The Situation
A critical clean water pumping station in Worcestershire had ten Sulzer, high lift transfer pumps on-site, each fitted with ABB 500.0kW, 1490rpm flange-mounted motors. The units were all manufactured in 1959 and have a water cooling system for oil and both radial and thrust white metal bearings. Around four pumps required significant maintenance work every year, with repairs from the OEM costing anywhere between £30k and £65k each time.
The Solution
The customer needed to reduce the problems and costs caused by failures to these ageing pumps, and so contracted HAYLEY 247 DMS DEXIS to carry-out a programme of oil sampling. The results from the initial sampling indicated that the oil within the pumps should be drained, flushed and replenished, with the required frequency of this also determined. As part of the programme, special oil gauges and oil sample values were installed to enable the sampling process to be conducted without the need for the pumps to stop, or for guards to be removed.
"THE INCREASED PUMP AVAILABILITY HAS ENABLED THIS CLEAN WATER PUMPING STATION, TO OPERATE EFFICIENTLY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A DECADE!"
The Result
Eighteen months after the initial samples were taken from the oil at this water treatment works, there is yet to be an issue with any of the ten pumps on-site. Considering at least one pump typically would have been expected to have failed in this timeframe, there has been a significant cost-saving achieved already. The increased pump availability (all 10 pumps available) has enabled this clean water pumping station, to operate efficiently for the first time in over a decade!
The implementation of a lubrication best practice study, has empowered the local operation / maintenance teams to implement methods for the correct storage of all their lubricants. This has resulted in less stock being held locally, but all stock held is now clean and ready to use at all times. The customer is also thrilled to have much-improved visibility on the health of the oil being used and their pumping assets, by extension.