MODULE 3

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

1. Identify the troubles of centrifugal pump and their corresponding remedies.

2. Discuss the function and operation of Reciprocating direct acting pump.
3.Solve forces acting on the water cylinder to the steam cylinder.
4. Solve and specify cylinder sizes, piston displacement, volumetric efficiency,
thermal efficiency and pump duty.

CENTRIFUGAL PUMP TROUBLES AND REMEDIES

MINOR TROUBLE SHOOTING: FOR NON-QUALIFIED TECHNICIANS

1. PUMP ASSEMBLY
A. No liquid is delivered.
Causes:
a. Prime is lost.
b. Impeller is clogged.
c. Foot valve is malfunctioning.
Remedies:
a. Stop the system and reprime the pump.
b. Stop the system and remove clog in volute.
c. Remove foot valve and check flap and hammer plate. If defective replace
with new one and also clean sump.

B. Excessive noise in pump assembly while in operation

Causes:
a. Air bubble forms inside the volute.
b. Loose foundation bolts.
c. Impeller not in loose.
Remedies:
 a. Open topmost vent or priming funnel to remove trapped air. Close vent of
funnel a soon as trapped air is released.
b. Tighten foundation bolts with an adjustable wrench.
c. Remove attaching nut of volute cover and attaching bolt of nipple on suction
pipe. Dismantle nipple and volute cover and tighten impeller nut.

C. Delivery of water is slow.

Causes:
a. Partially clogged impeller or foot valve.
b. loose belt causing excessive slippage.
c. Air leaks through suction pipe.
Remedies:
a. Check if foreign materials are clogging the impeller.
b. Clean belt and retighten to required tightness.
c. Change flange gasket (Flanged Joint). If worn-out replace gasket and tighten
bolt flanges.

D. Overheating of bearing.
Causes:
a. Lubrication is insufficient.
b. belt is too tight.
Remedies:
a. Lubricate bearing using a grease gun.
b. Check belt tightness and adjust accordingly.

2. MOTOR TROUBLE SHOOTING

A. Motor does not start.

Causes:
a. Power is disconnected.
b. Overload control tripped.
c. Burned fuses.
d. Supply voltage is lower than rated voltage.
Remedies:
a. Pull safety switch art to “off” position and re-connect terminal connections
securely.
b. Turn “off” the safety switch and wait for a few minutes to allow the
bimetallic strip of the thermal tripping device to cool before trying to re-start.
c. Turned “off” the safety switch and test whether fuses are busted with an
ohmmeter. If fuses are burned or busted, replace with a new one.
d. Measure the supply voltage and compare with nameplate voltage.
B. Motor is noisy.
Causes:
a. Insufficient bearing lubrication.
b. Motor is loose foundation.
Remedies:
a. Lubricate the bearing.
b. Tighten hold-down bolts. Motor may have to be re-aligned in which anchor
bolts be securely cemented on foundation.
c. Motor is too hot.
d. This might be caused by restricted ventilation. Clean air passage like the
motor fan cover with a brush.

D. Bearings are hots.

Causes:
a. Belt is too tight.
b. Insufficient grease.
c. Wrong amount or Grade grease, or dirty grease.
Remedies:
a. Reduce belt tension by adjusting position of motor foundation bolts. This
will lessen the pressure caused by belt on bearings.
b. Grease bearing fittings.
c. Flush or remove old grease and re-lubricate with proper grade of grease.

MAJOR TROUBLE SHOOTING

1. PUMP ASSEMBLY
A. No liquid is delivered.
Causes:
a. Suction lift is too high.
b. Total Head is too high.
c. Pump is not running at rated speed.
Remedies:
a. Relocate pump site if static lift is higher than allowance.
b. Compute actual head and compared with pump’s designed head. If actual
head is greater than designed head, change impeller or pump assembly.
c. Check prime mover if running within rated speed. Throttle engine or changes
pulley diameter for motor.

B. Excessive vibration and noise in pump assembly while in operation.

Causes:
a. Mis-alignment of pump and prime mover.
b. Loose foundation bolts due to chipping on foundation.
 c. Bent or worn-out shaft or impeller.
d. Mis-aligned coupling.
e. Pump bearing are worn-out.
f. Impeller ring is worn-out.
Remedies:
a. Re-aligned pump and prime mover.
b. Re-build foundation bolt sets if necessary.
c. Dismantle and replace worn-out parts.
d. Dismantle coupling and re-align as required.
e. Dismantle and replace worn-out bearings.
f. Replace worn-out impeller ring.

C. Delivery of water is slow.

Causes:
a. Excessive air leaks through asbestos packing.
b. Excessive air leaks in stuffing box due to worn-out packing, shaft and sleeve.
c. Suction lift is too high.
Remedies:
a. Replace worn-out asbestos packing.
b. re-adjust gland packing or replace worn-out parts if necessary.

D. Overheating of bearings.
Cause:
Uneven bearing weak.
Remedy:
Re-align pump assembly and prime mover as required and replace bearing if
necessary.

-
Causes:
a. Incorrect end clearance of impeller at wearing ring point.
b. Pillow block bearing worn-out.
c. Pump shaft mis-aligned with respect to pulley shaft.
Remedies:
a. Check and adjust clearance according to specification.
b. Dismantle bearing and replace.
c. Re-align pulley and pump shaft.

F. Not enough discharge water is being delivered.

Causes:
a. Excessive leaks on suction pipe particularly on joints.
b. Excessive air leaks in stuffing box.
c. Pump is not running at rated speed.
 d. Discharge head is too high.
e. Suction lift is too high.
f. Suction piping not properly submerged.
g. Mechanical wear of pump parts.
Remedies:
a. Check suction line for possible leaks.
b. Re-adjust gland packing or replace if worn-out gasket and wearing ring
should be thoroughly cleaned and centered under seal of water inlet. Also
replace shaft or sleeve if worn-out.
c. Check prime mover if running within rated speed. Throttle engine or change
pulley diameter for motor.
d. Change impeller or pump.
e. Relocate pump site.
f. Lower suction pipe to desired level.
g. Check all pump parts like impeller sleeves, and packing for possible wear
and tear. Replace worn-out parts.

G. Pump consumes too much.

Causes:
a. Pump is running at a greater speed than rated.
b. Actual head is lower than installed pump head rating
c. Specific gravity or viscosity of water from the river is too high.
Remedies:
a. Decrease engine speed to match up rated speed (if Prime mover is a diesel
engine).
b. Reduce speed of the pump by replacing the pulley
Or adjust governor to required speed prime mover is an engine.
Throttle the gate valve if the system is provided with a gate valve.
c. Stop prime mover. Wait for water viscosity to return to normal condition.
d. Add packing lubrication.
e. Replace shaft required.
f. Dismantle pump and check worn-out internal parts. Replace all damaged
parts and re-align pump assembly.
g. Inspect all pump parts like bearings, impeller, wearing ring, bushing, etc.
and replace all defective parts if required.

2. MOTOR ASSEMBLY (ELECTRICALLY DRIVEN SYSTEM)

A. Motor does not start.
Causes:
a. Wrong motor connections.
b. Wrong control connections.
c. Grounded, sharted or open motor stator windings.
d. Faulty control.
 e. Driven machine (or pump) is locked.
f. Bearings are stuck-up.
Remedies:
a. Re-trace all motor connection and check with motor wiring diagram. Correct
improper connections.
b. Compare all control connection with control wiring diagram and correct
improper connections.
c. Check motor windings for continuity and rewind the stator, if necessary.
d. Check contractors, timers, and delays of starters for defects and replace
worn-out parts if necessary.
e. Disconnect motor from pump and see if motor will run smoothly. If this is
the case, check pump shaft, bearings, sleeve and impeller. Replace all
defective parts.
f. Free stuck-up bearings or replace bearings, if necessary.
B. Motor is noisy.
Causes:
a. Load current is not balanced.
b. Rotor is rubber or stator and air gap is not uni-flow.
c. Worn-out bearings.
Remedies:
a. Disconnect motor from the pump and run the motor. Check current balance.
Rewind stator if unbalance current condition exists.
b. Center the rotor and replace bearings if necessary.
c. Replace worn-out bearings.

C. Motor running temperature is too high.

Causes:
a. Motor is overloaded.
b. Incorrect power supply voltage.
c. Stator winding shorted or grounded.
Remedies:
a. Check if motor current is greater than rated full load current. If this is the
case, check mechanical load unit until and adjust load accordingly to prevent
overload.
b. Stop the motor immediately. Wait until condition goes back to normal

D. Bearings are overheated.

Causes:
a. End Shields of bearing loose or not properly seated.
b. Bearings are worn-out.
c. Bent shaft assembly.
d. Mis-aligned pulley.
Remedies:
a. Re-fits end shields squarely and tighten as required.
b. Replace bearings.
c. Replace shaft assembly
d. Re-align the pulley.
e. Sleeve bearings are overheated.
Causes:
a. Damaged oil rings.
b. Oil ring not correctly seated on slot.
c. Motor id tilted too far.
d. Defective bearings or rough shaft.
Remedies:
a. Replace oil rings.
b. Re-adjust or replace retaining cap.
c. Re-align and correct motor level.
d. Replace bearings or shaft.

F. Writing are overheated or burned.

Causes:
a. Under size wire.
b. Motor overload.
Remedies:
a. Replace wirings.
b. Adjust load properly to prevent overload.
RECIPROCATING PUMP
- Positive displacement pump that use the back and forth motion of the
piston in a cylinder to increase the pressure to the fluid.
- Pump used when high pressure and low flow is required, no priming is
needed.
Steam inlet Discharge

(Pi) (P2)

Steam Liquid
Cylinder
Common Cylinder
Connecting rod

Piston
Piston

Steam outlet DIRECT ACTING PUMP Suction

(Pe) (P 1)

Where:
Pi = Pressure of the steam entering the steam cylinder.
Pe = Pressure of condensate steam leaving the steam cylinder
P1 = Pressure of suction water in the pump
P2 = Pressure of discharge water in the pump
A. STEAM DRIVEN PUMP IS DESIGNATED AS

D S X DL X S
Where:
DS = Diameter of steam cylinder
DL = Diameter of liquid cylinder
S = Length of stoke which is common to both cylinder

B. MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY (em)

em = Force exerted by the liquid piston

Force exerted by the steam piston

= FL
FS

= ( π/4) DL2( P2 – P1 )
( π/4) DS2 ( Pi – Pe )

C. PISTON DISPLACEMENT
Single acting – means that only one side of the liquid cylinder is used for
pumping

Piston displacement, VD (Volume displaced by the piston)

VD = (π/4) DL² S N x n

Double acting - means that both sides of the liquid cylinder is used for pumping

a) Neglecting piston rod effect

VD = 2 [(π/4) DL² S N )] x n
 b) Considering Piston Rod (the connecting rod occupy a certain volume; it has to be
deducted)

VD = (π/4) D² S N + (π/4) (D² - d²) S N x n

Where:
N = Number of pumping stroke per minute
D = Diameter of the cylinder / Piston
d = Diameter of the connecting rod ( rod diameter)
n = no. of cylinders
FOR SIMPLEX, DIRECT PUMP
Number of liquid cylinder --------- 1
Number of steam cylinder -------- 1
FOR DUPLEX, DIRECT ACTING PUMP
Number of liquid cylinder -------- 2
Number of steam cylinder -------- 2
FOR TRIPLEX, DIRECT ACTING PUMP
Number of liquid cylinder ---------- 3
Number of steam cylinder --------- 4

D. Slip = VD - Q

E. Percent slip = 1 – ( Q/ VD )

F. Volumetric Efficiency, nv

nv = 1 – slip

= Q/ VD
= 1 + c – c ( v₁/v₂ )

Where: C = Clearance
Q = Volume flow rate/ Capacity
 L = Stroke
N = Piston speed, RPM
5. Thermal efficiency ( et )– fraction that shows how much of the heat
supplied is converted into useful work.

et = WP/ms(hi-he) x of 100 %
Where:
WP = water power developed in the pump, kw
ms = steam flow rate. Kg/sec
hi = Enthalpy of steam entering
he = Enthalpy of steam leaving
6. Pump duty
It is the newton-meter of the work done by the pump per million kilo
joule applied on the steam side of the pump.

Pump Duty = mw H ( 9.8066)

ms(hi-he) x 10

Where: mw = mass of water in kg/sec

ms = mass of steam in kg/sec

H = total Dynamic head in meters

SAMPLE PROBLEMS:

1. A 30 cm x 20 cm x 35 cm duplex piston pump with 4 cm piston rod diameter

makes 60 double pumping strokes per minute. The pump delivers 225 gallons
per minute. Determine the following:
a. Volumetric efficiency
b. Pump slip
Solution:
nv = Q/VD x 100%
 N = 60 strokes x 2

= 120 strokes /min

ev = Q / (π/4)( D2 + ( D2 – d2) SNn

= 225 gal/min x 3.78 kg/gal x m3x 100

(π/4)( 0.182 + ( 0.182 – 0.052) ( 1000)(0.3)(60)2

= 48.36 %

b. Pump slip = 100% - 48.36% = 51.64%

2. The liquid cylinder of a simplex pump has the following dimensions:

Diameter of liquid cylinder = 160 mm
Diameter of the piston rod = 45 mm
Length of stroke = 350 mm
is operating at 80 pumping strokes per minute, its volumetric efficiency is 92%
when handling water. What is the volume of water discharged as measured in liters
per second?
Solution:

VD = (π/4) D² S N + (π/4) (D² - d²) S N x n

= (π/4)( D2 + ( D2 – d2 ) )SN x n
= (π/4)( 0.162 + ( 0.162 – 0.0452))(0.35)(80)(1)
= 1.08141 m3/min

Actual capacity = nv VD
= 0.92 ( 1.08141) x 1000liters/m3
= 994.9 liters/min