Pumps & Systems, July 2007

The food processing industry is one of the largest manufacturing industries in the U.S., accounting for approximately 14 percent of the total U.S. manufacturing output. A typical food processing plant uses equipment of varying ages, constructed of a myriad of materials, including carbon steel, aluminum, stainless steel and plastics. Corrosion - an attack on a material due to a chemical or electrochemical reaction with a surrounding medium - can be an enemy of many of those materials.

Pumps & Systems, August 2007

How many gallons per minute are REALLY flowing out of that pump?

Perhaps the OEM pump manufacturer tested this pump at the factory - or perhaps not. You now have a pump, or perhaps it has been there for some time, and you suspect that it is no longer pushing the flow as it once did or is supposed to. The problem is there is no inline metering device to monitor the actual number of gallons. What can you do?

Pumps & Systems, July 2007

The flagship brewery for the world's largest beer producer needs to run 24/7 just to keep up with demand. Since every gallon of beer produced at the InBev facility in Leuven, Belgium, can be sold, any unexpected downtime on a production line means an unrecoverable financial loss for the company. Small wonder the managers of this brewery - which produces 170 million gallons of ale, beer, and other malt beverages each year - do everything in their power to keep the filling lines running flat out.

Pumps & Systems, July 2007

When measuring vibration, one of the most important factors in obtaining accurate information involves selecting the proper vibration transducer. Selecting the wrong vibration transducer can yield results that are misleading or, worse, mask a problem.

Pumps & Systems, May 2007

Overhauling or servicing big pumps and valves means dealing with big bores. After installation in the field, valves and pumps often require maintenance to rid the inside diameter (ID) of foreign material, ranging from rust and corrosion to accumulated chemicals and biological matter. Improper cleaning and resurfacing of the IDs of those bores can mean fewer operating hours between servicing as well as degraded performance.

Pumps & Systems, May 2007

If pump cavitation is not detected and quickly eliminated, significant damage can occur to the impeller and other internal components. Since cavitation (the formation and collapse of vapor bubbles in the pumped fluid as it passes through the pump impeller) is often temporary or even induced by the process, timely knowledge of the condition is extremely important so operators can act to alleviate the problem and prevent damage.

Pumps & Systems, May 2008

There are no easy solutions to the high costs of maintenance. A substantial amount of time and effort is required to select predictive methods with the most cost-effective means to evaluate the operating condition of critical plant systems; establish a program plan; create a viable database and establish a baseline value is substantial. The actual time and manpower required varies depending on plant size and the complexity of process systems. For a small company, the time required to develop a viable program is about 3 man months. For large, integrated process plants, this initial effort may be as much as 15 man years. Are the benefits worth this level of effort? In almost every instance, the answer is an absolute yes.

Pumps & Systems, August 2007

Last month, "carbon/graphite fiber" braided packings were shown to be effective solutions to many common sealing applications. But the questions remain: Are there packing materials that can more effectively seal at high temperatures? If so, do they require blocking agents?

Pumps & Systems, August 2007

With the wide use of variable frequency drives in the pump industry and increasing unit size, it is becoming more difficult to design mechanical systems free from natural frequencies within operating speed range. If such an occurrence is allowed in the field, a resulting resonance condition threatens to significantly impact performance and longevity of the equipment.

Pumps & Systems, June 2008

A look at how 3-level inverters can help reduce electrical damage to bearings.