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Lets Get Practical

Ross Mackay, Contributing Editor

Pump Troubleshooting: Part 2

It is not our abilities that show what we truly are, it is our choices.
From Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling s last months column went to press, we received information on a pumping problem that highlighted two areas not covered in Januarys troubleshooting discussion. This situation involved a double suction pump that was overloading the motor and tripping out on high amps. A number of these pumps had been in the plant for quite a few years, and three of them including the problem unitrecently had been modified with a new rotating element. To provide parts for the modification, the owner chose to source the items from a company other than the original pump manufacturer. Because of the tripping-out problem, the element had been returned to the supplier for additional modifications. In spite of that rework, the same problem persisted. The electrical department ran tests on the motor while it was uncoupled and found it to be satisfactory. The pump normally drew about 10 percent more power than the other units, and it would overload with only an extra two percent. The pump also seemed to provide a higher flow output than the others. the system. The pump is providing a high flow rate and it is tripping out because of a high amperage (HP) draw. These two factors are consistent with a pump running out towards the end of its curve, where the run-out condition has not been protected with the motor horsepower rating.
Figure 1. Typical pump curve

The output of a centrifugal pump is most frequently changed by the system in which the pump is operating. This means that the centrifugal pump is a slave to the system. In other words, it will only produce the output required and/or permitted by the system. The system curve shown in Figure 2 is created by the combination of factors that resist the flow of liquid (Q) from one end of a system to the other, plotted against the various flow rates expected in the system. The combination of factors that makes up the total head (H) against which the pump must operate in this system are primarily the static head and friction losses.
Figure 2. Typical system curve

Lets Get Practical. . .

In our January column, we determined that the key to pump failure analysis was in the ability to understand how the combination of symptoms identify the underlying cause of the problem. In this case, we have two symptoms, which, when put together, point us to a single solution. Yet, one of them was not even considered. In fact, the classical troubleshooting error was made, in that it was accepted as a pump problem, therefore the pump had to be fixed. Without discounting the possibility that a pump problem may really exist, the data presented requires that we first consider how the pump is operating in
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When a pumping system is designed as a closed loop, where the piping from the discharge is directly connected to the piping at the suction of the same pump, the system curve will usually remain unchanged, once the desired flow rate has been achieved. Under these conditions, the pump and system will interact as shown in Figure 3.
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Feb04PUMPS&SYSp6-11

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Figure 3. Pump and system curve

Another possibility would be to trim the impeller a little, but the effectiveness of that option would depend on the relative slopes of the pump and system curves.

Caveat Emptor
It would be inappropriate for any review of this problem to omit discussion of the competency of the supplier of the rotating element causing the problem. While many after-market suppliers provide high-quality spare parts, the buyer must beware of the suppliers capability to reproduce the necessary parts. This practice of reverse engineering, or reconfiguring the original design from a worn part, has become acceptable in the supply of spare parts. However, impellers and volute casings demand a much higher degree of engineering skill, competency and experience, than parts such as sleeves, shafts, wear rings, etc. It must also be recognized that the impellers and volute cases comprise the hydraulic design of the pump. Consequently, the subsequent hydraulic performance of the pump may be detrimentally affected by any inadvertent changes in the manufacture of the replacement casing or impeller. When faced with the need to change an impeller and/or volute casing, a decision has to be made between two sourcing options. Your supplier could be the company that has access to the original hydraulic design of your pump and can accurately reproduce the same parts, as well as accept responsibility for the resulting hydraulic performance of the pump when it is returned to service. Alternatively, you may be able to save a few dollars and purchase a similar item from another company, which may, or may not, have the necessary expertise to accurately copy someone elses design and may not be prepared (or able) to accept responsibility for the subsequent hydraulic performance. Unless the original equipment manufacturer has disappeared from the marketplace, the choice is yours. P&S
Ross Mackay specializes in helping companies increase their pump reliability and reduce operating and maintenance costs through consulting and education. He can be reached at 1-800-465-6260, or through his newly updated and revised web site at www.rossmackay.com

But, Lets Be Practical. . .

Almost all other pumping systems (including the one under discussion) are subjected to frequent changes in the operating cycle. Under such conditions, the system curve will change accordingly, and with it, the flow rate demanded of the pump. A change in the levels of the liquid at the suction or discharge side of the pump could cause a reduction in the static head in the system as shown in Figure 4. This would create a drop in the system curve, causing it to intersect the pump curve at a higher flow rate, and thus demanding a high amperage draw.

Figure 4. Effect of reducing the static head

This appears to be at least part of the problem with the pump in question. For a temporary cure, an increase in friction loss can be caused by simply throttling the pump discharge valve. This will result in the new system curve adopting a steeper slope and again reducing the flow rate required, together with the corresponding reduction in amperage draw. In general terms, any change in head, capacity or power draw (amps) means that the system has been changed either purposely, or accidentally.

So Lets Stay Practical. . .

If we find that throttling the discharge valve brings the flow rate back into an area where fewer amps are being drawn by the pump driver, a longerterm solution may require some kind of orifice being built into the discharge line.

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