Pumps & Systems, March 2008

Water, unimpeded, flows to the lowest possible point. (No rocket science here.) However, in many situations, this is not only a point where the water is not desirable, but it is also a point where the presence of notable volumes of water markedly interfere with human activity and even create specific hazards (as in excavations at construction sites, mining operations and numerous other activities in low-lying areas.). For example, the movement and accumulation of water to an excavation can create unstable conditions in the surrounding soils and-at the very least-impede necessary activities. In practice, the removal of unwanted water, in most situations, is complicated by the accumulation of suspended solids like mud and sand, as well as a wide variety of other particulate matter collected by moving water. The resulting slurry creates a tough, abrasive and sometimes corrosive environment for any type of pumping equipment.

Pumps & Systems, March 2008

Pumps are becoming more expensive to produce and maintain, making it more costly and inefficient to replace parts when things go wrong. With some pumps costing thousands of dollars-not including associated downtime costs-engineers need to ensure their pump systems are properly maintained.

Choosing a suitable lubricant has become increasingly important as one of the least expensive and most reliable ways of helping to maintain parts as long as possible. 

Pumps & Systems, March 2008

As the age of industrialization churned to life, so did Denver's first glorious park fountain. However, as time passed, the pumps and components driving the electric fountain's youth grew old and antiquated. This spring, the City Park Fountain makes a rejuvenated debut as one of the most magnificent public fountains in the nation-anticipated to be completed in time for the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

In 2006, the City of Denver approved a project to upgrade the pumps in the electric fountain that graces Denver's park and to make other modifications in preparation for the unveiling.

Pumps & Systems, March 2008

When big storms or hurricanes hit, thousands of homes and businesses lose vital power, communication and water and wastewater services. The loss of these services forces consumers to pay attention to the importance of public utility systems and the emergency backup systems that keep them operating after a disaster.

The traditional method to backup an electrical-driven sewage lift station is a diesel-driven generator. However, diesel-driven pumps are now replacing generators as an improved backup plan. This independent pump unit is a more effective solution to lift station problems such as sewage pump failures. The versatile diesel dry-prime pump also supplements the lift station when routine maintenance or emergency repairs are necessary.

Pumps & Systems, January 2008

Business Acumen or Deception of the Masses?

I felt a sense of anger when I first read the adage: "Perfect is the enemy of good." I guess this was because I was raised to always do my best and strive for perfection. We live in a culture that praises perfection and degrades imperfection.

So how can we reconcile these two philosophies? Is this adage solid business acumen or simply a means of convincing the masses to work more quickly? I have decided to explore this adage as it applies to industrial maintenance and offer some useful advice to our readers.

Pumps & Systems, January 2008

Do any of the following statements sound familiar?

• We want more uptime from our plant.
• Our maintenance events take too long.
• When we come back on-line, it takes forever to get back in full production.
• We seem to have more failures right after an outage.

If you recognize any of these statements, you would probably also agree with the statement that there is room for improvement with your maintenance events. What would it be like if you could turn your maintenance event into a racecar pit stop?

Pumps & Systems, January 2008

Q.  Most centrifugal pumps have a horsepower characteristic curve which rises as rate of flow increases to some level and then levels off or turns downward. However, other pumps have more level power curves or even some that are higher at low rate of low. Why is this, and can it be a problem?

Pumps & Systems, November 2007

Our repair shop came upon a customer that purposely buys oversized pumps and immediately operates them at nearly 80 percent closed valve. Each year, after the hot days of summer simmer down, they evaluate the pumps' performance by measuring flow. If the flow dropped by more than ~10 percent, they slightly open the valve (say 70 percent closed) to compensate and run the pump at this new valve position the next season.

Pumps & Systems, January 2008

With its seemingly limitless supply of lower factory costs, more determined discipline in their factories and rapid acquisition of technological prowess, the Chinese pumps market appears to be unstoppable.

In emerging Asia markets, with growth rates of more than 20.0 percent a year in 2006, the Chinese market offers huge potential. Transport and other infrastructure in China is also in better shape than many other Asian countries and the quality and availability of suppliers is improving all the time, enabling highly integrated supply chains to develop within the country.