Foster Wheeler Condensate
Application: Condensate
Pump Details: Foster Wheeler 10HK 5-Stage
Pump Type: Multi-Stage Horizontal Split Case
Low NPSHa (net positive suction head available) was causing cavitation damage to these condensate pumps, which were being pulled for repair every 14 months. After performing a thorough inspection of the pump and a review of the installation and operating conditions, Hydro developed a repair plan incorporating a number of recommendations.These recommendations included interference fits on impellers, use of non-metallic materials for wear components, A-B Gap modification, rotor centralization, restoration of the pump casing, and stringent balancing to 1 W/N.
Hydro forecast that mean-time-between-repair could be extended from 14 months to 4 years, resulting in considerable savings to the station. Hydro’s estimate of the total cost savings after 56-months was $329,694.