pump maintenance and troubleshooting
TRANSCRIPT
PUMP MAINTENANCEAND TROUBLESHOOTING
Brian GongolDJ Gongol & Associates, Inc.
January 27, 2016
NWOD Snowball ConferenceKearney, Nebraska
Not all maintenance is worth doing!
Maintenance is about one thing
Getting the full life-cycle value from a product
Extending life means actively saving money
Think of operational savings in pretax dollars
$1.25 to $1.33 in pretax incometo the ordinary taxpayer
So let's save some money!
Types of maintenance
Fix on failure Scheduled Preventive Predictive
Each approach has its place
Fix on failure
When it's cheap, simple, and in-stock, like a pen
Scheduled maintenance
When there is lots of data from prior experience
Preventive maintenance
When a failure puts you at serious riskof long-term downtime
Predictive maintenance
When the signals of trouble are well-knownand surveillance is cheap
In the context of your health...
Fix on failure
Bandage on a papercut
Scheduled maintenance
Getting your annual physical(prostate exams, colonoscopies, cholesterol tests...)
Preventive maintenance
Regular exercise
Predictive maintenance
Blood pressure checks Body-composition bathroom scales Blood-sugar tests
We rely too heavily on fix-on-failure
(Not a recommended maintenance strategy.)
You would never fly Fix-On-Failure Airlines
Avoid the curse of Shary Bobbins
Always put safety first
You are the most valuable piece of equipment
Lock out, tag out
Check for gases
Seriously. Check for gases.
Prevent slips, trips, and falls
Carpet pattern designed as if to maximize disorientationCenturyLink Center, Omaha
Prevent muscle strain
Keep safety equipment in good repair
Guards Belts Sensors Handrails
Measurement means control
Everyone knows quantitative measurements
Pump run times
Energy consumption
Flows
Pressure readings
Oil temperatures
Motor casing temperatures
But qualitative measurements matter, too
Vibration
Smells/scents/odors
Smells/scents/odors
bitter burnt citrusy fermented fishy fresh fruity grassy hot moldy musty
oily oppressive organic pungent rotten sharp smoky sour sulfuric sweet
Sounds
Sounds
bassy buzz chirp clack clap click crescendo dissonant echo grind growl harmonic hum knock loud muffled
piercing ping quiet rattle rhythmic ringing rumble screech sharp squeak squeal staccato tap whinny whoosh
Why take measurements?
And keep qualitative records?
From fix-on-failure to anticipation
Making the change meanscollecting and using data
Not appropriate to everything
Litmus test
If downtime would wake you in the middle of the nightand a replacement isn't on your own shelf,
use some kind of predictive/preventive measurement
Make it easy to measure and record
Make it easy to review performance
Take the time to review
I-35W: Calculations were "too much work"
Take records straight to a tablet or netbook Eliminates handwriting errors Eliminates copying errors Promotes rapid visualization
Prices are so low, it's highly justifiable
Use free resources
Calendars
Charts and task lists
7x7
Make them easy to digest at a glance
People like to keep up unbroken chains
"X" days without a safety incident
Know your indicators
Problem indicators Smoke from under the hood
Planned indicators Squeaking brakes
Conduct a post-mortem on failures and incidents
What did it cost you? What signals were missed?
Primary predictive-maintenance indicators
Temperatures Oil/lubricant conditions Ultrasonic analysis Vibration Performance trends
Nobody wants to do the dirtiest job
Create a culture that encourages maintenance
Starting with ownership of the process
Wax/paint/clean the equipment
Broken window effect
A baseline for what's right...
...makes it easier to see when something's wrong
A hidden payback
When you practice regular maintenance,you get to know the equipment
on an expert level
Expert-level understanding makestrouble resolution much faster
What you have in common with machines
Some of the things thatmake your life more pleasant
help equipment, too
Winter heating
Proper heating in winter prevents freezing
Summer cooling
Well-ventilated motorsare more reliable and more efficient
Turn better maintenance into a game
Rival departments (or shifts)
Rival communities
Leverage your efforts & improve motivation
Friendly rivalries withsomething on the line
(pride or a small wager)raise the level of performance
all around
Make it a measurable goal with a small wager
Doughnuts?Lunch?
A round of beers?
Buddy system aids information-sharing
Create your own "peer group"
Valuable for comparisons in reports
If you're doing well
The peer group helps you take credit
If you're doing badly
Peer pressure can motivate improvement
If you need more resources
The peer group helps you make the case
Reward good maintenance ideas
Multi-thousand-dollar ideas go un-sharedbecause people don't think they'll be rewarded
Rewards beget buy-in
"You can achieve amazing progressif you set a clear goal and find a measurethat will drive progress toward that goal
in a feedback loop."- Bill Gates
Use mental tricks to help yourself
Make maintenance automatic
Conserve mental energy
Don't make more choices than necessary
Color-coded tools
Opt-in versus opt-out
When the default option is participation, one-third of people stick with retirement plans who wouldn't have signed up on their own
Add a third choice to make
Add a third choice to make
Batches of three
Just clustering tasks and choicesin groups of three
reduces the mental taxof decision-making
Conserve mental energy for what matters
"What do you want for dinner?"
"I don't know. What do you want?"
"I don't know."
Tools under $25 to improve maintenance
Kneepad
Graph pads
Fold-out two-wheeler
Lock-out, tag-out devices
Pilot's kneeboard
Custom toolkits for frequent tasks
Foam roller
Reach extender
Zip ties (cable ties)
Carabiners
It is not wasteful to duplicate tools
If it's the difference between doing the maintenance and not If it saves time on a quick payback period
Play hurt sometimes
Figure out what is adding extra strain,then eliminate it
Caring for assets makes you a:
Guardian Conservator Trustee
Custodian Steward Fiduciary
"Cheap" isn't always cheap
"Cheap" up-frontmay cost you a fortune
Doing maintenance right saves you grief
AVOID PAIN!
Good maintenance saves customers money
PLEASE THE PEOPLE!
First-Half Summary
Do the right maintenance for the right equipment Fix-on-failure, scheduled, preventive, predictive
Use your brain as often as your hands Place a real value on maintenance and communicate it
References:
Cost of anti-terrorism: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/09/11/u-s-spends-over-16-billion-annually-on-counter-
terrorism/
Cost of deferred maintenance: http://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/news/
Retirement opt-in participation: http://www.nber.org/bah/summer06/w12009.html
Airport security photo (public domain): https://twitter.com/TSAMedia_RossF/status/375424954600157185/photo/1
I-35W "too much work": http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/52124637.html
I-35W photo (public domain): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:I35W_Collapse_-_Day_4_-_Operations_%26_Scene_(95).jpg
Osama bin Laden screen capture: http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/usama-bin-laden
Aircraft boneyard photo (public domain): http://research.archives.gov/description/6505216
All other photos and illustrations are original work by Brian Gongol. Copyright and all other rights are reserved.
PUMP TROUBLESHOOTING
Brian GongolDJ Gongol & Associates, Inc.
January 27, 2016
NWOD Snowball ConferenceKearney, Nebraska
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (as Sherlock Holmes)
"Once you eliminate the impossible,whatever remains, no matter how improbable,
must be the truth."
All pump problems are either mechanical...
...or hydraulic
Secondarily, they are either internal...
...or external to the pump
How to tell a mechanical problem
Take away the water
How to tell a hydraulic problem
Take measurements
Mechanical problems - internal to the pump
Bearings
Seals
Packing
Tightness of fit
Suction flap valves
Debris
Internal rubbing
Friction
Mechanical problems - external to the pump
Motors
Controls
Alignment
Balance
Transmission
Belts
Sheaves
Couplings
Valves (throttling)
Valves (isolation)
Valves (air-release)
Piping
Rotation
Jay-Z had 99 problems
We've come up with about 50...and this is halftime
Hydraulic problems - internal to the pump
Recirculation
Clearances
Wearplate wear
Wear ring wear
Volute wear
Impeller wear
In at least three flavors...
Chemical attack
Abrasion
Cavitation*
Cavitation damage happens inside the pump...but it's almost always caused outside the pump
Hydraulic problems - external to the pump
Suction side or discharge side
The two flavors of external hydraulic issues
Hydraulic problems - external - suction
NPSH
NPSHa (net) = Atmospheric pressure- vapor pressure- safety factor- total dynamic suction lift- NPSHr for the pump
Atmospheric pressure
Heat/vapor pressure
Air entrainment
Air in high spot
Turbulence
Vortexing
Minimum submergence
Plugged suction
Debris
Never underestimate what a storm can do...and deposit in your wetwells
Horizontal runs
Valves
Leaks
Not water getting out,but air getting in
Changes to fluid properties
For instance...
Gases in solution
Surfactants
Viscosity
Specific gravity
Froth/foam/bubbles
Hydraulic problems - external - discharge
Valves
Leaks/breaks
Sediment
Debris
Changes to effective pipe diameter
Caused by...
Air
Ice
Corrosion
Scaling
Buildup
Tools to assist in your investigation
Impeller condition: Excess wear
Impeller condition: Suction cavitation
Impeller condition: Discharge cavitation
Shaft breakage
Seal failure
Strange or unwelcome noises
Strange or unwelcome noises
Suction cavitation
Discharge cavitation
Surges
The scream
Use all of your available senses (minus taste)
Record performance
Keep pump curves handy
Gauge readings make a huge difference
Gauge readings make a huge difference
Look in the direction of change
Was the change gradual or abrupt?
Some are dead giveaways,others just point in the right direction
Gauge case studies
Gauge case studies
The prime that took forever
Gauge case studies
Gauge case studies
The prime that took forever The hole in the suction line
Gauge case studies
Gauge case studies
The prime that took forever The hole in the suction line The plugged suction
Gauge case studies
Gauge case studies
The prime that took forever The hole in the suction line The plugged suction
The forcemain failure
Gauge case studies
Gauge case studies
The prime that took forever The hole in the suction line The plugged suction
The forcemain failure The sedimentation
inclination
Gauge case studies
Gauge case studies
The prime that took forever The hole in the suction line The plugged suction
The forcemain failure The sedimentation
inclination The bubble, bubble, toil,
and trouble
Gauge case studies
Gauge case studies
The prime that took forever The hole in the suction line The plugged suction
The forcemain failure The sedimentation
inclination The bubble, bubble, toil,
and trouble The surge-and-slam
Gauge case studies
Always divide and conquer
Questions?
Thank you for coming!
Thank you for your attention!
Contact us anytime with questions
Brian Gongol DJ Gongol & Associates 515-223-4144 [email protected]
References:
Photo: Mechanic tightening nut (public domain) http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/fsac.1a35263/
All other photos are original work by and copyright reserved to Brian Gongol