My company bought some KSB horizontal booster pumps with two Centrilift submersible well pumps to be installed in a water project. Due to some reasons the project was suspended for one year , all pumps are already stored in warehouses , Please , I need to know what type of maintenance or how we have to protect the pumps during the 1 year suspension period . any procedure or instructions we have to follow ?
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Required maintenance for stored pumps
- Thread starter ccc123
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Unfortunately, I am not familiar with this manufacturer and am not sure of the configuration. Storage methods vary depending on whether the pump uses rolling element bearings or sleeve bearings. It depends on the pumps normally running orientation (vertical or horizontal) and orientation when stored (vertical or horizontal). It depends on the materials of construction. We recently put a unit on line. The pumps were stored in a warehouse for more than 6 months and then set on their foundations, out in the weather for over a year before they ran. The charge pumps were large, horizontal, multi-stage barrel pumps. Based on the manufacturer's recommendation, we pulled the dowel pins, dropped the bearing housings and let the rotors sit down in the wear rings once they were installed. They offered an alternate of filling the pump case with oil and rolling the shaft 90 degrees once per week. The high pressure water injection pumps were gearbox driven vertical pumps. As the manufacturer recommended, we removed the vents, installed stand pipes and flooded the gearbox full of oil. The majority of the pumps were single stage, horizontal. We had the bearing housings fogged with an oil soluble preservative and asked our operators to roll the shafts over once per week. We have had very little trouble with any of these pumps in the 4 or 5 months they have been running. I guess the final point would be the importance of consulting the pump manufacture and getting their recommendation. When it is available, we prefer to store new pumps under oil mist purge in a lay-down area. This has worked very well for us but is not always practical.
As the pumps are brand new, usually the warranty is for 1yr or 18months after delivery, whatever happens first.
With this new development you could have at best... 2 or 3 months left on the warranty once the pumps are commissioned
I would check with the manufacturer, get their specific recommendations and ask how much would it cost to extend the warranty until the pumps are commissioned. i.e. buy an insurance policy from the manufacturer for the equipment.
Otherwise, if they were not involved in the process and the pumps get somehow damaged... most likely they will claim the pumps were not properly stored and therefore the warranty is void... OR, most likely: expired before even starting.
saludos.
a.
With this new development you could have at best... 2 or 3 months left on the warranty once the pumps are commissioned
I would check with the manufacturer, get their specific recommendations and ask how much would it cost to extend the warranty until the pumps are commissioned. i.e. buy an insurance policy from the manufacturer for the equipment.
Otherwise, if they were not involved in the process and the pumps get somehow damaged... most likely they will claim the pumps were not properly stored and therefore the warranty is void... OR, most likely: expired before even starting.
saludos.
a.
We have a separate specification for equipment preservation on projects. It includes:
Bearing housings as well as the wetted end of all pumps contain a level of vapor space inhibitor (VSI)oil. Not a big deal on bearing housings but it does require that pump case flanges be sealed with the appropriate flange and gasket...not the wooden shipping flange cover.
Exposed shafting and coupling hubs are protected with a cosmoline like grease. The stuff I'm use to using is in a spray can.
Pumps are rotated a few turns each week and the shaft position is documented.
Electric motor space heaters, if equipped, are energized.
When dealing with a large number of pumps, they may be connected to a temporary oil mist system, especially if stored outdoors.
Larger equipment such as compressors may also be N2 purged.
Collect, label and collate any manufacturers documentation attached to the equipment. Also account for the boxes that are attached to the pumps. They usually contain the coupling spacer.
Bearing housings as well as the wetted end of all pumps contain a level of vapor space inhibitor (VSI)oil. Not a big deal on bearing housings but it does require that pump case flanges be sealed with the appropriate flange and gasket...not the wooden shipping flange cover.
Exposed shafting and coupling hubs are protected with a cosmoline like grease. The stuff I'm use to using is in a spray can.
Pumps are rotated a few turns each week and the shaft position is documented.
Electric motor space heaters, if equipped, are energized.
When dealing with a large number of pumps, they may be connected to a temporary oil mist system, especially if stored outdoors.
Larger equipment such as compressors may also be N2 purged.
Collect, label and collate any manufacturers documentation attached to the equipment. Also account for the boxes that are attached to the pumps. They usually contain the coupling spacer.
API RP 686 Chapter 3, Jobsite Receiving and Protection, may have what you're looking for. It "...defines the minimum requirements for protecting project machinery and related components from deterioration whiile in field storage, after installation, and during the period prior to commissioning."
electricpete
Electrical
store in an area free from vibration to prevent false brinneling damage to bearings.
Rumour has it that too frequent manual rotation of sleeve bearings can be counter productive. We all know that the majority of the wear during operation occurs during starts. When you manually rotate, it could be equivalent or more severe than a start since there is no oil film developed. At least that is what one nuke plant concluded after examining a sleeve bearing motor that failed shortly after being removed from spares and put in service. I remember a report stating there were some particles that caused the failure and they blamed those particles on the manual rotation during storage. Apparentlyl the drain/flushes performed prior to putting the motor into operation weren't enough to remove particles formed during manual rotation. I just figured I'd mention it. But most people still manually rotate.
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Rumour has it that too frequent manual rotation of sleeve bearings can be counter productive. We all know that the majority of the wear during operation occurs during starts. When you manually rotate, it could be equivalent or more severe than a start since there is no oil film developed. At least that is what one nuke plant concluded after examining a sleeve bearing motor that failed shortly after being removed from spares and put in service. I remember a report stating there were some particles that caused the failure and they blamed those particles on the manual rotation during storage. Apparentlyl the drain/flushes performed prior to putting the motor into operation weren't enough to remove particles formed during manual rotation. I just figured I'd mention it. But most people still manually rotate.
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Your horizontal pumps should be just fine if you seal off the inlet and outlet ports and spray a mist preservitive inside to keep flash rusting to a minimum. Fill the bearing housing reservoir to normal operating levels. Turn by hand once a month to prevent False Brinelling like electricpete said in the prior posting. Prior to installation drain and refill with new lubricant. The submersible units are completely sealed and will be just fine with the same maintenance. Spray the Impeller, inlet and outlet, and rotate by hand once a month. Be sure the pumps are stored in a dry area. Especially the submersible. Should the power and sensor leads become wet, wicking inside the cable could occur. It is best to cover each lead with plastic and seal.
thewellguy
Electrical
submersible motors are designed to be maintance free. Store the motors in a dry non freezing inviroment. In the box is better as sunlight will breakdown the motor wires overtime.
When you go to install them make sure that the motor oil/water is full and turn the pump over by hand to make sure its free. Also meg the motor, but you should have not problems.
When you go to install them make sure that the motor oil/water is full and turn the pump over by hand to make sure its free. Also meg the motor, but you should have not problems.
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