It’s not just the Pump
A Best Practice Report
MUNSCH, the German plastic pump specialist, was happy to ship a large number of centrifugal plastic pumps to be installed in various applications inside a new Zink electrolysis plant in Uzbekistan recently.
As far as that it was just a normal delivery. However, “this customer also wanted us do the complete pipe calculations and provide all necessary equipment to protect the pumps from getting damaged under the harsh conditions”, reports Alexander Rausch, senior application specialist at MUNSCH.
Customers used to have their own specialists once
In fact pump manufacturers around the globe see an increasing demand of expectations from their customers, including calculations that were once done by their own specialists. Specialized pump manufacturers such as MUNSCH have gained extensive know how of applications as their pumps mostly serve very challenging niche applications. Customers ask for a pipe calculation check on a regular basis and, in addition, receive an extensive report, not only including pressure drop calculations but also a safety concept for the pumps included.
“In the Zink electrolysis we have almost everywhere to deal with corrosive and abrasive fluids such as contaminated sulfuric acid, lime or waste water from various sources.”
Pumps in these applications are in danger and need close surveillance. Clogging filters and ever constricting pipes almost certainly result in excessive pump wear or even damage. Yet, pump safety does not always require elaborate and costly equipment. Existing measurements and systems often can be used to keep track of the pump’s operating status. In Uzbekistan, most of the pumps just needed pressure sensors and manometers to be installed at the right place to allow operators the necessary overview.
It’s always worth to share a bit extra information
Pump specialists such as MUNSCH, with extensive knowledge of specific applications do always approach a pump case from the application side first. “Our experience is that if we receive additional information about how the future plant and how the pumps will be operated our calculations and proposals will be much more precise and risks for the pumps can be exposed and be discussed at an early stage” says Alexander Rausch.
In addition to a diligent pump engineering MUNSCH does also recommend to have the pump manufacturer on site during start-up. This way the manufacturer is able to have the operators and maintenance staff sensitized to the ‘pump point of view’ and receive direct feedback if everything works as planned. The costs of such a start-up package should be relatively low compared to those of a trouble shooting under full production. In Uzbekistan the start-up package worked well. All pumps are running, safety devices are set and the staff on site knows to watch out for.
Summary
Centrifugal pumps in industrial applications are successful if the engineering and the pump manufacturer agree to listen to each other and to provide extensive information. In addition the investment budget should not prevent the discussions about protection from a pump point of view.
Source & Picture: MUNSCH Chemie-Pumpen
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