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SECTION PAGE #
1. Introduction 1
2. Basic Design 2
3. Malfunction Behavior 4
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Boiler Feed Pumps Page 1
In this section we will cover Boiler Feed Pumps together with their
drivers. We do this because Boiler Feed Pumps can be driven by different
types of drivers, each type of drive can have a different effect on the pump.
Boiler Feed Pumps are critical pieces of equipment that are typically spared
(an extra feed pump is available if needed). The pump internals themselves
are not typically repaired on site because of the close internal clearances and
special equipment required. Boiler Feed Pumps are usually a custom made
pump and as such there are often only a few pumps of that specific design
ever produced.
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Page 2 Applied Diagnostics
Suction
Discharge
Vib. Probe
Figure 2 Close Up Of
Bearing Boiler Feed Pump
Internals
Impeller
Labyrinth Seal
Oil Seals
In spite of all the special considerations for the size and service boiler feed pumps are still
nothing more than a shaft with a uniformly distributed mass, long seals and a bearing
(sometimes tilting pad) at each end. This may sound like an over-simplification but
looking from the standpoint of "What can this machine do?" it is accurate. This viewpoint
is also useful for "de-mystifying" the boiler feed pump, it's a big, expensive, high
pressure centrifugal pump. It acts like a centrifugal pump, and demonstrates all the same
characteristics of a centrifugal pump. A typical boiler feed pump is very reliable, it's the
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Boiler Feed Pumps Page 3
foundations, bed plates, piping hangers and snubbers that are behind many of the
problems usually attributed to them. Boiler feed pumps, as installed, are usually on a
common bed plate with the driver. This is the most desirable situation because it
alleviates the alignment problems associated with different bed plates. Installing a boiler
feed pump on a separate bed plate from its driver can significantly affect boiler feed
pump alignment, particularly when piping strains are present. The piping connected to a
boiler feed pump can usually be characterized by long suction pipes coming from a
deaerator storage tank that is much higher than the pump suction inlet to guarantee ample
NPSH (Net Positive Suction Head). The discharge piping will be heavy and stiff because
of the temperature and pressure of the pump discharge. The support and movements of
this piping can affect the pump alignment a great deal, especially when the pump and
driver are not on a common bed plate.
Most boiler feed pumps will have seal water supplied from an outside source, and
seal water flow, pressure and temperature can play a part in vibration problems with the
pump.
Typically, boiler feed pumps will have a balance drum on the discharge end of the
pump to help counter the thrust force generated by the differential pressure from suction
to discharge. It is always important that the leakoff flow from the balance drum not be
shut off while the pump is operating, otherwise the unbalanced thrust could severely
damage the pump. The balance drum leakoff is typically piped to the deaerator or back to
the pump suction. Generally, leakoff flow corresponds to the thrust position of the pump
as well as the condition of the balance drum. The leakoff flow will not usually change
rapidly or greatly over time so it is wise to record the normal range of leakoff flow. A
drastic change in leakoff flow can be a signal of internal problems with the pump.
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A. Fluid-Induced Instabilities
B. Misalignment
C. Recirculation
D. Vane Passing Frequency Vibrations
E. Shaft Cracks
F. Unbalance
G. Excessive Runout Due To Shaft Plating
A. Fluid-Induced Instabilities
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Boiler Feed Pumps Page 5
13.97 cm (5.50
35.56 cm (14.00 inches)
l
Figure 3 Typical Labyrinth Seal
Further, temperature changes may also affect the clearances between rotor
and stator, and the steady state load forces that affect rotor eccentricity (especially
when one bearing is a subject to temperature variation). Increasing eccentricity
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Particularly common to boiler feed pumps, and any other pump with
large diameter long labyrinth seals, are fluid-induced instabilities in the
seals. These seals are so large that if the seal water pressure is too high or
the seals get flooded they can start to act like a bearing. In no case can seals
replace a bearing, but they can take enough load off a bearing by moving the
shaft position to cause the system to go unstable.
B. Misalignment
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ambient temperature changes this will change the heat transfer through the pump
and the turbine an change their position. When the ambient temperature changes
over a long period of time the pedestals will expand or contract and this too can
change the alignment.
C. Recirculation.
A boiler feed pump is typically a custom designed pump. This means that
the manufacturer knew under what conditions of pressure and flow the pump was
going to run at and designed and built the pump to operate at peak efficiency at
those stated conditions. The manufacturer must do this because they are in a
bidding war with other manufacturers for the contract to supply this pump and
efficiency and required horsepower are two important factors evaluated when
deciding which pump to buy. When the pump is operated within the design
conditions it will usually operate properly. However; if the generating unit was
designed for base load operation and is now operating at reduced loads, the flow
and pressure that the pump is producing may be far enough off of its design curve
that internal recirculation may take place within the pump. Recirculation is the
reversal of flow at the impeller tip. This is typically turbulent in nature and can
cause cavitation like damage to the pump. When the impeller flow is disturbed in
this manner it is possible that the flow balance through the impeller is disturbed
and consequently high radial and axial forces can be generated. This flow reversal
and subsequent turbulent flow will cause increased vibration of both the shaft and
the pump case. Vane passing frequency vibrations are usually seen when a pump
is recirculating.
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E. Shaft Cracks
Shaft cracks are typically caused by reversing cyclic stresses being imparted
to the shaft. Misalignment is probably the most common cause of reversed cyclic
stresses. When the shaft is misaligned that means that the shaft has to bend such
that the shaft centers are coincident. Every time the shaft rotates one turn the shaft
has to bend back and forth in order to keep the shaft centers lined up. When the
shaft rotates 180° the shaft has to bend in one direction in order to line up the shaft
centers, when the shaft rotates another 180° the shaft has to bend back the other
direction, completing one cycle of stress. Unbalanced hydraulic forces caused by
recirculation and cavitation also cause the shaft to bend back and forth and cause
one cycle of stress each time the shaft bends back and forth once. This bending
fatigues the shaft and can lead to shaft failure. Areas of stress concentrations such
as keyways, shrink fits, threads, and pin holes are the typical locations for cracks to
start. Such stress concentrations should always be avoided.
Shaft cracks are manifested with changing 1X and sometimes 2X amplitude
and phase angles, erratic responses to balancing and decreased resonance speed. In
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no recorded cases has a shaft crack caused an increase in resonance speed. Further,
modern monitoring systems cannot detect a crack in a running shaft until the crack
is in the order of 20% to 25% of shaft diameter. In this case the decrease in
stiffness will be great enough to change the shaft natural resonance frequency
measurably. At the present state of monitoring the only way to detect a shaft crack
that is less that 20% to 25% through the shaft is to remove the shaft and perform
visual or ultrasonic examinations or to support the rotor from slings and determine
the natural resonance frequency in two orthogonal directions through an impact
test. Monitoring resonance speed is probably the poorest way to detect a shaft
crack because the shaft must be cracked enough to cause a great decrease in
stiffness before the resonance speed will decrease.
F. Unbalance
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material they are reading so long as it is the material that it is calibrated to read.
There have even been cases where plating was applied to correct electrical runout
problems with 17-4PH stainless steel. The important factor in these cases were
that the plating was applied properly and the transducer system was calibrated for
the applied metal.
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A. Unit load
B. Pump suction pressure / temperature.
C. Boiler pressure.
D. Attemperation flow.
E. Sootblowing flow.
F. Blowdown flow.
G. Seal water pressure.
H. Thermally induced misalignments.
There are certainly more process parameters to look at than what is
listed above, however, these are some of the most useful and these can lead
us to other areas to consider.
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A. Unit Load
It's easy to see that any time the power output of the generator changes the
demand on the feed pump will change accordingly. The rate of change of the unit
load can make a more dramatic effect if the control system has to play catch-up and
therefore demands a very fast ramp rate from the pump. Feed pump controls don't
often have ramp rate limits built in, so the pump will have to respond to whatever
control input the change in unit load has caused. Typically, a rapid unit load
change will not greatly effect the pump suction conditions. A motor driven pump
is not likely to suffer thermal effects of a rapid unit load change because any
associated change in the boiler outlet steam conditions isn't going to effect the
Boiler Feed Pump or the drive motor.
In the case of a turbine driven pump a rapid unit load change is likely
to change the boiler outlet steam temperature and therefore the drive turbine
rotor axial position and the alignment of the pump and turbine. In rapid load
changes drum pressure is likely to change and therefore the pump discharge
pressure will change accordingly.
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The load changes mentioned above may cause the pump speed, output flow,
discharge pressure and pump to driver alignment to change. The position of the
suction and discharge piping can also be effected by these process changes.
B. Pump Suction
Most boiler feed pumps take suction from the deaerator storage tank.
Most deaerator storage tanks are at least 100 feet above the pump suction
centerline so NPSH is not usually a problem. This is the case in most power
plants because somewhere in the feedwater heater train there needs to be an
open type heater to help vent non-condensable gasses. The non-condensable
gasses found in feedwater are best vented at lower pressures so the range
typical of feed pump suction pressures is fairly small, and therefore fairly
predictable. Generally, this arrangement means that cavitation due to
inadequate NPSH will not be a problem. A possible exception to this is
where a unit upset or trip causes the water in the deaerator storage tank or in
the pump suction line to reach saturation conditions. At this point the water
can start flashing to steam. When this happens the suction pressure can vary
wildly and the resulting axial load changes can severely damage the pump.
This can also cause the pump to run dry. A hot boiler feed pump will be
severely damaged if run dry very long. Any of the drastic axial position
changes can cause impeller to diffuser rubs. If the pump is damaged by any
of these events there will likely be high vibration occurring during the event
and a change in the vibration response after the event. This is where some of
the control room strip chart recorders can prove useful because the pressure
excursions and water temperature changes can give you an idea of what
happened.
C. Boiler Pressure
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rate for the particular circumstance changes then you should be concerned.
The same is true for radial position changes or the amount power used for a
given output. The important point here is that there are interrelations that
extend a long way from the pump. These interrelations must be considered
when trying to figure out if the pump (or any piece of equipment) is
behaving properly. Properly used the effects of these interrelations are tools
that can tell you what you need to know about the pump.
D. Attemperation
E. Sootblowing
F. Blowdown
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G. Seal Water
Seal water pressure and flow comes into play when seal water causes
a change in shaft radial position and causes fluid-induced instabilities to
occur in a pump. Remember that the typical feed pump has long large
labyrinth seals. If those seal areas get pressurized or flooded they can start
to act like a bearing, albeit a poor bearing, but they can carry enough load to
move the shaft to an unstable position. When this happens (usually) the
pump is pumping at high discharge pressure and the shaft seals start to leak.
Then an operator increases the seal water pressure to try to stop the leak and
then the vibration goes up. If you get a work order on the high vibration it
will probably not mention the seal water pressure, the shaft seal leaks or the
pump discharge pressure. This is why you need to ask questions and look at
all the available data.
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temperature. This means that any time any of the components are not at the
anticipated operating temperature the alignment will not be correct. This
also means that during the normal course of operational temperature changes
the pump unit is constantly moving and that this is normal. The problems
start when there gets to be too much movement, or the bearings get worn, or
the seal water pressure is too high, or the pump moves and does not come
back to where it should be. Any of these occurrences can cause the pumps
vibration response to change.
On units with an electric motor driver these thermal movements don't cause
as much trouble because neither the pump or the motor gets hot enough to expand
very much. On turbine driven units, where the steam temperature can get to
1000°F and the difference between the main steam supply temperature and the
auxiliary steam supply temperature can be over 500°F, just changing steam
supplies can cause a significant alignment shift. Any process that can significantly
change steam supply or suction temperature can change the unit alignment.
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A. Misalignment
The type of coupling used can also make a big difference on how the machines
vibration response changes with changes in alignment. The best on line indicators of
misalignment are the shaft centerline plot and the orbit plot. A shaft centerline plot will
allow you to see how and where the shaft is going in the bearing. If the shaft is
misaligned, it's movements will be constrained and this will be identified in the shaft
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centerline and the orbit plot. It is useful to know where the shaft goes to on a normal
basis so any deviation will be recognized. Orbit plots present a real time look at the shaft
motion within the bearing. A "good" orbit is typically slightly elliptical.
Figure 9 Orbit Showing Heavy Preload Figure 10 Shaft Centerline Plot Moving In
The Wrong Direction
When a shaft is misaligned, the orbit will become more elliptical or flattened in
shape. When enough misalignment force is applied, 2X vibration may be seen and the
orbit may take on a figure eight shape and the shaft centerline plot may indicate motion in
the wrong direction. At this point, the misalignment is very serious and damage to the
pump is likely if the pump is operated.
The causes of misalignment can be broken into three basic groups. The first are
misalignments caused by support movement, the second are misalignments caused by
piping strains and the third are misalignments that arise as a result of poor alignment or
poor alignment practices.
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1. Support Movements
The first (common) method is to mount the pump and it's driver on a
common bed plate located on the basement floor slab. This method is typical for
motor driven pumps and is the most trouble free because the
pump and driver are on a common bed plate which is bolted to something solid that
does not move.
The second method of installation has the pump and driver on pedestals such
that the pump is located on the turbine level. This method is common to turbine
driven pumps because the turbine exhaust is routed to a condenser and therefore
the drive turbine needs to be mounted above the basement floor level. In the
previous situation there was not much under the pump to move and cause it's
alignment to change. In this situation any pedestal movement will cause the
alignment to change. Pedestals move for a number of reasons such as thermal
growth and settling. When feed pumps are installed in this way they will not
always be mounted on a common bed plate which makes the situation worse
because the alignment is totally dependant upon the two individual pedestals not
moving. If one pedestal is warmed faster than the other it will expand (grow)
faster and change the alignment. It is easy to imagine that the pedestal supporting
the hot turbine will warm faster than the pump pedestal when the ambient
temperature changes. It's also easy to see that an installation with two individual
pedestals is not as inherently rigid as the installation on the floor slab and will be
more influenced by piping strains.
2. Piping Strains
In the electric driven pump situation the only piping that is likely to
cause problems is the feed pump suction and discharge piping. While the
suction piping is typically not heavy walled, it will typically be long. The
discharge piping will almost certainly be very heavy walled because of the
temperature and pressure that it must withstand. This means that if this pipe
moves it's movement will be transferred to the pump.
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In both the suction and discharge piping the pipe supports are critical to
proper alignment, unfortunately, these are often neglected. Also neglected will be
the steam inlet piping for the drive turbine on a turbine driven unit. The steam
supply piping will be very stiff and it's movements can effect the turbine to pump
alignment. In the extreme case where either the suction or discharge piping is not
supported properly, either through neglect or poor design, the strain can cause the
case of the turbine or pump to warp. If the warp is slight enough the pump may
still run with no adverse effects but the alignment will be off. Properly supported
piping will allow for expansion and will absorb movements due to water
hammering or even earthquakes. Normally, the piping does move and does not
effect alignment. When the support system fails the normal movements can be
transferred to the pump assembly and effect it's alignment. It cannot be stressed
enough that a properly supported pump should not require realignment very often,
if a pump assembly needs constant realignment something is seriously wrong.
Another place where alignment is effected on the turbine driven pump is in the
turbine exhaust ducting. This ducting is usually connected with expansion joints
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Boiler Feed Pumps Page 21
so it will not be able to pull on the turbine and move it. However, there have been
cases where the outlet ducting was causing misalignment because it moved or was
not properly installed.
3. Poor Alignment
The next group of misalignment causes are those caused by poor initial
alignment or poor alignment practices. Poor initial alignment can be caused by
erroneous readings/calculations or improper placement of the machine after the
readings are taken. Alignment is not a black art, it is a science that has rules that
must be adhered to in order to obtain a good result. Poor alignment practice will
result in poor machine alignment. Machine alignment can even be effected by
sunlight, so the alignment person needs to be aware of other variables that may
have an effect on the machine. The alignment person has to be very careful so the
readings he is taking can used to determine the machines actual alignment
condition. The alignment person has to be able to evaluate the machine support at
least on a rudimentary level to insure that the machine can be effectively aligned.
A new machine should be aligned per manufacturers specifications initially then
checked after being put into service to verify that the machine actually moved to
where it was predicted to go. The alignment person has to be sure that any
shimming is done properly and that the machine is properly anchored so it will stay
aligned. Alignment people also need to evaluate the piping for possible strains that
are causing alignment shifts. Alignment is very important to a machines operation,
and misalignment plays a part in the majority of machine vibration problems.
Having the tools to align a machine is not enough, it also takes training and
experience.
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A. Machine Information
This is information about the machine or information that comes directly from the
machine. This includes all and any of the information that comes from any of the
transducers connected to the machine. The machine information that is typically
available will be design operating conditions, nameplate data, performance test data,
leakoff flow, coupling type, bearing type, oil temperature, shaft vibration (overall
amplitude, filtered amplitude and phase, frequency, vibration form and position).
Information on the power supply to the driver (e.g. steam source or voltage / current for
each phase). Machine speed and the operational history for the period during which the
malfunction (if any) was noted.
B. Process Information
This information comes directly from the process that the pump or driver is being
supplied by or is supplying. Process information should always include suction and
discharge conditions. The historical chemistry conditions for the pump and driver can be
useful. Condenser vacuum in the case of a turbine driven unit can affect the shaft
position. Exhaust hood temperature should also be included when working on a turbine
driven feed pump.
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This is information about the pump's surroundings that have an impact on the
pump's behavior. Information such as the condition of the support pedestal or pipe
hangers is included here. Changes in the structural support that can change the machine's
behavior. Also, things like removable roof sections being removed/reinstalled can alter
the machines behavior if the ambient temperature in the area around the Boiler Feed
Pump is affected by this action. Information such as; is the pump being rained on, or is it
covered with snow? Is one side of the pump in full sunshine, is it always running in these
conditions? What do the pipe hangers look like, are they working or have they fallen off?
Is the support pedestal cracked or crumbling?
A work order (written or not) will contain some information about the machine's
behavior and what specifically about the Boiler Feed Pump's behavior seems wrong.
Work order information is just what is says. Someone has seen/ noticed something that
they thought significant enough to write a work order on. A work order will often be the
starting place for your investigation. Why do they think there is a problem? When did
they first notice this condition? Does this happen all the time, under what circumstances?
These are questions that need to be answered. Remember, the operator or mechanic that
wrote the work order probably has a lot of experience with this machine, so there is
probably lots of good information available from them.
E. Maintenance information
Maintenance reports, inspection reports and completed work orders can all tell you
about the condition of the machine. Past problems and can warn of impending problems.
If you think that there is too much shaft centerline movement, compare it against the
bearing clearances from the last time they were recorded. How was the machine aligned?
Were there any worn parts put back in that may have gone bad? Did someone make a
note that these new seals seemed too tight and will need to be watched? These kinds of
questions can be answered by looking at the maintenance information.
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