mud pump preventive maintenance supplier

Distributor of engineered fluid handling pumps, packaged pumping systems, repairs, parts, & integrated pump control systems. Mud pumps, chiller/condenser pumps, plumbing pumps, boiler feed systems, in-line circulators, condensate systems, sump & sewage pumps, end suction pumps, submersible sump & sewage, non-clogs & grinders, self primers, packaged lift stations, variable speed pump systems, metering pumps, chemical injection systems, chemical mixing systems, peristaltic pumps for chemical feed, high viscous & shear sensitive fluids, self primers, stainless steel, trash pumps, hot oil pumps, vertical turbine pumps, sanitary pumps, marine pumps, industrial pumps, ANSI end suction, vertical cantilever, double suction, non-clogs, progressive cavity pumps, helical gear pumps, well pumps, lab pumps, hose pumps, control valves, check valves, air release valves, tanks, pressure vessels.

Repairing your pumps quickly and efficiently to get your operations back up and running is GD Energy Products’ top priority. If your pump requires immediate attention, our field engineers and service technicians can be deployed to your job site or facility. Our experienced technicians are trained to identify and inspect your pumping issue and conduct as-needed service, repairs and preventative maintenance at your preferred location.

GDEP offers a full range of 24/7 on-site pump maintenance and repair offerings tailored to your individual needs. We offer comprehensive repairs for fracking pumps, drilling pumps, well service pumps, fluid ends and modules. Additionally, our customers have access to 24/7 service, ongoing parts support and product maintenance.

GDEP’s inspection program offers a comprehensive and proactive approach to solving your pump issues. Our field service technicians can utilize advanced troubleshooting procedures to uncover various underlining issues with the capability of performing onsite repairs using genuine, high-quality OEM replacement parts to guarantee maximum performance

If you have a large fleet or pumps that simply require more attention, we can provide you with a dedicated field service technician with either half-day or full 24/7 coverage.

Our state-of-the-art repair facilities operate in a constant state of readiness to provide your pumps with the most comprehensive and cutting-edge repair and maintenance services. With facilities strategically located in all major shale plays throughout the United States, we are able to provide our customers with efficient service on a local level.

If you have a large-scale repair that cannot be completed in the field, bring your pump to any one of our repair facilities and expect the same level of service and expertise. A highly trained and experienced team of field engineers, service technicians and repair mechanics possess all the necessary skills and insights required to overhaul any pump, all under one roof. Backed by our satisfaction guarantee, you can have the confidence your pumps will operate at peak performance after it leaves our facility.

Our team of experts is available 24/7 to service and repair any brand of pump. Whatever your repair needs, GDEP will bring the proper experience, tools and equipment needed to get the job done.

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.

Envirep provides excellent service before, during, and after the sale. To maintain and protect your Gorman-Rupp equipment, our Service Department offers Gorman-Rupp preventative maintenance agreements. Regular preventive maintenance will uncover emerging problems and help to avoid costly and inconvenient breakdowns while keeping your pumping system working at peak efficiency.

Our service staff is factory-trained in the operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting of Gorman-Rupp pumping equipment and electrical controls. They are equipped with proper tools and testing instruments and arrive at your site with common replacement parts enabling them to solve potential problems quickly and economically. We will work with you to keep your pumping equipment operating reliably and efficiently.

If you or your customer would be interested in receiving a proposal for a Gorman-Rupp preventative maintenance agreement, please send an email to JPPRICE@Envirep.com

Envirep distributes Gorman-Rupp’s extensive line of products including Self-Priming Pumps, Packaged Wastewater Pumping Systems, Water Booster Stations and Submersible Pumps for the Municipal market. Envirep is a factory-trained, stocking distributor for Gorman-Rupp and provides local support and inventory.

Gorman-Rupp is the industry leader and innovator in high-quality pump design. At Envirep/TLC, we will help you choose the best Gorman-Rupp® pump parts for your needs. Our goal is to provide you with easy to operate, low maintenance pump parts to ensure you are being as cost-effective as possible

Envirep/TLC is an authorized distributor of Gorman-Rupp pump products and we carry a huge inventory of spare parts so our customers receive the best service possible.

When repairing a Gorman-Rupp pump, it is always best to use genuine Gorman-Rupp parts. Gorman-Rupp builds their parts to exact tolerances and exact material specifications. Not having the right part can reduce the service life and affect the pump’s life and efficiency. Only genuine Gorman-Rupp parts can guarantee that your part will fit perfectly, and deliver reliable service for many years.

Envirep/TLC is a leading manufacturer’s representative and service provider for municipal and industrial water and wastewater treatment and pumping systems. We represent manufacturers of quality products, serving Eastern Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, Washington D.C., Northern Virginia, and part of West Virginia.

Envirep’s staff of application engineers and field service technicians have decades of experience in equipment selection, design, and operation and maintenance. We are committed to providing our customers with prompt and professional service. We assist consulting engineers and end-users with technical support, from new plant design and plant upgrades to equipment replacements and service. Our experienced team is here for you, to recommend the right product, part, and service for your application.

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!

The best safeguard against unplanned shut-down or system failure is a good preventive maintenance plan. Cat Pumps triplex pump design offers easy maintenance without the use of special tools, making routine maintenance achievable without difficulty. Every installation differs, so a unique maintenance schedule may be required.

The service life of pumps and wear parts vary by application based on duty-cycle, pumped liquid, temperature, inlet conditions, location of installation and system accessories. It is important to monitor the system carefully. At the first sign of low pressure, make a thorough system examination. Low pressure may be caused by system components other than the pump, such as:

Please consult the pump Data Sheet, Service Manual or Service Video to verify service procedures. If no problems are found with the system components, shut the system down and inspect the pump. Check for contamination in valves. Change seals and record hours for your preventive maintenance schedule. Typically valves should be replaced at every other seal replacement.

Both the EMP40™ and PITPUMP™ feature advanced telematics for active health monitoring in support of proactive preventative maintenance programs. The variable pump speed of PITPUMP™ allows it to work seamlessly with the smart generator architecture of the EMPOWER™ line. Current job site use has resulted in decreased fuel consumption of over 40% when the EMP40™ is used in tandem with PITPUMP™ across both entry- and exit-side operations.

Pumps are vital to industries including water treatment and wastewater facilities, power generation, oil and gas, food processing and more. In the oil and gas industry, the uptime of industrial pumps is especially critical. The total world consumption of global petroleum and other liquid fuels averaged 92.30 million barrels per day in 2020, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That total has risen by approximately 5 million in 2021 and will continue to grow in 2022. Any unplanned downtime can impact the ability to meet this growth.

There are three basic types of pumps, and they are classified by how they transport fluid: positive-displacement, centrifugal and axial-flow. Pumps can experience several different types of failures, including cavitation, bearing failures and seal failures, among others. In oil and gas, conditions in which pumps operate are often challenging, dirty and hazardous, resulting in wear and tear. Failure of these pumps not only results in unexpected operation delays and increased costs, but it can lead to dangerous oil and gas leaks, impacting labor safety and the environment. To avoid these unexpected failures, many companies increase preventative maintenance and create aggressive inspection schedules. These practices, however, can sometimes lead to unnecessary part replacement, maintenance costs and labor.

Others may rely on condition-based maintenance, which focuses on maintenance performed after monitoring real-time data and detecting unacceptable condition levels. However, this may not come with the advanced warning needed to prevent impending failure events or avoid downtime. By taking a predictive approach, past maintenance data and current sensor measurements can be used to determine early signs of failure, allowing companies to perform maintenance only at the exact time it is needed.

IMAGE 1: An example of a deployed solution for predictive monitoring and failure detection of critical mud pumps in the oil and gas industry. (Images courtesy of Predictronics)

Developing and deploying a predictive maintenance solution for pumps is challenging. It requires a combination of sensing and instrumentation expertise, domain knowledge, and a practical perspective on applying machine learning and analytics for predictive monitoring. The instrumentation aspect is crucial since this data will be analyzed and will serve as the foundation of the actionable information. The decisions made from this information include what maintenance actions are needed and when they should be taken given the current pump health, as well as any trends or patterns that could emerge.

Vibration is typically the most crucial signal to use for monitoring the condition of a pump, but information on the rotating or reciprocating motion is also useful, especially for performing the more advanced signal processing methods. In addition, pressure and flow rate measurements are important for understanding pump operation and providing context for understanding the vibration data. A balance must be struck between the benefit of including these important measurements versus the hardware and implementation costs of doing so. This challenge is especially true for vibration sensors. Domain expertise is needed to place a minimal set of sensors to keep the hardware cost down and monitor the pump properly and accurately.

When handling the analytics, it is challenging to apply machine learning for this application without any domain-specific preprocessing and signal processing steps. Typically, pump failures are rare, so using a supervised machine learning model is not typically practical. Instead, a combination of domain-specific feature extraction methods for the vibration signals coupled with a baseline-based anomaly index machine learning algorithm is a more reasonable approach. The deployment and user interface should be closely aligned with the industrial use case and expected user, as well as the problem being solved. For some applications, it is not feasible to transmit the data to a remote monitoring center or central server, requiring the analytics and deployment to be performed closer to the data source.

A global oil and gas contractor with a specialty in automated drilling equipment and rig components wanted to develop a health monitoring solution for its mud pumps in the field. The contractor wanted to reduce unplanned downtime and unexpected failures. Not only did the company want to prevent these failure events, but they also wanted to distinguish between anomalies caused by maintenance issues and anomalies due to sensor issues.

By working with a predictive analytics company, this client sought to differentiate these anomalies, address the pump failures, and validate the solution by utilizing the induced fault data collected on its test rig.

The user provided the analytics company with a year’s worth of historical data from test bed data sets and sensors on the piston, suction and discharge mechanisms on two pumps in the field. The team of analytics experts was able to pull crucial features from the data by considering vibration patterns in the frequency and time-frequency domain. These features were integral to the development of health assessment models. The models then helped determine key indicators of pump seal failure, as well as establish the accuracy and necessity of the sensors.

By using advanced signal processing and vibration-based pattern recognition, the health monitoring system was able to detect and diagnose pump failures. This solution provided a baseline health assessment, failure identification and pattern recognition diagnosis capabilities.

The predictive analytics company was able to identify potential issues, as well as establish the best locations for sensor placement. The final solution predicted mud pump failure at least one day in advance, providing the data needed to take action and proactively perform maintenance. This approach helped reduce downtime, increase productivity, improve safety and prevent leaks.

Criticality analysis is essential in order to select the pumps for which predictive maintenance solutions can best be applied and to choose a solution that can provide the most value.

After determining the target pumps, the most critical failure modes should be identified, along with any relevant maintenance records for unplanned and planned downtime.

Based on the data and common failure modes, determine sensor placement and what, if any, additional sensors need to be added to the monitored pumps for the predictive solution.

These initial steps are essential when partnering with a technology provider and can help companies develop and adopt a predictive maintenance solution for their pumps that is robust and accurate.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 troubleshooting.

indicates which areas should be checked, but note that a units maintenance routine is dependent on several factors such as hours of operation, duty, aggressiveness of pump medium, rpm of motor, temperature, inlet conditions and location of equipment.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Before we dive into our recommended centrifugal pump maintenance schedule, let make sure you a good grasp of how the pump itself works. In its simplest form, a centrifugal pump is made from a housing with an inlet and outlet. There is an impeller that is located inside the housing, and a motor or drive that is responsible for rotating the impeller. The pumps casing (outer shell) is designed to create a gradually widening channel which is known as the volute. When the motor (or drive) rotates the impeller it is creating centrifugal force.

● On the other side, the volute causes the fluid to slow down and the pressure inside the pump’s housing begins to increase. This increase in pressure forces the liquid out the discharge (outlet) of the pump and then on to the piping systems of the process.

Casing (Volute)– As we learned earlier, this acts as a pressure containment vessel. It directs the flow of liquid in and out of the centrifugal pump. It slows down the speed of the fluid while increasing the pressure within the casing.

A routine centrifugal pump maintenance program not only extends the life of your system, but also reduces operating costs. Consistent maintenance also ensures there is enough maintenance history recorded to identify the source of the problem faster.

Maintenance Programs for centrifugal pumps can be grouped into three categories: routine, quarterly, and annual maintenance. Routine maintenance is the process of setting a schedule to inspect, log, and repair components. This focuses on components that are leading indicator of potential failure.

○ During downtime, inspect the pump’s packing to make sure there is adequate lubrication. If the packing looks compressed and dry, replace the packing and add lubricant per the operation manual.

○ Imminent pump failure can be detected by monitoring overall pump vibration. Excessive vibration can result from a change in pump alignment, bearing failures, cavitation, and obstructions in the suction and discharge lines.

○ The difference in pressure read by the suction and discharge gauges will provide the total developed head pressure of the pump. Confirm this reading is within the pump’s designed performance. You can find this on the manufactured website or your operation manuals.

For oil-lubricated pumps, as a rule of thumb, you should change the oil after the first 200 hours of operation for a new pump. Then again after every three months or 2,000 operating hours, whichever comes first. Your operation manual will have specific instructions for oil change intervals and oil grade.

For grease-lubricated pumps, as a rule of thumb bearings should be greased every three months or 2,000 operating hours, whichever comes first. Your operation manual should have specific instructions for grease intervals and grease grade to be used.

Keep a log of your pump’s performance at least once per year.Performance benchmarks should be established early on in the life of the pump. At a minimum, the benchmarking data should include head pressure, flow rate, motor amp draw, and vibration at each bearing.

Uncouple from pump & overspeed turbine. Ensure that trip valve will stop turbine with steam supply valve (throttle valve) fully open. Compare tripping speed with previous records. Adjust trip mechanism & repeat procedure. Follow manufacturer’s instructions when making adjustments.

Where the process will allow it, test run the turbine coupled to the pump. When not possible, run the turbine uncoupled. With a tachometer − verify proper governor operation & control. Determine if hand (booster) valves are completely closed when required to carry load. This influences steam economy.

Even armed with these best practice centrifugal pump maintenance schedules, you may run into issues that require some extra help. That’s where we come in. Reach out to the experts at Rasmussen Mechanical Services and ensure your system is running the way it should. Call us at 1-800-237-3141, emailsales@rasmech.com,orcontact usonline.

If the slurry pump is driven by a belt, please check the tension of the rope at least once a quarter. Too tight belts will cause damage to the motor bearing and once the bearing is broken the bearings will start to fail inside the pump. Belt that is operated when it is too loose will cause poor performance and cause slip damage to the belt.

If your dredge pump is using lubricant for cooling, please check it periodically to make sure there is no water or other impurities in the oil. If the pump seal remains stable, changing the oil periodically will increase the life of any pump.

Best performance is achieved by occasionally checking the out-of-wing clearance. Refer to instructions to check gaps appropriately. When checking the clearance, it is also necessary to check the impeller wear and other parts of the dredge pump.

For this problem, the best solution is to install pressure gauges and flowmeters on the discharge lines of the pumps. You can take the display pressure and multiply it by 2.31 to get the relative TDH (total dynamic head). You can then take that TDH along with the measured flow and see if your pump runs near the BEP (best efficiency point) on the pump’s baseline. If not, please contact your provider.

Temperature sensors are provided with our submersible pumps for engine protection. Each guide provided with the pump will outline how to connect and monitor the temperature sensors for the maximum life cycle.

If the engine is overheated, the sensors will automatically shut off and the pump will stop working until the engine cools down. If there is no sensor, or the sensor is not connected to the pump, there is a risk of engine fire.

Horizontal and vertical pump cantilever need to check the temperature of the bearing weekly while the pump is in operation. Use a temperature gun to check the bearing housing temperature closest to the bearing.

While most pump bearings run in the range of 140 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit, it is recommended that users never allow temperatures in excess of 200 degrees Fahrenheit (about 94 degrees Celsius). High bearing temperatures may be a sign of excessive lubrication or a problem with the bearing.

Proper vibration monitoring will provide the operating team with useful information that can increase MTBF (mean time between failures) and improve pump performance. Refer to the Hydraulic Institute’s vibration monitoring guide (American Hydraulic Institute) for vertical, horizontal and submersible pumps for appropriate limits.

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Industrial plants, factories and vessels rely heavily on the reliability of their equipment and machinery; pumps being a core part of this. Downtime of a pump can costly in terms of loss of output and the cost of repairs. Imagine your pump plays a critical role in your production line; it is responsible for dosing a specific quantity of ingredient into a mix. If the pump unexpectedly fails, then the production of the mix comes to a halt. A pump failing on board a ship out at sea can have even worse implications, especially if it one required for the safety or operation of the vessel. Pump maintenance is therefore an integral operation within any plant to limit this costly downtime…

Maintenance is commonly split into two classifications; corrective and preventive maintenance. Corrective maintenance is essentially maintenance that is undertaken to cope with a pump failure that has already occurred. It has to be undertaken as quickly and efficiently as possible to get the installation up and running again with as little impact on operation as possible.

Relying on corrective maintenance however is an issue. It means that maintenance is only carried out once a problem has already arisen rather than preventing the problem from happening in the first place. To avoid downtime caused by unexpected problems with the pump, it is important to introduce a preventive maintenance schedule.

If you have a pump on site and you don’t already have a maintenance programme in place, then your first step should be to make someone responsible for this, maybe your inhouse engineer or operations team. Most pump engineers offer servicing contracts and can carry out any required maintenance then and there. However, it’s good practice to be able to inspect your pump yourself more regularly to catch any issues in between your services.

A pump maintenance programme would generally involve a periodic check of the pump performance, an inspection of the wearing parts and lubrication of bearings and joints. It is good practice to carry out a visual inspection of the pump installation on a daily basis. Spotting an issue early is one of the best methods of trouble shooting and preventing pump breakdown. Most of the things to look out for should be easily visible, these include:Leaks - Check the pump and pipework for any leaks that need to be dealt with, as they will result in reduced performance and loss of pump output as well as mess. Common leaking points are from the stuffing box or the mechanical seals. Mechanical seals are a wearing part and need to be routinely replaced.

Unusual noise -One of the first signs of a problem with your pump is noise. Like anything with a motor, a consistent hum when the pump is running is quite normal. However, abnormally loud noises or a clunking or crunching sound is likely to indicate an issue e.g. worn bearings. A popping sound, particularly if it is near the impeller, could mean the pump is experiencing cavitation which can cause a lot of damage.

Extreme vibration - A properly installed, well working pump should not overly vibrate, and therefore any level of vibration deemed excessive should be investigated. Common causes include impeller imbalance, damage and misalignment of the pump and motor.

Corrosion - Rusting, cracking or discoloration of the pump casing or pipework need to be acted on immediately as these are all signs of corrosion. Corrosion can not only result in pump failure through a weakening of the casing and components, but also contamination of the fluid being pumped.

Overheating - The pump, motor or bearings getting really hot is not something that should be ignored as it always indicates some form of problem. Some explanations may be internal rubbing/wearing of parts, that the wrong power has been put into the pump, the pump has been running against a dead head or that it has been running at a duty it cannot efficiently maintain.

Clogging - The presence of solids can result in the clogging of impellers or valves if the pump is not capable of handling the size of the solids that have attempted to pass through. You will usually notice clogging quite quickly as the pump will not be delivery the same quantities of fluid.

Whilst these are examples of typical daily checks, other checks however are required less regularly. One of the largest causes of pump downtime is pump owners not routinely replacing wearing parts and instead waiting for them to fail before changing them. It is recommended to replace certain components such as the mechanical seals and impellers every 1-2 years to prevent leaking and other issues. Best practice is to hold stock of typical wearing parts on site to prevent any delay in being able to maintain your pump if any components fail.

Just like the below, preventive pump maintenance should to be planned into a periodic maintenance schedule. By setting out when certain tasks should be carried out, maintenance becomes a smoother more efficient process and tasks don"t get "forgotten" about. Not only does it reduce the likelihood of unexpected pump failures and downtime, it also helps to reduce the cost of ownership as replacing wearing parts for example is a much cheaper process than replacing an entire pump.

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Pump maintenance is the process of keeping your pumps in good working condition. A thorough checklist that guides the maintenance engineer for pump maintenance can be very beneficial as pump maintenance is essential to keep your pumps running smoothly and prevent them from breaking down. This includes regularly checking and cleaning your pumps and replacing any parts that are worn out.

Modern pumps are essential equipment in the industrial and manufacturing sectors. These devices allow companies to move liquids and gases from one place to another, which can be crucial to operations. While modern pumps are reliable and rarely need maintenance, they require some attention over time.

The ideal way of classifying pump maintenance is through the method used for drawing out the maintenance plan. Based on this, the following are the four significant types of pump maintenance:

Corrective maintenance is the most reactive type of pump maintenance, and it involves repairing or replacing parts as needed to keep a pump functioning properly. While this approach may be necessary for some situations, it is often not ideal due to its high cost and disruption of operations.

Preventive maintenance is another common approach to pump maintenance that focuses on proactive measures such as regular inspections and adjustments. This can help avoid potential problems and keep pumps operating at peak efficiency. Using a reliable checklist for pump maintenance, engineers conduct a thorough checking and carry out the needful maintenance as and when needed. This approach is widely used in industries.

Predictive maintenance uses advanced sensors and equipment to monitor the condition of pumps and other components in real-time. This enables users to detect potential problems before they become serious issues that require extensive repairs or replacements. However, this type of maintenance is cost-intensive and unsuitable for small-scale pump systems.

This type of pump maintenance is a newer type of pump maintenance that uses data collected from sensors to assess the condition of pumps and other equipment. This information is then used to develop a customized maintenance plan tailored to the equipment’s specific needs. This approach can be more effective than traditional pump preventive maintenance plans and can help to reduce downtime and costs. But setting up a CBM system can prove to be a costly affair.

Whether you are using one of these approaches or a combination of them, it is essential to ensure that your pump maintenance program is adequately designed and implemented to optimize the performance and longevity of your pumps. Pump maintenance plans are also created based on the system they target, including mechanical, electrical, and hydraulic. Mechanical maintenance typically involves replacing parts that have worn out or broken down due to normal wear and tear. Electrical pump maintenance requires checking the wiring for any signs of damage and replacing fuses if necessary. And hydraulic pump maintenance may involve changing fluid levels or upgrading the oil viscosity depending on the level of use.

The strength and effectiveness of your pump preventive maintenance plan depending on how robust your checklist is. While you would want to include all possible checks in the plan, it is impractical and inadvisable for all routine checks. Therefore the checklist is divided based on the frequency of checks making it more sustainable and effective:

Please note that the pump preventive maintenance schedule for each pump would depend on its design and application, and hence you should always consult the pump manufacturer for the same. However, the above checklist is a general checklist that can guide the process of pump preventive maintenance. A well-maintained pump will last longer and perform better than one not correctly cared for.

Check the manufacturer’s recommendation for service interval schedules. Depending on the type of pump, different servicing may be required at different intervals.

Maintain the proper records for all pump maintenance activity. Good data collection will give you the correct information about the pump’s health and operational condition.

Based on the checklist, pump maintenance may seem a simple task that needs to be done regularly. However, this is not true. Understanding the pump behaviour and performing suitable maintenance activities requires years of experience. Therefore, it is always advisable to hire a qualified expert to carry out pump maintenance due to the following reasons:

Safety – Pump maintenance through a qualified expert, ensures that all safety hazards are identified and eliminated. This keeps you, your equipment, and your employees safe from harm.

Efficiency – Qualified experts know how to service and maintain pumps to operate at peak efficiency. This can save you money on your energy bills and help prolong the life of your pump.

Peace of Mind – Pump maintenance can be a complex task. By entrusting it to a qualified expert, you can rest assured that the job will be done correctly and on time.

Avoid Downtime – Downtime is costly, both in terms of lost productivity and repair costs. Pump maintenance through a qualified expert can help minimize the risk of unexpected downtime.

Compliance – Pump maintenance through a qualified expert can help ensure that your pump complies with all relevant safety and environmental regulations. This can save you from costly fines or penalties.

The majority of reliable pump manufacturers offer pump maintenance as a part of their service. Therefore, it is always a good practice to hire them to execute the pump maintenance of your site. They will also be able to create an effective schedule and an exhaustive checklist that your site engineers can follow for pump inspection. Ensuring that pump preventive maintenance is done at the right time in the right way will make your overall system more reliable and efficient.