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

Critical Issues

The mechanical seal industry, like the pump industry, will continue to face significant opportunities as well as challenges as we progress further into the globalized 21st century.

Pumps & Systems, February 2008

Non-metallic (rubber) expansion joints are a critical part of any pump piping system as they provide the flexibility necessary to absorb system dynamics associated with vibration and/or temperature and pressure changes within piping. Careful selection of expansion joint design and material for a given application, as well as properly engineered installation, are important factors for determining performance. When designed, applied and installed properly, it is not unusual to achieve useful service life for 15 to 20 years in most industrial applications.

Pumps & Systems, February 2008

Welded metal bellows seals continue to have success as a core sealing technology and have gained popularity recently in new innovative sealing technologies such as high-temperature non-contacting gas lubricated seals and high-temperature corrosion resistant seals. This is especially important in the oil, gas and chemical industries where pumping liquid from one area to another is complicated by great temperature extremes.

Pumps & Systems, April 2008

To eliminate leakage, mechanical seals are the method of choice in sealing most pumps in ethanol plants. However, eliminating process leakage in rotating equipment does present many unique challenges to achieving long-term reliability. A primary consideration for reliability is identifying the appropriate seal design and materials of construction, and a critical part of the process is determining and installing the correct environmental controls for each application.

Pumps & Systems, April 2008

In the oil and gas industry, electric submersible pump (ESP) systems are probably best known as an effective artificial lift method of pumping production fluids to the surface. ESPs are especially effective in wells with low bottomhole pressure, low gas/oil ratio, low bubblepoint, high water cut or low API gravity fluids.

Pumps & Systems, April 2008

The oil and gas market has remained remarkably stable recently, bolstered by the high price of oil and strong worldwide demand. With refining capacity finite and political unrest in major oil producing countries such as Venezuela, Angola and Iran, the price may rise even higher. Since most "easy to reach" reserves have been tapped, the price of oil is predicted to remain at or above record levels for at least two to three years. Even the slightest hiccup in production or refining will cause significant price spikes. A hurricane disrupting offshore production or a refinery explosion can have major implications on supply. Unless more refining capacity is added, there will be no immediate relief for oil prices.

Pumps & Systems, April 2008

While nonmetallic flanges such as glass and reinforced plastic are used for some services, most flanges are metal. Metallic flange surfaces can range from a rough casting to the smoothness produced by lapping. A critical and fundamental aspect of sealing is the level of friction between the flange and gasket surfaces. The roughness of the flange faces can have a dramatic effect on gasket creep relaxation, blow out resistance and bolted joint tightness. Depending on the type of gasket used in the connection, different flange surface finishes should be utilized to optimize gasket performance.

Pumps & Systems, April 2008

Many pump couplings are designed to be a fuse that fails before major damage occurs to expensive pump systems. Premature wear or failure is typically the first symptom of a problem.