Recently I conducted training at a location that had quite a large population of centrifugal pumps, the majority of which were overhung pumps. As you can see from the diagram below, the overhung pump casing bolts to the volute by a ring of bolts in a circular flange. Issues with Bolt Bound and…
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There sure are a lot of acronyms around and it seems like new ones come out every day. Not sure about you, but I have a hard time keeping track of them. There are times when I attempt a conversation with someone, and they are spewing out so many acronyms it is hard to decipher…
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Recently, I provided training for a location that had vertical mounted electric motors driving pumps that were one or more floors below them. In this case, these pumps were driven with Cardan Shafts, however they did not have the typical 5-to-15-degree angles (between the motor & pump shafts and the drive shaft) recommended for lubrication…
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I don’t know about you, but in my nearly 45 years in industrial maintenance, there have been times when I felt stumped when trying to solve a problem. Sometimes you can just walk away and the solution comes to you while performing another task. Other times, a colleague or coworker may come along and have…
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We have written numerous blogs on pump bases, they still at times contribute to precision shaft alignment challenges. A recent class at a wastewater treatment plant, was having difficulty controlling soft foot on several different pump skids with composite bases. Previous blogs have described how a bad base can contribute to soft foot. In this…
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If you have read any of our blogs, you have seen we run into some unique alignment scenarios. During a recent class in a shipyard, there was a need to perform a Cardan Shaft Alignment in a boat with very little space to work in. It also required shooting the lasers through a hole…
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In a recent RT300 class during the field portion of the training, the team made the decision to take vibration readings on a motor/pump assembly that was very noisy and had frequent coupling failures. The RT300 diagnosed misalignment, cavitation and shock modulation. Then using the same RT300, they checked the alignment and it was indeed…
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It doesn’t matter what size, shape or design of the pump its purpose is to move fluids. Head loss that must be overcome makes the task a bit more complicated and the type of pump makes a difference. Two of the basic pump laws are volumetric flow rate and pump power: Volumetric Flow Rate:…
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This month marks my 41st year of being involved in industrial maintenance. Early on during my apprenticeship in a machine shop, as an outside machinist, I thought living long enough to know everything was not going to be possible. Even now I am reminded of this from time to time. I am also reminded that…
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Not only do we write blog articles at VibrAlign, we also read them. Nearly every training session I conduct, pipe strain as a source of alignment frustration, comes up. I recently came across an excellent blog written by Ricky Smith CRL CMRP CMRT that I would like to share. There is some really good information…
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Sound familiar? I can’t tell you how many times I personally have heard this over the years. I am sure many of you have as well. The issue is, scheduled downtime seems to be put on the back burner so to speak, to meet production goals. And as it has become all too familiar,…
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One of the many things I love about my job is the numerous challenges we face during the field alignment portion of our Precision Shaft Alignment Training. Prior to the training, there were some repeatability issues when attempting to perform a precision alignment on this piece of equipment. One of the main causes of non-repeatability…
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As we trainers travel around the country conducting precision shaft alignment training, we often run into some fairly harsh work environments during the field portion of the training. At times the equipment that needs to be aligned is caked in product from spills or leaks. This can create a significant challenge when attempting a precision…
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In a previous blog I wrote in Jan of 2016 “Soft Foot Concerns in the Stationary Machine?” soft foot in the pump was causing repeatability issues during a precision shaft alignment. https://acoem.us/other-topics/soft-foot-concerns-stationary-machine/ Soft foot can also distort the pump casing which can change clearances within the casing. This can shorten the life of the…
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While on the road conducting precision shaft alignment training I run across a wide range of skill level. It is not uncommon to have a lot of questions. I like it when there are questions, that is usually an indication that the trainees are engaged. It is also not uncommon that a question starts with,…
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