depicts a realworld scenario that is intended to illustrate the importance of monitoring pump efficiency.
espite the municipal

water plants tight budget,
maintenance manager Jim
decided to speak with his boss
about improving the facilitys pump
efficiency. Charlie began working at
the Blue Creek water plant about a
year ago and was not aware of the
plants history or the details about
its pumps.
What you got, Jim? Make it
quick. I have a corporate meeting
to be at after lunch. They want
to talk about the influent screen
problems at the Willow Wastewater
Processing Plant and asked all
watershed plant managers to go.
OK, boss. I just wanted to let
you know that Bob from the Duck
Pump Company did some energy
efficiency testing of our main water
booster pumps and found they
need some fi xing. He says their
efficiency is low.
Really? I had a similar issues
back at my old company. We had a
ton of old light bulbs installed all
over the facility, and this guy came
and did some efficiency testing
and suggested that we switch to
some sort of energy-efficient light
fi xtures. Tons of money involved,
but apparently we still saved some
money overall. How much savings
are you talking about?
Well, he figured we burn nearly
$125,000 extra in wasted energy,
and with just one repair, we could

recoup the cost in about a year.
So its about a $125,000
repair job? Thats a lot of money.
I dont think we have it in this
years budget.
Thats what I told him, too.
Anyway, Charlie, just wanted you
to know.
Thanks. Lets talk more about
this tomorrow.
The next day, Jim and Charlie
got together to look over a fresh
quote from Bob on the pump repair
and upgrade. It was $143,600,
which was higher than the original
budgetary estimate. Bob explained
in his quote, however, that the
extra money was justified by
switching from a single to double
mechanical seal, which would
save water and improve the
units reliability.
So, how long will it take them to
do the upgrade, Jim? Charlie was
examining the numbers. It says
eight to 10 weekswill it really
take that long?
Yeah, thats not bad though. The
last time they did this, it took them
about the same. They do a pretty
good job. We did the last pump
about four years ago, and that is
usually how they take care of us.
We need a major overhaul
every four years? Isnt that a bit
too often?
Thats right. Duck Pump gives

us a full one-year warranty, and
if the pump stays idle most of the
time, they extend the warranty to
two years. That way, the less we
run the pumps, the more money
we save.
You know, Jim, lets go to the
store room. I want to see one of
these pumps. Do you have a spare?
I sure do. Actually, I have two
spare units and four installed ones.
We usually only run one pump at a
time. During peak hours, we fire up
the second pump to get more water
to folks if the other plant is down
and we need to cover for them.
Charlie and Jim, joined by
Rusty the mechanic, walked to
the shop to examine the pumps.
Store manager Grady Cricket put a
newspaper aside and got up to
meet them.
Charlie glanced around the shop.
This is the pump, Jim? Doesnt
look like a $100,000 job to me!
Image 1. Spare parts allow for flexibility

when repairs are necessary. (Courtesy of
the author)
15
Well, I meant we have a couple

of spare rotors, not a complete
pump. Usually, when they do a
repair, they keep the casing in
place, pop the top off and just
remove the shaft with the impeller
and bearings with their housing.
OK, I see. So, in his quote, Bob
mentioned changing wear rings
to restore clearance. How big are
those clearances originally, and
how much do they open up as a
result of wear?
Its all in the pump manual,
Charlie. I dont remember the
exact number; the manuals are at
engineering downtown, and I dont
get out there often. But I think
these are roughly 0.020-inch or so,
and they get bigger as they wear.
But how do they wear? Does

the impeller ring touch the casing
ring? Im not an engineer, but Id
imagine that Duck Pump Company
would design the shaft big and stiff
enough so it doesnt deflect very
much to touch.
I would think so. If they touch,
something is wrongeither the
design is bad or the bearings are
gone. The main reason for wear is
probably the pumpage.
Pumpage? But we pump clean
drinking water! How abrasive can
it be?
Yeah, youre right. I dont know
either. This pump is a bit above
my pay grade. We can ask Sandy
from the corporate engineering
department. I saw her a few times
when she came to see the plant a

couple of years ago. She would have
all the manuals and data. Rusty, is
this stainless?
Lets see. Rusty picked up a
dial indicator base and popped
the magnet over the shaft surface.
Doesnt stick. Must be stainless.
Jim raised his eyebrows. No
wonder its expensive. What about
the impeller and the ring?
Rusty moved the magnet over
the impeller and determined that
it, too, was stainless. However,
when he moved it over the ring, the
magnet stuck.
The wear rings not stainless!
Jim was perplexed. Whats going
on here? Is this why its wearing
out? Maybe it just rusts away (no

pu mpsa ndsyst ems.c om | Au gu st 2015
16
The pump performance and geometry

was hidden in the conversations
among Jim, Bob and Charlie in the
July and August issues. Can you
uncover the real versus expected pump
performance curves and geometry
data? Send your reconstructed curves
and a pump cross-sectional sketch to
pumpeditors@cahabamedia.com. The
correct answer will win admission to
the next Pump School session.
pun intended, Rusty!). You know something

we better get Sandy to come to the plant, and we
might as well set up a meeting with Bob to go
over his quote.
Charlie was pleased with what he was
learning, but what he discovered left more
questions than answers. Let me know when
you set up the meeting. Lets do it some time
next month.
In Part 3 of this series, Sandy visits the plant
and discusses the pump repairs and efficiency with
Bob from Duck Pump Company. Will the nonmagnetic ring Charlie and Jim discovered cause
rusting and wear?
References
1. Nelik, L., Pump Repair and Upgrade Standards, pages
16-17, Pumps & System, May 2012
2. Kale R.D., and Sreedhar B.K., A Theoretical Relationship
Between NPSH and Erosion Rate for a centrifugal Pump,
ASME 1994, FED-Vol. 190, Cavitation and Gas-Liquid
Flow in Fluid Machinery
3. Nelik L., How Much Energy is Wasted When Wear Rings
are Worn to Double Their Initial Value?, March 2007
Dr. Nelik (aka Dr. Pump) is president of

Pumping Machinery, LLC, an Atlanta-based
firm specializing in pump consulting, training,
equipment troubleshooting and pump repairs.
Dr. Nelik has 30 years of experience in pumps
and pumping equipment. He may be reached
at pump-magazine.com. For more information,
visit pumpingmachinery.com/pump_school/
pump_school.htm.
17
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LIGHTWEIGHT
INSPECTION
COVER
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SELF-CLEANING
WEARPLATE
Poultry waste, stringy material and other clog-prone materials can wreak havoc on pumps.
Thats why your plant needs a dependable solution for handling solid waste. Gorman-Rupp
Super T Series pumps equipped with the NEW EradicatorTM Solids Management System
offers just that. The new aggressive self-cleaning wearplate is designed to handle clog-prone
material with an obstruction-free flow path, keeping your pump operating at peak efficiency.
A lightweight inspection cover allows for easy access to the inside of the pump without
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Trust Gorman-Rupp pumps to keep your operation running smoothly month after month, year after year.
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538
Copyright, The Gorman-Rupp Company, 2015
Gorman-Rupp Pumps USA is an ISO 9001:2008 and an ISO 14001:2004 Registered Company

18

A better understanding of complete system operation
By Ray Hardee
Engineered Software, Inc.
Piping System Controls

Last of Two Parts
at a low-level condition in the

gallons per minute (gpm). The sum
destination tank. The set point
of the static and dynamic head
for the destination tank level is
for 400 gpm through the system
five feet above the tank bottom.
is 76 feet. At 400 gpm, the pump
Because of a change in system
produces 125 feet of head, but the
flow demand (Qout), the tank
system only needs 76 feet of head.
level drops to 4.9 feet. The level
As a result, the control valve must
transmitter senses the measured
absorb 49 feet of head to limit the
value of 4.9 feet and sends the
flow rate to the set value.
information to the level controller.
Active Control Operation
The advantage of level control
Because the level controller SP is
Active controls maintain a set
with a control valve is the ability
5 feet, the controller compares the
value of a process variable under
to minimize process variability
measured value of 4.9 feet to the
by maintaining a more consistent
changing system operating
tank level. The disadvantage is
conditions. They are often referred set point of 5 feet.
The error between the measured the added cost of the control loop,
to as a control loop (see Figure 3).
the need to tune and maintain
The level in the destination tank is value and the set point causes the
control to send an open signal
the control loop, and the added
measured by the level transmitter
to the control valve. The valve
head loss across the control valve
that sends the measured value
positioner causes the valve to
necessary to maintain control.
(MV) to the level controller. The
open. This results in less head
The annual operating cost of a
desired tank level set point (SP)
loss across the control valve,
control valve appears in Table 3
is entered into the controller. The
(see page 20).
controller compares the MV to the causing an increase in the flow
rate. If the resulting
SP, and a controller output (CO) is
sent to the final control elementa flow rate through the
Figure 3. An example of an active control loop maintaining tank level by
adjusting the flow rate into the tank (Graphics courtesy of the author)
control valve is greater
control valve in this case. The flow
rate into the tank (Qin) is adjusted than the system flow
to maintain the desired tank level. demand, the level
of the destination
The destination tank level can
tank increases. Over
vary for several reasons, such as
time, the level in
changes in:
the destination tank
pump flow rate, caused by
reaches a steady state
changes in the static head
condition.
pump flow rate, caused by
mechanical wear
the flow rate out of the tank
Level Control with a
caused by a change in the
Control Valve
system flow demand
The pump curve in
the tank level set point caused
Figure 2, Part 1 of this
by the operator
series (Pumps & Systems,
July 2015) shows that
Level control loop operation
the pump produces
can be examined by looking
125 feet of head at 400
his series discusses the
control elements of a piping
system, which improve
the quality of the product. Part
1 (Pumps & Systems, July 2015)
covered passive controls, such as
overflow and bypass controls, on/
off controls, and manual controls.
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19
20
Level Control with a

Variable Speed Drive
Figure 2 in Part 1 of this series
shows that for the pump with
the 10.5-inch impeller diameter
running at 1,780 rpm, the
maximum possible flow rate is
616 gpm. This is where the energy
supplied by the pump equals the
energy required by the process
elements. Under this condition, no
differential pressure is required
across a control.
If we were able to adjust the
pump performance so it only
produces the head required by the

process elements at the desired
flow rate, the control valve could
be eliminated. That is the function
of a variable speed drive. By
adjusting the pumps rotational
speed, the head can be maintained
to be equal to the head required to
meet the flow rate.
Adjusting the rotation speed of
the impeller changes the pump
performance curve. Figure 4 shows
the pump performance for a range
of speeds. When the pump is
running at 1,424 rpm, it produces
Table 3. The annual operating costs for using a control valve to control the flow.
This is the same operating cost calculation for the manual control.
Annual Operating Cost
Mode: Control Valve
Flow rate (gpm)
400
Pump head (feet)
125
Pump efficiency (%)
0.69
Motor efficiency (%)
0.93
Fluid density (lb/ft3)
62
Annual operation (hr)
8000
Power cost ($/kWh)
0.08
Annual pumping cost
$9,337
Figure 4. A pump system curve showing the pump operating at various speeds.
The pump operating at 1,424 rpm provides 76 feet of head, equal to the process
requirements at 400 gpm.
76 feet of head, which is equal to

the head required by the process
elements at 400 gpm. The pump
efficiency lines are superimposed
on the system curve as well.
The advantage of level control
with a variable speed drive is to
minimize process variability by
maintaining a more consistent
tank level and eliminate the
excess head required across the
control valve.
The disadvantage is the added
capital cost of the control loop and
variable speed drive. In addition,
the losses across the variable speed
drive need to be taken into account
in power requirement.
Conclusion
Passive controls have simple
designs and low installation costs,
but they can have greater process
variability and operating costs.
Active controls can maintain a set
point with minimal changes in the
process variable. These systems
have tighter control that comes
at a higher original cost, but the
operating cost can be much lower.
Ray Hardee is a principal founder
of Engineered Software, creators of
PIPE-FLO and PUMP-FLO software.
At Engineered Software, he helped
develop two training courses
and teaches these courses in the
U.S. and internationally. He is a
member of the ASME ES-2 Energy
Assessment for Pumping Systems
standards committee and the ISO
Technical Committee 115/Working
Group 07 Pumping System
Energy Assessment. Hardee was
a contributing member of the HI/
Europump Pump Life Cycle Cost
and HI/PSM Optimizing Piping
System publications. He may be
reached at ray.hardee@engsoftware.com.
21
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22

By Jim Elsey
Summit Pump, Inc.
Rethinking NPSH
Understanding this complex topic can help end users avoid common pitfalls.
et positive suction head

(NPSH) and its two
main components
NPSHR and NPSH Aare an often
misunderstood mystery to a
large percentage of people in the
pump industry. I have studied and
catalogued more than 150 technical
articles on NPSH in the last 40
years, and most have begun with
comments about the complexity
of the topic. A common statement
in the pump industry is that 80
percent of all pump problems are
on the suction side of the pump. I
would state that, with the exception
of operating the pump away from
the best efficiency point (BEP), the
percentage is much higher.
the analogy of a cellphone, if the

suction-side system does not have
enough signal strength (bars
of energy), then the call will be
dropped or be of poor qualityin
other words, the pump will cavitate.
Suction Pressure
One of the most common errors
I witness is confusing suction
pressure with net positive suction
head available (NPSH A). Even
people with decades of pump
experience and education seem
to make this mistake. A common
comment is, I do not need to
calculate NPSHA because I have
135 psig of suction pressure.
What they fail to understand is
that the temperature of the fluid in
this case is 350 degrees F. (Please
Rethinking the Concept
assume water as the fluid for all
The responsibility and purpose of
examples in this article.)
the centrifugal pump is to receive
The formula for NPSH A indicates
the liquid that the suction system
delivers and move it downstream.
that 100 percent of the negative
The suction-side system, if properly head caused by the vapor pressure
designed and operated, delivers the of the 350 degree fluid negates
fluid to the pump. The pump does
the positive head contributed by
not reach upstream and retrieve the the pressure of 135 psig. After
fluid, nor is it capable of doing so.
accounting for the losses that
The common misconception
result from friction head, the only
is that the pump will suck the
positive head available to make
fluid from the suction system into
up the remaining energy (bars of
the pump.
signal strength) is the static head.
Perhaps if liquids had tensile
Static head is the energy (bars)
strength characteristics, that could contributed by the elevation of
be remotely possible (I acquiesce
the fluid over the centerline of
that the impeller does create a
the impeller. (Note: This article
small differential pressure at the
does not account for velocity
eye), but the suction-side system
head because of the fractional
must have adequate energy to
contribution and, in this case,
deliver the fluid to the pump. Using flooded suction.)
Pump users must also remember

that NPSH is not pressure. Pressure
is a force, but head is an energy
level, and the suction pressure is
only one of numerous components
in the total makeup of NPSH.
7 TIPS FOR CALCULATING NPSHA

The formula for calculating NPSHA is:
NPSHA = h abs.prs h vpr.prs. h static h fric
(For a suction lift)
NPSHA = h abs.prs h vpr.prs. + h static h fric
(For a flooded suction)
Where:
h abs.prs = head due to absolute pressure
converted to feet
h vpr.prs. = head loss due to the vapor pressure
of the fluid
h static = head due to static pressure; can be
negative or positive
h fric = head loss due to fluid friction in the
pipe and all components
1
2
I suggest you convert all factors to feet

(meters) and work in absolute values.
3
4
5
6
7
Vapor pressure and friction never work in

your favor.
I have not included the fifth factor of

velocity head (hVel.) because it is typically
so small. If present, it would be a positive
factor.
Static head will be negative and works

against you in a lift situation.
Static head will be positive and works for
you in a flooded situation.
If you have NPSHA problems, use the
formula as a road map to look for solutions.
Using a pump of lower speed, dual suction
or different impeller geometry can also
resolve NPSH issues.
23
pump will drop performance

quickly even with small amounts
of entrained air. While certain
designs, such as recessed impeller
pumps, can handle up to 24 percent
entrainment, just 12 percent
will stall most pumps. This is
vital because many people in the
field confuse cavitation with air
Submergence
binding/entrainment.
Submergence is the vertical
Every pump suction-side
distance from the top surface of
installation has a minimum
the fluid to the centerline of the
submergence below which air
pump intake line. Submergence is
will be ingested. The flow rate for
applicable to both flooded and lift
a pipe of a given size, geometry
situations. If the submergence is
and material makeup has a
not positively sufficient, then the
corresponding fluid velocity. The
velocity of the fluid in the suction
resultant velocity corresponds
line will create a vortex. The
with an amount of required
captured air will be ingested into
submergence (distance) to prevent
the pump. Centrifugal pumps are
not designed to pump (or compress) the formation of a vortex. Keep in
mind that just because you cannot
air, and the average centrifugal
Another comment I often hear
in the field is, I do not need to
calculate the NPSH A because I
have a flooded suction. Again,
these individuals are not taking
the negative factors of friction and
vapor pressure into account.
see the vortex with the naked

eye does not mean the vortex
phenomenon is absent.
Vacuum
At the bottom section of most
steam condensers is a collection
area, usually a tank-shaped
reservoir for the condensate
commonly known as the hot
well. In these applications, end
users commonly make errors
determining the correct absolute
pressure when making the NPSH A
calculations. Pumps are subject
to vacuum on the suction side in
many other instances as well.
The error is in the assumption
that the vacuum level is equal to
the absolute pressure. Consider
a condenser with a vacuum level
of 28 inches of mercury (Hg).
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24
Equation 1 (Incorrect approach)

28 in/Hg vacuum x 1.135 conversion, in/Hg to feet of water = 31.78 feet
Equation 2 (Correct approach)
34 - 31.78 = 2.22 feet
(Note: I have rounded off and assumed sea level for the example)
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Inexperienced users might incorrectly

assume that they need to convert the
vacuum level to a corresponding head,
which they determine is the absolute
value (see Equation 1). In reality, the
actual absolute pressure is the difference
between the existing vacuum and what
would be the perfect vacuum or zero
absolute pressure. Think about it as how
much pressure remains if the vacuum
is at some level, X, (as in this case of 28
inches Hg). A perfect vacuum would be
14.69 (atmospheric pressure at sea level)
x 2.31 (the conversion factor) = 33.933
(rounded to 34 feet).
At sea level, the atmospheric pressure
typically supports a mercury column not
more than 29.92 inches high. Therefore,
the standard for atmospheric pressure
at sea level is 29.92 inches Hg, which
translates to an absolute pressure of
14.69 psia, which is usually rounded to
14.7 psia.
So the true absolute pressure (to
be converted to head) is really the
difference between the two (see
Equation 2). The correct absolute
pressure converted to head is 2.22 feet
not 31.78 feet.
At some point, you will be required to
calculate the value for NPSH available.
Why not be ready to do it the right way
and avoid the unnecessary drama and
expensive corrections?
Jim Elsey is a mechanical engineer

who has focused on rotating
equipment design and applications for
the military and several large original
equipment manufacturers for 43 years
in most industrial markets around the
world. Elsey is an active member of
the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers, the National Association
of Corrosion Engineers and the
American Society for Metals. He is the
general manager for Summit Pump,
Inc., and the principal of MaDDog
Pump Consultants LLC. Elsey may be
reached at jim@summitpump.com.
PRESSURE & FLOW
25
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26
SPECIAL SECTION
Validate Sealing
Systems for Optimized
Performance
Investment at the start of a project can lead to improved
safety, reliability and savings.
BY LARRY CASTLEMAN
TRELLEBORG SEALING SOLUTIONS
ealing systems can play a vital role in equipment

performance and are considered critical
components in the validation process of a design.
Engineers should closely examine the sealing
systems used in their equipment, because they do
everything from preventing seal leakage and extending
hydraulic cylinder life to lowering dynamic friction and
controlling hydraulic motor position.
Component designers must contend with extreme
wear conditions and harsh chemicals. In addition, they
must meet tight tolerances and factor in significant
vibration and high pressures. Many variables
can affect sealing capabilities,
Image 1. Seals play an important role in overall equipment

functionality, and validating seals is part of a successful
system. (Images courtesy of Trelleborg Sealing Solutions)
and their impact can vary greatly depending on

the sealing application. Manufacturers and users
are often challenged to balance resources properly
when addressing what could be substantial sealing
issues. Issues with the sealing system can affect
performance significantly and may lead to decisions
in the validation process that produce erroneous or
misleading results or consume excessive resources.
So, what are the right methods to properly address
the validation of sealing systems?
27
Image 2. An engineer
completes a
compression test to
ensure performance.
Seal System Verification

Verication and validation of a system design process are
independent procedures that are used to ensure that a
system meets the intended specications, requirements
and objectives. They provide assurances that reliability
and performance will be maintained over the life of the
process. Equipment manufacturers want to minimize the
cost of validation without jeopardizing any requirements.
The validation process delivers a comprehensive
understanding of the risks or liability associated with the
process and gives insight into many of the inuences on
the systems performance.
Systems validation requires considerable planning.
Any mistakes in planning can lead to falsely validating
systems. The product could then have to be redeveloped,
or it could be launched with poorly understood behavior.
For instance, seal leakage can aect cylinder or actuator
life, which can be a vital part of operations, controlling
valves in every area, and managing the ows of water, gas
or chemicals. Another example is sealing system friction,

which can aect position control. Since sealing system
performance and process performance are directly linked,
the validation of sealing system performance plays a
crucial role in process validation procedures.
Process Validation
More than a series of tests, validation is a process. It
begins with identifying areas of concern, continues
with testing, and is completed with an analysis and
verication of results. However, during design validation
or development, market forces and conditions do not
always allow for all the possible paths to be considered.
The balance of risk, such as risk of failure mode or system
functionality loss and associated liability, is crucial to
the decision-making process. In scenarios where time
and cost associated with validation are limited, it is
prudent to take into account the right seal functionality
considerations in the equipment.
28
Taking the critical elements of

seals and bearings into account
before the testing phase of the
validation process will optimize
the return on investment.
Creative Sealing Solutions

Through Innovative
Engineering.
PPC 1200S
Split Single Seal
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Process Workflow
The process ow during a validation exercise
incorporates all signicant factors for consideration.
Even though the amount of crucial elements to consider
for a sealing system may seem overwhelming, many
of these factors provide a practical approach and ow.
Incorporating these important factors can reduce
common mistakes and duplicate common successes.
For starters, eective communication between the
sealing supplier and the end user as well as subsequent
thoughtful and planned action is benecial. While this
approach requires more eort up front, the reward is a
signicantly reduced chance of a negative outcome later.
Taking the critical elements of seals and bearings
into account before the testing phase of the validation
process will optimize the return on investment. The end
result is better overall performance of the process.
Effective Use of Validation Flow

Knowledge of the elements of the sealing system, such
as seals, bearings and wipers, is critical to success.
Engineers should rst determine how to validate each
component, then determine the criteria for success or
failure. Finally, they should create a list of activities and
criteria to meet these standards.
A Learning Process
To avoid a faulty product launch or a redevelopment,
clear communication between the end user and supplier
is critical. The results often save labor, machine time
and development costs.
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Made in USA
Larry Castleman is the technical

director of product development at
Trelleborg Sealing Solutions. For more
information, visit tss.trelleborg.com.
29

30
SPECIAL SECTION
Component or Cartridge:
How to Choose the Right Seal
The balance between cost and ease of installation should be the
major deciding factor.
BY EUGENE VOGEL
EASA
echanical seals consist of a rotating element

and a stationary element, each with a
lapped, precision-smooth mating face (see
Figure 1). Seal performance is determined
primarily by the condition of the faces and the pressure
applied to them. Other key factors are vibration, heat and
pumpage characteristics. Depending on the application
and users needs, dierent seal types may be appropriate.
For many larger centrifugal pumps, users have the
option of installing either component or cartridge
mechanical seals. Understanding the advantages and
limitations of each can help determine the best solution
for a particular application.
Component Mechanical Seals

Standard mechanical seals are typically component
seals. When users order a replacement, they typically
receive a box containing seal faces, holding brackets,
O-rings, boots and other parts that require the skills of
an experienced pump technician to install and adjust
properly (see Image 1).
Incorrect installation and adjustment are common
causes of component seal failure. For example, if the seal
faces are not properly seated on the shaft or in the seal
housing, they will be misaligned. Sliding O-rings and
elastomers over shaft shoulders, keyways or sharp edges
of the seal housing can also cause damage to these parts
and result in incorrect seal tension.
The seal housing often provides limited access, so
successful adjustments require precision and accuracy.
While an experienced pump technician can successfully
install and adjust any component seal, this process

provides opportunity for error.
Cartridge Mechanical Seals

Cartridge mechanical seals and component seals use
similar components, but the stationary components
of cartridge seals are preassembled in a housing, and
the rotating components are preassembled on a shaftmounted sleeve that is sealed with an O-ring. The
cartridge seal housing typically replaces the gland cover
plate and seals to the pump housing with a gasket, an
O-ring or other elastomer. Since cartridge mechanical seal
components are preassembled onto the sleeve and into the
cartridge housing, errors in parts installation are unlikely.
Figure 1. Common mechanical seal (Images and graphics courtesy of EASA)
Liquid Pumpage
Vaporized Liquid
Rotating Shaft
Rotating Seal Face
Stationary Seal Face
31
Image 1. Component
(left) and cartridge (right)
mechanical seals
The amount of spring tension applied to the seal

faces is an important factor that aects successful seal
installation. On component seals, technicians can set
this tension manually by adjusting the length of the
installed seal spring. With cartridge mechanical seals,
the spring tension is preset. To ensure the proper tension,

a retaining device holds the rotating and stationary
elements in alignment until after the seal is mounted.
While the details of whether a cartridge mechanical
seal can be tted to an application are complex, one

32
SPECIAL SECTION
criterion is whether the seal installs from the wet side

or dry side of the seal chamber. Pumps with a seal that
installs from the wet side, behind the impeller, are
generally not candidates for cartridge mechanical seals.
In addition, submersible pumps, which are usually
fitted with dual component seals, cannot be converted to
cartridge mechanical seals because the seals install from
the wet side of the pump.
Component vs. Cartridge

For end users deciding between a component and
cartridge seal, the primary considerations are cost and
ease of installation. If a competent pump technician
services the pump during overhaul under good working
conditions, ease of installation may seem like a minor
issue. However, the concern will be for subsequent seal
replacement during an emergency outage.
Cartridge mechanical seals may cost two to three times
component seals, so unless otherwise stated, competitive
repair bids are typically for component seals. Despite
the higher initial investment, however, a cartridge seal
can be a more cost-effective, long-term solution, given
the expectation that pump maintenance may require
in-service seal replacement. Potential savings accrue
from lower labor costs and

less production downtime
when subsequent seal
replacement is needed.
Projected savings
also include the
elimination of seal
failures resulting from
improper installation of
component seals.
Dual Seals
Image 2. A cartridge dual mechanical seal
Dual seals are effective
solutions for many pumping environments and
applications that are tough on seals, including high
temperatures, high pressures and foul pumpage laden
with abrasives. Dual seals have a chamber between the
seals into which barrier fluid can be pumped to provide
cooling, lubrication and protection from abrasives in
the pumpage. While redesigning a single-seal pump to
accept dual component seals would be challenging, the
precision components of a cartridge mechanical seal can
be designed as a dual seal that can easily fit in the same
space as a single component seal (see Image 2).
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33
Impeller Adjustment
Some pumps, particularly those with semi-open
impellers, require periodic adjustment of the impeller
face clearance. Users can make this adjustment by moving
the pump shaft axially, which can change the tension on
the seal. On a component seal, resetting the seal tension
requires signicant disassembly of the pump. Most
cartridge mechanical seals have retaining devices that
can be reinstalled to align the stationary and rotating
elements. This makes it easy to reset the seal tension after
the impeller face clearance has been adjusted.
Split Cartridge Mechanical Seals
Replacing a mechanical pump seal, component or
cartridge usually requires pump disassembly. One way
to avoid this is to use a split seal. The faces and other
circumferential components are split in half so they can
be installed without disassembling the pump. Since each
circumferential component must be properly tted and
joined together, installation of split component seals can
be problematic and requires a high degree of technical
ability. If any mistakes are made, the seal wont work.
Recent developments in seal technology have led to
the production of split cartridge mechanical seals, which
greatly simplify the installation of split seals. Whether

a split cartridge mechanical seal is the best option
depends on ease of installation versus cost. The additional
cost may be justied if, historically, the application
has required in-service seal replacement and if pump
disassembly is dicult.
Making the Right Choice

If users are aiming to nd the most cost-eective, longterm solution to pump maintenance and they anticipate
in-service seal replacement, a cartridge mechanical seal
will likely be a good choice. Incorporating a cartridge
mechanical seal also allows the conversion from a
packing seal to a mechanical seal. When low initial cost
is important, component sealsand a well-trained pump
technicianare the best option.
Eugene Vogel is a pump and vibration
specialist at the Electrical Apparatus
Service Association, Inc. (EASA) based in
St. Louis, Missouri. Vogel may be reached
at 314-993-2220. For more information,
visit easa.com.
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34
SPECIAL SECTION
How to Interpret
Published Sealing Data
Gasket information and the tests used to generate it can help
users make the best possible equipment selections.
BY JIM DRAGO
GARLOCK SEALING TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
very industry has its own terminology. For

example, depending on the frame of reference,
the acronym API can mean American Petroleum
Institute, active pharmaceutical ingredient or
application programming interfaces. To know what is
meant, one needs to know the context. In the case of
industrial sealing products, the context is often a catalog
published by the manufacturer, which to the uninitiated,
may raise as many questions as it answers. Yet, accurately
deciphering the information is vital to making informed
decisions in the selection of the optimal seal for a
particular application (see Table 1).
When considering gasket information, note that the
service temperature, pressure and pressure X temperature
(P X T) values of the intended application do not exceed
the published ratings of the product.
Temperature limits are sometimes expressed in what
appears to be a dual ratingmaximum and continuous
maximum. Maximum temperature is the temperature the
material could survive for an extremely short duration.
The continuous maximum temperature is the working or
allowable temperature a product can withstand for the
duration of its service life. Analogous to these limits is
the published tensile strength of a structural material,
where the maximum temperature would be expressed as
ultimate or yield stress, and the continuous maximum
temperature would correlate to maximum allowable
stress. This stress is typically the ultimate stress divided
by a safety factor.
Image 1. A technician tests a gasket for leak tightness using DIN3535 method and equipment. (Images and graphics courtesy of
Garlock Sealing Technologies, LLC)
Chemical compatibility of the material with the

media is another important consideration. Gasket
manufacturers publish tables ranking acceptability with
hundreds of common media.
Users should also consult the sealability numbers and
consider the nature of the media being sealed. Lower
values indicate the ability to seal more tightly than higher
35
Table 1. Typical catalog information for gaskets
Seal Composition
Temperature
Minimum
Maximum
Continuous maximum
Pressure
PxT
Maximum for 1/32 inch, 1/16 inch (0.8
millimeters, 1.6 millimeters)
For 1/8 inch (3.2 millimeters)
Filled Restructured
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)
Compressed Inorganic
Fiber
-450 F (-268 C)
--500 F (260 C)
-100 F (-75 C)
700 F (370 C)
400 F (205 C)
-100 F (-75 C)
800 F (425 C)
550 F (290 C)
1,200 pounds per square inch

(psi) (83 bar)
1,000 psi (70 bar)
1,200 psi (83 bar)
350,000 pounds per square inch

gauge (psig) x F
(12,000 bar x C)
350,000 psig x F (12,000

bar x C)
400,000 psig x F
(14,000 bar x C)
250,000 psig x F
(8,600 bar x C)
250,000 psig x F (8,600

bar x C)
275,000 psig x F
(9,600 bar x C)
--0.22 ml/hr
0.2 ml/hr
0.6 ml/hr
0.2 ml/hr
1.0 ml/hr
<0.015 cc/min
0.05 cc/min
0.05 cc/min
Sealability American Society for

Testing and Materials (ASTM) F37B
Nitrogen
ASTM Fuel A
Gas permeability Deutsches Institut
fur Normung (DIN) 3535 Part 4
Compressed Aramid
Fiber
Creep relaxation ASTM F38
18%
21%
15%
Compressibility ASTM F36
7-12%
7-17%
7-17%
Recovery ASTM F36

Tensile strength ASTM D1708
>10%
50%
>50%
2,000 psi
(14 Newtons per square millimeter
(N/mm2))
2,250 psi
(15 N/mm2)
1,500 psi
(10 N/mm2)
ones. When comparing gasket materials, the unit of

measure should be noted. Sealability data is expressed in
milliliters per hour (ml/hr), milliliters per minute (ml/
min) or cubic centimeters per minute (cc/min).
If the application thermally cycles, consider gasket
materials with the lowest creep values, indicating they
will not become as thin under compressive load as
materials with higher values. The more a gasket creeps,
the more load will be lost from the ange bolts. This
loosening can result in shorter service life, leaks or blowout. Note that thinner gaskets tend to creep less than
thicker ones.
In the case of non-metallic, worn or damaged anges,
materials with higher compressibility should be
chosen. The higher the compressibility of a gasket, the
more conformable it will be to the ange surface. The
manufacturer should always be consulted with regard to
the choice of product and selection logic.
Gasket Sheet Properties, Test Methods

& Significance
The following information describes in more detail the
types of tests conducted and the meaning of the results.
P X T Pressure X Temperature Value
Test equipment includes a anged joint, heat source
and pressure source. In this destructive test, the gasket
is taken to a point of failure. The pressure and
temperature at failure are noted, the product of which
is the ultimate level to which a safety factor is applied
for the published value.
ASTM F37B & DIN 3535-4
ASTM F37B Standard Test Methods for Sealability
of Gasket Materials and DIN 3535-4 Seals in gas
supply; seals of It-Plates for gas valves, gas appliances
and gas pipelines gauge how well the material seals.
36
F37 and DIN 3535-4 give seal tightness at standardized

pressures and ambient temperatures. Custom tests can
introduce elevated temperatures and thermal cycling. F37
covers both gas and liquid at relatively low pressures and
compressive loads on the gasket. DIN 353-4 compressive
loads on the gasket are at levels that might be found in
a Class 150 raised-face ange. Gas is at a pressure of
580 psig.
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www.nskamericas.com/aip
ASTM F38 & DIN 52913

ASTM F38 Standard Test Methods for Creep Relaxation
of Gasket Material and DIN 52913 Testing of static
gaskets for ange connections - Compression creep testing
of gaskets made from sheets indicate joint longevity.
Standard temperature, compressive load and duration
rank the ability of a material to maintain its thickness,
which indicates how well a anged joint will maintain its
tightness. The F38 tests are conducted at 100 C (212 F)
for 22 hours and DIN 52913 at 300 C (572 F) for 16 or
100 hours.
ASTM F36
The Standard Test Methods for Compressibility and
Recovery of Gasket Material are ambient temperature
tests that indicate the ability of a material to compress
and conform under load. The recovery portion of the test
reveals the materials resilience. The test results have little
meaning after a material has been exposed to elevated
temperatures. The greater the compressibility, the more apt
the material is to conform to ange surface irregularities.
ASTM F152
The Standard Test Methods for Tension Testing of
Nonmetallic Gasket Materials look at material strength.
Gaskets are cut into standard tensile test dog bone
coupons. The results indicate that the material has been
manufactured properly and is strong enough to be cut
and handled.
Conclusion
Understanding published gasket information and the
tests used to generate it provide condence in the process
of selecting application-appropriate materials. These
selections, in turn, can be conrmed by the manufacturers
applications engineers resulting in well-informed choices.
Jim Drago is principal applications engineer

at Garlock Sealing Technologies, LLC. He has a
B.S. in mechanical engineering from Clarkson
University. He may be reached at
jim.drago@garlock.com or 800-448-6688.
37

38
SPECIAL SECTION
Why Bearings Fail

Modern labyrinth bearing protection seals can protect
precision elements from contamination.
BY CHRIS REHMANN
AESSEAL
earings are precision components that require

clean lubrication in adequate amounts to ensure
a long, trouble-free life. Even small amounts of
contamination or slightly elevated temperatures
can lead to bearing failure.
A study of equipment reliability conducted at a major
renery concluded that 40 percent of rotating equipment
failures (pumps, mixers, etc.) were attributable to
bearing failure. It further estimated that 48 percent of
bearing failures were due to particle contamination and
4 percent were due to corrosion (caused by liquid in the

oil). In fact, bearing oil contamination accounts for 52
percent of bearing problems and 21 percent of rotating
equipment failures.1 If water, dust or other process uids
enter a bearing, it is headed for trouble. Modern labyrinth
bearing protection seals can help prevent these issues.
Dust Contamination
Dust in the production environment is a major problem
for bearings. Heavy dust is made of particles as small as
50 microns that can become airborne.
Because they fall at about 200 millimeters per
second, these particles are unlikely to move beyond the
production area. Heavy dust is readily seen as a cloud with
the naked eye.
Light dust, which is smaller than 50 microns in size,
may stay in the air for more than 30 minutes. This type
of dust can travel well beyond the manufacturing site,
although it is commonly seen as a ne coating when it
settles on machinery, bearing housings and other surfaces.
Outboard Air Purge
Inboard Air Purge

Figure 1. While the shaft is rotating, a micro-gap opens, allowing
the thermal expansion in the bearing housing. While the shaft is
not rotating, the micro-gap is closed, forming a perfect vapor seal
(Images and graphics courtesy of AESSEAL)
Image 1. Three months after running, the air purge still keeps
dust away from the stator to rotor interface.
39
Figure 2. When equipment rotates, the bearing housing

heats up, and the oil and air mixture inside heats up forcing
air through the seal. As equipment cools the oil and air
mixture contracts, it sucks air from the atmosphere.
Both types of dust are a concern because even light

dust will nd its way into a bearing. Although the
housing oers some protection, ingress still happens.
One signicant factor in bearing oil contamination is the
breathing process that occurs with all rotating equipment.
When equipment rotates, the bearing housing heats up,
and the oil and air mixture inside expands and is forced
through the seal. The problem arises when equipment
cools, because the oil and air mixture also cools and
contracts, sucking air laden with dust from the external
atmosphere through seals back into the housing. Over
time, dust builds up inside the bearing and eventually leads
to oil contamination, abrasion to components and bearing
failure. Bearing seals must facilitate this breathing cycle to
extend bearing life, while preventing dust contamination.
Some modern labyrinth seals with an air purge
design are suitable for use in extreme environments and
applications where contamination may completely cover
the seal or equipment (see Image 1). These use a positive
air purge to enhance the performance of the labyrinth
in combination with mechanical seal pressure balancing
technology to maximize the performance of the seal and
minimize air consumption.
40
SPECIAL SECTION
Humidity & Moisture Contamination

Moisture can enter bearing housings through old-style
labyrinth seals or lip seals as airborne water vapor or as
a stream of water from hose-down operations. It can also
enter through other ways, such as the breather vent or
from the widely used non-pressure balanced constant
level lubricators or abraded oil ring material.
Water vapor present in the atmosphere is also a cause of
many contamination problems. Even though the air in a
production plant may appear to be dry, moisture is always
present. Warm air can hold more water vapor, so the hot air
around machinery will have a higher relative humidity.
The pathway for water vapor entering the bearing starts
when the bearing house begins to breathe. As the machine
cools, this warm, moisture-laden air (along with airborne
dust) is sucked back into the housing. As the equipment
continues to cool and reaches dew point, minute water
droplets form inside the bearing. This moisture builds up,
causing corrosion and eventually failure.
Moisture and humidity alone contribute to damage
within mechanical components, however when
coupled with noxious elements from the air around the
production process, it can create an even more corrosive
combination for bearings.
To reduce the risk of humidity and moisture
contamination, the bearing housing would need to be kept
above dew point to prevent condensation from forming.
However, since this is not practical, the best way to reduce
the risk is use of modern labyrinth bearing protection.
When the shaft stops rotating, the bearing protection
creates a perfect vapor seal against both moisture and
dust. These labyrinth designs also protect against other
sources of moisture contamination such as powerful
waterjets. Some labyrinth seals can operate in completely
ooded or submerged environments, providing the
bearing with complete protection.
Overheating is another common cause of bearing
failure. To prevent overheating, users should get the
bearing running at optimum temperature, which requires
adequate, but not excessive, lubrication. Discoloration of
the rings, balls and cages, ranging from shades of blue to
brown, is a sure sign of bearing overheating. Unless the
bearing is made of special alloys, temperatures in excess
of 200 C (292 F) can anneal the ring and ball materials,
resulting in loss of hardness and, in extreme cases,
deformation of the bearing elements. The most common
cause of overheating is excessive speed, inadequate heat
dissipation/insucient cooling and lubricant failure.
Overheating is a major problem, because even slightly
elevated temperatures can cause oil or grease to degrade
or bleed, reducing eciency of the lubricant. Under even
higher temperatures, oxidation causes loss of lubricating
elements and the formation of carbon, which may clog

the bearing. The most eective way to extend the life
of the lubricant and ensure that it remains in optimum
condition is to use a modern labyrinth bearing protector.
These devices have been proven to protect against
contamination ingress and lubricant egress.
Lubrication Issues
Improper lubrication accounts for about one-third of
all bearing failures. Poor lubricant viscosity, prolonged
service or infrequent changes, excessive temperature,
using the wrong type of lubrication or over-lubrication
are common problems. External contamination is another
major cause of compromised performance of the lubricant.
Creating optimum lubrication conditions is a
balancing act between over-lubrication and underlubrication. Both create a problem as do contamination
or the use of a lubricant not suited to the equipment.
Consistency, viscosity, oxidation resistance and antiwear characteristics all play a role in the selection of
a lubricant. Usually, the application will dictate the
amount, type and frequency of lubrication needed.
Figure 3. While the shaft is rotating, a micro-gap opens,

allowing the thermal expansion in the bearing housing. While
the shaft is not rotating, the micro-gap is closed, forming a
perfect vapor seal.
41
Extending Bearing Life

Manufacturers have developed more advanced labyrinth
bearing protection seals that can oer protection against
all types of contamination. For example, one seal that
is non-contacting in operation to avoid shaft wear
incorporates patented dynamic lift technology to protect
against the breathing issues that contribute to 52 percent
of all bearing failures centered around contamination.
This dynamic lift technology uses the centrifugal force
of rotating equipment to open a temporary micro-gap,
allowing expansion of the oil and air mixture in the
bearing housing, which allows the equipment to breathe.
When the equipment stops rotating, the micro-gap
immediately closes, forming a perfect seal. This prevents
dust and moisture from being sucked back into the housing
and therefore prevents contamination (see Figure 3).
Rated to IP66 of the ingress protection code, this seal
can reduce water contamination of the bearing oil from
as high as 83 percent to just 0.0003 percent compared to
lip-seals, even when exposed to high-pressure water jets.
The range is Atmosphres Explosives (ATEX) certied for
use in explosive environments. Special designs make it
suitable for a wide range of applications.
It is also designed with a thinner cross-section and
seal length than competing devices, which means that it
can be retrotted on more equipment without having to
carry out modications. Furthermore, the design enables
it to be positioned dierently on the shaft than lip seals,
which means that damaged shafts can be retrotted
without costly replacement.
Conclusion
When all of the issues that cause bearing failure are
addressed, bearings should have a long, trouble-free
life. Taking steps to address these problems before they
happen can result in signicant cost savings. Bearings
are precision elements and require an ongoing supply of
clean lubricant in the appropriate amount to ensure long
equipment life and low maintenance. Modern labyrinth
bearing protectors have been shown to prevent the entry
of contaminants, as well as the loss of lubricant.
References:
1.
Bloch, Heinz; Pump Users Handbook: Life Extension 2011
Chris Rehmann is business development manager for

AESSEAL in Knoxville, Tennessee. Prior to joining
AESSEAL in 2002, he earned his engineering
degree from Notre Dame and worked for 15
years in various management positions with an
oilfield engineering services company. For more
information, visit labtecta.com.
42
SPECIAL SECTION
Hybrid Bearings Enhance

Performance of Dry-Start
Vertical Pumps
This equipment exploits the elasticity of synthetic rubber and
ensures stable bearing behavior.
BY FUMITAKA KIKKAWA & YOSHIMASA KACHU, MIKASA CORP.
& HIROSHI
SATOH, ORIDEA INC.
fter 30 years of research, an engineering

team in Japan has developed a hybrid-type
submersible bearing that prevents burnouts
during vertical pump dry-starts, exploits the
elasticity of the synthetic rubber to level the pressure
during typical operation, and ensures stable bearing
behavior by conferring vibration control while supporting
the rotating shafts.
Using polytetrauoroethylene (PTFE) strips as slide
members and synthetic soft rubber for cushioning
between the slide elements and metal shell (or the base
plates), the hybrid bearing can be used for dry-start
operation of vertical pumps without applying lubricating
water from the outside prior to pump operation.
Advantages of Adopting a Dry-Start Bearing

A wet-start vertical pump system requires that water
be injected from outside the pump into shaft protection
tubes at the top of the column pipes before operation. In
most cases, the water is pumped up automatically after
a xed time to avoid wasting the feed water pump power
or the water from the tap, which is usually called selffeed water. A dry-start pump does not require lubrication
and is less prone to environmental damage from crevice
corrosion in joint parts where seawater remains. Because
the stainless steel shafts are exposed directly to the pump
main ow, pitting corrosionprone to occur in low-owvelocity or stagnant regionsis reduced.
Figure 1. PTFE/rubber hybrid bearings for pumps

(Images and graphics courtesy of the authors)
Structure of Hybrid Bearings

Three molds have been developed to produce three types
of bearings, each suitable for a dierent range and scale
of application. These include full-molded, segmental and
barrel type bearings.
Bearings are basically composed of four layers: PTFE
strips as slide elements, synthetic rubber for cushioning,
base plates as the backing-plates and a metal shell that
serves as the holder. The full-molded bearing is used
almost exclusively for vertical pumps, making a simple,
three-layered structure as shown in Figure 1.
Friction Coefficients
Creating submersible bearings with materials that
have low friction coecients has been a top priority
for submersible bearing manufacturers. Figure 2 shows
friction coecients in tap water of dierent bearing
materials (PTFE, polyether ether ketone [PEEK] and
polyurethane in hybrid structure with rubber) used in
dry-start vertical pumps and rubber bearings used in wetstart pumps. Friction coecients were obtained using
identically structured bearings to match test conditions.
The graph plots one of the outcomes obtained by
changing the bearing loads from 0.25 to 1.0 mega-Pascals
43
(MPa) at four stages. Results show that all bearing

materials have excellent friction coecients.
Effects of Synthetic Rubber

Friction coecients obtained using the two test bearings
during wear resistance testing indicate that the test
bearing with the persistently soft rubber layer (72 Shore A
hardness) has a lower friction coecient than the bearing
with the rubber layer turned into ebonite (80 Shore D
hardness). This suggests that the rubber layer may prevent
sharp rises in the local pressure on the bearing conferred
by the shaft deection. The rubber seems to keep pressure
low overall and limit the solid contact friction areas.
The free surfaces of the rubber made by or among the
PTFE strips may improve the elastic eect compared with
the bearings without free surfaces facing the shaft, as with
a the bearing with a monolithic ring-like structure of metal
and resin.1 The balance between the number of grooves and
the size of the area in which the water lm formed to lower
the friction coecients is important. If the number of
grooves is increased to enhance the elasticity of the rubber,
the size of the water lm area will decrease and invite the
larger friction coecients and vice versa.
Because the pump shafts of the vertical pumps are
suspended on the center of the column pipes, the bearing
load by the shaft weight is comparatively small, which is
typical with vertical pumps. This reduces the importance
of self-alignment, but another problem may emerge.
Adhesive & Abrasive Wear Resistance
Wear resistance related to adhesive wear and the abrasive
wear of the slide members is an important factor for
submerged bearings from the viewpoint of tribology.
Figure 3 shows the results of an adhesive wear test on
two pieces of same-sized bearings. One was the PTFE
and rubber hybrid bearing, while the other contained
abundant sulfur and was vulcanized to harden the rubber
into ebonite with the hardness of 80 Shore D.
Figure 3. Test results of PTFE/rubber hybrid bearing
Figure 2. Friction coefficients in tap water
Figure 3 plots the coordinating friction data

according to the wear amount after conrming the
friction coecients through a series of tests performed
concurrently for the pure wear test and the measurement
of the friction coecients. The wear amount of the PTFE/
ebonite hybrid bearing is displayed as a ratio, while the
wear amount of the PTFE/rubber hybrid is assumed to
be 1.0. The graph indicates that the wear of the original
bearing with the soft rubber layer is about one-half
of the wear amount of the bearing with a rubber layer
transformed into ebonite.
Absorptivity of Shaft Vibration

In addition to the eect on friction coecients, the
rubber layer also aects shaft vibration control. A
viscoelastic material like rubber suppresses the selfexcited or sub-synchronous vibration that is caused by
the strong nonlinearity of the bearing characteristics
Figure 4. Vibration amplitude when using three types of bearings
44
SPECIAL SECTION
and tends to appear when loads are small, as in the case

of the shafts of vertical pumps.
Figure 4 (page 43) shows the peak-to-peak amplitude
measured on a bearing spider xed on the middle part
between the column pipes of the test pump in operation.
The inside radiating spokes holding the bearing in the
shaft center were replaced with rods extruded from the
load cells to measure the bearing load. This pump was

6 meters long under the oor. A 200-millimeter bored
vertical pseudo-pump with three bearings (upper, middle
and lower) was xed in the bearing spiders. The impeller
of this pseudo-pump was replaced by a rotating disk with
the same rotating inertia to cease its pumping action.
The amplitude curves shown in Figure 4 compare
the three kinds of bearings (PTFE/
rubber hybrid, nitrile rubber [NBR] and
cylindrical silicon carbide [SiC] bearing).
Rotation speed was continuously altered
throughout the test, and the loads on each
bearing, as well as the vibration amplitude,
were traced.
Only the cylindrical SiC bearings
generated a self-excited vibration
accompanied by the hysteresis
phenomena. The PTFE/rubber hybrid
bearings ran quietly through the full
range of rotational speeds. Once excessive
vibration is generated with the use of
SiC bearings, an abnormal noise occurs,
and the loads on both upper and middle
bearings can increase by as much as
tenfold.2 These phenomena were often
observed in real pumps in factory tests and
in the eld.
Based on these ndings, the rubber
layer improves the damping performance
of the pump system and weakens the
nonlinearity of the bearing spring
constant because of the viscoelastic nature
of the rubber. The actions dier markedly
from the actions of the monolithically
structured metal/resin without rubber
lining eects. Once a vibration like subsynchronous resonance is generated, pump
parts such as the shaft might fracture.
Even if the consequences are not severe,
the abnormally raised bearing loads will
result in extreme wear of the bearings.2
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Acceptability of Dry Runs

Figure 5 shows the threshold of the
possible dry-start continuing time
relative to the bearing pressure in an
experimental run at a progressively higher
shaft speed. The plot shows a nearly
inverse relationship between the dry-run
continuing time and bearing pressure. As
expected, the bearing pressure remains
low on the vertical pumps as long as their
assemblies and alignments stay normal.
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46
SPECIAL SECTION
The dry run can presumably be extended to a few minutes.

Under the ordinary usage requirements for vertical
pumps, the period of in-the-air operations using the drystart bearings at the point of pump startup is 10 seconds
or less. Therefore, Figure 5 shows that almost all of the
vertical pumps are capable of dry start.3
Assuming a cuto of the passage of lubricating water

to and from the bearing, the test bearing was sealed in
Acceptability of a Lack of Lubrication Water

A lack of lubrication water arises when some force or
phenomenon intercepts the ow of replacement water to
or from the bearing surroundings.
Figure 5. Dry-run continuing time at different bearing pressure

and shaft speeds
Figure 6. Temperature change when preventing feed water

exchange to the bearings
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47
an experiment using the oil seals at both ends after

immersion in water. The bearing temperature was
measured in the vicinity of the bearing surface.
Figure 6 shows the temperature change of the test
bearings during the experiment. Points A, B and C in
the gure are temperature measurement points. Point
B is at the middle of the longitudinal location of the
bearings, and points A and C are at the two ends. When
the inow and outow of lubrication water is blocked,
the rubber bearings are at high risk of seizure. For
hybrid bearings, the risk exists only when the bearing
surfaces get wet.4
References
1. Satoh H., Okada K., Furukawa S., 1994a, Inuence of Grooves of
Compound-Structured Submerged Bearings for Vertical Pumps,
Transactions of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, Vol.60,
No.571, pp.1033-1038.
2. Satoh H., Takeda H., 1989, Dry-Start Bearings for Vertical Pumps,
Proceedings of 6th International Pump Users Symposium, pp. 75-82.
3. Kikkawa F., Ogawa R., Satoh H., 2010b, PTFE submersible dry-start
bearings, World Pumps, No.531, pp.31-34.
4. Kikkawa F., Ogawa R., Satoh H., 2010a, PTFE submersible dry-start
bearings, World Pumps, No.530, pp. 30-33.
Satoh H., Takeda H., Kikkawa F., 1988, Dry-Start Bearings for
Vertical Pumps, Journal of Turbomachinery Society of Japan,
Vol.16, No.7, pp. 382-390.
Satoh H., Sugiya T., Okada K., Yamada S. 1994b, Inuence of

Submerged Bearings for Vertical Pumps on Vibration Characteristics,
Transactions of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, Vol.60,
No.578, pp.3233-3237.
Dr. Fumitaka Kikkawa is a director of Mikasa Corp.

and oversees the industrial products division.
Dr. Kikkawa earned a Ph.D. in engineering from
Nagasaki University with a focus on submersible
bearings for pumps and ships. He may be reached
at kikkawa@mikasasports.co.jp.
Yoshimasa Kachu is a graduate of the chemical
engineering program at Fukuoka University. He is
one of the chief engineers in the industrial products
division at Mikasa Corp. He may be reached at
kachu@mikasasports.co.jp.
Dr. Hiroshi Satoh has been engaged for the last
seven years as a consultant in mechanical
engineering at several companies, including
Mikasa. He received a Ph.D. in engineering from
Yamanashi University. He may be reached at
oridea-satoh@ab.thn.ne.jp.
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48
SPECIAL SECTION
The Basics of
Coupling Selection
Users should consider these important factors when
choosing the best equipment for their applications.
BY ROBERT BRAMER
FISCHER PROCESS INDUSTRIES
coupling transmits power from a driver to a

driven piece of equipment. The driver can be
anything from an electric motor to a steam
turbine, and the driven equipment can be
a gearbox, fan or pump. While the coupling is often
viewed as the weak link in the pump assembly, replacing
a coupling element is still much easier than replacing a
sheared shaft.
For the purposes of this article, the driver will be an
alternating current (AC) electric motor, and elastomeric
couplings will be the focus. Typically, these couplings
consist of three to six components, excluding fastener
hardware. They have two hubs with bores to match the
drive shaft and driver shaft and an elastomeric element
between them. Some couplings, especially spacer types,
have more components. A spacer coupling assembly, for
example, can have two shaft hubs, two anges and one
elastomeric element. The assembly bolts together in such
a way that the two anges and element drop out of the
center section.
Based on the calculation for horsepower (HP) indicated
in Equation 1, the proper sizing of couplings is highly
dependent on HP, torque and shaft speed. In addition to
these variables, other elements such as service factor and
misalignment capabilities can aect coupling operation
and application. For this reason, many users rely only on
the manufacturers methods for proper sizing. Reading a
few coupling manuals will indicate that a vast selection of
couplings can meet a users power criteria. Still, selecting
the best coupling for the job depends on the environment
and the operators just as much as the mathematics
behind the sizing. When selecting a coupling for a pump
application, end users should consider the following factors.
HP =
T(n)
63025
Equation 1
Where
HP = horsepower
T = torque (inch-pounds)
n = shaft speed
Service Factor
Service factor is an application- and coupling-dependent
multiplier that should be factored into sizing data. It is a
buer between the torque capacity used to size a coupling
and what happens in the real world.
For example, if a pump requires 500 inch-pounds (in-lb)
of torque and the coupling manual recommends a 1.2
service factor, the coupling would be sized for 600 in-lb
(500 in-lb x 1.2 = 600 in-lb). This is to help compensate for
application details such as shock loads, type of driver and
Image 1. Spacer couplings are engineered to have a drop-out center

section to allow for easy removal of the pump rotating assembly without
having to unbolt the motor. (Images and graphics courtesy of Fischer
Process Industries)
49
type of driven equipment. Each type of equipment has its own

load characteristics and can generally be found in the sizing
section of a coupling manual; if not, consult the manufacturer.
Always use the service factor recommended for the particular
coupling to be used, and resist the urge to oversize the
coupling. The coupling is meant to be the weak link.
Fail Safe
A fail-safe coupling will transmit power even after the
element fails, because part of both hubs operates in the
same plane. A jaw coupling is an example of a fail-safe
coupling. Alternatively, couplings that are not fail-safe
are also available. When the element fails, these couplings
will no longer transmit power, because no part of the hubs
operates in the same plane.
Load Characteristics
Users should always know the load characteristics for
their pumps. Are uniform or non-uniform loads expected?
Is this a variable-torque (centrifugal pump) or constanttorque (positive displacement) application?
Starting torque is particularly important. Progressing
cavity pump applications are a prime example of an
Image 2. Radially split elements can typically be replaced with

less effort and without the need to unbolt flanges from hubs.
application where starting torque is much greater than

the running torque. This possibility must be taken into
consideration during coupling sizing. The number of starts
and stops per hour also plays a role in selection.
Back Pull-Out Design

When specifying a coupling for a pump that uses a
back pull-out design, a spacer coupling is an ideal choice.
Spacer couplings are prominent in the pump industry
and are available in a wide variety of designs. They are

50
engineered to have a drop-out center section to allow

for easy removal of the pump rotating assembly without
having to unbolt the motor (see Image 1, page 48).
The distance between shaft ends (DBSE) must
be large enough to allow the rotating assembly to
be removed without having to unbolt the motor. A
coupling with a DBSE that is too small can lead to a
awed buildup and require the maintenance personnel
working on the pump to move the motor in order
to remove the rotating assembly, which defeats the
purpose of a back pull-out design.
With the exception of American Petroleum Institute
(API) applications, which are beyond the scope of this
article, using an elastomeric coupling with a radially
split element is a solid choice for a general-purpose
spacer coupling. Radially split elements can typically
be replaced with less eort and without the need to
unbolt anges from hubs (see Image 2, page 49).
5 COMMON COUPLING MISTAKES

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Pumps
Valves
Service
1. Failing to check maximum bore capacity: Sometimes

the shaft size of the driver or the driven piece of
equipment exceeds the maximum bore capacity of the
coupling hub. In this case, the shaft sizes dictate the
coupling size. Avoid coupling bores that use shallow
keyways because these hubs use different size keys. As
Murphys law would have it, the key you will need during
a breakdown will not be included in the box.
2. Using the one-size-fits-all approach: The coupling is the
weak link, so size it accordingly. Making all the couplings
the same size may seem like a good idea, but it is not. An
oversized or undersized coupling will lead to destroyed
pumps and failed couplings.
3. Ignoring multiple duty points: Size the coupling for
the highest torque duty point, but pay attention to
the service factor of the duty with the lower torque
requirement. Keep in mind the torque limit of the shaft.
Consult a coupling manual for help with these types
of applications.
4. Ignoring heat and chemical compatibility: Make
sure the coupling elastomer is compatible with the
environment where it will be used. In other words, is what
youre pumping compatible with the elastomer? A seal
failure can expose the element to the pumped fluid. Is
the temperature limit of the element acceptable for the
environment where it will be used?
5. Overlooking space restrictions: Make sure your
coupling can fit where you want to put it. A high-torque
application, gearbox to pump for example, often requires
a coupling with a large outside diameter. Consider using
an element with a higher torque rating, or look into
different designs that have a higher-torque density.
51
SP100 Series AODD
Figure 1. Shaft misalignment includes parallel offset,

angular offset and a mixture of the two.
In addition, the entire coupling assembly often has

fewer components. The fewer components, the less
users have to keep track of.
Robert Bramer is a mechanical engineer with

Fischer Process Industries. He may be reached at
robertb@fpv.com or 513-583-4800.
Exceptionally fast trip-over means a smooth flow of

fluids and less stress on piping and equipment.
Less than half the parts of competing brands

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Misalignment
Shaft misalignment includes parallel oset,
angular oset and a mixture of the two (see Figure
1). Coupling manufactures often talk about the
misalignment their coupling can tolerate. Just
because the coupling can handle the misalignment
does not mean that the pump can. For example,
a popular model elastomeric coupling used in the
pump industry can handle more than 0.060 inches of
parallel oset. However, the installation, operation
and maintenance (IOM) manual for the pump to
which the coupling is being mounted indicates that
the manufacturer only recommends 0.005 inches
of parallel oset. The coupling can tolerate more
than 12 times the parallel oset that the pump is
recommended to handle. Improper alignment will lead
to bearing and seal issues down the road. Taking the
necessary time to align their pump assemblies before
putting them into service will help save plants money
in the long run.
52
SPECIAL SECTION
Polymer Seals Perform

Reliably After Years of Use
Two sets of seals, in service for 11 and 15 years, still meet
baseline standards.
BY JIM HEBEL
QUADRANT
dvanced thermoplastic materials oer

several advantages over aluminum and other
metals for turbo-compressor labyrinth seals.
Polymer seals eliminate the risk of metal tooth
deformation and mating shaft damage during shaft
rubs. This enables end users to tighten initial clearances
and reduce clearance loss over time. Overall compressor
eciency improves greatly over the life of the seals.
This article provides mechanical property data from
two dierent sets of seals. The integrity of the seals after
11 and 15 years in service was compared with new, othe-shelf seals of the same material.
The rst set of seals, including ve dierent seals

for evaluation, was installed in 1996 and remained in
service for 11 years in a natural gas compressor. Visually,
the seals were in good condition, with the exception of
damage suered during the removal process. They each
exhibited damage ranging from a few gouges to being
completely broken.
Upon removal, the in-service seals showed little signs
of wear and the teeth were well-dened and in good
condition. The seals did incur some damage during the
removal process: Some had just a few gouges, and others
were completely broken.
Image 1. The first set of seals were removed from a natural gas compressor after
11 years in service. (Images and graphics courtesy of Quadrant)
Image 2. The second seal was removed from a different

compressor, which had been in service for 15 years.
53
Table 1. The two sets of seals used in the evaluation and their descriptions
Summary of received seals

Seal Set 1 - 1 Years in Service
Seal Set 2 - 15 Years in Service
B-Case (2)
C-Case
C-Case
C-Case
C-Case
8th Stage
2nd Wheel
5th Wheel
4th Wheel
5th Wheel
7th Wheel
2nd Wheel
D-029-100029
D-029-126-002
(possibly)
TCE Part
Number
C-029-126-002
D-029-164-005 D-029-100-029
D-029-100029
Nova Serial
Number
120201187
120201103
Not identified
120201090
Not
identified
120201187
Marking on
Part
Not identified
14388 K201C
#5
lower
14387 K201C
#4
lower
14386 K201C
14389
K201C #7
Not identified
Size
15.242" OD x
12.6"
ID x 2.226
18.057" OD x
16.4" ID
x 1.180
11.623" OD x
10.0"
ID x 1.562
11.623" OD x
10.0"
ID x 1.562
11.623" OD
x 10.0"
ID x 1.562
15.242 OD x 12.6 ID x
2.226
Seal Config
2-segment
shaft
seal
2-segment
impeller
seal
2-segment
shaft
seal
2-segment
shaft
seal
2-segment
shaft
seal
2-segment shaft
seal
Material
Torlon 4540
Torlon 4540
Torlon 4540
Torlon 4540
Torlon 4540
Torlon 4540
Temp
Exposure
47 to 60 C
49 to 64 C
44 to 57 C
49 to 64 C
61 to 77 C
31 to 45 C
11 yr
11 yr
11 yr
11 yr
11 yr
15 yr
Time in
Service
Another seal was evaluated from

a dierent compressor, which had
been in service for 15 years. This
seal also showed some gouges from
removal and handling during the
compressors rebuild.
Evaluating the Seals

To evaluate the integrity of the
seals, the mechanical properties of
the returned seals were compared
with those of standard seals.
Only one sealfrom the initial
set, B-case, 2nd wheelwas large
enough to allow full-sized tensile
test bars to be machined.
Tensile properties are the
ngerprint of a materials
integrity. Full-sized tensile
bars are needed to yield a full
complement of tensile properties,
including strength, modulus and
elongation values.
In addition, other mechanical
properties were evaluated,
including compressive strength
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54
SPECIAL SECTION
The property values of both the 11-year-old and 15-year-old

compressor seals revealed consistent performance compared
with standard data for the product.
Table 2. The results of the mechanical property testing for both the 11-year-old and 15-year-old polymer labyrinth seals
Summary of received seals

Seal Set 1
11 Years in Service
Test
Method
Seal Set 2
15 Years in Service
Duratron T4540
Baseline (1)
B-Case(2)
C-Case
C-Case
C-Case
C-Case
8th Stage
Recent
Production
2nd
Wheel
5th
Wheel
4th
Wheel
5th
Wheel
7th
Wheel
2nd Wheel
Specific gravity
ASTM
D792
1.47
1.47
NA
NA
NA
NA
1.47
Tensile strength,
psi
ASTM
D638
10,516
9,416
NA
NA
NA
NA
10,323
Elongation at
yield, %
ASTM
D638
3.40
2.23
NA
NA
NA
NA
3.34
Elongation at
break, %
ASTM
D638
3.40
2.23
NA
NA
NA
NA
3.34
Tensile modulus,
psi
ASTM
D638
608,843
634,536
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
Flex strength,
psi
ASTM
D790
11,864
13,217
NA
NA
NA
NA
9,160
Flex modulus,
psi
ASTM
D790
546,492
608,581
NA
NA
NA
NA
687,283
Compressive
strength, psi
ASTM
D695
23,606
21,140
21,475
21,136
20,345
21,860
22,132
Compressive
modulus,psi
ASTM
D695
346,670
433,450
437,000
450,000
454,160
456,440
376,060
DSC Tg, oC
ASTM
D3418
281
280
NA
NA
NA
NA
272
Moisture content
at time of
testing, %
ASTM
D570
Dry
0.47
NA
NA
NA
NA
0.58
(1) Quadrant production sample data based on averages between 18 x 11 x 6 and 12 x 3.5 x 6 tubular bars
(2) B-Case, 2nd wheel was the only component large enough to allow for a full-sized machined tensile bar, which allowed for tensile strength, elongation
and modulus data. As a result, only compressive data was generated on the other samples.
55
and modulus. For the initial set of seals,

only compressive test samples could
be machined and tested because of the
limited sample size of the other, smaller
cross-section seals.
The single, 15-year seal underwent a
full complement of testing, except for
tensile modulus testing. Without
enough material to yield a full-sized
tensile bar, the modulus value could not
be determined.
The property values from the
in-service seals were then compared to
a baseline set of data. To determine the
baseline values, compression-molded
tubular bars were used to replicate
the same production process as the
returned, older samples. Two tubes were
pulled from production, test plaques
were machined and tested, and the
results were documented.
Results
The property values of both the 11-yearold and 15-year-old compressor seals
revealed consistent performance
compared with standard data for
the product.
For the 11-year-old seals, the tensile
strength and elongation properties of
the B-case sample were a little lower
than baseline, but the tensile modulus
was higher. The lower properties
were due to slight embrittlement
during service.
The exural and compressive
properties were higher than current
production, which can also be attributed
to embrittlement. The glass-transition
temperature (Tg) of the 11-year-old
material remained steady at 280 degrees
C, at which no major degradation of
the polymeric structure occurred. The
compressive strength and modulus
values were also tightly packed and
within a 7 percent spread, showing good
data integrity among the returned seals.
For the 15-year-old seal, both tensile
and compressive data matched closely to
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IQV"UNWTT[A
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*Encuu"K."Fkxkukqp"3."Itqwr"E"("F+
56
Overall compressor efficiency

improves greatly over the
life of the seals.
Image 3. For seals from the B-case sample, tensile strength was
lower than baseline, but tensile modulus was higher.
baseline values, including the tensile elongation. Flexural

strength was less than baseline, while flexural modulus
was above baseline. However, the data was within
acceptable variation considering the age of the polymer.
After 11 and 15 years of service in a natural gas
compressor, the integrity of seals appears to be similar to
current production.
James Hebel is application development and technical

service manager at Quadrant EPP, where he has been for
14 years. He holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and
an M.S. in mechanical engineering from
The Catholic University of America. His
prior work experience includes the U.S.
Department of Defense and U.S. Gypsum
Company. He may be reached at james.
hebel@qplas.com or 610-320-6730.
57

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58
SPECIAL SECTION
Composite Bearings
Resist Wear in Circulating
Water Pumps
A thermoplastic composition in abrasive applications helped
bearings meet end user specications.
BY GREG GEDNEY
GREENE, TWEED & CO.
ne of the largest electric power generation

companies in the U.S. conducted an upgrade
project of their water pumps at their nuclear
plant facility. The pump original equipment
manufacturer (OEM) was contracted to produce a series
of vertical circulating water pumps. The vertical pump
model is designed to pump high volumes of seawater
and has an external ush provided to each of the four
composite bearing locations. The bearings are composed
of a proprietary thermoplastic material, which is designed
specically for use as bushings, bearings and wear rings
in pumps handling abrasive media up to 250 F (120
C). Its properties make it a more reliable material than
traditional rubber, ceramic or bronze.
Image 1. A bearing made of the proprietary thermoplastic material and a

stainless steel shaft (Images and graphics courtesy of Greene, Tweed & Co.)
The Challenge
The nuclear plant engineering team requested that the
pump manufacturer add a low-ow/ush alarm to the
upgraded pumps. The alarm would trigger when the
ush drops below 5 gallons per minute (GPM) of ow to
the bearings. The bearings in the pump must survive 15
minutes of low-ow/ush conditions to give the operators
adequate time to respond.
Although the pump OEM was condent the bearings
would survive for 15 minutes under low-ow/ush
conditions, sucient data was not available to conrm
the composite bearings performance.
Figure 1. The test matrix shows the results of using the testing rig.
59
Table 1. The inner diameter of the bearings measured in inches () and millimeters (mm) before and after testing
Before Test
Test Results: 5 psi load
Test 1 (15 min)
Inner Diameter
Test 2 (30 min)
Test 3 (60 min)
Inner Diameter
Inner Diameter
Inner Diameter
Bearing 1
2.705 (68.72 mm)
2.706 (68.73 mm)
2.705 (68.72 mm)
2.706 (68.73 mm)
Bearing 2
2.705 (68.72 mm)
2.705 (68.72 mm)
2.705 (68.72 mm)
2.705 (68.72 mm)
Bearing 3
2.705 (68.71 mm)
2.705 (68.71 mm)
2.705 (68.70 mm)
2.705 (68.70 mm)
Bearing 4
2.706 (68.74 mm)
2.706 (68.73 mm)
2.706 (68.73 mm)
2.706 (68.74 mm)
Test Results: 10 psi load
The Solution
A test program was developed to conrm the bearings
ability to survive in the end users condition. The
programs objective was to verify that the running
clearance would remain within an acceptable limit (less
than two times the original clearance) after a 15-minute
dry run, using the same operating conditions as the
vertical pump.
The Results
Four bearings were tested on a horizontal testing rig.
Multiple tests were run on the four bearings, each for a
specied amount of time (15, 30 and 60 minutes). The
bearings demonstrated outstanding wear resistance
throughout the test program, shown by the minimal

change in measured internal diameters (ID) in Table 1.
The results show a greater than 4x safety factor. The
bearings showed no problems when tested for up to 60
minutes. The pump manufacturer integrated the alarm,
and the power generation company specied bearings
made from the proprietary thermoplastic material for all
circulating water pumps supplied to their nuclear facility.
Greg Gedney is the equipment segment

manager at Greene, Tweed & Co. He may be
reached at ggedney@gtweed.com or 281-7654550. Visit gtweed.com for more information.
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60
Optimize High-Energy
Pumps With Improved
Impeller Design
As new design and manufacturing technologies are
developed, end users can aordably upgrade their
systems and verify better performance.
BY BOB JENNINGS & DR. GARY DYSON
HYDRO, INC.
he rising cost of electrical power has caused

many industrial plants to shift their focus to
energy consumption. Plants often run pumping
equipment continuously, and much research has
pointed to opportunities for cost savings by optimizing
pumping equipment.
When evaluating the potential for energy savings, end
users cannot consider a pump in isolation. The suitability
of the pump for the system within which it operates
is vital. Even the best designed and most ecient
equipment oers power-saving potential if it is run o
its best eciency point (BEP) in a system for which it
is ill-applied.
Many plants have been in operation for more than 40
years, and their operating philosophies have changed
over time. Plant improvements have enabled higher
throughput, often increasing production by as much as
125-150 percent. Unfortunately, little is done to improve
or increase the performance of the support-service
pumping equipment, such as cooling water pumps.
As system ow demands increase, the duty point of the
pumps is forced to shift far to the right of the BEP, well
outside the acceptable operating range (AOR). This causes
eciency and pump reliability to decrease dramatically.
Casting tolerances, surface nishes, and impeller/

volute or impeller/di user geometry have all dramatically
improved during the last 40 years. But because
many pumps were installed when the plants were
commissioned, the existing pumps were manufactured
using techniques that would be considered obsolete today.
The result is higher energy costs and reduced reliability
and availability, which often cause production delays.
The Starting Point

Pumps react to changing system conditions. System
demand (or system resistance) determines the ow and
pressure at which a pump will operate. As system ow
demand increases, the ow throughput of a pump also
increases, causing it to operate further on the right-hand
part of the performance curve.
The system demand is graphically represented by
plotting the system resistance curve as a function of ow.
This curve enables the end user to quickly determine
system ow for a given pump since the pressure and
ow are determined by the intersection of the pump
performance curve (red) with the system head curve
(green). A process design engineer would ideally select a
pump with an operating point that would have coincided
61
Image 1. Much research has pointed to opportunities for cost savings by
optimizing pumping equipment. (Images and graphics courtesy of Hydro, Inc.)
Figure 1. Pump and system curve interaction
with the BEP. This could yield a pump

eciency of 80 percent, as shown in Figure 1.
However, many support pumping systems
have exceeded their original design and have
much higher ows to support the higher plant
production. This is particularly common in
cooling water applications, condenser water
pumps, descale pumps or any application
where water usage is proportional to
production.
While the original design may have
called for two-pump operation, present-day
requirements may require 2 1/2 pumps online,
with two pumps being insucient and three pumps too
many. As ows increase, the result is usually that system
requirements have exceeded the AOR of the pumps (see
Figure 2, page 62).
Original Duty Point

The original system design for one processing plants
service water pumps was to have three pumps operating
in parallel with an installed spare as a standby. The total
system requirement was 105,000 U.S. gallons per minute
(GPM) (23,864 cubic meters per hour) at a pressure of 190
feet (57.9 meters) total dynamic head (TDH). Each pump

was rated for 35,000 GPM (7,955 cubic meters per hour)
at 190 feet (57.9 meters) TDH.
As production increased, more service water was
required, causing the existing pumps to operate
further out to the right of the performance curve. Th is
caused the net positive suction head required (NPSHR)
to exceed the NPSH available (NPSHA), leading to severe
cavitation issues. To reduce cavitation problems, the
plant ran four pumps in parallel and throttled each
pump to keep the individual pump ows low enough
to prevent cavitation.
COVER
SERIES
Over time, the design of the impellers also drifted

away from optimal because no testing or verication of
the performance took place. Cavitation and insucient
service water continued until the pumping station
could not keep up with plant demand. As Figure 3 (page
63) shows, eld pump assessments and subsequent
individual performance tests conducted on the
poorly replicated impellers showed that the pump
performance had been dramatically compromised.
1. Capture system resistance data and operating

conditions. The plants pumps operated at dierent
ow conditions. Understanding how these ow
requirements matched the systems resistance enabled
an optimized design ow to be derived that would
Figure 2. Pump Performance curve interaction based on different system
requirements
Acceptable Operating Range
New Impeller Design

The technological advances made in recent years
with reverse engineering, laser digitizing equipment,
computation uid dynamics (CFD) software and the
ability to print 3-D foundry molds from computeraided design/computer-aided modeling (CAD/CAM)
software has revolutionized the aftermarket industry.
Solutions that were cost-prohibitive ve years ago
are now within the realm of nancial feasibility. The
solution helped manufacturers and end users solve
their energy optimization diculties in three ways:
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63
casting surface nish. These manufacturing measures

ensure that head was not generated by the pump to
alone can lead to a 3 percent eciency increase.
be dissipated over a control valve, so the number of
pumps running was optimized for the demand.
Tables 1-3 show the before and after energy usage,
2. Capture the geometry of the existing impeller
based on the projected energy audits (see page 64).
using advanced laser-scanning equipment and
build a CFD model of this impeller. This
allows design scenarios to be evaluated
Figure 3. Pump performance test data illustrating performance degradation
to get the optimized design for the newly
established ow conditions.
3. Use additive manufacturing in the
form of 3-D foundry sand printers
and casting simulation software
to drastically reduce lead-time and
overhead normally associated with
pattern/core box sand casting processes.
The 3-D printing process directly from
the design data ensures that the integrity
of the design is completely captured. The
high accuracy of sand printing means that
vane-to-vane symmetry and vane shape is
identical. Sand printing also oers improved
Misalignment leads to increased vibration, premature seal
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64
Table 1. Original system
Measurement
Per Pump
Per System
GPM
40,000*
160,000*
TDH
185
185
Efficiency
0.74
0.74
Brake horsepower
2,525
10,101
kilowatts (kW)
1,884
7,536
Hours per year
8,400
8,400
kW rate
$0.07
$0.07
$1,107,792.00
$4,431,168.00
Total energy cost per year
* Note: Four pumps online throttle to prevent cavitation
Table 2. Newly designed system
Measurement
Per Pump
Per System
GPM
48,333*
TDH
160
160
Efficiency
0.89
0.89
2,194
6,582
Brake horsepower
144,999*
kW
1,637
4,911
Hours per year
8,400
8,400
kW rate
$0.07
$0.07
$962,556.00
$2,887,668.00
Total energy cost per year
* Note: Three redesigned pumps online
Table 3. Total projected energy savings for the system
Energy Costs - Original (Present)
$ 4,431,168.00
Energy Costs - New Impeller Design
$ 2,887,668.00
Impeller Design and Manufacturing Costs for

4 impellers
$ 390,000.00*
Total Savings
$ 1,153,500.00
* Number excludes the regular repair cost(s) normally incurred for this equipment.
In addition to energy savings, improved reliability and availability

translates to extended mean time between repairs, signicantly reducing
maintenance costs.
Conclusion
Signicant energy savings opportunities exist in every manufacturing
facility worldwide, particularly with pumping systems that:
use pumps driven by 200 horsepower and above
are primarily providing cooling water
include demands proportional to the plant throughput
are used for batch operations
have inherent delays or production slowdown
currently use dump valves or bypass lines
feature uctuating system loading
65
66
COVER
SERIES
With reverse engineering, laser digitizing equipment, CFD software

and rapid prototyping coupled with the ability to print 3-D foundry molds
directly from CAD/CAM software, the end user is no longer required to
limp along with an obsolete pumping system.
In the past, pump upgrades or rerates

tended to lie strictly with the OEM
because they were the only party with
access to cost-effective cast parts.
However, with the technology revolution
that is taking place in the aftermarket,
upper tier service centers with on-staff
hydraulic engineering support can often
provide cost-effective, newly designed
impellers or volutes with solutions
specifically designed for the application.
With reverse engineering, laser
digitizing equipment, CFD software and
rapid prototyping coupled with the ability
to print 3-D foundry molds directly from
CAD/CAM software, the end user is no
longer required to limp along with an
obsolete pumping system. Solutions are
readily available and well within the realm
of financial feasibility.
Bob Jennings has worked in sales, repair

and troubleshooting pumping systems for
HydroAire since 1976 and has more than
15 years of experience dedicated
to submersible pump
development and applications
in the municipal industry.
Jennings is the lead training
instructor for Hydro, Inc.
Visit us at
Booth# 1928 at
the 2015 Pump/
Turbo Symposia

Dr. Gary Dyson is managing director with

Hydro Global Engineering Services. He has
a Ph.D. from Cranfield University and 30
years of experience in the pump
industry in senior positions
with many manufacturers.
His expertise includes pump
hydraulic performance,
design and reliability
improvement.
TE
C
H
P
N
M
O
U
LOG
P
E
Y
EXPERTS
TH
67
MS
E
T
S
Y
S
adin
The Le
azin
g Mag
e for P
ump U
id
orldw
sers W
TM
The Cost
of Clean
Water
How pumps play a role in the
WATER-ENERGY NEXUS
IFT OF
EX CL
A
CO V ER
U SI V E
ING . C OM
E A MP UMP
OM
G E FR
ZA M BI
A LA
A & M
WI
FOOD PROCESSING
BUILDING SERVICES
S U R V IV
THE A
STATE
OF
C H E M I C ANAL
JAN UAR
P O W E R G E N E R AT I O N
UP S T R
ALSO INSIDE THE NEW OIL MARKET: What Can Operators Do to Improve Efciency?
Y
O LO G IT IE S
TE C H N
UN
P U M P G ES C O M M
N
A
H
C
Y / F E BRU
ARY
CLEAENR
WAT
| 2 015
THE G
A L OF T
H E F IT T
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RTIFIC
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LLUS SH
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68
COVER
SERIES
10 Things You Need to Know

about NPSH
Because cavitation is unavoidable in pump operations, understanding
how to reduce it using NPSH calculations is necessary to maintain
pump functionality and health.
BY SIMON BRADSHAW
ITT GOULDS PUMPS
nderstanding net positive suction head (NPSH)

and cavitation is essential for plant managers,
pump manufacturers and operators. Proper
NPSH calculations are vital for preventing
cavitation and ensuring proper pump functionality.
The following 10 facts about NPSH can help end users
improve system operation and eciency.
1.
Analyzing NPSH margins can help

reduce cavitation.
Cavitation is dened as the partial evaporation of a liquid
in a system. Vapor forms when the static pressure in a
Figure 1. Cavitation visualization

(Images and graphics courtesy of ITT Goulds Pumps)
liquids ow drops below the vapor pressure of that liquid.

A two-phase ow occurs when a vapor bubble appears and
uid evaporates. When these bubbles enter a region where
static pressure exceeds vapor pressure, they will implode,
causing cavitation. These bubbles can cause cavities that
impair the head and eciency of the pump, creating
excessive noise and vibration. Cavitation erosion can be
detrimental to the pumps head and eciency. Damage to
ancillary components, such as bearings and seals, from
higher vibration is also likely. The region of the lowest
pressure generally occurs around the leading edge of the
vane, and this is where cavitation will most likely occur.
Figure 2. Analyzing NPSH margins can

help reduce cavitation.
69
Image 1. Calculating NPSHA
Although cavitation cannot be completely

suppressed in a pump, measuring the required
NPSH (NPSHR) and analyzing NPSH margins
are key to reducing cavitation and keeping the
pump running smoothly.
2. NPSH has two main components.

NPSH distinguishes between the pressure
available to give to the pump (NPSH A) and
the pressure required by the pump (NPSHR)
to limit the reduction of pump head to an
acceptable level.
3. NPSH
requires an in-depth calculation.
NPSH A is caused by atmospheric pressure, tank elevation

or pressure inside a tank. This measurement must be
calculated by the user. At sea level, the atmospheric
pressure provided is 14.77 pounds per square inch
(psi), or 1 bar, which uctuates depending on elevation.
Additionally, the uid vapor pressure will vary with
temperature. With this calculation, the manufacturer
must convert pressure to feet or meters and consider the
uid temperature and elevation surrounding the pump.
4. Critical tests determine NPSH .

R
NPSHR is the minimum amount of pressure required at

the pump impeller to limit the reduction in pump head
to an acceptable level. Instead of using a calculation as
with NPSH A, the manufacturer will run tests to validate
the critical quantity of NPSHR. To do this, the ow is kept
constant, and the NPSH A is reduced. As NPSH A is lowered,
cavitation inside the pump will increase until it begins to
block uid ow through the pump. These tests must be
repeated until every ow point has been recorded. NPSHR
is commonly called NPSH3, because a three percent head
drop criteria is often used during a NPSHR test.

70
COVER
SERIES
5. There are other forms of NPSH.

Many dierent forms of and acronyms for NPSH exist.
Similar to NPSH3, NPSH1 or NPSH0 results when the pump
head is only reduced by 1 or 0 percent, respectively. NPSHi,
where the i stands for inception, is where cavitation
rst occurs.
NPSH40K is the NPSH at which the impeller will have a

40,000-hour life. NPSH40K usually can be determined only
by the pump supplier, as in-depth knowledge of the impeller
geometry and material is necessary. NPSH40K typically is
used for boiler feed pumps, large critical pumps and for plant
owner/operators who want condence that the impeller will
not fail between major overhauls.
6.
Three methods can be used to

determine NPSH40K .
Pump suppliers can determine NPSH40K
using three methods. The rst method
involves building a full-size or a scalefactor test rig of the impeller and recording
subsequent damage after a test run. This
process can be costly and time-consuming.
Another is Vlamming, an empirical
method used for stainless steel impellers
in water. Using certain parameters
associated with the impeller within the
equation, suppliers determine a value.
Glich is the third method and is based on
the size of the cavitation bubble, which is
usually determined by computational uid
dynamics (CFD) and impeller material.
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synthetic lubricants. Synthetics lubricants are resistant to oxidation,
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Summits selection of Barrier Fluids provides a wide range of
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NSF H1, Kosher, CFIA and Halal approved products.
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7. Proper material selection can

reduce NPSH margin.
The new Hydraulic Institute (HI) Standard
9.6.1, released in 2012, provides guidelines
and recommendations for NPSH margins,
how much NPSH A is needed for a given
pump service and what features are needed
in a pump based on the NPSH A .
Proper material selection in a pump
can reduce NPSH margin requirements
and, as a result, life cycle cost. During the
process of selecting materials, end users
should consider materials less susceptible
to cavitation damage, which could impact
overall system cost.
8. All pumps have cavitation

regardless of NPSH.
Frequently, pump users infer that as
long as NPSH A is above the NPSHR, no
cavitation will occur. This is a common
misconception. For example, in order to
completely suppress cavitation in a pump
where the NPSH3 occurs at 19 feet, the
NPSH1 occurs at 25 feet, the NPSH0 occurs
71
at 63 feet and the NPSHi at 107 feet, the NPSH A must be

about 5.5 times the NPSHR. Few, if any, pumps operate with
this margin, revealing that all pumps have cavitation. The
only question is whether it is damaging cavitation.
Simon Bradshaw is director of API product

development & technology for ITT Goulds
Pumps. Bradshaw has more than 20 years of
engineering experience in the pump industry.
9. Specic materials can help prevent cavitation.

Because cavitation is present in every
pump, users must nd the right materials
to minimize damage. The leading material
chosen for cavitation resistance is
Martensitic stainless steel, also known
as CA6NM, chrome steel or 13-4. More
resistant materials are available, but they
are less common and more expensive,
making Martensitic stainless steel an ideal
option in freshwater applications.
10. The thermodynamic eect can

aect NPSH.
If a uid has a high vapor pressure or
temperature, more energy must be
exchanged across the vapor-uid boundary
and the vapor bubble. This is known as the
thermodynamic eect, or the hydrocarbon
correction factor. Cavitation bubbles
become smaller, and NPSHR is reduced.
If in doubt, consider the critical point
of a uid. As you get closer to waters
critical point374 C or 705 Fthe
thermodynamic eect becomes more
pronounced. At this critical point, only
a single phase is present, either a lowdensity liquid or a high-density gas, and
because there is no liquid-gas mixture,
cavitation cannot occur. Guidance on this
method can be found in H.I. Standard 1.3.
Conclusion
Cavitation is unavoidable in pump
operations. Understanding how to reduce
it using NPSH calculations is necessary to
maintain pump functionality and health.
Although methods and materials are
available to reduce the eects of cavitation,
the truth is that cavitation will always be
present. Proper management of cavitation
to prevent damage is the end goal.
Read more online at

pumpsandsystems.com/npsh.

72
COVER
SERIES
Engineered Composites
Oer Opportunities for
Upgrading Equipment
These pumps prevent equipment from corroding, provide lower
costs and increase eciency.
BY JOHN A. KOZEL
SIMS PUMP VALVE COMPANY, INC.
structural graphite epoxy composite. This company oers

ngineered composites can be designed and used
impeller and ring upgrades for any centrifugal pump,
to improve performance and eciency as well as
which provide higher eciencies and increased longevity.
reduce maintenance and repair costs. Composite
They can also design the impeller so that the operating
upgrades prevent expensive products from
point becomes the best eciency point (BEP).
deteriorating, extend the life and reliability of existing
equipment, and increase pump eciency.
They can even prevent pump leaks that can
result in costly cleanups and nes from
regulatory agencies. In most cases, reduced
downtime resulting from introducing
structural composite pump upgrades is one
of the most important benets.
The impeller is the heart of any
centrifugal pump. Like a human heart,
a pump impeller is the most critical
pump component, constantly stressed by
hydrodynamic forces, fatigue, corrosion,
erosion abrasion, chemical attack
and cavitation. The overall eciency of a
centrifugal pump is in direct correlation to
the eciency of the impeller. To maximize
eciency, the impellers hydraulic design
must correspond to the design of the pump
casing and to the operating conditions of
the pump in service.
Any centrifugal pump can be made
energy-ecient by upgrading the impeller
Image 1. Structural composite upgrades can extend pump life, improve performance and
and rings to an optimized and engineered
increase efficiency. (Images and graphics courtesy of SIMS Pump Valve Company, Inc.)
composite, such as one companys
73
When companies are trying to save money, it may

seem dicult to justify the upgrades, but the payback
for pump upgrades is extremely quickusually less
than one year return on investment. In most cases,
the incremental costs of upgrades are minimal when
compared with the loss in
downtime, energy and expensive
repairs. Plant outages, ship
overhauls, building new vessels,
constructing new manufacturing
plants, plant expansions and new
system installations are good
opportunities to upgrade existing
pumps to composite internals
and specify pumps with upgraded
eciency and reliability features.
As equipment starts to age,
pumps lose performance and
eciency. They also require
additional maintenance, repairs,
expenses and downtime. Often,
the aging or corroding equipment
cannot keep up with plant
demand. Before equipment gets to
this point, pumps can be upgraded
to structural composite to extend
the life of the pump, return the
pump to the proper performance
and increase eciency.
Operating a pump away from the BEP has a detrimental

eect on pump eciency. The larger the pump, the more
energy is wasted. Operating any pump away from the
BEP wastes a tremendous amount of money, because an
estimated 85 percent of the total cost of owning a pump
Pump Optimization
Too often, a pump is purchased
for a specic performance but
when put into service, it operates
at a point completely dierent
from the original design point,
or BEP, because of the system
requirements. The pump operating
away from the BEP also causes
problems such as excessive noise
and vibration, shaft oscillation,
cavitation, and premature wear
and failure of the mechanical
seals, bearings, rings, sleeves
and impellers.
In extreme cases, the pump
shaft will break right behind the
impeller from the excessive radial
forces that occur when a pump is
operated away from the original
design point.
74
COVER
SERIES
is the operational cost (maintenance cost plus the cost of energy).

Fortunately, these problems can be easily resolved by installing
engineered structural composite impellers and rings, which
have been re-engineered for the systems requirements.
The reliability and longevity of the complete pump is also
substantially improved.
Image 2 shows two severely deteriorated impellers in a twostage horizontally split-case cooling pump in a power plant. They
were underperforming and were terribly inecient. A 75-kilowatt
(kW) motor operating in this condition could easily lose 50
percent of the original eciency.
If the original eciency was 80 percent and now the pump is
operating at 40 percent eciency, there would be an approximate
loss of $31,104 per year at $0.12 per kilowatt (kW) hour (see
Equation 1).
30 kW loss x 8,640 hours x $0.12/kW hour = $31.104
Equation 1
Image 2. Two severely deteriorated impellers in a twostage horizontally split-case cooling pump
Even if the pump was operating only 10 percent away from

the BEP, the approximate loss would be $7,776 per year, plus
additional maintenance expenses (see Equation 2).

75
7.5 kW loss x 8,640 hours x $0.12 kW hour = $7,776.00

Equation 2
The composite pump in Image 4 was re-engineered

into a two-stage structural composite pump with singlesuction impellers (see page 76). It is approximately 11
percent more ecient than the original metallic pump
(before corroding), and this new composite pump will
never corrode. All wetted parts are manufactured
with structural composite, and the bearing frames are
machined from type 316 stainless steel.
Improved Efficiency
In 2015, tremendous eort has been put forth to reduce
energy consumption. The Department of Energy (DOE)
and the Hydraulic Institute have been working together
to reduce the energy consumption of pumps, motors and
pump systems. Engineered composites can contribute to
this eort. By re-engineering the pump/impeller design,
they can signicantly reduce energy consumptionin
some cases by 20 percent.
Image 3. Damage from corrosion, erosion and cavitation can

quickly destroy metallic pumps and pump parts.
Equipment Longevity
In addition to improved eciency, engineered composite
impellers oer many advantages over traditional products
cast from metal. They do not corrode, are lightweight,
can run with tighter clearances, are designed for high
eciency, and are not subject to casting defects or

76
COVER
SERIES
imperfections. Many of these impellers and

casing rings have been used successfully
since 1955 in the Marine, Navy, wastewater,
industrial and chemical markets. Structural
composite impellers have often outlasted
and outperformed products manufactured
from bronze, stainless steel, duplex steel,
monel and even titanium.
Reduced Wear
The new alternative composite solutions
for impellers and rings are ideal for new,
repair or retrot applications. Engineered
impellers and rings are lightweight and do
not corrode.
Wear of other pump partsincluding
the pump casingis greatly reduced
because of the engineered impellers
balance, light weight, self-lubrication,
sealing, and resistance to corrosion, erosion
and cavitation. This means far less expense
for replacement of parts and downtime.
Image 4. This composite pump was re-engineered into a two-stage structural composite
pump with single-suction impellers. It is approximately 11 percent more efficient than the
original metallic pump (before corroding).
Reducing or eliminating corrosion, erosion

and cavitation can increase eciency and
reduce costs substantially.
Maximized Performance
Because of new technologies, structural
composite impellers are computerengineered and precision-machined. The
impeller vane geometry can be engineered
using computational uid dynamics (CFD)
techniques and programmed to maximize
eciency and performance. Problems
such as recirculation, radial thrust and
cavitation can be minimized or eliminated
by using structural composite impellers
instead of the traditional
metallic ones. Impeller vane shapes can
easily be modied to provide the best
vane shape for specic applications and
performance requests.
Corrosion, erosion, cavitation, rotor
imbalance and leakage between the wear
rings, casing rings and interstage bushings
are major contributors to the loss of
pump eciency. Damage from corrosion,
erosion and cavitation quickly destroys
the metallic pump parts. Because of the
self-lubricating characteristics of many
77
Because of the self-lubricating characteristics

of many engineered composites and because
composites do not wear or corrode, the
performance curve will actually increase over a
period of time.
Premium eciency composite

pumps are designed and engineered to
keep their overall sizes at a minimum
so that they can easily t into conned
spaces. These types of pumps are
also engineered to minimize piping
modications while maintaining or

exceeding pump performance. These
engineered composite equipment
upgrades help pump users increase
the eciency and longevity of their
pumping systems.
John A. Kozel is president and CEO of SIMS Pump Valve Company, Inc.
He may be reached at 201-792-0600 or at
simsite1@aol.com. For more information, visit simsite.com.
Image 5. This vertical in-line structural

graphite composite pump replaced the type
316 stainless steel pumps onboard the Navy
Military Sea Lift Command Vessel.
engineered composites and because

composites do not wear or corrode,
the performance curve will actually
increase over a period of time. A 1,000hour performance test was completed
on a U.S. Navy Standard Fire Pump
manufactured from titanium with
one companys engineered structural
composite impeller and casing rings.
The result showed a 2.5 percent
increase in the head-capacity (H-Q) at
the end of the test.
One of the many advantages of using
composite pumps is that the casing
volute geometries and the impeller
geometries can be designed and
engineered specically for the required
operating point in the plant or vessel.
With premium eciency engineered
structural composite pumps, strength
can be added and removed based
on need.
78
COVER
SERIES
Electrical
Inspections
Reduce Cost of
Ownership
Oine and online testing can improve
reliability and reduce downtime.
BY JAMES JETTE
Image 1. A Megger test in action

(Images courtesy of KSB)
KSB PUMPS INC.
hy should electrical inspections be an

integral part of a pump maintenance
routine? The answer is simple: Performing
electrical inspections on pumps and their
systems helps locate faults before they become failures.
This allows the maintenance technician to order parts or
replacement pumps and schedule system maintenance in
advance to avoid costly downtime and emergency repairs.
Electrical inspections can provide a great deal of
information about the overall condition of the pumping
system. This is especially true for submersible pumps in
which the motor and the pump are packaged as a single
unit. Most of these pumps are equipped with internal
sensors for winding temperature, bearing temperature
and the presence of moisture. During the last ve years,
vibration sensors have become standard equipment in
larger pumps. The information these sensors provide
can mean the dierence between a simple rebuild or
stator rewind and rotor replacement. Regular electrical
inspections can help reduce each pumps total cost of
ownership (TCO).
Offline Testing
During a motor inspection, several tests are performed
on the stator windings. A multimeter can be used to test
the resistance of the coils and compare them to each

other. For single-phase motors, the resistance readings
can be compared to an ohms chart provided by the
manufacturer. In three-phase motors the resistance
(ohms) on each phase should be within 2 percent. Shorts
to ground can only be found with a multimeter if there
is a direct short. Other conditions, such as moisture,
dirt or carbonization, may not be detectable. When
electrical arcing occurs between the windings and
ground or between coils, the insulation of the windings
becomes carbonized, basically turning the material into
a semiconductor. A semiconductor acts like an insulator
until a barrier potential voltage is reached. Then, it shorts
and behaves like a conductor.
In the case of carbonized winding insulation, a
multimeter cannot detect the ground fault because the
test voltage of the meter (9-10 volts [V] direct current
[DC]) is too low to reach the barrier potential of the
carbonized insulation. In the past, a hipot test was
used to nd ground shorts. During a hipot test, a high
voltage potential (2,000 V) is placed across the windings,
and leakage through the insulation is measured to
determine the condition of the insulation (see Image 2,
page 80). Unfortunately, these testers can damage the
windings over time. If moisture or dirt is present, the
79
hipot may cause an arc to

ash, instantly ruining
the windings. Hipot tests
are used at factories to
determine the dielectric
breakdown voltage of new
windings. A hipot test is
also required for explosionproof certication.
In 2015, a Megger (a
registered trademark of
the Megger Corporation)
is used to test for shorts to
ground. Megger tests work
by sending a low-amperage
(0.001 amps) pulse of DC
voltage between the coil
leads and the stator ground
at two times the motors
operating voltage (2501,000 V).
The Megger displays the
results in megaohms (see Image 1). Readings from the
Megger can determine whether there is a direct short
to ground or an insulation fault in the windings, such
as moisture or dirt. In the case of moisture or dirt, the
stator can be washed, dried and re-dipped in varnish to
save the owner from an expensive rewind.
For coil-to-coil and turn-to-turn shorts, multimeters
and Meggers can only detect a major short. For minor
shorts, a coil and winding tester is needed. When
a small turn-to-turn fault occurs, there is typically only
a tiny change to the DC resistance. With larger motors
this change can be too small to detect with an
ordinary multimeter.
To nd the short, the end user must look at the
dierence between the alternating current (AC)
resistance (inductance) and the DC resistance. While
the DC resistance may change slightly because of a
minor short, the AC resistance will vary greatly with
frequency. Minor shorts can be easily detected by
comparing the three windings while testing a range of
frequencies. Two types of coil and winding testers are
available. Both types input a low voltage AC signal and
read the output. A surge testerthe most common
style of coil testerhas a screen that displays the
waveform as the tester steps through the frequencies.
Other types calculate the dierential internally and
display the results on a screen.
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80
COVER
SERIES
Online Testing
The most exciting new development in the world of pump
electrical maintenance is the development of online
testing. This new breed of instruments can be attached
to a pumping system to monitor the pump and motor
while they are running. The temperature, vibration, ow,
pressure, power and electrical waveforms can be analyzed
using online testing.
On the motor side, users can detect problems with
incoming power, bearings, stator shorts, and dirty or
wet windings. On the pump side, the intake pressure,
discharge pressure, uid temperature, ow rate, bearing
condition and vibration can be measured.
Another feature of online testingknown as data
loggingis the ability to collect measurements over a
period of time. The majority of pump system problems
happen when an operator is not presentthe ghost
failures that occur in the late hours of the night. Data
logging can monitor multiple channels of information
for long periods of time to capture these events as they
happen. Examining data logger records collected over
extended periods can also reveal trends that point to
Image 2. Hipot testing performed on a submersible pump stator
gradual deterioration of pump or motor conditions before

they become critical.
A data logger can also show the operating parameters
of the pump system and help end users evaluate the exact
duty point and duty cycles of the system. Comparing
this information with the
manufacturers pump curves,
end users can determine with
high accuracy where the pump is
operating on the curve, measure
the system curve and determine
where the motor is running on the
power curve.
This information shows the
eects of pump wear, pipe
restrictions and suction issues.
This information can also be used
to accurately calculate the pump
system eciency, which allows the
engineer to oer solutions that
can improve eciency, reduce wear
and decrease downtime.
Got VFDs on your motors?
Monitor them.
SKFs EXP4000 and
NetEP dynamic motor
monitoring solutions
reveal adverse impacts
variable-frequency
drives have on motors,
and they can help you
optimize performance
of those VFDs.
To learn more, call 970-282-1200, or visit www.skf.com/emcm.

The Power of Knowledge Engineering

James Jette is a senior service sales

expert at KSB Canada. Jette has a degree in
electronics and computer science from the
New England Technical Institute.
His credentials include a Red
Seal certificate as an industrial
millwright from Toronto-based
Humber College.
44 TH TURBOMACHINERY & 31 ST PUMP SYMPOSIA

HOUSTON, TEXAS | SEPTEMBER 14 - 17 2015 | GEORGE R. BROWN CONVENTION CENTER
REGISTER
44TH TURBOMACHINERY & 31ST PUMP SYMPOSIA
The premier conference for turbomachinery and pump professionals.
DEVELOPED FOR THE INDUSTRY, BY THE INDUSTRY.
TPS.TAMU.EDU
FOR MORE INFORMATION

EMAIL: info@turbo-lab.tamu.edu
OR VISIT: TPS.TAMU.EDU
82
TRADE SHOW PREVIEW
44TH Turbomachinery
& 31ST Pump Symposia
Sept. 14-17, 2014
George R. Brown Convention Center
Houston, Texas
he annual Turbomachinery & Pump Symposia (TPS 2015) feature a

technical program and international exhibition, complete with fullsize equipment and hundreds of companies. he Turbomachinery
Symposium is the only meeting organized by users for users. he members of
Exhibition Hours
the Advisory Committee are recognized leaders in the rotating equipment and
Tuesday, Sept. 14
Noon 2 p.m.
power generation community. he event promotes professional development,
Tuesday, Sept. 14
2:30 p.m. 7 p.m.
technology transfer, peer networking and information exchange.
Wednesday, Sept. 15
Noon 2 p.m.
he symposia cover topics including maintenance, troubleshooting,
Wednesday, Sept. 15
2:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m.
operation and purchase of pumps. More than 6,000 rotating equipment and
Thursday, Sept. 16
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83
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84
BUSINESS OF THE BUSINESS
Precision Agriculture & Remote Monitoring

Modernize Pump Systems
As food production needs increase, this technology allows end users to conserve
water and increase efficiency.
By Arun Prasath
Frost & Sullivan
he agriculture industry has

historically been a slow
adapter of new technology.
With more than 7 billion people
currently on the planet, the
need for precision farming has
caused a rapid evolution in the
industry. Precision agriculture
is thought by many to be the
biggest technological change in
agriculture since the introduction
of hydraulics in the 1940s.
Food Security
One of the key challenges the
world faces today is population
growth, particularly in developing
countries. According to a recently
released report from the United
Nations, the worlds 7.2 billion
people will increase to 8.1 billion
by 2025 and 9.6 billion by 2050.
Most of that growth will occur
in developing regions, which are
projected to increase from
5.9 billion in 2013 to 8.2 billion
in 2050. The current food
production rate, however, falls
significantly short of meeting this
increased need.
Th is deficit is pushing farmers
to adopt better technologies that
will meet the increasing demand
and to optimize resources with
minimum waste. Adoption of
precision agriculture, particularly
in developing regions, can play
a significant role in feeding the

burgeoning global population.
A few key challenges will
contribute to food insecurity in the
21st century:
Growing urbanization,
which will lead to decreases
in green space resulting
from the extension of cities
and movement of rural
communities to urban areas
Declining agricultural
productivity resulting from
lack of healthy soil, water and
habitat
Increasing water scarcity, which
will be the key challenge for
crop cultivation
Precision Agriculture
Built on location-based
technologies such as global
positioning systems (GPS) and
geographic information systems
(GIS), precision agriculture has
transformed the way farming is
conducted. It enables farmers to
monitor fleets remotely, conduct
soil analysis, monitor yield or
create customized maps to target
each area of a field uniquely. It
ensures better crop yield and
output efficiency, enabling high
profitability with optimum use of
available resources.
Emerging countries are
expected to invest heavily in
precision agriculture. In developed

countries, investment is expected
to be in the more highly efficient
precision farming systems
and procedures.
As food production needs
increase, precision agriculture
will be one of the key technologies
farmers rely on to increase
productivity by maximizing the
use of available land.
Implementation of precision
agriculture technology can lower
costs for seed, fertilizer, fuel and
labor and increase a fields yield.
Often, payback periods can be
one to five years depending on the
technologies used.
Established agriculture and
technology companies and a
host of startups are providing
innovative products and services
that are focused on helping
farmers improve operational
efficiency. Precision agriculture is
considered to be a huge advantage
for geospatial companies. Many
smaller companies will be bought
as they gain momentum and
provide unique products and
services. Trimbles extensive
Connected Farm offerings,
for example, include precision
agriculture products and services
that could drive the increased
efficiency and yield needed to
develop the industry.
85
Remote Monitoring
New technologies will enable
multiple innovative applications
that change the way we live,
communicate and conduct
business. In 2015, the number of
connected devices is around 8.5
billion, and the installed base of
connected devices and machines
is expected to grow to 50 billion
units by 2020.
Remote monitoring is crucial
and intensive in agriculture.
In farming, water levels, soil
conditions and temperature
require continuous examination.
On the plant side, yield
monitoring and weed monitoring
are closely related key metrics.
Conserving water is a vital part
of farming. Water monitoring
and management are critical to
ensure this resource is allocated
effectively and used efficiently.
Farmers spend approximately
one-third of their time traveling
to inaccessible or distant places to
ensure pumps are working well.

The demand for pump monitoring
has increased as farmers look
to reduce costs. Some farming
operations, however, expend a
significant amount of time and
labor to monitor the operation
of the irrigation pumps on their
farms. With the adoption of
Internet of Th ings (IoT), end users
can monitor and control pump
systems from their smartphones
or tablets.
A pump monitoring system
is composed of a sensor and
a transmitter. The sensor is
positioned in the water flow of
the discharge from the irrigation
pump and senses whether or not
water is present. In this system,
each pump being monitored
is given a descriptive name or
number that is indicated in
the message so the producer
knows exactly which pump is
not operating. Once the pump
is operating again, the system
Figure 1. Tackling food insecurity (Courtesy of Frost & Sullivan)
Adapt:
Conservation
agriculture
g
Develop:
Sustainable
agricultural
practices
Food
Security
Improve:
Agricultural
productivity
Utilize: Better
water
management
systems
sends a signal indicating the water

flow has been reestablished. It is
also possible to use the monitor
system to turn off power units
remotely from a computer through
a website.
Several companies offer wireless
technology for agriculture
professionals. Net Irrigate,
a manufacturer of wireless
irrigation monitoring technology
for the agriculture industry,
designed PumpProxy, which allows
farmers to remotely monitor and
shut down irrigation pumps by
website or mobile app and receive
text, voice or email notifications
about issues including thermal
overloads or power failures.
Conclusion
The modern agriculture
industry provides a wide range
of opportunities for remote
monitoring and control. Water
conservation is a major challenge
for farmers, and because of
new regulations in water usage,
farmers are looking for better
ways to use available resources.
The growing awarenesscoupled
with technology savvy farmers
will increase the rate of growth of
precision agriculture at automated
farm processes.
Arun Prasath is an industrial

automation and process control
industry analyst for Frost &
Sullivan, North America and India.
Prasath has an MBA in marketing
and operations from BIM, Trichy,
India, and a bachelors
degree in mechanical
engineering
from AAMEC,
Tanjore, India.
86
EFFICIENCY MATTERS
Internal Gear Pumps Handle Harsh Conditions

These pumps offer efficiency and reliability in complex industrial operations.
By Chrishelle Rogers
Maag Industrial Pumps
umps make industrial

manufacturing possible.
Every day, thousands of
industries around the world rely
on various pumping technologies
to move raw materials and end
products through the production
process. Whether handling lube
oils, paints and coatings, or
working in applications from
heat transfer to chemical
processing, pumps must reliably,
efficiently and safely transfer an
array of fluids, all of which have

uniqueand often challenging
handling characteristics.
If a pump is the weak link in
the production process, the entire
operation will be compromised,
with the downtime required for
repair or replacement eating away
at production quotas and the
bottom line.
Industrial manufacturers can
choose from a wide range of pump
options when outfitting their
facilities. A number of factors

also go into choosing pumping
technology. Operational reliability
and the ability to meet specific
fluid-handling requirements
are among the most important.
With manufacturing operations
governed by operating budgets and
expenses, equipment acquisition
costs and subsequent maintenance
are also primary concerns.
While all pumping technologies
can have positive points in
Image 1. In order to fashion a handling and transfer operation that optimizes reliability, efficiency and safety, many chemical
processors are making the decision to install internal gear pumps. (Images courtesy of PSG)
87
industrial manufacturing
operations, positive displacement
internal gear pumps can offer
precise and consistent transfer of
demanding fluids.
Chemical processing and
manufacturing is one of the most
complex industrial operations. The
chemical manufacturing process
is so intricate that it is comprised
of several unit operations,
from cracking, distillation and
evaporation, to gas absorption,
scrubbing and solvent extraction.
Within that family of unit
operations, fluid transfer
touches every stage of the
manufacturing process and is vital
for overall process success. Often
oversimplified as transporting
fluid from one point to another,
fluid transfer in chemical
manufacturing is much more.
Fluid transfer includes a
spectrum of applications, with
responsibilities all along the
chemical production chain. For
example, thin or viscous raw
materials can be transferred to
storage tanks or blending and
mixing tanks. Final formulations
can be transferred to holding
tanks, and finished products can
be loaded into intermediate bulk
containers (IBCs) for delivery or
consumer packaging.
In many cases, chemical
manufacturing processes require
the use of dangerous substances,
such as strong acids, caustics,
solvents, resins and polymers.
Despite their inherent danger, these
are necessary for the manufacture
of thousands of consumer goods
or to facilitate other industrial
processes. The challenge when using
dangerous chemicals is to construct,
handle and transfer them in a safe
and reliable way.
Fortunately for chemical
processors, positive displacement
Image 2. No acid, polymer, resin or caustic has the same handling characteristics, which
makes pump versatility a primary concern for chemical processors. These internal gear pumps
overcome many handling concerns by featuring a method of operation that can successfully
and safely transfer fluids of differing viscosities and chemical makeups.
re
he
ati
ov
Inn
s
low
nF
Improve
Reliabilityand
Versatility
EnviroGear and G Series Internal Gear Pumps offer

you highly reliable and versatile pumping solutions for
a wide range of applications, from thin to viscous fluids.
With field-proven technology thats safer, greener and
interchangeable with competitive technologies, the G
Series and EnviroGear line of pumps are the workhorses
youve been looking for!
EnviroGear
Lowest overall cost of ownership
50% reduction in maintenance costs
Single fluid chamber design
eliminates leaks
Patented between-the-bearing
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Best-in-class delivery
Interchangeable with
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Flexible design for easy installation
Multiple seal options available
Available in cast iron and
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For more information, please go to:

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P: +1 (909) 422-1731
psgdover.com

88
EFFICIENCY MATTERS
internal gear pumps have continually

offered the reliability and costeffectiveness required for handling
raw materials and finished products.
One manufacturer has created an
internal gear pump with a simple
design that includes only two
moving parts, a pair of coinciding
gears called the rotor and idler, for
precise and consistent transfer of
demanding fluids.
This design creates a four-step
operating process:
1. The rotor and idler gears
un-mesh at the suction port to
create an atmospheric vacuum
that draws fluid into the pump.
As the rotor turns, the fluid is
forced between the rotor teeth
and idler teeth.
Image 3. Internal gear pumps feature a unique design that features only two moving parts, a
2. Continual rotation of the rotor
rotor and idler gear, which allows them to operate equally well in either direction and deliver
forces the fluid through a
positive, non-pulsating flow of the liquid being handled.
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This method allows the pumps

to operate equally well in either
direction, resulting in a positive,
non-pulsating flow of the pumped
fluid. Other design features
include a rotatable pump casing
that allows for multiple inlet and
outlet port positions and singlepoint end-clearance adjustment. It
also features an enlarged bearing
housing at the rear of the pump
that allows easy drive-end access
to the shaft seal.
info@cd-adapco.com
www.cd-adapco.com

crescent-shaped area within the

wetted path. The crescent-shaped
area divides the fluid and acts as
a barrier between the inlet and
discharge ports.
3. As the rotor continues rotation,
the fluid is forced past the crescentshaped area and moves toward the
discharge port.
4. As the rotor completes its
rotation, the rotor and idler teeth
engage, forcing the fluid through
the discharge port of the pump.
89
Chemical processors must deal daily

with fluids that are difficult to transfer.
Their task is to create a handling and
transfer regimen that includes pumping
equipment compatible with many different
types of dangerous chemicals while also
offering reliable operation and costeffectiveness with regard to maintenance,
repair and downtime.
Chrishelle Rogers is the global gear pump product manager for Maag
Industrial Pumps, Grand Terrace, California, and PSG, Oakbrook Terrace,
Illinois. Rogers can be reached at 909-222-1309 or chrishelle.rogers@
psgdover.com. For more information, visit psgdover.com.
Image 4. Internal gear pumps feature a unique

design that have only two moving parts, a rotor
and idler gear, which allows them to operate
equally well in either direction and deliver
positive, non-pulsating flow of the liquid
being handled.
Image 5. Fluid transfer touches every stage

of the manufacturing process and is vital for
overall process success.

90
MAINTENANCE MINDERS
Oil & Gas Facilities Detect Costly Faults Early

A software solution alerted two end users of problems with their reciprocating
compressors, saving time and money.
By Cynthia Stone
number of impacts over time on a

reciprocating compressor.
Values for this sensor were
expected to stay near 0 for
sustained periods of time. The
software providers reliability
center notified the end user of this
issue during their scheduled
weekly call.
When the operators
investigated the issue, they found
that valve center bolts had broken
on three separate valves. Parts of
one of the bolts had fallen into the
cylinder head and were damaging
the piston.
The debris from the broken
bolts could have caused a
catastrophic failure of this
compressor and could have
resulted in the compressor
Broken Valve Bolt
On March 13, a remote monitoring requiring a complete overhaul.
Because the issue was detected
software solution identified a
early, the user was able to replace
sudden and sustained rise in the
very oil and gas facility

is comprised of critical
equipment and processes
that must operate reliably for
successful production. One
loose bolt or faulty thermostat
can result in equipment failure
and downtime. To prevent these
catastrophic events, many
facilities are turning to modern
software solutions that allow them
to remotely monitor equipment
conditions and detect faults before
they result in costly damage.
The two examples below show
how early fault detection using
remote monitoring software can
save oil and gas facilities valuable
time and money.
the piston and valves and return

the machine to service.
Faulty Thermostat &

Low Oil Level
In early July, this same software
solution detected a drop in lube
oil pressure on a reciprocating
compressor at another oil and gas
facility well before the pressure
reached the shutdown limit.
Given the operating conditions,
lube oil pressure values were
expected to operate between 55
and 60 pounds per square inch
gauge (PSIG) (4.8 and 5.2 bar). The
software provider immediately
sent a notification to the user
when the lube oil pressure
dropped to 48 PSIG (4.3 bar) and
discussed the issue on the next
weekly call. Actual values for lube
oil pressure continued to drop
as low as 33 PSIG (3.3 bar). The
91
The debris from the broken bolts could have caused a catastrophic
failure of this compressor and could have resulted in the
compressor requiring a complete overhaul.
READ MORE ONLINE AT

pumpsandsystems.com/mmgeip
Check out past Maintenance Minders
articles to read about the following topics:
How monitoring software enables
scheduled mainteance
How remote monitoring prevents valve
failure at combined-cycle power plants
How turbine error identication stops
costly power plant outage
How system component malfunctions
lead to higher pump speeds with
stagnant ow rates
Next months Maintenance Minders will

discuss how remote monitoring software
detected a wiped bearing on a feedwater
pump as well as an operational issue
on a lube oil pump at combined-cycle
power plants.
shutdown limit for the asset was

at 30 PSIG (3.1 bar).
When the facility investigated
this issue, they discovered a
thermostat that was getting
stuck and causing the lube oil to
not be properly controlled. The
user replaced the thermostat and
reported this maintenance action
on the next weekly call.
However, the software
providers reliability center
was not able to verify that the
facilitys maintenance action
was fully successful because
actual values had not returned
to expected values. A follow-up
maintenance action, performed
by the user, identified a second
issuethe lube oil tank level
was low. The user refi lled the lube
oil tank.
Loss of proper lube oil could
cause catastrophic damage to
the reciprocating compressor,
leading to a loss of production.
In this case, the facility received

several days of warning, which
allowed them to investigate
and correct the issue before any
damage occurred to the machine
or the drop in oil pressure reached
the low-pressure shutdown
limits. The user was also able
to receive verification that
both maintenance actions were
effective at correcting this issue
by seeing the actual values return
to expected values.
Cynthia Stone is a product

marketing manager for Industrial
Data Intelligence at GE. She has
nearly a decade of experience
working in predictive analytics
for power, oil and gas,
mining and aviation.
Stone may be
reached at cynthia.
stone@ge.com.
92
MOTORS & DRIVES
Understanding System Efficiency in

Motor-Driven Rotating Equipment
Users should consider system changes to comply with the new EISA standard.
By William Livoti
nergy efficiency has become

a major focus for the U.S.
government, municipalities,
power utilities and the industrial
sector, with much of the attention
falling on components such as
motors and pumps. For end users,
understanding the difference
between component efficiency
and system efficiency as applied to
motor-driven equipment is critical
for evaluating a total system and
making appropriate upgrades. The
Energy Independence and Security
Act (EISA) is one standard that
users must understand and comply
with to successfully improve
system efficiency.
Efficiency Standards as
Defined by EISA
For each general-purpose
rating (Subtype 1) from 1 to
200 horsepower (HP) that was
previously covered by EPAct, the
law specifies a nominal fullload efficiency level based on
National Electrical Manufacturers
Association (NEMA) premium
efficiency as shown in NEMA MG
1, Table 12-12. All 230- or 460-volt
(and 575-volt for Canada) motors
currently under EPAct that were
manufactured after December 19,
2010, must meet or exceed this
efficiency level.
General-purpose electric
motors (Subtype II) not previously
covered by EPAct will be required

to comply with energy efficiencies
as defined by NEMA MG 1, Table
12-11. The term general-purpose
electric motor (Subtype II) refers to
motors that incorporate the design
elements of a general-purpose
electric motor (Subtype I) that are
configured as one of the following:
U-frame motor
Design C motor
Close-coupled pump motor
Footless motor vertical solid
shaft normal thrust motor (as
in a horizontal configuration)
An 8-pole motor (900 rpm)
A poly-phase motor with
voltage of not more than
600 volts (other than 230 or
460 volts)
Motors that are 201 to 500
HP that were not previously
covered by EPAct will be required
to comply with energy efficient
efficiencies as defined by NEMA
MG I, Table 12-11.
This information and the Tables
referenced above are readily
available on the Department of
Energy (DOE) website.
So, what does the new EISA
Standard have to do with system
efficiency? Many end users
believe that any system efficiency
improvement is the result of
an increase in motor efficiency;
however, that is not always the
case. For example, consider a

centrifugal pump system operating
at a fi xed speed. The system
requires variable flow and is
controlled by a motor-operated
valve. One might believe that
replacing the standard-efficiency
motor with the new EISA premiumefficient motor would lead to an
incremental gain in efficiency and
a lower operating cost. This seems
reasonable, but more factors must
be considered.
In order to meet the EISA
standard, motor original
equipment manufacturers (OEMs)
had to redesign their equipment
to achieve the increased efficiency
as mandated by government
regulations. To understand what
is meant by increased efficiency,
users must know the definition of
a premium-efficiency motor and
what affects that efficiency.
Motor Losses
Losses in a motor include stray
losses, rotors, stators, core losses
and fan design (windage).
To make a motor more efficient,
a manufacturer must add more or
better material. These additions
and adjustments could include
more active material such as
copper in the winding, a longer
stator, rotor cores and improved
electrical steel (silicon steel is
used for the stator and rotor). A
93
System Efficiency
Energy-efficient motors can also
improve system efficiency, but
end users must consider the
following factors:
Motors meeting higher
efficiencies tend to run faster
than their less efficient
counterparts.
Matching speeds to application
need (such as pump flow) is
important to consider.
Drives may be required, which

offers the opportunity to
increase system efficiency in
applications with variable output
requirements. Variable frequency
drives (VFDs) require further
considerations for optimum
reliability and efficiency.
In some cases, mounting
dimensions for motor into
machinery may be slightly
different.
Case Study
The following case study graphically
illustrates the impact of a premiumefficient motor in a centrifugal
pumping application.
Figure 1 (page 92) provides four
separate scenarios for reducing
energy consumption in a cooling
tower pumping system. The
portrayed system is a typical closed
loop configuration where the
discharge is being throttled over a
range of operation. The system in
this example operates 24/7, 365
days per year. At this particular
load point, that means it operates
70 percent of the timeor 6,250
hours per year.
Columns 1 and 2 in Figure 1
indicate the various components
factored into the system efficiency
calculation. Column A is the
base condition where the system
operates 50 percent of the time.
The component efficiencies for the
VFD and gearbox are at 100 percent
because they were not used.
Under the base condition,
the total power required is
approximately 1,777 HP; almost
356 HP is being lost (wasted) across
a control valve. In addition, the
pump is operating back on the curve
at 65 percent efficiency. Under
these conditions, the total system
efficiency is 49 percent.
Column B provides the new
operating conditions with the
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low-loss fan design could also be

used to reduce friction and windage
losses. To reduce the stray load
losses, manufacturing processes
are assured through International
Organization for Standardization
(ISO) 9001 procedures.
Some advantages of energy
efficient motors are:
Maximum Efficiency Energyefficient motors operate at
maximum efficiency even when
they are lightly loaded because of
better design.
Longer Life Energy-efficient
motors dissipate less heat
compared with standard motors.
Use of energy-efficient fans
keeps the motor at a lower
temperature, which increases
the life of the insulation and
windings as well as the overall
life of the motor.
Lower Operating Cost The
total energy cost of energyefficient motors during its
life cycle is much lower when
compared with conventional
motors.
Other Benefits Energyefficient motors have better
tolerance to thermal and
electrical stresses, the ability to
operate at higher temperatures,
and the ability to withstand
abnormal operating conditions
such as low voltage, high voltage
or phase imbalance.
94
MOTORS & DRIVES
addition of a VFD. The head required

has been reduced to 150 feet because
the loss across the valve has been
eliminated by reducing the speed of
the pump to meet required system
demand. Motor efficiency remains the
same, and a 2 percent loss has been
added as a result of heat generated
across the drive. Note the dramatic
improvement in the overall system
efficiency (81 percent) and the
total operating cost reduction from
$414,306 to $187,360. The total cost
savings is $226,946 per year.
Column C addresses the impact on
the system by improving the efficiency
of the pump. Nothing else in the
system was changed.
The minimal improvement of the
overall system efficiency (53 percent)
results from increasing the pump
efficiency by 5 percent. The 50 feet
Figure 1. Four separate scenarios for reducing energy consumption in a cooling tower pumping
system (Courtesy of WEG)
of head loss across the control valve

remains, so the total power required
is 1,650 HP. This scenario does not
present huge savings based on the cost
of a new pump and installation and
potential piping changes. Factor in the
ongoing reliability issues, such as the
pump operating back on the curve, and

$29,593 would be difficult to justify.
Column D identifies potential
savings when motor efficiency is
improved by 2 percent. Again, nothing
has changed in the system with the
exception of an additional 5 feet of
friction loss across the valve as a
result of the reduced slip in the
premium-efficient motor (head
increases to the square of the
speed). In this case, the system
efficiency remains the same at
49 percent. Note that the power
required for the additional friction
has increased to 330 HP. The total
power required was reduced to
1,650.2 HP (a reduction of 127
HP) with a total savings of $518
per year.
References
1. EISA Standards Department of Energy
2. WEG Electric
William Livoti is the power

generation business development
manager for
WEG Electric
Corporation. Livoti
may be reached at
wlivoti@weg.net.
SEALING SENSE
Energy Efficiency of Compression Packings

in Rotodynamic Pump Applications
By Henri Azibert
FSA Technical Director
various mechanical seals using a

test rig specifically designed for
the purpose. The results from the
friction testing on a number of
packing types and mechanical seals
will also be discussed. These results
call into question the theoretical
methods currently used to calculate
packing friction.
packing performance and allow end

users to better differentiate between
products when making selections for
their applications.
The specification was developed
through a number of iterations. At
each stage, the validity, accuracy
and repeatability were tested using
round-robin tests. Each member
company tested the same product
from a single source, and the results
Test Procedure Development
were compared. Any deviations
As early as 2004, the European
from consistency were discussed
Sealing Association (ESA) along
and the specification refined for the
with its U.S. counterpart, the Fluid
next validation round. To maintain
Sealing Association (FSA), formed a
impartiality, all of the test results
joint task force to develop a realistic,
were submitted to an independent
performance-based test method for
compression packings used in rotary body for analysisFrench research
applications. The driving force for this organization Centre Technique des
Industries Mcaniques (CETIM),
project was to enable manufacturers
who also carried out their own tests
to publish true comparative data on
in each round. Figure 1 shows a
typical test setup.
Figure 1. Typical test arrangement (Images and graphics courtesy of FSA)
The first drafts of the specification
allowed test conditions that reflected
those commonly encountered in
field applications but with water
as the test medium. The following
parameters were to be measured and
recorded at specified intervals during
each test run after the break-in
period and at the end of the test:
Total leakage (milliliters)
Leak rate (milliliters per hour)
Gland temperature (degrees
Celsius)
Number of gland adjustments
Amount of each adjustment
(millimeters)
Normalized power consumption
(watts per millimeter squared)
ompression packings have
suffered from a reputation
of being an old-fashioned
technology unsuited to modern
industrial processes. In the case of
rotating equipment, they are largely
superseded by mechanical seals. In
particular, many believe packings are
inefficient because of high frictional
losses. Much of this perception
is based on outdated products
and not on modern types that
use sophisticated synthetic yarns
combined with complex lubricants.
This article describes the
development of a straightforward
test procedure for compression
packings used in rotary applications.
The procedure was used to study the
frictional characteristics of several
packing types in comparison with
95
96
SEALING SENSE
Leakage from the static outer side

(gland) and the dynamic inner side
(shaft) was recorded separately.
For the first series of tests,
the packing selected was one of
known good performance and of
material and construction typically
used by all of the participating
manufacturers. A graphite/
expanded polytetrafluoroethylene
(ePTFE) cross-plaited packing was
selected, and test packings were
manufactured by one manufacturer
from the same batch of yarn to suit
each of the participants test rigs.
The general trends from these
early tests provided composite
results for 12 tests at six test
facilities under the same conditions
of 6 bar pressure for 100 hours at
different speeds. While consistency
within each individual laboratory
was satisfactory, the variation
between them was substantial.
The specification was, therefore,
refined to better control the test
conditions and procedures, and the
importance of the initial fitting of
the packing and the break-in period
was emphasized.
Three leakage classes were
introduced to allow for differing
target leakage levels depending
on the criticality of the intended
application area of the packing.
L1 = less than or equal to 5
milliliters per minute (ml/min)
ml/min
ml/min
Gradually, other packings were
tested and eventually a final
specification was reached. Figure
2 shows results from testing a
graphite/ePTFE packing under the
final specification conditions, with
good repeatability of results.
The final specification was
issued and is freely available to
download from the FSA website. The

specification was also put forward
to CEN Technical Committee TC
197 Pumps to be adopted as a
full European Standard. This was
approved, and TC 197/WG 3 has
prepared a Final Draft EN 16752
Centrifugal pumps- Test procedure
for seal packings, which is currently
going through the standardization
approval process and should see
final publication in 2015.
Power Consumption
While the final test procedure
produced good correlation of
results in terms of packing leakage,
temperature and post-test packing
condition, the one performance
aspect that continued to cause
debate was frictional level and
power consumption. Throughout
the round-robin test program
the results reported for frictional
torque or absorbed power showed
significant variability, partly
because of the different methods
used to measure it.
This uncertainty about packing
friction is concerning, because the
generally accepted wisdom is that
Figure 2. Results from round-robin 5
packings are inefficient in terms

of power consumption. But little
research has been conducted on
the more sophisticated products
currently available that use
exfoliated graphite, ePTFE, aramid
and other synthetic yarns and
modern lubricant systems.
To obtain definitive information
on packing friction, the joint
ESA/FSA Technical Task Force
commissioned CETIM to carry
out a follow-up project. It consists
of the design and manufacture of
a dedicated test rig to carry out
testing in accordance with the
procedure, including highly accurate
systems to directly measure the
frictional force of the packing alone.
Test Rig
The test rig is designed to test
both compression packings
and mechanical seals so direct
comparison can be made under
the same conditions (see Image
1, page 98). A torque meter is
used to record the mechanical
seal or packing friction on the
shaft. Measurements of torque,
temperature and leakage levels are
97
98
SEALING SENSE
recorded, and the instrumentation

permits continuous monitoring of
all parameters throughout the test.
measured for mechanical seals

were generally in line with the
manufacturers published data.
Initial Testing
After initial trials to validate
the equipment functionality and
accuracy of the monitoring devices,
the first tests were carried out on
the same graphite/ePTFE packing
that had been widely used during
the earlier test program.
Testing was conducted at
different rotational speeds and
pressures, with varying target
leak rates. For direct comparison,
a typical unitized, single-spring
elastomer bellows mechanical seal
was also tested under a range of
conditions. It is an unbalanced
mechanical seal with carbon
graphite versus chromium oxide
seal faces.
The measured torque is plotted
for different water pressures, in
the case of the packing with the
associated shaft leak. During these
tests, the gland leak rate was of the
same order of magnitude as that of
the shaft.
These results were unexpected. The
figures for packing were much lower
than predicted and were of the same
order of magnitude as, and generally
lower than, the mechanical seal.
Of course, a degree of leakage must
be tolerated when using packings,
and the lubrication afforded by
the leaking fluid will reduce the
friction. But even when the leak
rate is extremely low, as in the case
at 6 bar and 1500 rpm, the friction
recorded was the same as that for the
mechanical seal at a lower pressure.
Rigorous checks were carried out
to ensure the accuracy of the results.
In particular, the measurement
range of the torque meter was
revised to ensure accuracy at these
much lower torque levels, and it
was verified that the torque levels
Further Tests
A further series of tests was carried
out on two other packing types and
four mechanical seal variants. The
packings were a lubricated natural
ramie fiber, which would normally
be used where higher leakage would
be acceptable, and a synthetic
aramid yarn packing.
The mechanical seals were one
unbalanced and two balanced
component seals and a cartridge
balanced seal. They were chosen
to represent a cross section of
commonly used designs. These
featured carbon graphite versus
silicon carbide seal faces. This face
combination is typically chosen for
its low coefficient of friction. The
designs had different balance ratios,
and two had a composite narrow
seal face and the other two had a
monolithic narrow seal face.
All tests in this sequence were
carried out at 6 bar pressure. The
comparative results are shown in
Figure 3.
Some of the results for the
mechanical seals were unexpected.
The unbalanced mechanical seal
showed lower torque than the
balanced O-ring pusher seal.
The difference can most likely
be explained by the fact that the
face profiles are different for the
composite seal face of the balanced
seal than the monolithic design of
the unbalanced seal.
Typical thermal deflections are
different for these variations in
design. The composite faces tend to
have a divergent profile with outside
contact, while the monolithic
face tends to have a convergent
profile with good fluid penetration
between the faces. The pressure
drop between the seal faces is
different, leading to higher effective

hydraulic closing forces for the
outside contact than for the inside
contact. Different spring loads for
the designs, which are difficult to
set accurately in component seals,
would also have a significant impact
on contact pressure.
This illustrates two major
points. First, specific designs have
specific characteristics, and broad
classifications are not sufficient to
evaluate the power consumption
of one type of design. Second, the
pressure drop between the sealing
interface is critical in determining
the actual power consumption
of the sealing device. This should
be considered with packing and
mechanical seals.
The packing friction compares
favorably with all of the mechanical
seal variants. These unexpected
results have led to a reconsideration
of the traditional methods for
calculating packing friction.
Image 1. Friction test rig
99
Theoretical Considerations
The formula that has long been used
to calculate power consumption
from compression packing systems is
as follows:
P= Pp x RPM x D x x A p x F
Where
P
= Power (HP or kilowatts,
depending on units used)
Pp
= sealed pressure
RPM = rotational speed
D
= shaft diameter
= coefficient of friction
between the packing and
the shaft
Ap = packing contact area
F
= factor, depending on
units used
This formula is similar to the
one used for mechanical seals,
which has been shown to give
a good approximation to power
consumption levels.
Recognized approximations in
the packing formula are that it
does not take account of lubricant
levels, actual packing compression,
type of liquid sealed, viscosity or
temperature. But it can provide a
figure for the amount of energy
consumed by the packing. It tends
to give power consumption levels
Figure 3. Tests at 6 bar
that are approximately 10 times

that of a balanced mechanical seal
used under the same conditions.
Test results show that the
approximations in the formula
are not sufficient to explain the
deviations from the calculated
values.
The differences in calculated
results from the test measurements
reported here vary by factors from
25 to 100 times.
While more work is planned, the
conventional wisdom contained
assumptions that are not verified
through the experiments. Thus, the
use of sealed pressure as the contact
pressure for the packing along its
entire axial length must be revised.
A pressure drop coefficient of 0.2
gives much better correlation of
calculated to testing results.
The coefficient of friction must
also be re-evaluated when current
advanced synthetic fiber materials
are used.
For example, a coefficient of
friction value of 0.03 for ePTFE/
Graphite packing is more in
agreement with testing results than
the traditional value of 0.17. Other
variables must also be considered,
such as shaft speed and size as well
as leakage levels because they have a
direct impact on power consumption.
Further Work
Some further test work is planned
on other packing types. The major
thrust of this work is to develop
a mathematical model that will
provide an accurate tool for the
calculation of packing power
consumption. A revised formula
will be finalized once testing is
completed.
The unquestioned switch from
compression packing to mechanical
seals to save energy in sealing
systems must be reconsidered.
Users must take many factors into
account when using one technology
versus the other, including periodic
maintenance, the availability of
trained maintenance personnel
and permissible leakage levels.
But frictional energy saving is not
as important as conventionally
viewed. The choice of which
technology to use must encompass
all aspects of performance based on
real results rather than perception.
Acknowledgements
The author would like to express his
appreciation to all of the ESA and
FSA member companies involved
in this project, in particular the
members of the joint ESA/FSA
Packings Technical Task Force and
David Edwin-Scott of the European
Sealing Association (UK), and Didier
Fribourg of the Technical Center
for Mechanical Industries CETIM
(France).
Next Month: How to Achieve
Zero Emissions with Mechanical
Seals
We invite your suggestions for article topics as
well as questions on sealing issues so we can
better respond to the needs of the industry.
Please direct your suggestions and questions to
sealingsensequestions@fluidsealing.com.
100
HI PUMP FAQS
Dynamic Analysis in the Petroleum Market &

Piping Installation for Rotary Pumps
By Hydraulic Institute
What dynamic analysis

considerations are
recommended for the
petroleum market?
End users should evaluate
their need for dynamic analysis by
considering the level of proven
field experience available for
any given configuration. The
vendor and user should agree on
which types of analysis should be
performed at any level. Lateral,
torsional and structural analyses
are three identifiable and normally
separable deliverables.
In all cases, it is the users
prerogative to specify additional
tests, validations and/or analyses
to further mitigate risk.
Historically, dynamic analysis
trends have developed within
the various pump application
markets because of the types
and characteristics of equipment
typically used and as a result
of past experiences. In the oil
and gas industry, single-stage
overhung horizontal pumps and

between-bearings, one- and twostage pumps must be designed
to be classically rigid, which can
eliminate the need for lateral
dynamic analysis.
Multistage pumps identical to
pumps proven in-field are also
not subject to lateral analysis.
Vertically suspended pumps are
required to be designed with
established limits on bearing
spacing to ensure suitable lateral
rotodynamic performance.
Drive system configuration and
power levels determine the need
for torsional dynamic analysis.
High-energy, high-speed,
critical-service and unspared
machines are subject to high
levels of customer intervention
and scrutiny, with the user having
varying definitions of these terms.
For more information on
dynamic analysis, refer to
ANSI/ HI 9.6.8: Rotodynamic
Pumps Guideline for Dynamics of
Pumping Machinery.
Figure 3.4.3.11. Pipe-to-pump alignment (Courtesy of Hydraulic Institute)
What piping installation

recommendations are
important to consider for
rotary pumps?
Because rotary pumps are
designed with close running
clearances, clean piping is a must.
Dirt, grit, weld bead or scale, later
flushed from an unclean piping
system, will damage and may
seize the pump. Figure 3.4.3.11
illustrates pipe-to-pump
alignment considerations.
Piping should be installed on
supports independent of the
pump. Supports must be capable
of carrying the mass of the pipe,
insulation and the pumped fluid.
Supports may be hangers, which
carry the mass from above, or
stands, which carry the mass
from below.
Clamps or brackets may
be used to secure piping to existing
columns. Supports must allow free
movement of the piping caused by
thermal expansion or contraction.
101
Supports should be installed at intervals that

uniformly and amply support the piping load,
precluding contact with piping and equipment.
Pipe strains or stresses transmitted to the pump
by improper piping support systems may cause
distortion, wear or binding of the rotary members
and excessive power requirements.
Piping systems that contain expansion joints must
be designed so the expansion joint is not exposed
to more motion than accounted for in its design.
Expansion joints or flexible connectors should not be
used to compensate for misaligned piping.
Threaded joints should be coated with compounds
compatible with, but not soluble in, the pumped
liquid. End users working with Teflon-taped joints
should be careful to prevent shredded pieces of
Teflon from entering the piping system. Piping
should start at the pump and work toward the
source of supply and the point of discharge. Shutoff
valves and unions are recommended to facilitate
future inspection and repair. Reducers are preferred
to bushings when a change in pipe size is necessary.
Avoid unnecessary restrictions in the pipeline, such
as elbows, sharp bends, globe or angle valves, and
restricted-type plug valves.
Users should predetermine pipe size by taking
into account the required flow rate; minimum
or maximum velocities; the fluid viscosity at the
lowest pumping temperature; the length of the
piping system, including valves, strainers and other
restrictions; and the elevation of the pump with
reference to supply and discharge points.
Find more HI Pump FAQs online at

pumpsandsystems.com/
tags/hi-pump-faqs.
HI Pump FAQs is produced by the Hydraulic Institute as

a service to pump users, contractors, distributors, reps and
OEMs. For more information, visit pumps.org.
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102
Centrifugal Pump Saves Sand Mine

More than $1.5 Million
The mechanical seal system, among other features, reduced downtime at the Wisconsin plant.
By Chris Dunn, Crisp Industries,
& Bill Schlittler, Cornell Pump Company
or more than 100 years,

Wisconsin sand has been
prized for industrial
applicationsincluding metal
casting, construction and
consumer products such as
iPods. Now, the sand has found
new applications in hydraulic
fracturing, or fracking. During
fracking, pumps open up deep rock
formations using a high-pressure
mixture of solutions such as sand
and water. The sand opens the
rock, releasing oil and gas deposits
for extraction.
White Wisconsin sand works
well in hydraulic fracturing
applications. The large grains
and round shape better open
fissures, allowing more successful
extraction of fossil fuels.
In 2015, energy companies will
use more than 2.6 million tons of
sand in exploration & production
(E&P) activities. Demand for sand
has increased more than 40 percent
since 2011.
Challenges
A remote Wisconsin sand mine
experienced pump deterioration
from the abrasive sand. Because
of the harsh Midwest winters,
the mine only operates from
April 1 to Thanksgiving. During
operating season, the plant is
scheduled to run 24 hours per day
to maximize production.
Initially, the plant used vertical

turbines on the wet side of the
process, where the sand was
washed, scrubbed of impurities
and sized. The wash removes
metals and small particles of silica.
Afterward, the sand moves to the
dry side, where it dehydrates in
specific storage areas based on its
composition. The sand is inspected
and tested after drying. Rail cars
transport the sand to frac sites for
mixing and injection.
The process water is recycled,
reducing the plants costs and water
needs. While the process removes
the large particles for sale, the
fine particles remain suspended
in the recycled water. Over time,
this microscopic slurry attacks
the bronze-fitted vertical turbine.
Particle accumulation around
the seal leads to failures, and the
residue eventually reduces pump
flow. The grit forces openings in the
rubber bushings, allowing water
to escape. Eventually, the turbine
shuts down, ceasing all operations.
Because of constant operation,
the turbines failed frequently
as fine particles accumulated
quickly. The sand mine incurred
major expenses from repairs and
lost productivity.
Patented Solutions
A pump distributor working
with the plant operator offered a
centrifugal pump with a specialized

mechanical sealing system, slurryresistant construction material and
superior solids-handling capability.
Unlike the seals in the vertical
turbine, the pumps mechanical
sealing system uses vanes cast
into the impeller to wash away
fine particles behind the impeller.
Specially angled deflector vanes
on the dished backplate create
a cyclonic action, which pulls in
the particles. The mechanical seal
system provides greater reliability
without the need for flush water or
additional gauging systems.
The pump has 10-inch suction
and 8-inch discharge and features a
Image 1. This remote Wisconsin sand mine experienced

pump deterioration from the abrasive sand. (Images
courtesy of Cornell Pump Company)
103
Images 2 and 3. Because of harsh Midwest winters, the mine only operates from April to November, when the plant is scheduled
to run 24 hours per day. The constant operation requires reliable equipment with superior solids-handling capability.
cast-iron impeller and volute. More

resilient than the bronze fittings
on the turbine, the cast iron
helps the pump better withstand
the silica slurry. The pumps also
include a 416 stainless shaft and
sleeve as well as deep groove
bearings rated for at least 50,000
hours. The unit can handle heads
up to 360 feet, flow rates up to
8,000 gallons per minute and solids
up to 3.38 inches in diameter.
Additional Features
The pump also features a drypriming system with a vacuum
assist. If the pump loses prime,
the system engages the assisting
vacuum pump to draw sand into
the volute. When normal operation
resumes, the system disengages.
Unlike a venturi system, this
dry-priming method does not
materially affect efficiency.
An oil reservoir can lubricate the
pumps seal faces if it loses prime.
With the dry-priming vacuum,
the system protects the seal faces
from heat and cracking that could
occur without pumpage to lubricate
it. When the system reprimes,
the gland disengages. The system
is self-contained and does not

spill over into the pump stream.
The pump can run dry for hours
without damaging the seal faces.
The new centrifugal pump was
more efficient than the vertical
turbinehitting the same design
and flow specifications while
requiring less energy and saving
operation costs. The motor for
the centrifugal pump is readily
available in nearby Milwaukee or
Minneapolis, while the motor for
the turbine required a significantly
longer lead time to order.
Millions Saved
Since installation in March 2014,
the plant has run continuously.
With the previous turbines, the
plant would have experienced
at least 60 hours of downtime.
Processing more than 600 tons an
hour meant the plant would have
lost the opportunity to process
more than 36,000 additional tons
of sand in a year. With high-quality
hydraulic fracturing sand selling at
more than $50 a ton, the new
pump helped save more than a
$1.5 million dollars of downtime
losses in a year.
The plant operator plans to

open several more locations in
2015, and because of the success
of this system, each facility will
be installed with 8- or 10-inch
versions of the new pump.
Chris Dunn is general manager of

the Pipe and Pump Division of Crisp
Industries. With more than 20 years
of experience, Dunn has serviced
many mining and fracking sites and
is active in applications
across North
America. He may be
reached at cdunn@
crispindustries.com or
940-683-4070.
Bill Schlittler, PE, is mining
market manager at Cornell Pump
Companya Clackamas, Oregon,
manufacturer of centrifugal pumps.
Schlittler has more than 30 years
of experience as a mining engineer,
specializing in slurry
applications. He may
be reached at 503-6530330 or bschlittler@
cornellpump.com.
104
How Remote Monitoring Empowers

Plant Employees
Modern monitoring software provides plants with the data they need to improve reliability while
empowering pump operators to make well-informed decisions.
First of Two Parts
By Jason Vick & Jack Creamer
Schneider Electric
hile instrumentation
and monitoring
software are widely used
in manufacturing facilities around
the world, these tools alone will not
solve every production problem.
In addition to software and other
resources, the field workforce
plays a major role in the overall
effectiveness of a plants reliability
strategies.
This is especially true in the
pump industry because pumps are
frequently located in remote or
difficult-to-access locations. For this
reason, instrumentation and remote
monitoring software must be
combined with tools that empower
the field workforce to manage and
maintain systems reliably and
efficiently. This comprehensive
strategy can help field workers
increase their knowledge of system
processes and procedures, analyze
important equipment information,
and make well-informed decisions.
The Importance of
Remote Monitoring
A comprehensive reliability strategy
is vital because two primary
elements make up nearly 80 percent
of the total cost of ownership (TCO)
of pumps: energy consumption
and maintenance activities (see
Figure 1). A variety of pumping
part of a comprehensive reliability

applications demonstrate that
strategy, it can help enhance
remote monitoring of energy
operational efficiency in the long
consumption is critical to energy
run. For example, over time, pumps
optimization. In addition, remote
may wear. This degradation can
monitoring of the pumping
appear in the form of impeller wear,
equipment can result in increased
pipe corrosion, reduced bearing
uptime because of the ability to
efficiency and decreased system
prevent unexpected failures.
efficiencies, which may cause pumps
Because pumps represent more
to operate well away from their
than 50 percent of all energy
best efficiency point (BEP). Remote
savings potential and consume
monitoring technology gathers data
almost 25 percent of all motor
that can indicate such changes in
energy, energy savings is one
operating conditions, allowing the
of the most clearly quantifiable
operator to adjust system speeds to
benefits of incorporating remote
maintain BEP alignment. Figure 2
monitoring into a facilitys
shows the impact of wear rings and
predictive maintenance strategy.
cavitation.
The ability to monitor and adjust
system operation
to ensure
optimal energy
consumption is a
primary benefit.
While data
collection through
remote monitoring
cannot improve
efficiency on its
own, it is a critical
first step to closing
the loop around
process variables.
While remote
monitoring alone
Figure 1. Typical pump life cycle cost profile (Courtesy of Hydraulic Institute and
cannot improve
Pump Systems Matter)
efficiency, as
105
Figure 2. The impact of wear rings and cavitation (Courtesy

of Schneider Electric)
Studies have shown that pump

maintenance accounts for 25
percent of a typical pumps TCO.
All too often, end users discover
too late conditions that lead to
pump or motor breakdown or a
serious catastrophe that damages
equipment, cripples operations and
impacts employee safety.
Improving Predictive
Maintenance
Predictive maintenance can be
custom-designed for a users
specific system, built from regular
observation and recordkeeping
that can reveal trends and uncover
anomalies. When equipment is
commissioned, a facility may
create a pump health log to use as
a baseline for alarms and required
maintenance triggers during the
lifetime of the system. End users
can leverage this historical data
to take future actions to optimize
their operational efficiency.
With minimal investment using
standard features built into a
variable frequency drive (VFD) or
other smart motor control system,
users can greatly expand reliability
and reduce operational costs. For
reference, users should remember
that pump equipment purchase
prices are estimated to account
for only 10 percent of the overall
lifetime expense of the system.
Monitoring Stranded Assets

Stranded assets, or assets that
are not instrumented or only
partially instrumented, are found
in industries such as refining,
upstream and midstream oil and
gas, petrochemical, metals and
mining, power generation and
distribution, water and wastewater,
pulp and paper, and discrete
manufacturing. In some cases,
stranded assets can make up as
much as 40 to 60 percent of a plants
total asset count. Because these
assets are not constantly monitored
electronically, field personnel must
monitor the equipment to ensure
that it remains safe and reliable.
In addition to stranded assets, a
host of regulations require that
personnel fill out forms that ensure
compliance with such rules.
Many companies rely on
paper-based or experience-based
monitoring of stranded assets
and compliance activities. But
others have adopted advanced
mobile decision support software
applications that allow them to
collect, report and analyze noninstrumented data.
Every option for remote
monitoring of stranded assets has
pros and cons. For every option,
however, users must decide how to
combine remote monitoring with
human interaction. For example,
when paper and experience are
relied on as the preferred methods
Jack Creamer is the segment
manager of the pumping equipment
sector for Schneider Electric
Square D and an active member of
the Pumps & Systems
Editorial Advisory
Board. He may be
reached at jack.
creamer@schneiderelectric.com.
for monitoring stranded assets, field

workers often lack the situational
awareness to make well-informed
decisions. Differences in experience
level, miscommunication, training
deficiencies or employee ownership
may result in poorly made decisions
that can lead to premature
equipment failures, unit shutdowns
or even worsepersonal injury.
By contrast, when companies
adopt advanced mobile decision
support applications running on
mobile computers, they are able to
achieve the following:
Positive asset/location
identification
Remote access to standard
procedures
Heightened situational
awareness
Advanced scheduling
Visibility to non-instrumented
data
Positive asset and location
identification are a key aspect
of remote monitoring. By using
mobile devices equipped with
barcode readers, radio frequency
identification (RFID) readers, QBR
coding or global positioning systems
(GPS), mobile users can properly
identify an asset and access the
correct set of tasks they need to
complete for that asset. The use of
positive asset identification also
provides an audit trail if needed.
Jason Vick is the mobility

technical sales consultants
manager at Schneider Electric
where he is responsible for
providing mobile workforce
enablement technical
guidance and
best practices to
customers in many
vertical markets.
106
PRODUCTS
Progressive Cavity Pumps
Grinder Pump
SEEPEX
introduces
Smart Conveying
Technology (SCT),
the innovative
technology for
progressive
cavity pumps.
In addition to the one-stage design for pressures up to 4
bar (60 psi), SCT is now available in a two-stage design
for pressures up to 8 bar (120 psi). SCT is a customized
solution that is efficient, economical and environmentally
friendly. SCT delivers enhanced pump performance with
a longer component service life and easy maintenance,
reducing maintenance time by up to 85 percent.
Zoeller Pump Company announced

the first 1/2 horsepower (HP) grinder
pump, the Shark Model 800. This unit
targets the problematic residential 1/2
horsepower sewage ejector market,
which is plagued by the infamous
wipes. It uses the latest design in
cutter and plate technology coupled
with a powerful 3,500 rpm, oil-fi lled
motor. The success of the Model 800 prompted Zoeller
Pump Company to develop the next generation of grinder
pumps to cover a broader range of applications. The
803-805-807 family of cast-iron, automatic and nonautomatic grinder pumps are available in 1/2 HP (803),
3/4 HP (805), and 1 HP (807).
Oil & Fluid Filter Assemblies
Multi-Purpose Accelerometer
ClearView Filtrations
patented fi lter assemblies
allow visual inspection
of the fluid being fi ltered,
the fi lter element and the
particles fi ltered out of the
fluid system. This is done in
seconds without draining,
leaking or the loss of fluid
and without unbolting or
loosening any fasteners or
fittingseven when fi ltering
non-transparent fluids. ClearView Filtration helps
determine if particles are from normal use or engine or
fluid system components excessively wearing.
SPM Instrument,
Sweden, announces
the DuoTech, a multipurpose accelerometer
for vibration and shock
pulse measurement.
In the DuoTech
accelerometer, two of the
most widely used and
successful methods for monitoring mechanical condition
come together: vibration and shock pulse measurement.
The combination of the patented HD enveloping and SPM
HD measuring techniques provides maximum flexibility,
enabling superior lubrication and bearing monitoring
covering the entire bearing deterioration process.
Compact
Pressure Transducer
Solids
Measurement
Ashcroft Inc. announces the
new G3 pressure transducer,
which offers 316L stainless steel
wetted material and absolute
pressure measurement to fulfi ll
unique OEM sensor requirements.
Available in ranges from 0/5
through 0/300 psi and vacuum,
the application-friendly G3
is enhanced by a broad choice
of pressure and electrical
connections and outputs. This compact transducer is
constructed to stand up to shock and vibration while
providing stable pressure readings over an extended life.
Mechanical Seals
Colonial Seal
Company, a
New Jerseybased specialty
distributor of
standard and
custom sealing
solutions,
announces a range
of new design or replacement mechanical seals. This
includes elastomeric bellows seals, conical spring O-ring
mounted seals, parallel spring diaphragms, balanced
diaphragm seals, parallel spring O-ring mounted seals,
wave spring type seals and water pump type seals.
To have a product considered for our Products page, please send the information to Amy Cash, acash@cahabamedia.com.
107
Adve r t ise rs
Advertiser Name
Page
RS#
Advertiser Name
Advanced Engineered Pump, Inc.

111
Advanced Technical Staing
Solutions, Inc.
111
AIGI Environmental Inc.
31
Amtech Drives
65
Automationdirect.com
19
Badger Meter Inc.
21
Bal Seal Engineering Inc.
108
Basetek, LLC.
108
BJM Pumps
55
Blue White Industries
9
Boerger LLC
56
CD-Adapco
88
Colfax Corporation
7
Conhagen, Inc.
71
Continental Pump Company
108
Cornell Pump Company
11
Crane Pumps & Systems
45
Dan Bolen & Associates, LLC.
111
Dickow Pump Company
89
DiscFlo
3
Dura Bar
5
Engineered Software Inc.
73
EnviroPump and Seal Inc.
82
FLSmidth
55
Franklin Electric
59
Frost & Sullivan
82
GE Intelligent Platforms
90-91
Gorman-Rupp Company
17
GPM, Inc.
47
Graphite Metallizing Corp.
39
Hoosier Pattern, Inc.
46
Hydraulic Institute
79
Hydro, Inc.
IFC
Jordan, Knauf & Company
101
KSB, Inc.
50
KTR Corporation
53
Load Controls, Inc.
62
Load Controls, Inc.
108
LobePro
109
LUDECA, Inc.
63
Magnatex Pumps, Inc.
77
Master Bond Inc.
108
Meltric Corporation
108
Milton Roy
49
Nachi America, Inc.
32
National Pump Company
24
NETZSCH Group
109
NOC
109
NSK
36
Pemo Pumps
15
Pinnacle-Flo, Inc.
94
PPC Mechanical Seals
28
Pump and
TurboMachinery Symposia
81
169
PSG, a Dover company

Pumpworks 610
R+W America L.P.
Raven Lining Systems
Ruthman Companies
Scenic Precise Element, Inc.
Schaeler Group USA Inc.
Schenck Trebel Corp.
Schneider Electric
SEPCO
SEPCO
Siemens Industry
Sims Pump Co.
Sims Pump Co.
Sims Pump Co.
SKF
Skinner Power Systems, LLC
St. Marys Foundry
Stein Seal
Stein Seal
Summit Industrial Products
Summit Pump, Inc.
168
122
118
101
102
170
192
152
119
123
153
103
124
171
120
104
172
125
105
106
126
163
154
127
164
128
107
129
130
150
165
100
166
151
155
131
174
173
132
161
175
176
121
133
134
177
178
135
147
156
136
FREE PRODUCT INFORMATION

Visit www.psfreeinfo.com to request more
information from these advertisers.
Page
RS#
Advertiser Name
87
75
41
16
37
109
29
66
57
44
110
BC
109
110
97
80
12
109
76
107
70
110
157
137
138
139
109
179
110
149
116
140
180
111
188
193
117
158
141
181
162
190
142
182
Teikoku USA, Inc.

TF Seals
Titan Flow Control, Inc.
Titan Manufacturing, Inc.
Titan Manufacturing, Inc.
Trachte, USA
Tuf-Lok International
Tuthill Transfer Systems
Vaughan
Vertilo Pump Company
Vesco
Waukesha Bearings
WEFTEC
WEG Electric Corp.
WEG Electric Corp.
Westerberg and Associates
WPI
Yaskawa America Inc
Zoeller Pump Company
Page
RS#
69
33
79
64
110
111
111
51
IBC
110
110
74
83
13
93
101
111
25
23
148
143
191
159
183
184
185
144
112
186
187
145
113
114
160
167
189
115
146
he Index of Advertisers is furnished as a courtesy, and no

responsibility is assumed for incorrect information.
108

108
Technologically
Advanced Epoxies
Less downtime.
Longer seal life.
More predictability.
One and Two Component

Systems Feature:
3URWHFWLRQDJDLQVW
corrosion
7RXJKQHVV
+LJK7J
5HVLVWDQFHWRF\FOLF
IDWLJXH
The Bal Seal spring-energized seal

for critical upstream and downstream
applications.
800.366.1006 www.balseal.com
POLYMER BASEPLATES
COMPARED TO STEEL, THEYRE
RE FLAT OUT THE BEST!
Hackensack, NJ 07601 USA
+1.201.343.8983
main@masterbond.com
www.masterbond.com
CALL TODAY!
877-712-BASE (2273)
WWW.BASETEK.COM
MOTOR
PLUGS
QUICKLY CONNECT
& DISCONNECT POWER
OFF
Button
MONITOR PUMP PERFORMANCE

FlowRate
PumPCondition
dRyRunning
Cavitation
BeaRingFailuRe
Safety Shutter
S
univeRsalPoweRCell
OneSizeAdjustsfor
AllMotors,FromSmall
upto150HP
WorksonVariableFrequency
Drives,3Phase,DCand
SinglePhase
10timesmoresensitivethan
justsensingamps
4-20Milliamp,0-10Volt
CallnowFoRyouRFRee30-daytRail
888-600-3247

(on receptacle
e)
Rated up to 200A, 75hp

6" Connector + Switch in 1 device
ce
6" Maximizes Arc Flash Protection
6" Minimizes PPE Requirements
meltric.com
800.433.7642
109
GO WITH THE PROS!! LOBEPRO ROTARY PUMPS
Important Properties of
LobePro Rotary Lobe Pumps

Capacities 0- 2, 656
Low shear
GPM (0-604 m/hr)
Measured Flow
Self priming to 25 wet Low pulsation
Discharge pressure to Space-saving,
compact design
175 psi (12 bar)
To learn more or get a custom quote, email PumpSales@lobepro.com

912-466-0304
www.LOBEPRO.com
Made in USA
NEMO Progressing Cavity Pumps
ask about
For your toughest pumping problems!
Smooth operation,
low pulsation,
steady ow in
direct proportion to speed
Low to high solids content, abrasive material, shear sensitive
Pressures: To 1080 psi; special designs to 3400 psi
Capacities: A few gph up to 2,200 gpm
NETZSCH Pumps North America, LLC
Viscosity: 1 mPas up to 3 million mPas
1-610-363-8010
Temperatures: 5 F to 570 F
PUMPS@netzsch.com
Maintenance friendly, low life-cycle cost
www.netzsch.com

110
Your Best Value in

ANSI Centrifugal Pumps
Model 2196
Green Bay, WI
www.SUMMITPUMP.com

Solve
dry start
problems with
Vesconite Hilube
bushings

Increase MTBR
No swell
Low friction = reduced
electricity costs
Quick supply.
No quantity too small
Tollfree 1-866-635-7596
vesconite@vesconite.com
www.vesconite.com
111
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EXECUTIVE SEARCH/RECRUITING
DISTS& REPS Wanted

USA
Full Line Pump MFGS

Sundyne Type Drop In - ANSI 3196
API, Nuclear, VT, Cryogenic, MG, Split
Case and Other Pumps lines for all
Industries
Email info to
CRTTP@comcast.net
713.871.1063
www.deepbluepumps.com
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Vxuj{izout"Sgtgmkx"ul"Iuor","Xuzux
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Otyzx{sktzgzout","Iutzxury"Ktmotkkxy".Vu}kx/
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Serving the Pump &

Rotating Equipment, Valve,
and Industrial Equipment
Industry since 1969
Domestic & International
Specializing in placing:
General Management Engineering
Sales & Marketing
Manufacturing
DAN BOLEN JASON SWANSON
CHRIS OSBORN
9741 North 90th Place, Suite 200
Scottsdale, Arizona 85258-5065
(480) 767-9000 Fax (480) 767-0100
Email: dan@danbolenassoc.com
www.danbolenassoc.com
112
PUMP MARKET ANALYSIS
Wall Street Pump & Valve Industry Watch

By Jordan, Knauff & Company
Figure 1. Stock indices from July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2015
he Jordan, Knauf &

Company (JKC) Valve Stock
Index was down 21.5 percent
over the last 12 months, while the
broader S&P 500 Index was up 4.5
percent. he JKC Pump Stock Index
also decreased 22.4 percent for the
same time period.1
he Institute for Supply
Managements Purchasing
Managers Index (PMI) rose to
53.5 percent for the month of June
compared with 52.8 percent in
May. he Employment Index rose
3.8 percent to 55.5 percent for
the month, while the New Orders
Index grew to 56 percent from 55.8
percent in May. he overall PMI has
averaged 52.6 percent through the
irst half of the year, less than the
average of 56.9 percent seen in the
second half of 2014. he Production
Index averaged 61.6 percent in
the second half of last year while
averaging only 54.8 percent during
the irst quarter of this year.
he Bureau of Labor Statistics
reported that nonfarm payroll
employment rose by 223,000 in
June, and the unemployment
rate decreased to 5.3 percent. Job
gains occurred in professional
and business services, healthcare,
retail trade, inancial activities, and
transportation and warehousing.
he manufacturing sector grew
by 4,000 jobs, compared with
an increase of 64,000 in
professional and business
services. In the irst half of the
year, manufacturing has added
an average of just over 6,000
workers per month. Nonfarm
employment increases averaged
more than 250,000 per month
for the past 16 months and
surpassed 200,000 in 14 of the
Source: Capital IQ and JKC research. Local currency converted to USD using
past 16 months.
historical spot rates. he JKC Pump and Valve Stock Indices include a select list of
publicly traded companies involved in the pump and valve industries weighted by
he Census Bureau reported
market capitalization.
that total construction
commercial production include
spending rose 0.8 percent
Reference
Mexico, Poland, Algeria, Australia,
in May while rising 5.9 percent
1. he S&P Return
Colombia and Russia.
during the irst ive months of the
igures are provided
On Wall Street, all indices were
by Capital IQ.
year. It is up 8.2 percent over 2014.
down for the month of June. he
New home sales activity was at its
highest level in seven years in May. Dow Jones Industrial Average lost
Private nonresidential construction 2.2 percent, the S&P 500 Index
Jordan, Knauf
was down 2.1 percent, and the
increased 1.5 percent during the
& Company is an
NASDAQ Composite declined 1.6
month and is up 12.7 percent
investment bank
based in Chicago,
percent. For the second quarter
year over year.
Illinois, that
of the year, the Dow declined 0.2
As of last year, only four
provides merger and
percent
and
the
S&P
500
lost
countries were producing
acquisition advisory
0.9 percent, while the NASDAQ
commercial volumes of either
services to the
pump, valve and
gained 1.8 percent. Concerns about
crude oil from tight formations or
iltration industries.
Greeces bailout program and
natural gas from shale formations
Please visit
referendum on whether to accept
according to the U.S. Energy
jordanknauf.com for
terms demanded by its creditors
Information Administration and
more information.
afected investors. Despite a rise in
Advanced Resources International
Jordan Knauf &
Company is a member
consumer spending, upbeat housing
Inc. Along with the U.S. and
of FINRA.
Canada, Argentina and China have data and encouraging retail sales,
the Federal Reserve Bank indicated
recently begun production of this
it will increase interest rates at a
type. Other countries that have
slower pace than it expected earlier
started to explore shale and tight
These materials were
prepared for informational
this year.
oil but are still short of reaching
Figure 2. U.S. energy consumption and rig counts
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration and Baker Hughes Inc.
Augus t 2015 | Pum ps & S yst e m s
Figure 3. U.S. PMI and manufacturing shipments
Source: Institute for Supply Management Manufacturing

Report on Business and U.S. Census Bureau
purposes from sources that

are believed to be reliable
but which could change
without notice. Jordan,
Knauff & Company and
Pumps & Systems shall not
in any way be liable for
claims relating to these
materials and makes no
warranties, express or
implied, or representations
as to their accuracy or completeness or for errors or
omissions contained herein.
This information is not
intended to be construed
as tax, legal or investment
advice. These materials do
not constitute an offer to
buy or sell any financial
security or participate in
any investment offering or
deployment of capital.
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Vq"ngctp"oqtg"cdqwv"J{ftqu"vguvkpi"ecrcdknkvkgu."rngcug"eqpvcev
Vaughans Rotamix System sets the standard for hydraulic mixing,

providing the customer with
Lghh"Lqjpuqp"cv"kphqBj{ftqrworvguvkpi0eqo"qt"ecnn"4:3/697/;8:20"
lower operating and maintenance costs, more efficient breakdown of solids and Vaughans
UNMATCHED RELIABILITY. Its perfect for digesters, sludge storage tanks, equalization basins
and other process or suspension type mixing applications.
- Over 1000 installations worldwide
- Optimizes solids contact with its unique dual rotational zone mixing pattern
- 10 Year Nozzle warranty
See videos, drawings, and details at ChopperPumps.com or call 888.249.CHOP
New flexibility.
Higher reliability.
Introducing the SINAMICS PERFECT HARMONY GH150 water-cooled drive.
siemens.com/sinamics-perfect-harmony
The more flexible you are, the faster

you can move: thats the thinking
behind the SINAMICS PERFECT
HARMONY GH150 water-cooled drive.
The newest addition to the SINAMICS
family of drives, the SINAMICS GH150
combines superior reliability and
scalability with greater flexibility than
ever before.
Benefits:
Control cabinet and
transformer exibility
Cell redundancy and
cell bypass
Marine and offshore
capability
Motor friendliness
The SINAMICS GH150 drive is built to

accommodate a separate transformer,
allowing for a more versatile plant
layout and compatibility with any
primary voltage or number of pulses.
The control cabinet can be placed up
to 50 meters from the power section.
The control cabinet can even be

installed in a different room, including
in a low voltage operators room for
easier and safer operation of the drive.
The SINAMICS GH150 comes with an
arc flash-tested design, and high-speed
cell bypass is available to prevent a cell
fault from interrupting operations.
SINAMICS PERFECT HARMONY is
the No. 1 selling drive in the world
because its the most trusted
and now its more flexible, too.

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AU G U S T 2 0 15

The Leading Magazine for Pump Users Worldwide

Circle 100 on card or visit psfreeinfo.com.

From the Editor

s you fl ip through the pages of

Managing Editor, Amelia Messamore

P.O. Box 530067

Augus t 2 015 | Pum ps & S yst e m s

1900 28th Avenue South, Suite 200

2126 McFarland Blvd. East, Suite A

Experimental studies and field tests show that the Hydraulic

For more information, please contact Sonia Ruiz: sales@discflo.com.

Circle 105 on card or visit psfreeinfo.com.

PUMP SYSTEM OPTIMIZATION

60 OPTIMIZE HIGH-ENERGY PUMPS WITH IMPROVED

68 10 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NPSH

72 ENGINEERED COMPOSITES OFFER OPPORTUNITIES

78 ELECTRICAL INSPECTIONS REDUCE

The Leading Magazine for Pump Users Worldwide

Efficiency Monitoring Saves

PUMP SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT

Piping System Controls

COMMON PUMPING MISTAKES

102 CENTRIFUGAL PUMP SAVES SAND

104 HOW REMOTE MONITORING

FROM THE EDITOR

Circle 106 on card or visit psfreeinfo.com.

BEARINGS, COUPLINGS & SEALS

26 VALIDATE SEALING SYSTEMS FOR

38 WHY BEARINGS FAIL

By Chris Rehmann, AESSEAL

Trelleborg Sealing Solutions

Investment at the start of a project can lead

30 COMPONENT OR CARTRIDGE: HOW

34 HOW TO INTERPRET PUBLISHED

Modern labyrinth bearing protection

42 HYBRID BEARINGS ENHANCE

Internal Gear Pumps Handle

This equipment exploits the elasticity of

Oil & Gas Facilities Detect

Garlock Sealing Technologies, LLC

Gasket information and the tests used to

92 MOTORS & DRIVES

Fischer Process Industries

Users should consider these important

52 POLYMER SEALS PERFORM RELIABLY

AFTER YEARS OF USE

RESIST WEAR IN CIRCULATING

100 HI PUMP FAQS

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

Augus t 2 015 | Pum ps & S yst e m s

BOB DOMKOWSKI, Business Development

WILLIAM E. NEIS, P.E., President, Northeast

Circle 103 on card or visit psfreeinfo.com.

ST. LOUIS (June 25, 2015) The Electrical

ABU DHABI, UAE (June 24, 2015) Thomas

Chairman of the Board: Mike Dupuis of Morrish

Dupuis has more than 30 years of experience in

JOHN CONWAY, GRIFFCO VALVE

SHAWN KELLY, PIONEER PUMP

Augus t 2 015 | Pum ps & S yst e m s

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

What makes the ?DAI*LNK

Pumps & Systems - August 2015

Pumps & Systems - August 2015