Challenging MTBF Expectations

Posted on September 8, 2023

Improving Maintenance Intervals in Demanding Applications

Some services are inherently difficult due to factors such as fluid quality or multiple disparate operating points. These factors are an inherent part of the process and cannot be changed to improve reliability. Harsh applications can be a costly prospect, both in overhaul costs and in the time and labor required for frequent servicing. Many times we become caught in the perception that there is no improvement to be had for these services. A short mean-time-between-failures (MTBF) becomes routine and expected, and maintenance activities and parts procurement are built around this expectation.

It’s important that processes are built around historical run times to anticipate needs in the short term. However, it is equally important to take a step back and ask– “is this maintenance interval really acceptable or is there something that I can do to improve it?” An end user in the Canadian oil sands industry decided to take on that challenge when faced with a problematic bitumen froth transfer pump. This end user partnered with Hydro’s Scotford facility in Alberta to develop a series of upgrades that improved operating life while simultaneously reducing the cost of repair.

Read the full case study in World Pumps July/August 2023 edition.

Learn more about our Hydro Scotford service center.

Webinar: Mastering Pump Efficiency: Defeating Pump Killers for Reliable Operation and Energy Savings

Join Hydro’s Dr. Gary Dyson in learning about increasing reliability and reducing energy usage in this webinar hosted by Chemical Processing magazine.

This webinar will provide an overview of some of the most common “pump killers,” including the fundamentals behind the problem and what can be done to improve operation. Focus areas include NPSH and cavitation, the effect of operating at low flows, and abrasion and erosion. Each failure mode will be reviewed with an eye to improving reliability and saving energy. A case study will provide practical application of the material as it highlights a project that improved pump performance, reduced energy usage, and obtained reliable operation for a “bad actor” cooling water pump at a chemical plant.

System Optimization

Posted on June 26, 2023

Boost Energy Efficiency and Accelerate Savings

It’s estimated that 85% of pumps are not optimized to their systems, costing end users both efficiency and reliability. To achieve operational excellence and reduce environmental impact, assessing and improving our systems is essential.

There is a lot of focus on buying new equipment with a higher energy efficiency rating. In reality, the efficiency gains available in optimizing efficiency within the pump design is usually dwarfed by the energy savings available by optimizing the way the pump operates within its system. Not only does optimizing a pump to its system result in a reduction in energy usage, it allows the pump to operate at its best efficiency point (BEP), where reliability is the greatest.

With today’s technology, optimizing a pumping system is achievable with less cost and a greater return on investment. Advancements in testing capabilities and analytical modeling help us to better understand and predict how fluid moves through a system, allowing us to identify more opportunities for improvement. These technologies also eliminate the uncertainty of planned modifications by assessing their effectiveness in a virtual environment.

When optimizing a pump to its system, it’s important to have a holistic mindset- looking beyond the pump boundaries, considering both mechanical and hydraulic performance, and understanding that system operation is affected as much by the people who operate it as it is the physical system itself. What tools are useful to have in your toolbox when approaching a system optimization project?

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Empowering Pumps Maintenance & Reliability Summit

Join Hydro’s Marlin Schulz for Empowering Pumps‘ Maintenance and Reliability Summit. Marlin will be speaking at 10am CDT on the evolution of the service industry into the fourth industrial revolution.

Today’s rotating equipment service market is flooded with new and innovative solutions that influence reliability and maintenance strategies. With all the options, choosing the best fit is overwhelming and the cost associated with the wrong choice can be high. In this session, Marlin will discuss the evolving service industry and its impact on reliability and maintenance practices. Attendees will gain a better understanding of the integration of services as our industry moves through to Industry 4.0, and what talking points and discussions should be happening within their organizations that can help take the next steps toward improved reliability and maintenance practices. Both end users and service providers will benefit from a better understanding of the many leverage points in the reliability and maintenance system and what role they play.

Taming the Bad Actors Seminar- Chicago (In-Person)

Presented by Bob Jennings, Taming the Bad Actors is a 1-day course designed to help you identify the root causes of failures and improve the performance of your pump and pumping systems.

Attendees to the one-day course will gain valuable new skills, including:

The principles of operation of centrifugal pumps
How the centrifugal pump interacts with the pumping system
How to identify system problems that occur when operating pumps off BEP, including cavitation, suction recirculation, discharge recirculation
How to identify root cause failures
How to identify and implement basic performance improvement opportunities, including the methods and means available for increasing pump reliability and efficiency

Please note that this course is in-person at our Chicago 40th Street service center.

Register Now