New Pump: Must Break Cplng to Install. Recommendations?

[racookpe1978]

I will be working in an overseas plant in a few weeks, replacing oil and cooling water pumps in new skids over there.

New skids will consist of new pumps, motors, filters, instruments, controllers, heat exchangers, etc - plus all the associated piping, tubes, and wiring. (I wish we had room to build everything off-site, ship the skid, then install the assembled and tested unit - but there is no room to lift, move and install the skid as an assembly.

So, everything has to unbolted from teh shipping containers, moved by hand, chainfalls, and rollers to the location in the basement, then re-assembled.

Assuming everything else goes as planned (har, har), my real concern is re-establishing the alignment between the pump motors, the pump coupling, and the piping to the pump suction.

In previous jobs, the pump/seal/coupling/motor assembly arrived as a unit on the bedplate, and could be aligned and grouted on the bedplate. After it was in place, then the suction and discharge piping was built back to the pump flanges so there was no forces transferred back the pump seals.

Here? Do I start with the bolting the pump back to the new foundations "as perfect as possible" ... then start re-bolting up and aligning the other parts (coupling and seal, then motor) "out" from the pump? Or should the coupling be last thing to go in?

The shipping skids are not going to be used in the new installation, we will be modifying the existing equipment skids to hold the new pumps and motors.

 

[waross]

Mount the pump.
Have a good machinist align the motor to the pump.
Install the coupling.

Bill
--------------------
"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter

 

[desertfox]

Hi racookpe1978

If it were me doing it I would put alignment marks on the pump and motor shaft/bases etc so when I came to re-assemble the parts I would have a very good guide as to how they were before and as the previous poster said mount the pump first then align the motor

regards

desertfox

 

[JJPellin]

I am not sure I understand the configuration of this machine train. But, when in doubt, dowel the pump to the base using tapered dowel pins before it is removed. When it is reassembled at the new location, all you have to do is tap the dowel pins back in and the pump will return to its original location. Then align the motor to the pump, connect the pipes to the pump, etc.

Johnny Pellin

 

[Artisi]

Normal proceedure would be to bolt the driver to the base, install the pump and align it within a few millimeters - bring up the pipework and check pipe / pump alignment is acceptable, align pump and driver using an acceptable method in accordance with the coupling type and manufacturers recommendations. Bolt pipework to the pump without introducing any unacceptable strain and recheck pump/driver alignment. If pumped product is other than ambient temp. allow the equipment to come to operating temp.(if this is possible) recheck pump/motor alignment is still within tolerance before finalising fitting the coupling.

 

[Artisi]

Late thought- recheck pump/motor alignment at a convenient time not too long after initial startup.

 

[racookpe1978]

I understand the consensus for "best practice" being: mount pump, align motor to pump, then mount motor and instll coupling. Thank you!

Yes, good point about doweling the pump and motor to the foundation, then disconnecting the two, moving them, then remounting it with the dowel pins as a guide. But we are required to reuse the old equipment frame and foundations that are in the plant now - our shipping skid was just for shipping the new eqpt. (Drat....)

Temperatures will be relatively low - under 120 - 150 F operating levels.

 

[JoeySoap]

For quick, accurate alignment, I suggest you take a decent laser alignment tool with you, eg- Optalign, Rotalign etc...

 

[racookpe1978]

I will get one arranged. Thank you.

 

[CH5OH]

if pump motor have to come on original skid then:
1.level and grout skid
2.bolt pump to skid
3.install and align coupling/motor
4.provide proper suction/discharge pipe support close to pump (thermal expansion piping moves away from pump)
5.install piping
6.repeat allignment when pump is at operating temperature.

 

[JoeySoap]

.......... and take a box of various thickness stainless steel pre-cut shims with you too, to save the hassle of making them on site. The convenience out weighs the cost.

 

[Clvet]

this is probably a no brainer but don't forget to check for rotation before you install the coupling.