When pumps start vibrating enough to damage pipework, where do you start the investigation?
During a recent scheduled technical assistance visit, the ITS Servicing & Maintenance team were called to attend a confectionery production site, with our partner, Alfa Laval, to investigate vibration issues affecting pumps on the production line. The pumps in question were SRU pumps, and the vibration had begun causing damage to pipework connections, leading to a deeper investigation into the system.
The team carried out a full walkthrough of the site, reviewing the pumps operating on the production line to assess a wider scope of the setup. This involved looking closely at inlet pressures, product trends, the pipework layout, and the overall pump configuration to determine what may have been contributing to the vibration.
🔎 Upon further investigation, the team identified cavitation occurring within the pumps. “This cavitation caused the pipework to shake, resulting in fractures to the inlet and outlet connections, as well as extreme noise from the pump. Additionally, the mechanical seal was failing prematurely due to insufficient flow to the flushed seal face” – Dan Hinton.
Both of these factors can significantly impact pump performance and stability, which explains the vibration being experienced and the resulting strain on the pipework connections.
Our ITS Servicing team is now working collaboratively with Alfa Laval to develop a solution that will resolve the issue and improve the reliability of the system moving forward.
💡As a piece of preventative advice, from ITS Servicing manager, Dan Hinton, says, “operators should consider turning the water flush on before production starts and ensuring the product head is properly primed with either water or product. It is also important to avoid operating pumps above the manufacturer’s recommended maximum pressure”. These small operational checks can help prevent issues like cavitation and extend the life of your equipment. 👀We’ll keep you updated in a later post with the results diving…
🔹In the meantime, if you require a scheduled maintenance check for your processing environment or technical assistance with existing pumps, valves, or heat exchangers, get in touch with the ITS Servicing Team.📞01675 621014 | 📧 servicing@industrialtradingsolutions.com
💻Find out more: https://www.industrialtradingsolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/ITS-Servicing-Maintenance-Brochure-Ref-23012SM-V2.pdf
#ITS #ITSServicing #EngineeringSupport #PumpServicing #PumpMaintenance #SRUPumps #ProcessEngineering #FoodManufacturing #ManufacturingSupport #RotaryLobe #PreventativeMaintenance #Partnership #AlfaLaval #Confectionery #Sitesupport #TechnicalAdvise #DistributingSolutions #Cavitation #ProcessingExcellence #FluidHandling
