vertical very large 1 million gpm sea-water pumps 1

[tomato5]

i wanted to know of your experience of using/operating/maintaining vertical pumps in sea water service what flow and head, any new monitoring techniques to detect impending failure, the better known vendors, electric motor drivers, most effective metallurgy

thank you

 

[Artisi]

Hire yourself a consulting engineering company qualified to answer your questions, but ensure you give them a bit more detail than what is given here.
For instance, wet or dry pit arrangement, duty head, number of pumps,50/60 Hz power supply, inlet conditions, etc- this is just a few of the minor concerns.

It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts. (Sherlock Holmes - A Scandal in Bohemia.)

 

[DubMac]

Your question is too broad to answer in less than a book. Could you please start off with something specific about seawater pumps. If you don't have anything specific and really want to know everything there is to know about seawater pumps, then go buy a book.

 

[MikeHalloran]

A search will find quite a lot of history on the "Wood Screw Pumps" used to drain New Orleans. They're horizontal, but the larger ones are rated at a million gpm, and the water they typically pump is 'not fresh'.

The information you will find will include comparisons with modern vertical pumps, which are typically much smaller, but you will also find much help on material selection and operational problems, if you can read between the lines of early 20th century technical prose.





Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[clay87]

For materials, see link below. For pumps of this size, You're probably looking at 316SS for stationary castings and super duplex or equiv for internals. Catholic protection will be considered.

Vendors: All of the big names should have plenty of experience in this.

Techniques to detect failure: typical is standard vibration collection which does a poor job of detecting problems below the deck. Some have prox probes installed at stuffing box for continuous monitoring (should help detect worn shaft/bearings). Some have installed accelerometers at line shaft bearings (under water level) but I'm not sure how reliable or effective this has been. Consider making accommodations for flow rate measurements if sand/silt will wear the impeller.

The design of such large pumps and system may involve specialized piping (concrete?, pre-stressed?, cement-lined?), startup controls (pipe fill, closed discharge valve), and fluid flow considerations (water hammer, massive fluid energy, siphon/vacuum, anti-reverse-rotation, intake bays).

http://turbolab.tamu.edu/proc/pumpproc/P26/ch09_Morrow.pdf

 

[MJCronin]

clay87..... I fell like I have always needed protection from Catholics...

 

[DRWeig]

I betya the spell check got him.

Best to you,

Goober Dave

Haven't see the forum policies? Do so now: Forum Policies

 

[racookpe1978]

Ya know, iffen I had a chance of selling somebody several million gpm pumps, I'd be catholically-sure to be on his specification and design team without protestenting too much about the fee. Then again, the purchaser might take a Baptist about the final fee and its methodistology about how that fee was negotiated.. .....

 

[MikeHalloran]

Better to deal with an afeeist?



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[Artisi]

Or someone with money, even if the plate has to go round twice.

It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts. (Sherlock Holmes - A Scandal in Bohemia.)

 

[clay87]

Blasted iPad spellchecker

Sorry for the thread derail.

 

[Artisi]

What thread? The OP hasn't bothered to respond so it's probably well and truly dead.

It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts. (Sherlock Holmes - A Scandal in Bohemia.)