Extending the life of pumps
Opinion: pump reliability
T
he number of submersible pumps
being installed in the wastewater
industry has increased steadily
over recent decades.
However, the installed life and run
time of submersible pumps remains
unchallenged. A three-year life expec-
tancy is generally accepted as a norm,
which falls far below that for long
couple pump sets within the water
industry, as well as that for other
modern process industry pumps. There
is also a growing trend for OEMs to
provide replacement pumps rather than
carry out repairs.
With an acknowledged cross-industry
obligation to strive for environmental
sustainability, surely it is time to rethink
these behaviours - especially when the
available solutions can also significantly
improve installed life and reduce pump
costs?
The 'Achilles' heel' of submers-
ible pumps
Mechanical seals may seem a small and
comparatively insignificant component
of submersible pumps, yet they are at
the root of the most common cause of
premature pump breakdown - water
The remote location of pumping stations, coupled with
staff constraints, can place a considerable logistical and
financial burden on wastewater companies tasked with
carrying out pump repairs and maintenance. Richard Smith of
AESSEAL discusses some possible solutions.
ingress into the motor bearings.
The potential cost and downtime
implications of this issue cannot be
overstated. In a best-case scenario,
damage might be limited to just an
electrical grounding. But where water
contamination causes the electric motor
bearings to seize and damages other
pump parts as a consequence, the
outcome can be catastrophic.
Consider the time and costs involved
in this scenario. The options are
replacing the entire pump, or removing
and transporting the pump to a central
workshop or contractor, stripping it
WWT PUMP AND VALVE SUPPLEMENT 2019 13
