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API standards include design criteria for a wide range of equipment and components.
Power Zone is involved daily with the API standards relating to pumps and pump
components, as well as API guidelines for pump testing and API design criteria for
pump baseplate design. Even though there is no overall rule or law that API
standards must be adhered to (many pumps and equipment are built to no standard
at all) the API standard is often referred to in pumping systems when the highest
quality is needed.
Below is simple explanations of some of the many different API standards for pumps.
Within the API 610 Centrifugal Pump Standard, there are various configuration
codes for different types of centrifu gal pumps. These are called out by a set
of two letters followed by a single number. The letters are used to define the
main different pump types, where OH stands for Overhung, BB stands for
Between-bearings, and VS stands for Vertically Suspended. The num ber is
used to differentiate more detailed configuration options within each section.
Below are simple definitions for each API pump type. Each of the following
pumps types are a sub-category of the API 610 Centrifugal Pump Standard.
The VS5 is a vertically suspended, volute pump with a single casing. This
pump has the discharge column separate from the shaft column. The line shaft
cantilevered and is supported only by bearings in the top housing, and has not
support bearing within the column.
The VS6 is a vertically suspended, wet pit, diffuser pump with a double casing.
The discharge of the pump is routed through the upright column that suspends
the bowl assemblies. Because of the second casing around the outside of the
pump, the VS6 is often referred to as a “Can Pump”.
AP I VS6 Pump Example
The VS7 is a vertically suspended, wet pit, volute pump with a double casing.
The discharge of the pump is routed through the upri ght column that suspends
the bowl assemblies. Because of the second casing around the outside of the
pump, the VS6 is often referred to as a “Can Pump”.
The mechanical seal is the most likely part of the pump to fail. Approximately
70% of the pumps removed from service for maintenance are victims of
mechanical seal failure. Mechanical seal parts are highly engineered with very
close tolerances and any upset in the pump or associated system can cause
seal failure, including:
Mechanical seals are based on positioning two very flat and smooth discs
called seal faces, one rotating on the shaft and one stationary in the pump,
against each other. The discs are flat and smooth enough to ALMOST prevent
the pumped fluid from leaking out between them. However, the faces do rely
on a very thin film of fluid between the faces to lubricate that rubbing
fit. Without this film of fluid, the seals will overheat and fail. Lack of lubrication
is the PRIMARY cause of seal failure. If the fluid is very hot, it can flash to a
vapor as the fluid moves across the faces, again resulting in lack of
lubrication. Note that gas seals use a gas film between the faces to minimize
face contact and heat buildup.
Abrasives can also find their way between the seal faces and wear the face
materials quickly.
Seal flush plans are intended to keep the area around the seal in the most
seal friendly environment practical, usually meaning clean and cool. Dual seal
plans also provide backup and leak detection for safety.
Note that seal flush plans use pressure differences at the pump to drive the
flush fluids. The pump suction is low pressure, the seal chamber is a medium
pressure, and the pump discharge is at high pressure.
If you have any questions about which seal plan to use on your application,
please contact us.
As the seal faces faces rub together (with their thin film of lubricating fluid),
they generate heat. The heat can build up in the seal chamber and push the
fluid towards its boiling point, resulting in premature flashing, lack of
lubrication, and failure. This first set of seal plans is intended to create
circulation through the seal chamber to diss ipate the heat out of the seal
chamber and back into the pumped fluid.
Plan 01 –
Plan 02 –
Plan 03 –
Tapered seal chamber allows air and vapors to vent away from seal
Allows good fluid circulation around seal to remove heat
Common in ANSI style pumps
Very effective and highly recommended for common services.
Plan 11 –
Flush fluid flows from high pressure at pump discharge to the medium
pressure seal chamber and back into the main flow to remove heat from
seal chamber
Allows seal chamber to vent on horizontal pumps during initial pump filling
Orifice used to limit flush fluid velocity entering the seal chamber. A high
velocity flush can erode the outer diameter of the seal faces.
Can be used to increase seal chamber pressure. Increased chamber
pressure may be required to keep chamber fluid from flashing to vapor or
to provide enough pressure to push the fluid between the faces for
lubrication. (Seal chamber must be 5 psi minimum above external
atmospheric pressure).
Very common seal flush plan. Can be overused in applications where
other plans are better suited.
Plan 13 –
Flush fluid flows from medium pressure seal chamber to low pressure at
pump suction.
Best plan for air, vapor, and particulate evacuation from seal chamber.
Standard on vertical pumps.
Velocity can be limited by using orifice.
Plan 14 –
Single Seals – Flush Fluid Conditioning – Plans 12, 21, 23, 31, and 132
These seal plans are intended to provide the seal with the friendliest
environment possible by cooling and/or cleaning the fluid in the seal
chamber. The throat that separates the seal chamber from the main pumped
fluid can be further restricted by adding a close clearance bushing in the
bottom of the seal chamber, better isolating the cool, clean seal chamber fluid
from the hot, abrasive fluid in the pump.
Plan 12 –
Just like a Plan 11, but with a filter in the flush line to remove abrasives.
Can be very simple or very complex (simplex or duplex filters, with or
without instrumentation)
Plan 21 –
Just like a Plan 11, but with a cooler in the line to remove heat. Keeps
the fluid in the chamber cool.
Provides vapor pressure cushion against flashing
Reduces coking of hydrocarbons as they cross the seal faces towards
atmosphere
Coolers can be water-to-water (shell and tube) or water-to-air (radiator
style)
One-pass system. Hot fluid is cooled and sent through the chamber back
into the pump age. Takes a lot of cooling capacity to cool the flush fluid,
and water-to-air coolers often have inadequate cooling capacity.
Plan 23 –
Plan 31 –
Like a Plan 12, but with a cyclone separator rather than a filter to
separate out the solids
Clean fluid from cyclone flows to seal chamber and dirty fluid is returned
to pump suction
Solids need to be heavy to work effectively
Plan 32 –
Forget all the aggressive fluids in your pump. Flood the seal chamber
with an external clean, clear fluid
Instrumentation and strainer are optiona l, but a flow meter with a control
valve is highly recommended.
Flush fluid must be compatible with pumpage
Makeup water lines can be used effectively for this type of flush
Plan 41 –
Quench piping does NOT change conditions inside the seal chamber, at the
wet side of the seal faces. Rather, it affects or monitors the environment on
the ATMOSHPERIC side of the seal faces.
Pumps that leak when they are filled, even before they are started, often have
a flush line intended for a Plan 11 or 13 connected to the QUENCH port,
leading to the atmospheric side of the sea l. There should be a “Q” or the work
“QUENCH” stamped in the gland at this port.
For flush plans Plan 65A, 65B, 66A, and 66B, facility owners may want to know
if their seals are leaking excessively without going to the expense of dual
seals. These seal plans direct excessive leakage on the outside of the seal to
an alarm instrument. Remember that seals leak a little bit. They need to in
order to lubricate the faces and function correctly. The plans below handle
the nuisance leakage in different ways.
Plan 62 –
Used in salting services like sodium hydroxide. The leakage across the
seal faces will turn to salt when it reaches atmosphere. The salt crystals
can wear the faces or build up in the seal, preventing the movement
necessary to keep the seal faces in contact. The salt on the outboard
of the seal can be washed away with a water quench through the quench
and drain ports. Usually a close clearance bushing is installed at the
extreme outboard end to the seal assembly to help keep the quench flui d
moving from the quench to the drain port (or vice versa) and not just run
out along the shaft. Also used for slurry services.
Grease can be introduced into the quench port. This external grease
can provide temporary lubrication to the seal in case the pump sees
large air or vapor pockets which would normally rob the seal faces of the
required lubricating fluid film.
Quench can also be gas. In hot hydrocarbon services, the fluid will turn
to solid coke when it reaches the atmospheric side of the seal. The fluid
would remain a liquid if the area outside the seal faces is robbed of
oxygen with a flood of nitrogen or steam .
Plan 65A –
Plan 65B-
For flashing fluids (fluids that turn to vapor when released to the
atmosphere)
Two throttle bushings are used to ensure that the vapor (or fluid) leakage
is limited along the shaft and out of the drain. A pressure switch picks
up a rise on pressure above nuisance levels on the outboard side of the
seal.
Plan 66B –
Similar to a 66A, but the leakage though the drain port is limited by an
orifice in the drain port.
Dual seals provide a backup seal in case the primary seal fails. They prevent
hazardous fluids from leaking to the surrounding area, desirable for both
environmental protection and the safety of nearby personnel. Dual seals also
capture and control any leakage of pump age across the primary seal. The
backup seal is kept lubricated by introducing a buffer/barrier fluid (often a
mineral or synthetic oil, a water/glycol mix, or diesel) into the space between
the primary (inboard) and secondary (outboard or backup) seals. The
buffer/barrier fluid is contained in a tank (5 gallons i s most common) adjacent
to the pump. Instrumentation on the tank indicates what is happening with the
seals.
Remember that a lubricating fluid film will flow from high pressure to low pressure. If
the pump seal chamber pressure is higher than the press ure on the other side of the
seal, the pumpage will be the lubricating film. If the pump’s seal chamber pressure is
lower than the external pressure, the external atmosphere will migrate into the
pump. Pumps under vacuum cannot use an ordinary single sea l, since air from the
atmosphere would be drawn between the faces, causing them to run dry and fail. Using
a dual seal allows a fluid to be present at the outside of the seal. In a pump under
vacuum, the buffer fluid would be pulled into the pump between the seal faces, keeping
the inboard seal well lubricated.
The basic differentiation between dual seals is which way the fluid is flowing across the
inboard faces.
1. If the pump seal chamber pressure is higher than the BUFFER fluid
between the primary and backup seal faces, then the pumped fluid will
flow from the high seal chamber pressure into the low pressure buffer
fluid. This is called a DUAL UNPRESSURIZED seal (formerly called a
tandem seal), and the fluid is called a BUFFER fluid.
2. If the pump seal chamber pressure is lower than the BARRIER fluid
between the primary and backup seal faces, then the barrier fluid will
flow across the primary seal from the space bet ween the primary and
backup seals into the pump. This is called a DUAL PRESSURIZED seal
(formerly called a double seal), and the fluid is called a BARRIER fluid.
Plan 52 –
Buffer fluid circulates from the buffer fluid reservoir, through the space
between the primary and backup seal, and back to the reservoir. Fluid is
circulated by a weak pumping action built into the seal.
Any pumped fluid is captured in the buffer fluid and carried to the
reservoir.
It the fluid flashes to vapor at low pressure, the vapor is piped to a flare
or vapor recovery system, through an orifice at the top of the tank. If the
primary seal is allowing too much leakage, the vapor will build pressure
in the reservoir against the orifice and a pressure instr ument can alert
the operator.
If the fluid remains as a liquid under low pressure, any leakage will cause
the fluid level in the buffer tank to rise, where a high level alarm can be
tripped. Just because the high level alarm is tripped does not mean that
the primary seal is failing; it is the rate of leakage filling the tank which
matters. The high level may have been reached after collecting years of
nuisance leakage. Often, an oil change to the original level is all that is
required. Be sure the fluid is disposed of properly.
Seal face friction or hot pumpage can add heat to the buffer fluid. A
cooling water coil is often installed in the reservoir to cool the buffer fluid.
A low level switch on the seal reservoir can indicate that the backup seal
is failing, allowing the buffer fluid to leak out.
Plan 53 –
Dual pressurized system (seal barrier fluid is at a higher pressure than the
pump seal chamber). Pressurized systems are used to ensure that very
dangerous fluids remain in the pump. The difference between 53A, 53B, and
53C is the method of pressurizing the barrier fluid. Pressure in the barrier fluid
should be at least 10 psi over the pressure in the pump seal chamber.
Barrier fluid circulates from the barrier fluid reservoir, through the space
between the primary and backup seal, and back to the reservoir. Fluid is
circulated by a weak pumping action built into the seal.
Barrier fluid crosses the primary seal faces into the pump age and must
be compatible with the pumped fluid.
A low level alarm in the reservoir alerts the operator that a seal may be
failing, allowing the barrier fluid to enter the pump through the primary
seal or the atmosphere through the backup seal.
Plan 53A –
Plan 54 –
Plan 72 –
Both primary and backup seal are dry running gas seal designs.
Inert flush gas will pass through primary seal into pumped fluid. Must be
compatible.
No Plan 75 or 76 required to carry gas away.
Plan 75 –
Plan 76 –
Like Plan 75, but without fluids collection tank. For use where fluids flash
completely.