preventative maintenance for mud pump free sample

Everyone agrees that reactive maintenance is probably the worst pump reliability strategy. Maintaining equipment only after it breaks can mean unexpected downtime, emergencies, rush charges, overtime, and replacement of expensive parts.

The best pump reliability strategy is not either preventive or predictive maintenance, it’s a combination of the two, strategically applied. In this post, we’ll discuss the differences between predictive and preventive maintenance and when it’s best to use them.

Many operators rely heavily on “reactive” maintenance rather than preventing and planning for future repairs. As discussed in our eBook, 36 Ways to Kill Your Pump, “reactive” maintenance accounts for unplanned equipment downtime and increased costs.

Preventive and predictive maintenance programs extend the overall life of the equipment and result in fewer unplanned breakdowns. The choice is not one or the other, it’s a combination of the two.

Preventative maintenance is any variety of scheduled maintenance to a pump or other piece of equipment. Generally, it includes scheduled routine maintenance, such as equipment calibration, greasing, oil change, and analysis.

One of the biggest ways to prevent failures is to make sure your equipment is properly aligned and balanced. Misalignment and pump unbalance are the two most common reliability problems for rotating equipment. Laser alignment also fits within this category since its a service completed upon installation, setting the pump up for success.

These programs are designed to keep your maintenance costs low by preventing costly failures before they happen. If you need a preventative maintenance checklist, you can download one here.

Up to 50% of damage to rotating machinery is directly related to misalignment. Misalignment can cause increased vibration, premature seal and bearing failure, and increased power consumption. An unbalanced pump causes similar issues, such as vibration, which can be easily avoided with the right preventative maintenance measures.

Predictive maintenance services are used to monitor the condition of equipment over time. Vibration analysis, for example, measures the vibration of the equipment while it is still in service. This allows the technician to see the change in vibrations over time to predict when a problem may occur, and why.

Predictive maintenance should be part of routine maintenance for pumps and rotating equipment that absolutely can NOT go down. Operators and maintenance managers get a glimpse into the future life of the pump as it"s running today. This allows them to plan for repairs and avoid unexpected downtime.

Not all pumps are equally important in a manufacturing process, so not all pumps should receive the same maintenance plan. It wouldn’t make sense to spend time and money on vibration analysis for a pump in a non-essential application.

Before creating a maintenance plan, place the pumps into categories. This will help determine how much time and money to invest in each one. Use these categories to get started:

Regularly maintaining pumps will extend the life of your pump. When a pump is properly maintained, the parts that need replacing are usually the less expensive wear parts.

Check shaft alignment – believe it or not, shaft alignment can change! Thermal growth and machine movement due to load shifts can cause pumps to move out of alignment.

Up to 50% of damage to rotating machinery is directly related to misalignment. That’s huge. Machine vibration, bearing damage, premature seal wear, and coupling damage are all examples of issues pumps experience when misaligned.

For the most accurate alignment, we always recommend laser alignment. It’s the most accurate method available (to .0001), and once familiar, an operator can align a pump/motor very quickly. It is the most expensive method to get into if doing alignments in-house and can be difficult to learn at first. But when looking for long-term results, the laser align method is the better choice.

Precision rebuild or precision maintenance is the practice of rebuilding a pump as close to OEM specifications as possible. Attention to detail is required for precision rebuilds.

Precision rebuilds are proven to reduce failures and should be a central piece of a pump reliability strategy. If the team lacks capacity, tools, or expertise to rebuild pumps to OEM standards, look for a capable local shop.

Add taps with isolating ball valves into piping on the suction and discharge sides of the pump. Use these to mount pressure indicators to ensure the pump is performing properly.

Read the pump manual and follow each step in the procedure. The procedures therein give the best possible instruction for long and trouble-free life for the pump.

Upon start-up, record the pump performance baseline data – amps, suction pressure, discharge pressure. This is handy when troubleshooting issues, should they arise.

Vibration monitoring is a very helpful tool for predicting pump failures. Some manufacturing facilities have a vibration technician on staff to take readings on critical pumps. These technicians may read the results themselves or send them to a firm that can interpret the readings and provide a report.

Unfortunately, this is not a skill easily attained by a maintenance team. It requires expensive equipment and a great deal of training to be an effective vibration technician. Unless the facility has a large population of critical equipment, this is a service best hired out.

Arguably the most important piece of a preventative/predictive maintenance plan... The TRAINING! Training isn’t just for the maintenance team, it’s for everyone in contact with pumps, operators especially! Failure prevention is everyone’s responsibility.

The maintenance team is the keeper and protector of equipment in the facility. Train operators on the signs of failure so they can report it quickly. Show them how to properly start-up or shut down a pump and how their actions will affect other parts of the system.

If all these steps were do-able by a maintenance team alone, everyone’s reliability goals would be already met. Some of the steps we’ve laid out require specialized training, tools, or specialized training on tools to make them effective. It’s likely the team doesn’t possess all these as they’re expected to know how to fix every machine in the plant. Hire outside help where it makes sense.

Look to a preventative maintenance program and predictive maintenance measures to save on annual maintenance costs and unscheduled downtime. We recommend working with your local equipment supplier to schedule a preventative or predictive maintenance program for your pumps.

Need more information about our preventative and predictive maintenance services? We are happy to help businesses in Wisconsin and upper Michigan. Got a noisy, underperforming pump? Consider our FREE Bad Actor Pump Assessment!

As it is the case with most equipment, pumps require regular maintenance to keep within peak performance benchmarks. The benefits of preventive maintenance in the HVAC industry have proven to improve asset life cycle, boost CRM, cut excessive repair costs and reduce unplanned equipment downtime.

When talking about pump failure the best remedy is having a great schedule and maintenance checklist in place. In a pump’s life cycle, environmental conditions can often be a major factor in its performance. Some other important maintenance tasks and factors to consider include:

All of these issues can be detrimental to a pump’s performance and cause defects if not resolved with regular maintenance. When considering what to include in your regular maintenance checklist a great place to start is the warranty and manufacturer standards as per pump type. Pump manufacturers often set requirements to follow to ensure the best life cycle for your equipment.

Pump efficiency point is the result of hydraulic, mechanical and volumetric parts to ensure performance is within a desired level. The level of efficiency in a pump is drawn from the units of energy that is required for performance.

However in centrifugal pumps, the inner workings of the pump will drive the motor. Essentially this means the mechanical energy is transformed to hydraulic energy and electrical energy is transformed to mechanical energy. This means that for a centrifugal pump you will find your level of efficiency sits at either 75% or higher in larger pumps and around 60% in smaller pumps.

As a part of your work order management for your pump maintenance schedule, you need to do some research behind what factors you need to consider that will be most detrimental to your pump’s health. When you create your ultimate guide to maintenance, your aim is to reduce your unplanned downtime and improve your standard of service by keeping a regular schedule.

When trying to determine the frequency of your maintenance checklist, you need to consider the factors that will impact your pump listed in the beginning of this article. If you have a higher quality pump that is used every day and is largely impacted by elemental factors, you will need to have more regular services in place. The warranty and safety standards will also have an impact here, depending on your pump type and according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

The more thorough your maintenance is, the better service you can provide. While a large maintenance schedule can seem daunting to your maintenance team, the assistance of checklists can ensure no step is missed no matter how big or small. Having a checklist in place will also provide consistency across your team and ensure each pump may receive the correct care it needs.

The main area for concern in centrifugal pumps is the lubrication. As centrifugal pumps rely heavily on correct lubrication to work, maintenance is important to ensure pumps aren’t under or over lubricated, which can cause damage. When you have over lubrication your pump will create too much heat and can result in frothing the oil.

When considering your lubricant level and bearings you also need to consider what oils to use. Try to use non-detergent and non-foaming oilsfor the best performance. In your bearings you want to avoid using different variations and types of oils that can be varying in consistency and can affect performance.

Getting your maintenance plan right means you consider all these above factors and are able to incorporate them into your pump checklist and schedule.

For this checklist, you want to schedule a quick inspection of your pumps to avoid damage and wear. The main reason for having a daily checklist in your schedule is to catch those pesky issues that can turn into defects and pricey repairs if not caught early on.

Generally your quarterly maintenance will be done with the change of the season and can include varying tasks due to elemental factors. The severity of your pump environment will also affect the consistency and schedule of your pump maintenance program. Will your pump be exposed to extreme heat or extreme cold temperatures?

In your annual preventive plan, you will generally go into more detail and evaluate pump performance. Each year you should take a record of your annual operations and benchmarking data that might include:

For your routine maintenance schedule for your centrifugal pumps you need to make sure you have a solid system in place where you can reliably plan and train your team. Having a great software in place will also give you the ability to structure your maintenance program according to the manufacturer’s instructions and adhere to your customer contracts.

Job management software like FieldInsight gives you the ability to keep your centrifugal pump maintenance in perfect balance. With FieldInsight, you also gain access to the five primary automations in your business:

To reduce the stress in your scheduling system and improve your maintenance program, book a free demo today and find out what FieldInsight can do for your business.

Book a Demo. You’ll be in touch with an automation expert who has worked in this space for over 5 years, and knows the optimal workflow to address your needs.

We kicked off a two-part series on a water well and pump maintenance program and how to set one up in July’s Water Well Journal. This month, we will conclude this series with how to prepare and use the forms.

To fully evaluate the feasibility and cost of a preventive maintenance program, it is important to first establish the program’s parameters and limits. This means you first need to decide how much advance system information you should provide to the technician.

I found the technician should be given the information needed to perform the required maintenance and to determine if the system was running just right or too far outside the design boundaries. At the same time, I also believed too much or too little information could be just as harmful—leading to unnecessary, unproductive, and unbillable time spent developing and expressing to the client theories not plausible or not in the technician’s job description.

As shown in July’s WWJcolumn, we finally settled on the use of Master Form 1 (republished again as Figure 1) for wells and well pumps; Master Form 2 (Figure 2) for booster pump stations with one up to four units; and Master Form 3 (Figure 3) to describe the various drivers used for the units outlined in Forms 1 or 2. Master Form 3 was specifically developed to match the well or booster pump data on Forms 1 or 2 for a single well and pump up to four booster units at a single site.

Deciding what to include or exclude on the master forms is largely a matter of personal preference. Although I would suggest even though you may wish to include the design COS (Conditions of Service) for each pump, other specific design criteria—such as capacity and head calculations—should not be included on the master forms. This not only takes up space on the forms better used for data, but also creates the real possibility of field personnel making ill-informed opinions to the client that you may have to retract later.

Generally, the information contained on the master forms remained and were updated in the office after each inspection from data filled in on the Field Data Form (Figure 4) but were often distributed to field personnel as background information on an as-needed basis. Each of these four forms can be developed and include the information required by your individual firm and region.

Developing the Field Data Form, however, requires you to decide how much onsite field work should be performed each visit, determine the average amount of time required for each task, and then add a factor for data collection, documentation, and travel (usually invoiced for a two-way trip).

Other tasks—especially those requiring substantial time to generate and reach stabilized operating parameters, as with pumping water levels, or sufficient time to generate maximum operational (running) temperatures, particularly a motor, motor starter, load terminals, or circuit breaker/fuses—may require a much longer and non-uniform period to reach individual operating temperatures.

The key is to first identify those specific parameters you feel should be examined during each or every other inspection and those not as important. Although the information shown in Figure 4 can provide a basic guide, it is also just one person’s idea as to what is important.

Since I would never presume to tell another water system firm what to include or exclude in their market area, I will also not make any specific recommendations as to what to examine in your preventive maintenance (PM) program. However, whatever you select, I recommend you invest the first month or two in a trial program to verify the scope and validity of the selected parameters and to determine the total billable time required for the typical unit.

To determine the total cost for each PM visit, you should include or consider separate time or cost elements for a proportional cost factor for equipment rental, use, depreciation, retrieval, and setup.

depreciation) and fuel; hand tools; water level measuring device (probe, air compressor for airline, transmitter, etc.); calibrated pressure gauges; flow measuring device (if not already present); and electrical test meters.

Labor and incidental costs can include lockout/tagout procedures and system shutdown (if already running); initial or static inspection along with the static maintenance procedures; consumables (packing, oil and/or grease for bearings); operating inspection (including adding time for operating temperatures to rise and pumping levels to stabilize); conduct readings and record data; system restoration and reactivation; retrieve and collect equipment and tools and return to service vehicle; cleanup, travel, and the always dreaded paperwork. Not every PM visit will require invoicing for every separate time or cost factor listed above.

Another simple way to ensure covering the technician’s time, plus an adequate return on investment without overcharging a client, is to develop a cost rate for the “Base Inspection,” along with billing extra per-hour rates that include individual charges for tasks or items not required for each inspection, such as flow or water level measurements or use and setup of other devices (where none are present), calibrated gauges, or consumables such as packing, oil, or grease.

For what it’s worth, after a three-month initial trial period we eventually arrived at a typical average total time for our PM program around 1.88 hours for a single well or pump installation to an average of 1.66 hours per unit for multiple pumps at one site. This generally resulted in a billing time averaging about 2 to 3 hours for a single

An effective PM program is built on developing a database of past performance and operating conditions along with a trigger to identify any errant operational conditions to provide advance notice to the client of impending failure or those issues requiring immediate attention.

Our program was established and functioned with these goals in mind as the primary objective, along with a specific set of criteria to provide a reasonable uniformity of cost expectations to clients. For those who wish to receive some general guidelines as to what parameters to look for when establishing a PM program, I offer the following.

Introduction and Header: The header includes the typical information you would expect on a form of this type such as client name, facility location and address, technician’s name, date along with time work started and stopped, and other information specific to the tasks.

a—Initial Pre-Inspection: The area for the pre-inspection includes the work normally conducted while the unit is disabled. This is more important than may be apparent since performing the pre-inspection and system examination is generally conducted immediately upon arrival and up to one to two days following advance notification to the client of an impending visit.

This usually provides enough notice to permit operational transfer to other facilities, followed by an orderly shutdown of the well/pump station and recovery of a well to static conditions and cooling of motors and other electrical equipment.

b—Locked Out/Tagged Out:As far as safety is concerned, this step may be the most important. By listing this step as an individual procedure, the technician is expected not only to verify the unit is off, but implement the appropriate “lockout/tagout” procedures before beginning any work potentially harmful to the technician.

c—Operational Inspection: After all elements of the pre-inspection have been completed, the operational inspection is conducted. Once again, this not only permits a progressive and orderly examination of the plant in a safe environment, but ensures the prior lockout/tagout procedures have been removed and the unit has been restored to a functional status, which tends to remove any likelihood of forgetting to reactivate the unit.

d—Operating/Pumping Data: Obtaining the data in this category is generally a matter of obtaining readings once the unit is operating and all well or pump operating conditions have stabilized. This is critical for obtaining measurements such as pumping water levels and operating temperatures of motors and related electrical components.

Typically, adding the observed pumping water level lift (in feet) with the operating head for wells or the net difference between the suction (inlet) and discharge head for booster pumps (again, in feet) provides a close approximation of the total dynamic head.

Lastly, space has been provided at the bottom of the pumping data to indicate whether a water sample has been taken or not. This is critical for a water well since the position and time pumped shown in this question is both intentional and critical for the indicated time must be adequate to provide sufficient “purging” of the well to occur or at least two full raw volume exchanges of water within the wellbore.

Generally for most wells, this required an operational period of only 5 to 15 minutes. Coincidentally, this is also the minimum amount of time needed for most electrical components to elevate to desired operating temperatures. This is believed important to ensure a water quality sample extracted from the well represents an actual sample of fresh and unadulterated water from the aquifer and is not a sample that has spent excessive residence time within the wellbore.

Due to factors surrounding possible oxygenation, sedimentation, and precipitation, the results obtained from a water sample that has been exposed to significant time and the accompanying environmental factors occurring in a typical wellbore may easily distort or negate test results. This becomes particularly important when obtaining water samples to evaluate possible causes of well issues or the optimum well rehabilitation chemicals and procedures to use for a given well and was always an established element of the protocol whenever obtaining raw water samples from pumping wells.

e—Electrical Data: The data obtained for electrical readings is a function related to the type of system and whether power readings can be obtained from onsite watthour, clamp/clip-on types of power meters, or derived from the known horsepower relationship that exists between power factor, voltage, and amperage. In either case, determining the associated water and input horsepower, and thus the plant efficiency, is simply a matter of conducting accurate observations of various operating parameters and employing a few fundamental equations.

Whether these calculations are performed in the field or later in the office, following this type of test procedure on every visit ensures a uniform set of criteria is used for each inspection. This goes a long way toward ensuring accurate and meaningful data is collected for each unit and for each site visit. This provides the ability to determine and track unit and system performance and efficiency over a long span of time.

Finally, the bottom of Master Form 1, Master Form 2, and the Field Data Form provides space for comments and red flags. Red flags are emphasized to indicate situations representing an immediate or short-term condition that may present a risk to equipment or personnel.

The intent is all red flags will be documented by the field technician and transferred and recorded to the appropriate master form for notification to the client to determine any desired further action.

A second Field Data Form (Figure 5) has been added as a guide for those also charged with routine service and maintenance of diesel or gasoline engines used as primary, backup, or emergency sources of power. Again, the information and data important to your firm can be customized on the form.

If a PM program is properly developed and conducted, with emphasis on a sufficient but not excessive interval of inspection, the capability of using a program to help gauge the need for a well or pump rehabilitation is significant.

By testing and recording various static and operational well parameters—such as static and pumping water levels and flow rates—potentially important well conditions like loss of specific capacity or yield can be determined and tracked.

This data, when tracked carefully over time and during a uniform time of year, can assist in determining critical well operational factors, including drawdown and recovery rates which may indicate a trend or potential need for an immediate or scheduled well rehabilitation or service.

If conducted properly and at appropriate intervals, performing routine preventive maintenance on a water well pumping plant can identify potential or minor well problems before they develop into a major headache.

In addition to the PM elements themselves, an effective program on a well installation will also track water quality issues and the potential for well plugging, especially for biological or mineral incrusting material. Obtaining a water sample during the test procedure and having it analyzed for the water quality parameters common to biological and mineral growth can assist in scheduling needed well maintenance as well as pump repair.

To help meet your professional needs, this column covers skills and competencies found in DACUM charts for drillers, pump installers, and geothermal contractors. PI refers to the pumps chart. The letter and number immediately following is the skill on the chart covered by the column. This column covers: PIE-18, 22: PIF-2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7: PIG-3, 8, 10 More information on DACUM and the charts are available at www.NGWA.org/Certification and click on “Exam Information.”

The use of pumping plant performance, whether in a well or booster application, can also be used for tracking loss of pump performance, increased load vs. theoretical horsepower (decreased overall efficiency), and other conditions which may lead to a catastrophic and sudden failure.

In many cases—often due to simple ignorance, personnel overload, or time constraints—operating personnel may not be familiar with or recognize the need to conduct routine maintenance on pumping equipment.

This not only creates a situation where the equipment is neglected and doesn’t receive regular or scheduled maintenance, but also a condition where an early warning or advanced indication of impending failure may be offset and prevented by a few simple repairs.

This is particularly true for hidden types of deep well pumps, such as vertical turbine or submersible pumps. These factors are in addition to the real benefits gained from implementing a PM program with the basic goal to provide an enhanced and scheduledmaintenance and check on the condition of the well, pump, or driver.

In addition to the data forms, other firms may wish to set up forms for evaluating and servicing other equipment and components used in water systems, such as control valves, filtration systems, and control systems.

This concludes the short series on establishing a preventive maintenance program. I hope you can use some of the information I have provided as a guide or outline for your own program.

SDS PMS Equipment: Mud Pump Department: Mechanical Manufacturer: Gardner Denver Frequency: Annually Model: PZ-8/9 Issued: PSS Code: GA-327-32 Completed:Item Level Inspect Description

1. [M3] [ ] Insure proper work permits are obtained before performing maintenance on this equipment. 2. [M3] [ ] Insure personnel performing this maintenance is familiar with the equipment and manufacturer"s operation and maintenance manual before beginning. 3. [M2] [ ] Make arrangements with the Rig Superintendent before performing this task and insure that it will not affect the drilling operations. 4. [E2] [ ] Isolate and tag out the electric power to the mud pump. 5. [M3] [ ] Close and tag out the pump suction and discharge valves.

Condition Evaluation Particulars Equipment Description: Manufacturer Model: Serial Number PSS Code & Tag Number: Maximum Input Power Driven By: Rig Name District Date of Condition Evaluation: Cummulative Hours on Pump: Hours/Date of Last Condition Evaluation Person in Charge of Condition Evaluation

SDS PMS Equipment: Mud Pump Department: Mechanical Manufacturer: Gardner Denver Frequency: Annually Model: PZ-8/9 Issued: PSS Code: GA-327-32 Completed:Item Level Inspect Description

1. [M3] [ ] Inspect condition of lube oil. If in good condition take a representitive sample and send for laboratory analysis.

2. [M3] [ ] If lube oil is contaminated, drain and flush the crankcase. Clean out the settling chamber in the forward part of the power end floor. Thoroughly clean the oil troughs and the compartment in top of the crosshead guide. Clean the element in the breather cap and clean the suction screen. Refill using Shell Omala 220.or equivalent oil; 130 US gallons. 3. [M3] [ ] Drain and flush clean the chain drive case. Clean the breather element. Refill using Shell Vitrea 150 or equivalent oil 4. [M3] [ ] Remove the all bearing and crankcase covers for inspection of the following components. Insure nothing drops inside. 1. Check the safety retaining wires on all bolts including the main bearing hold down bolts, eccentric bearing retainer bolts and gear retainer bolts. Replace any broken wires after re- tightening the bolts. Refer to crankshaft assembly section for torque values. 2. Visually inspect all bearings for damage or wear while rotating pump slowly. With a feeler gauge check and record all bearing diametrical clearances. Record the condition and clearances on the Checking Form below. 3. Inspect the ring wear and oil seal condition on the left and right side main bearings. 4. Inspect all main and eccentric bearings for cracked inner & outer bearing races. Inspect the bronze bearing cages for damage or cracks. 5. Make a complete visual inspection of all components checking for looseness, wear or damage. 6. Check the main and pinion gears for condition and wear. Measure and record the backlash. 7. Check each connecting rod retaining bolts for tightness and retaining wires for proper installation. 8. Run lube oil pump and insure all nozzles are free and clear and have a good spray pattern. 5. [M3] [ ] Remove the diaphragm stuffing box and plate. Check the safety retaining wires of the extension rods insuring none broken or missing. Where wire is broken or missing inspect all bolts for crack and thread damage. Retorque to 350 - 370 ft/lbs. Re-install all safety retaining wires. 6. [M3] [ ] Renew lip oil seal and "O" rings, clean and replace plate and stuffing box. Torque bolts to 12 - 18 ft/lbs.

SDS PMS Equipment: Mud Pump Department: Mechanical Manufacturer: Gardner Denver Frequency: Annually Model: PZ-8/9 Issued: PSS Code: GA-327-32 Completed:Item Level Inspect Description

7. [M3] [ ] Remove the ispection covers for the crossheads and carry out the following ispections: 1. Check crosshead pin retainer bolt tightness using torque wrench. Torque value 210 ft/lbs. Insure all locking wire is properly installed 2. Measure the play of the bearing, roller and crosshead pin. Record the readings on the checking form below. 3. Check crosshead clearance, use a feeler gauge between crosshead and upper crosshead guide. Do not operate pump with less than 0.010" clearance. Record the clearances on the Checking Sheet below. They should be .010 - .020. 4. Inspect crosshead and guides for condition and uniform wear. Insure there are no scratches or abnormal wear on the upper or lower slide guides. 5. Check the crosshead slide to frame bolts for tightness. 6. Check the pony rod (extension rod) surface condition for damage or scratches. A deterirated surface will cause premature failures of seals. 7. Check the pony rod to crosshead bolts for correct tighness.

8. [M3] [ ] Check for proper crosshead alignment. Refer to manufacturer"s manual for correct method to use. Record below: Top Front Top Back #1 Cylinder #2 Cylinder #3 Cylinder Note: If the centreline of the extension rod exceeds 0.015" low, re-shimming of guides is necessary

Misalignment can be detected by uneven wear on the pony (extension) rods. Premature liner wear will also be a result. Refer to the mud pump fluid end log book for signs of premature liner wear.

9. [M3] [ ] Check all drive chain and sprockets for wear. New chain - 20 P. = 30" Worn out chain = 30.750" Record the measurements on the Checking Sheet below. 10. [M3] [ ] Inspect and test run the chain oil pump. Overhaul and align as necessary. 11. [M3] [ ] Inspect and test run the gear oil pump. Overhaul and align as necessary. 12. [M3] [ ] Renew the oil pump filter element. 13. [M3] [ ] Inspect and test run the flushing pump. Overhaul, repack and align as necessary.

SDS PMS Equipment: Mud Pump Department: Mechanical Manufacturer: Gardner Denver Frequency: Annually Model: PZ-8/9 Issued: PSS Code: GA-327-32 Completed:Item Level Inspect Description

14. [M3] [ ] Inspect the pony rod end and clamp for wear, damage and cracks. It is essential that a good face to face spigot connection of these rods is maintained. Improper tightening, dirt or debris on the faces when clamped up or the mixing of clamp halves, can lead to fatique cracking of the clamp area. Insure that drilling department is installing the clamps correctly. They must always be torqued evenly with equal gaps between clamp halves is maintained.

15. [M3] [ ] Clean breathers on chain case and gear box. 16. [M3] [ ] Restore power to unit and remove tag. 17. [M3] [ ] Check chain lube oil pressure and record ________ psi. 18. [M3] [ ] Check gear box lube oil pressure and record ________ psi. 19. [M3] [ ] Simulate electric driven gear lube oil pump failure: Record pressure_________ psi. Min 30 psi, max 40 psi. 20. [M3] [ ] Make a complete internal inspection to insure all tools and rags have been removed. Replace all covers and reconnect the pony rod clamp. Make a complete inspection around unit insuring pump condition is ready for operation.

CAUTION: Use extreme caution whenever using RTV for sealing the gaskets faces. Do not use RTV if possible. In many cases pumps have been totally ruined, when too much RTV is applied; the excess gets squeezed into the pump mixing in the oil and eventually plugging oil passages resulting in failures.

0.008 - 0.010 Okay to run untill the next annual inspection 0.011 - 0.013 Replace at the next scheduled maintenance. 0.014 - 0.016 Replace at first opportunity. 0.017 and greater Stop Pump and replace immediately.

21. [M3] [ ] Enter details of completion on PMS history card. and file a copy of the completed Condition Evaulation form in the maintenance file.

SDS PMS Equipment: Mud Pump Department: Mechanical Manufacturer: Gardner Denver Frequency: Annually Model: PZ-8/9 Issued: PSS Code: GA-327-32 Completed:Item Level Inspect Description

SDS PMS Equipment: Mud Pump Department: Mechanical Manufacturer: Gardner Denver Frequency: Annually Model: PZ-8/9 Issued: PSS Code: GA-327-32 Completed:Item Level Inspect Description

Guidelines for Replacing a Roller Chain Roller chain is recognized as an exceptionally dependable means for the positive transmission of power. To assure optimum performance and maximum efficiency, it is desirable to anticipate the occasional need for chain replacement, thereby avoiding unexpected interruption or delays in operation. Joint wear, certain overload conditions, metal fatigue, or pitch elongation will limit the useful life of any chain; therefore, the following information will aid in determining when chain replacement is advisable. Effects of Chain Wear During operation, chain pins and bushings slide against each other as the chain engages, wraps, and disengages from its sprockets. Even when the parts are well-lubricated, some metal-to-metal contact does occur, and these parts eventually will wear. This progressive joint wear elongates chain pitch, causing the chain to lengthen and ride higher on the sprocket teeth. The number of teeth in the large sprocket determines the amount of joint wear that can be tolerated before the chain jumps or rides over the ends of the sprocket teeth. When this critical degree of elongation is reached, the chain must be replaced.

Determination of Chain Wear An evaluation of a chain"s useful service life requires an analysis of pitch elongation. By placing a certain number of pitches under tension, elongation can be measured. When elongation equals or exceeds the limits in Table 1, chain should be replaced. The following procedure is suggested: 1. Remove chain from sprockets and lay on smooth, horizontal surface or suspend vertically. To remove slack from a chain measured in a horizontal position, refer to Table2 and apply the load indicated for the size chain involved. If chain must be measured while on sprockets, remove slack on a span of chain and apply sufficient tension to keep chain taut. See Figure below. 2. When chain is properly tensioned, consult Table 1 for the number of pitches which should be measured. This number is determined by chain size and number of teeth in largest sprocket. Pitches should be measured from center to center of pins as shown in Figure above. A steel tape will facilitate accurate measurement. If chain has offset links, do not include them in the measured segment. Select the appropriate column according to number of teeth in largest sprocket and compare published figure with measurement taken. If measurement equals or exceeds figure in Table 1, chain should be replaced.

SDS PMS Equipment: Mud Pump Department: Mechanical Manufacturer: Gardner Denver Frequency: Annually Model: PZ-8/9 Issued: PSS Code: GA-327-32 Completed:Item Level Inspect Description

If a chain breaks or fails due to broken pins, sidebars, or rollers, emergency temporary repairs may be required in order to avoid a long shutdown. However, replacement of the entire chain is preferred for the following reasons: 1. If one section of a chain has broken because of fatigue, other sections probably have suffered fatigue damage as well and are subject to early failure. 2. If the chain has been broken by a single high overload, parts other than those at the point of failure are usually bent or severely weakened.

Guidelines for Installing a Replacement Chain Before installing a new chain, carefully check sprocket teeth. If teeth are worn to a hooked shape, the sprockets should be replaced to assure full-capacity performance and satisfactory life from the new chain. Proper tension is essential when installing new chain. Tight chain causes an additional load which increases wear on chain joints, sprocket teeth, and shaft bearings. Slack chain produces vibration which may result in excessive chain wear, noise, or shock loading.

Visually inspect the chain checking for broken or cracked side bars, missing pins. If chain appears worn, pull 1 link and inspect the two pins. If they are cut or worn through the case hardening, then the complete chain should be replaced.

SDS PMS Equipment: Mud Pump Department: Mechanical Manufacturer: Gardner Denver Frequency: Annually Model: PZ-8/9 Issued: PSS Code: GA-327-32 Completed:Item Level Inspect Description

Proper chain tension is obtained by adjusting the sag (catenary) in the unloaded span. For most horizontal and inclined drives, chain should be installed with a depth of sag amounting to approximately 2% of the sprocket centers. See Table 3 for proper sag for various sprocket centers. To measure sag, pull the bottom span of the chain taut, allowing all of the excess chain to accumulate in the upper span. Then, place a straightedge on top of the sprockets and use a scale to measure sag. See figure below. For drives on vertical centers, or those subject to conditions such as shock loads, rotation reversals, or dynamic braking, install chain almost taut. It is essential to inspect such drives regularly for correct chain tension.

SDS PMS Equipment: Mud Pump Department: Mechanical Manufacturer: Gardner Denver Frequency: Annually Model: PZ-8/9 Issued: PSS Code: GA-327-32 Completed:Item Level Inspect Description

Many things go into getting the most life out of your mud pump and its components — all important to extend the usage of this vital piece of equipment on an HDD jobsite. Some of the most important key points are covered below.

The most important thing you can do is service your pump, per the manufacturer’s requirements. We get plenty of pumps in the shop for service work that look like they have been abused for years without having basic maintenance,  such as regular oil changes. You wouldn’t dream of treating your personal vehicle like that, so why would you treat your pump like that.

Check the oil daily and change the oil regularly. If you find water or drilling mud contamination in the oil, change the oil as soon as possible. Failure to do so will most likely leave you a substantial bill to rebuild the gear end, which could have been avoided if proper maintenance procedures would have been followed. Water in the oil does not allow the oil to perform correctly, which will burn up your gear end. Drilling mud in your gear end will act as a lapping compound and will wear out all of the bearing surfaces in your pump. Either way it will be costly. The main reasons for having water or drilling mud in the gear end of your pump is because your pony rod packing is failing and/or you have let your liners and pistons get severely worn. Indication of this is fluid that should be contained inside the fluid end of your pump is now moving past your piston and spraying into the cradle of the pump, which forces its way past the pony rod packing. Pony rod packing is meant to keep the oil in the gear end and the liner wash fluid out of the gear end. Even with brand new packing, you can have water or drilling fluid enter the gear end if it is sprayed with sufficient force, because a piston or liner is worn out.

There is also usually a valve on the inlet of the spray bar. This valve should be closed enough so that liner wash fluid does not spray all over the top of the pump and other components.

Liner wash fluid can be comprised of different fluids, but we recommend just using clean water. In extremely cold conditions, you can use RV antifreeze. The liner wash or rod wash system is usually a closed loop type of system, consisting of a tank, a small pump and a spray bar. The pump will move fluid from the tank through the spray bar, and onto the inside of the liner to cool the liner, preventing scorching. The fluid will then collect in the bottom of the cradle of the pump and drain back down into the collection tank below the cradle and repeat the cycle. It is important to have clean fluid no matter what fluid you use. If your liners are leaking and the tank is full of drilling fluid, you will not cool the liners properly — which will just make the situation worse. There is also usually a valve on the inlet of the spray bar. This valve should be closed enough so that liner wash fluid does not spray all over the top of the pump and other components. Ensure that the water is spraying inside the liner and that any overspray is not traveling out of the pump onto the ground or onto the pony rod packing where it could be pulled into the gear end. If the fluid is spraying out of the cradle area and falling onto the ground, it won’t be long before your liner wash tank is empty. It only takes a minute without the cooling fluid being sprayed before the liners become scorched. You will then need to replace the pistons and liners, which is an avoidable costly repair. Make a point to check the liner wash fluid level several times a day.

Drilling fluid — whether pumping drilling mud, straight water or some combination of fluid — needs to be clean. Clean meaning free of solids. If you are recycling your fluid, make sure you are using a quality mud recycling system and check the solids content often throughout the day to make sure the system is doing its job. A quality mud system being run correctly should be able to keep your solids content down to one quarter of 1 percent or lower. When filling your mud recycling system, be sure to screen the fluid coming into the tanks. If it is a mud recycling system, simply make sure the fluid is going over the scalping shaker with screens in the shaker. If using some other type of tank, use an inline filter or some other method of filtering. Pumping out of creeks, rivers, lakes and ponds can introduce plenty of solids into your tanks if you are not filtering this fluid. When obtaining water out of a fire hydrant, there can be a lot of sand in the line, so don’t assume it’s clean and ensure it’s filtered before use.

Cavitation is a whole other detailed discussion, but all triplex pumps have a minimum amount of suction pressure that is required to run properly. Make sure this suction pressure is maintained at all times or your pump may cavitate. If you run a pump that is cavitating, it will shorten the life of all fluid end expendables and, in severe cases, can lead to gear end and fluid end destruction. If the pump is experiencing cavitation issues, the problem must be identified and corrected immediately.

The long and the short of it is to use clean drilling fluid and you will extend the life of your pumps expendables and downhole tooling, and keep up with your maintenance on the gear end of your pump. Avoid pump cavitation at all times. Taking a few minutes a day to inspect and maintain your pump can save you downtime and costly repair bills.

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Cavitation is an undesirable condition that reduces pump efficiency and leads to excessive wear and damage to pump components. Factors that can contribute to cavitation, such as fluid velocity and pressure, can sometimes be attributed to an inadequate mud system design and/or the diminishing performance of the mud pump’s feed system.

Although cavitation is avoidable, without proper inspection of the feed system, it can accelerate the wear of fluid end parts. Over time, cavitation can also lead to expensive maintenance issues and a potentially catastrophic failure.

When a mud pump has entered full cavitation, rig crews and field service technicians will see the equipment shaking and hear the pump “knocking,” which typically sounds like marbles and stones being thrown around inside the equipment. However, the process of cavitation starts long before audible signs reveal themselves – hence the name “the silent killer.”

Mild cavitation begins to occur when the mud pump is starved for fluid. While the pump itself may not be making noise, damage is still being done to the internal components of the fluid end. In the early stages, cavitation can damage a pump’s module, piston and valve assembly.

The imperceptible but intense shock waves generated by cavitation travel directly from the fluid end to the pump’s power end, causing premature vibrational damage to the crosshead slides. The vibrations are then passed onto the shaft, bull gear and into the main bearings.

If not corrected, the vibrations caused by cavitation will work their way directly to critical power end components, which will result in the premature failure of the mud pump. A busted mud pump means expensive downtime and repair costs.

As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, cavitation causes numerous pits to form on the module’s internal surface. Typically, cavitation pits create a stress concentration, which can reduce the module’s fatigue life.

Washouts are one of the leading causes of module failure and take place when the high-pressure fluid cuts through the module’s surface and damages a sealing surface. These unexpected failures are expensive and can lead to a minimum of eight hours of rig downtime for module replacement.

To stop cavitation before it starts, install and tune high-speed pressure sensors on the mud suction line set to sound an alarm if the pressure falls below 30 psi.

Accelerometers can also be used to detect slight changes in module performance and can be an effective early warning system for cavitation prevention.

Although the pump may not be knocking loudly when cavitation first presents, regular inspections by a properly trained field technician may be able to detect moderate vibrations and slight knocking sounds.

Gardner Denver offers Pump University, a mobile classroom that travels to facilities and/or drilling rigs and trains rig crews on best practices for pumping equipment maintenance.

Program participants have found that, by improving their maintenance skills, they have extended the life of fluid end expendables on their sites. They have also reported decreases in both production and repair costs, as well as reductions in workplace hazards.

Severe cavitation will drastically decrease module life and will eventually lead to catastrophic pump failure. Along with downtime and repair costs, the failure of the drilling pump can also cause damage to the suction and discharge piping.

When a mud pump has entered full cavitation, rig crews and field service technicians will see the equipment shaking and hear the pump ‘knocking’… However, the process of cavitation starts long before audible signs reveal themselves – hence the name ‘the silent killer.’In 2017, a leading North American drilling contractor was encountering chronic mud system issues on multiple rigs. The contractor engaged in more than 25 premature module washes in one year and suffered a major power-end failure.

Gardner Denver’s engineering team spent time on the contractor’s rigs, observing the pumps during operation and surveying the mud system’s design and configuration.

The engineering team discovered that the suction systems were undersized, feed lines were too small and there was no dampening on the suction side of the pump.

There were also issues with feed line maintenance – lines weren’t cleaned out on a regular basis, resulting in solids from the fluid forming a thick cake on the bottom of the pipe, which further reduced its diameter.

Following the implementation of these recommendations, the contractor saw significant performance improvements from the drilling pumps. Consumables life was extended significantly, and module washes were reduced by nearly 85%.

Although pump age does not affect its susceptibility to cavitation, the age of the rig can. An older rig’s mud systems may not be equipped for the way pumps are run today – at maximum horsepower.

Instead of using paper checklists when out in the field, drilling contractors and rig inspection services can generate a new inspection form from anywhere and the results are saved electronically.

Specifically designed for drilling companies and others in the oil and gas industry, the easy to use drilling rig inspections app makes it easy to log information about the drill rigs, including details about the drill rigs operators, miles logged and well numbers. The inspection form app covers everything from the mud pump areas and mud mixing area to the mud tanks and pits, making it easy to identify areas where preventative maintenance is needed. The drilling rig equipment checklist also covers health and safety issues, including the availability of PPE equipment, emergency response and preparedness processes, and other critical elements of the drilling process and drill press equipment.

Pumps are often designed to operate at a single point known as the Best Efficiency Point (BEP). As components begin to wear, a pumps performance begins to decline, with operation away from this point leading to issues such as accelerated bearing or seal wear, vibration, excess temperature rise or cavitation. Quite often declining performance can start gradually, before quickly accelerating until failure if performance issues are not addressed in a timely fashion.

Corrective Maintenance is undertaken when failure has occurred. The unit may be leaking, efficiency reduced, pump stopped or motor tripped, leading to loss of production resulting in an urgent situation where parts must be sourced and fitted quicky.

Preventative Maintenance is inspection and repair scheduled at specific intervals (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly) or based on the number of hours run. Visual inspections are made externally and internally by dismantling the unit, replacing seals such as gaskets and mechanical seals, with pump parts checked for wear.

Differential Pressure:Check the operating pressure by calculating the difference between the inlet and outlet pressure of the pump ensuring it is operating on curve.

Mechanical Seal (barrier fluid) – Check for contamination such as changes in general colour or appearance, PH, presence of particles, viscosity, or if fluid is at excess temperature during operation.

The “6 to 1 Rule” discovered by John Day Jr, (Manager of Engineering & Maintenance at Alumax South Carolina stated that the ideal ratio of Proactive Maintenance (PM) to Corrective Maintenance (CM) should be 6 to 1 - 6 PM checks to 1 RM check. If your ratio is below this then according to his theory it is being inspected too infrequently, above and inspections are too frequent.

Although Proactive Maintenance can seem to avoid the urgent costs and downtime associated with reactive maintenance, PM maintenance costs can be high due to the cost of labour in dismantling of complicated designs such as Progressing Cavity, or Triplex Plunger pumps which are often time consuming to maintain with more than one person required to undertake work.

On dismantling units, some seals require replacing regardless of condition, and excess spares can be required in case of gasket entrapment during assembly. Rental of specialist lifting equipment may be required and there can be situations where when inspected, pump parts do not require replacement.

The ideal situation is to ensure components are replaced before failure but not so far in advance that they have experienced little wear with valuable time spent on inspecting components which are otherwise fine.

This can be achieved through a monitoring device, where when the right data is collected, pump failure can be anticipated between 3 and 12 months in advance with an 80-95% accuracy.

With the average lead time on DN100 pumps, and units over 5 years old being 3 months or more, it is essential that spares are either on the shelf or failure is anticipated through advance ordering.

Monitoring devices can vary significantly in capability, and should provide the following to ensure failure can be forecast with sufficient time to plan:

Sample Length – Long sample lengths ensure data is captured for sufficient time to detect issues. A long sample length for fast rotating equipment is 22 Seconds (at 48Khz) or 110 seconds for slowly rotating equipment ensuring a detailed overview is provided.

Rapid Min/Max Average Monitoring – Monitoring minimum and maximum values quickly such as current draw, or torque increase due to motor failure, pump blockage or leakage ensure reliable data is reported swiftly without missing key peaks or troughs which can go unnoticed with infrequent data collection.

AI Forecasting –Forecasting data within trends enables machine health forecasting, allows advance repair decisions to be made, budgets forecast, correct resource allocation and enable stress reduction within supporting teams.

There are hazards during any maintenance activity. Always ensure the correct PPE is worn before attempting repair, that sufficient expertise is on hand and chemical data sheets of any fluid being pumped are checked prior to undertaking work. A full risk assessment should be completed in advance.

Pump PressurisedSteam Escape with contaminantsJets of Hot LiquidEnsure pump has cooled sufficiently and pipework drained before attempting disconnection

Hazardous FluidsIrritation, Chemical burns, ignitionEnsure when pump is opened the unit is cool, not pressurized, ignition sources are not present, and any fluids spilt are contained.

If inspection has been neglected for some time, then additional parts may require replacing than had the unit been inspected earlier, with some pump parts becoming beyond economical repair.

Enables planned work to be undertaken during lower activity levels and at lowest cost & risk.Pump has to be crucial within a process or above a certain size for monitoring to be cost effective

Thread Sealant – The use of semi-permanent thread sealant will ensure vitality important threaded fasteners such as bolts or screws on shafts, couplings or pump casings do not self-loosen due to vibration and become disengaged.

Interchangeable Spares –Our range of pumps are modular in design utilizing interchangeable spares, meaning on site stock holding of parts can be reduced by up to 80% further reducing slow moving stock.

Repair & Replace –Choosing to repair an existing pump within a process of vital importance, as well as replace, is a strategy we recommend for maximizing plant efficiencies and reducing downtime. Should unexpected pump failure occur, your process can be restored quickly.

Checklists & Logs –The use of checklists and logs ensures a fully repeatable process ensuring important maintenance intervals are not missed. Logs can provide valuable insight and reveal a pattern before failure occurs enabling easier tro