Problems With The Pump? How to Reduce Pump Failures

Related Vendors

DÜPERTHAL Sicherheitstechnik GmbH & Co. KG

EagleBurgmann Germany GmbH & Co. KG

Maag Pump Systems AG

Hildegard Hennecke Pumpenberatung

Assembly and Commissioning

The assembly phase is when the first mistakes that lead to failure on commissioning can be made.

Pipes are deformed by incorrect connection to the pump, so that the housing becomes warped and bearing clearances are no longer appropriate

• The pump and motor are aligned poorly

• Welding beads, sand and cleaning cloths were not removed from the pipes and starting sieves are missing, or starting sieves are present but are not cleaned (cavitation, running dry)

• The direction of rotation of a dry pump is not checked

• The oil fill was forgotten

It is very important to fill the pump with fluid and to vent it properly before starting it up – and this is not always easy. Even the majority of self-priming pumps must be filled with fluid or at least wetted.

A pump is in a critical condition every time it is started up, not just after commissioning but also after every repair. Radial centrifugal pumps must be started up with a throttled pressure valve, but positive-displacement and regenerative pumps with an open pressure valve. Under no circumstances should centrifugal pumps be regulated with the suction valve.

Every pump has a permitted minimum and maximum discharge rate. It must be ensured that the pump is operated within these limits. That means flow rate and pressure measuring instruments must be heeded and monitoring devices must not be bypassed.

The majority of failures during operation are caused by changes in the pumping medium. Some media are known to leave deposits behind and to cause clogging, and precautions can be taken against this. In process engineering plants, however, there are constant minor changes in the composition of the medium, solids may precipitate from normally pure liquids or increased corrosion occurs.

Even if everything is done correctly, every pump will eventually fail due to natural wear and tear. This primarily affects floating ring seals, plain bearings and roller bearings. No pump is absolutely resistant to corrosion, abrasion and erosion. This particularly affects the column, which leads to a gradual reduction in efficiency. The service life of these pumps depends heavily on the operating conditions, but there are pumps that run trouble-free for ten years and more.

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